 Pray, take responsibility
 (Excerpts from a talk by guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit in August, 2000)
Often, people who take responsibility do not pray, and those who pray do not take responsibility. It is interesting that this hall, which takes responsibility for the entire world, has seen a lot of prayer today. And this is the need of the hour.
Every religion has three aspects: values, symbols and customs. There is diversity in practices and customs, whereas values are common to all religions. The growth of fanaticism, fundamentalism and intolerance in this world is happening because people are only stuck in the practices, symbols, or customs. They are forgetting the values, the human values…
Spirit loves diversity. There is not one type of fruit, one type of people, or one type of animal in this world. Spirit loves diversity, so let’s not confine the spirit to a uniform. Let’s enjoy the diverse variety of creation by honouring them all, respecting and really loving them…
The time has come to love each other’s religions as one’s own. A religion is not just great because it is mine; it is great because of what it is. This understanding in all the priests and clergymen and those who lead people in the spiritual and religious light, will put an end to fanaticism and fundamentalism in this, our beautiful world.
...No doubt, one must go deep into one’s own religion; at the same time, having an understanding about every religion is essential today. We all need to work towards that. We pray and see the divinity within us. Without prayer and meditation, which are the spiritual aspect of life, religion becomes just a dry skin… so we need to enhance that spiritual aspect of our life. See love inside you and that is meditation; see God in the person next to you and that is service. Service and meditation go hand in hand…
The previous century has been an era of uniforms and unions. Now let us move to an era of communion. With these few words I pray and I take responsibility, both at the same time.
Sri Sri Ravishankar
(Founder, Art of Living)
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