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The Right View

I try to stay away from politics here, however this transcends the political world.

The world has many views in it. We all know that.

A great example is the current atmosphere regarding religious extremism. Certain religious sects think their religion calls for them to be violent towards non-believers. People not of this religion think this is just wrong. Even people within the religion wonder how holy texts can be interpreted in that way. Please note, I am not mentioning specific religions, as it happens in many religions.

The short of it is that everyone thinks their view is the “right” view and that they are justified in their actions because of their “right” view. Hitler thought he was right. Napoleon thought he was right. Hirohito thought he was right. Much of the world would disagree with them now. The reality is that there is no right view.

This is best summed up in this quote from Zhang Qingli, Tibet’s Communist Party leader regarding the Dalai Lama receiving the United States Congressional Gold Medal :

We are furious. If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice for good people in the world.

China has been long chided by non-communist countries for invading
Tibet in 1950. They have repeatedly been under scrutiny for their labor practices. In addition China is criticized for their censorship practices.

The Dalai Lama has long been recognized as a leader in human rights and peace negotiations. He is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Despite being the leader of one of the poorest nations in the world and having not been able to step foot in his home country for nearly 50 years; he is a world leader with as much respect as any Pope or President.

The fact that China clearly sees him as a rebel, traitor and miscreant
proves that the “right” view doesn’t exist. We as a people trying for
world peace can only try to understand the opposing view and acknowledge their right to differing opinions. We will never change them; hopefully we can convince them to respect our opinions the same way we respect theirs.

Learn tolerance, practice tolerance, learn understanding, practice understanding, learn appreciation, and appreciate everyone you meet for who they are. Only when we recognize, appreciate and tolerate will there be peace.