AREN'T ALL PEOPLE REALLY THE SAME?
Sudarsho,
ESSENTIALLY YES, BUT ACCIDENTALLY NO. At the center yes, on the
circumference no. Essentially we are made of the same stuff called God, but on the
circumference God comes in every shape and size, in every color, in every form. There is
much difference And it is beautiful because if people were really the same, both at the
center and on the circumference, the world would be a very boring place. But it is not a
boring place. It is immensely interesting; it is immensely beautiful, rich. And the richness
comes because of variety.
No two persons are the same on the circumference, although everybody is the same at the
center -- not only people but trees and rocks, they are also the same at the center. Call that
center the soul and it will be easier for you to understand. Our souls are the same, there
we meet and are one, but our bodies and minds are different, there we are separate.
And no effort should be made to make us similar on the surface. Down the ages people
have been trying to do that; that creates only fascism. That's what Adolph Hitler was
trying to do. That's what happens in every army: we try to make people similar even on
the surface. In the army names disappear, numbers take their place. If a person dies you
read on the board, "Number 14 has fallen." Now, number 14 has no personality. Anybody
can replace number 14, anybody can be given number 14; number 14 is replaceable. But
the person who has died, is he replaceable? Can anybody in the world ever replace him?
Who will be the husband of his wife and who will be the father of his children? And who
will be the son of his old parents? And who will be the friend of his friends? Number 14
cannot do that. Number 14 is perfectly okay in the army; he will carry the gun and he will
do the same things -- the same stupid things -- that the other number 14 was doing before.
But as far as their real personality is concerned, number 14 is a different person.
All the military leaders of the world have been trying to force a certain pattern on people.
They would like machines, not men. They would like God to make men the way Ford
cars are made, on an assembly line, so similar Fords go on coming. God does not work
with an assembly line; he creates each individual with uniqueness.
So, Sudarsho, you have to understand two things. One: the variety, the difference, and
love the variety and love the difference....
Mohammedans have been trying to convert the whole world to one religion; Hindus have
been trying to do the same, Christians have been doing the same, Buddhists have been
doing the same. The whole effort is to make all the world similar, so there are all
Christians and Christians. It will be a poor world where no temple exists and no mosque,
where there are only churches and churches, and the same prayer and the same scripture
and the same silly Pope...it won't be good! It is beautiful that there are three hundred
religions in the world; more are needed.
In my vision, each person should have his own religion. There should be as many
religions as there are people. Only then this conflict, this continuous conflict, will stop,
this fight between religions will stop: when everybody has a religion and it is something
unique like your signature, like the print of your thumb -- unique. Then there will be no
problem, no conflict; nobody will try to convert anybody. You don't try to convert people
saying, "Make your signature just as I do." In fact, if somebody does it you will inform
the police: "This man is trying to imitate me."
Religion should be a personal, intimate phenomenon. But there are people who want to
change the whole world into Christianity or communism. They want to make the whole
world Catholic or Mohammedan or Hindu.
Mohammedans say there is only one God and only one prophet of God, that is
Mohammed. Then God seems to be very poor -- just ONE prophet? Can't he create more
prophets? Mohammed has not exhausted all the possibilities; nobody can exhaust them,
neither Buddha nor Jesus. They are all unique peaks, but no peak can exhaust all the
peaks. The Himalayas have their own beauty, but it is different from the beauty of the
Alps; and the Alps have their own beauty, but it is different from the beauty of the
Vindhyas. Each mountain has its own beauty, each peak has its own beauty, and it
contributes to the richness of the world.
I would not like all people to become Christians or Hindus or Mohammedans. I would
like everybody to be free from these prisons, everybody to be just himself. This is a
fascist idea, that everybody should be like everybody else. And this fascist idea is being
imposed in different ways on different aspects of humanity.
The heterosexuals will not allow anybody to be homosexual. Why? Who are you to
decide? Who has given you the right to decide? If two persons are feeling joyous in being
homosexual, it is nobody else's business to interfere. But every society interferes.
Just the other day Aditya said Hamid had suggested that there was no reason why he
should not think of turning into a gay person. Hamid must have joked. And when I talked
about it Hamid was very much disturbed: "What will people think about me now?" He
must have been joking with Aditya. Now he is very much disturbed about his reputation.
And of course, he is our Ayatollah Hamidullah Khomaniac! So his prestige.... Even
Divya wept when she heard that Hamid had invited Aditya! He must have been joking
because Iranians are very much against homosexuality.
In Iran, the punishment for homosexuality is death -- although because of this
punishment, more Iranians are homosexual than anybody else. Because when something
is so dangerous, people become interested: "Naturally there must be something in it.
When the punishment is death, that means there must be something higher than life in it,
more than life in it. It is worth taking the risk!"
But why should people be worried about others? About everything the society remains
alert: nobody should have his own individual way about his sex, about his love, about his
clothes, about his way of talking, manners. Every society imposes a fascist rule on its
members. It destroys much that is beautiful.
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