Respect and Freedom
At yesterday’s breakfast table the talk with our spiritual teacher, Dr. Kumar, came to the topic of the letter Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, wrote to George W. Bush, the president of the United States.� (Even if you are not interested in politics, it is worthwhile reading this very interesting letter.) In a very polite form, which must be even more poetic in the farsi language of Mr. Ahmadinejad, he asked quite number of deep and important questions to Mr. Bush, pointing out the right of the Iranian people for self-determination and the contradictions in the American politics.
Sri Kumar referred to India’s fight for independence and auto-rule against the British, which was seen by them as illegal, but that now, as a strong and independent nation they are respected in the world. The respect in the world toward America was much higher in the past, and in many countries the people ask themselves similar questions about the right of the behaviour of the United States.
People and nations grow in independence and freedom, and respect toward each other has to come from respecting the other’s right of another position, which might be complementary to one’s own.
