The Words of the Soundararajan Family

The Mission of World Youth

Sriram Soundararajan
November 1984
Youth Seminar on World Religions 1984 -- Participant


Discussing the symbolism in Hindu temple art and architecture in Kanchipuram, India.

The Youth Seminar on World Religions embarked on its unique and interesting venture at Washington, D.C., on a brilliant Wednesday morning in June. The Trinity College campus was humming with activity, and for once there was a concentration of humanity which represented a microcosm of religions in the admittedly serene and idyllic surroundings. The participants were divided into groups by the seminar staff, and in all there were nine groups, each accommodating within itself a variety so very essential to the religious dialogue that the seminar envisaged in its program.

For most of us who hadn't visited a distant foreign land before, it was an exhilarating experience. Although we got to perceive a totally different atmosphere, we slowly began to realize that but for a geographical change clothed in a veneer of affluence, so to say, the tenor of life was not different from what it is elsewhere. Of course, in the area of freedom for the young, we had quite a few shocking sights to behold! These apart, we had the familiar sight of old people relaxing in parks and house verandahs, and mothers taking care of their cuties in prams with the universal approach that is so very instinctive in mothers.

Culturally Moving Closer to the Fellow Participants

The seminar stint at Washington was a mixture of seriousness and relaxation. Lectures were interspersed with sessions at tennis courts or improvised volleyball courts. For the less robust, the velvety lawn of the college campus was an ideal place for chats. Visits to the downtown area by Metro rail or bus services was for some another chance to mingle with the picturesque crowds. Amidst all these, one was gradually realizing that with every hour of interaction, one was culturally moving closer to his fellow participants of diverse climes and cultures. 1 for one had the first taste of a rare opportunity wherein I could directly exchange views with my Jewish, Islamic, Christian, and Buddhist friends at the same time, without reservation; and every night, when I retired to my room in the hostel, I felt a subtle change in me which was a kind of spiritual awakening.

Unity in Diversity

My group was a rare combination of Jewish, Islamic Sufi, Christian, Buddhist, Unificationist, and Hindu. It looked almost utopian in its content and diversified in its yearnings. It underscored the theme of unity in diversity which is in danger of being converted into a cliché the world over instead of a practicing credo. It was amazing that such distinctive youth could interchange so much of true humanism and fellow feeling. As the days rolled by in our tour, it seemed to me that all the draconian codes that prevailed among the world religions were only veneer differences of practice, and that, with the slightest effort, we could have rapport with our fellowman and engender lasting ties. Viewed in this way, there is no basis for acrimony and power politics in this God-made beautiful world. The YSWR has certainly managed to break the ice of stilted human relationships and mindless animosities and has become a catalyst for the youth of the world to reinterpret their traditions and to forge new bonds.

I would like to sum up by quoting the words of the great contemporary Hindu Sivaite Saint-Pontiff of India, His Holiness Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati of Kanchipuram (Tamilnadu) to emphasize the significance of spiritual peace in the world as a motivating thought for the future.

Even if you scrap your battleships and let your cannons rust, that will not stop war; people will continue to tight, even if they have to use only sticks.

Nothing but a spiritual understanding between one nation and another and between the rich and the poor will produce goodwill and thus bring real peace and prosperity. 

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