World Culture Festival 2023: A Call for Celebrating Diversity
Leadership & Ethics | Updated: | 5 min read
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urges transcending conflicts and fostering global unity for a brighter future, at the World Culture Festival in Washington DC.
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At the heart of Washington D.C., a confluence of diverse cultures and hearts unfolded as Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar graced the World Culture Festival. With his words resonating against a backdrop of myriad traditions, Gurudev set forth a captivating narrative about the world’s diversity and the underlying unity that binds us all.
Highlights
Listen to Gurudev’s speech
“Our planet is so diverse. Yet there is an underlying unity that is the human values,” began Gurudev, setting a comforting premise in a world that often seems riddled with differences. His narrative navigated through the charm of music, the quintessence of human spirit, and the silent yet profound language of a smile.
He quipped about the simplicity and universal language of music, “As a child, we first started singing, right? Only then we started speaking. So music is such a part of every culture, it’s part of our human spirit’s expression.” The crowd seemed to harmonize with his notions as he went on about celebrating these expressions with a “sense of cooperation” rather than competition.
Transitioning into a more serious note, Gurudev touched upon the mental health crisis that has gripped the world. With societal violence and personal turmoil at one end, and depression with suicidal tendencies at the other, he suggested a hearty celebration as the antidote. “And it is a celebration that can help us to come out of these anomalies of our mind,” he said with a reassuring tone.
Gurudev illustrated the necessity of nurturing both passion and dispassion in one’s life. He whimsically referred to an American song as he discussed the essence of dreaming and relaxing in life: “I’m a dreamer. We are all dreamers. We dream, we hold on to ideals and that is a passion. But when it gets too much, then we have to say just let it be, let it be, let it be so relax and get back to our true nature, true self, which is peace.”
The light-hearted spirit carried through as he acknowledged the innate goodness in every individual, irrespective of the worldly labels. “See no child is born on this planet as a bad guy or bad girl. We have the goodness inherent in us and that needs to come up,” he shared, evoking a nod from the audience.
Gurudev then delved into the collective influence of happiness, mentioning, “One person not being happy in a family can make the whole family miserable. And several such families make the whole nation unhappy.” He called for a commitment to bring more happiness, to create more smiles and wipe more tears, embracing the “humanness” that binds us all.
His words echoed the overarching sentiment of unity in diversity, encouraging all to celebrate life and face the challenges with a pragmatic yet hopeful stance. “Let’s celebrate our life. Life is too short to think about conflicts,” Gurudev noted, evoking a symphony of cheers and hope among the attendees.
Gurudev’s discourse was more than just a speech; it was a melody of wisdom, optimism, and human values that resonated through every heart present, leaving them with an echoed reminder, “We all belong to one global family. Let’s celebrate our life.”
Re-live the event – Full videos
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