Closed Minds or Open Doors

CLOSED MINDS or OPEN DOORS?

‘The one that sees only the diversity and not the underlying unity,

wanders on from death to death’ Hindu Scripture

The quotation (above) from the Hindu Upanishads sprang to mind during my reflections on a talk by Ishpriya on the urgent need to counter the tendency in our world community to increasingly close doors on each other. She was addressing the importance of being able to ‘speak across different religious languages’ and suggested that this required mindfulness and the need to re-energise our inner life and to keep this in focus. Our world is beginning to close its doors and fundamentalism, in all its aspects, has a tendency to slam shut the doors between peoples, ideas and cultures.

Gandhiji, before India was granted independence, was very aware of the tendency of fundamentalists to shut doors and build barriers between peoples. He is quoted as saying ‘. No, open the doors and windows wide. I want the wind of every culture and language to flow freely throughout this house’. Gandhiji certainly knew the importance and value of open doors and a free exchange between peoples.

In commenting on the tendency to close doors, Ishpriya stressed that this was mainly based on fear and lack of trust. She reminded us, that in the Christian tradition, the disciples hid behind closed doors at Pentecost

(This occurred before they then received the Holy Spirit). So this growing tendency to close doors required us to explore how our Satsang Commitment could help us to find ways of opening doors. The fear and mistrust that underpin the closed door syndrome cause growing depression, anxiety and can lead to ‘neurotic isolationalism’.

So our task in Satsang is to ask ourselves, ‘Where are my doors closing’? Because where doors close there is a breakdown in communication. This was, she suggested, a paradox in this digital age, an age where communication is so much easier. To counteract this tendency we needed to become fully human and to become fully human we needed each other. This meant that we needed to inter-communicate. We are not self-created and our style and method of communication is, of course, informed by our personality and personal circumstances. We need to look at our personal areas of communication, with friends, in other relationships and also our personal freedom and the choices we made.

This is a responsibility that each and every member of the human family needs to face and accept. We are all responsible for the future. Because when we become aware of our common humanity, ‘communication with the other leads us to the OTHER (The In-Dweller)’ She suggested that it seems both Interfaith and ecumenical dialogue are stuck in a rut and that the doors are closing. Therefore we need to urgently find ways to communicate. We need to bear in mind that our communication is ‘self-reflective’. The way I communicate reveals something of me. The way I am willing to ‘open doors’ , to inter-communicate and to play my part in reducing fear, defensiveness, depression etc, helps others to do likewise.

Gandhi Greeting

My reflections left me with lots of questions and a challenge. I was struck by the quotation from Gandhiji. It stands in stark contrast to the mood of our times. It is only when we feel safe that we can then open wide our doors and windows and welcome strangers. The United States was founded on the principle of welcoming strangers and the oppressed and poor. The quotation on the Statue of Liberty bears ample witness to this. History seems to suggest that it was this willingness to accept the poor and oppressed brought out the best in America. Britain is another country well known for its tolerance and ability to welcome the oppressed and successive waves of immigration, from the Huguenots, through to the Jews and Irish, the West Indians and people from the sub-continent of India. It was these two countries, along with others who have traditionally stood out against oppressors.

But now in the West we are beginning to pull down the shutters and close the doors. The U SA, post 9/11 is seemingly a less friendly and open society. In Europe we are beginning to shut our borders and to use ‘labels’ to describe the oppressed and poor members of the human family. We talk of ‘economic migrants’, ‘illegal immigrants’, ‘terrorists’ etc. All this is stated and printed in a derogatory and fearful way. Throughout the world people are beginning to close their hearts and minds to true dialogue, losing compassion and also sight of who we really are, made in the image of the Source and all joined by an underlying unity.

That our human family and our planet are at a crucial point is seemingly self-evident. Our scientists and cosmologists warn us of the dangers facing the planet. There is serious doubt whether mankind, as a species, can survive much longer. It seems that our planet may have no choice other than to ‘get rid of us’. The past 100 years have arguably seen more wars, famines and disasters than in all the previous history of mankind. We ignore our environment at our peril. Most of the aboriginal peoples, and their spirituality – including my roots in Celtic Spirituality, have stressed our need to cherish and reverence our planet, nature and the environment.

In the past few centuries we have seemingly ignored this ancient and well known ‘ wisdom of the ages’ and our planet is suffering. Our great Faith Traditions and ideologies are seemingly being taken over by fundamentalists whose ‘simplistic certainties’ counsel division and strife. The mystics and sages of all the great Traditions have throughout the ages warned us of the dangers of failing to see our underlying unity. They have tried to help us to see that we are essentially ‘Spirit’ and therefore united through The Source.


As an individual and a member of Satsang, I have to seriously challenge myself to face my responsibilities. There is no sitting on the fence, no waiting for further data before I make up my mind! I am either on the side of life or by making no choice I really choose death. There is a theory of ‘the critical/crucial mass. IT seems to be borne out in nature and by evolution. If this is in fact a ‘law’, which is highly likely, then, if sufficient people choose to side with life, to side with the Planet, to side with the concept that we are all equal members of this human family, then change will occur. This will require me (and others) to make constant choices for life, for equality for people and for the planet. Even our seemingly small choices make a difference. I, like others, need to reach out to others across difference and to build bridges that unite. This is a truly awesome and important task of the living out the Satsang Commitment and thus playing my part in :-

Seeking Together – Helping to Create – A Planetary Vision – A Universal Heart of Compassion

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