Andrew Cohen at the Parliament of the World's Religions

well I think we're all naturally drawn towards other people who have the same interests as we do because even for example the whole idea or concept of interfaith doesn't doesn't interest me because the dialogue between Buddhists and Christians or Jews and Buddhists I think in a relative sense you know it's important that we all learn to get along together and and are willing to listen to each other and recognize that we each have different points of view different points of view you know are valid but personally where my own interest and passion is has to do with creating the future together with other people and that's based on an interest in in creating something really that hasn't really ever happened before so personally and this is this has to do with my personal passion I'm not interested in preserving anything that's already happened I'm more interested in creating something that has never happened that is unthinkably positive wholesome and good because the world that we're living in is changing at a faster rate than it's ever changed before the life conditions are changing at a faster rate than it's ever changed before the the rate of change itself is changing at a faster rate than it ever has before and I think the place where most of the Traditions are at they're creaking slowly but surely you know into the 20th century and I think barely able to meet the 21st century I I really wonder and question if they're in a position to be able to respond in a dynamic and confident and Powerful way to the profound challenges and conflicts you know that we're facing as a race are you saying that you don't believe that religion can meet the demands of the future and then the crisis I don't I mean personally I I don't see any evidence that that they're able to do that you see the way I see it and I don't really I don't even know if this is actually true but I I feel that that we're at a time in history where everything is speeding up as I was saying before a at a very fast rate because you see we have to do more than just try to keep up we have to actually take control of this momentum rather than it controlling us let me talk about the parliament for a moment okay with religion at the root of conflict it doesn't seem to have gotten any better um moving in a solution oriented Direction than five years ago at the last Parliament so I'm wondering when looking at a parliament such as this can dialogue really lead to any solutions or is it just more of the same well well potentially potentially dialogue can always lead to Solutions I mean it's always better to have people talking to each other than not talking to each other at all so that's always a good thing even if progress doesn't seem to be apparent so it's always better to have people talking to each other than not I mean I think anything's possible so I think the process itself has to be kept going no matter what but the world system is moving forward faster and faster and the point is we have to find a way to philosophically morally and ethically to not only keep up with that movement but actually get a little bit ahead of it so we're going to be able to guide its direction so I think I'm getting what you're saying here is that the solution to for example religious conflict some of the other issues that that we face today is not necessarily within the religious leaders well I mean I think that you know as many people were repeating the other day I think this famous quote from Einstein that you you'll never find solutions to particular problems this at the same level that the problems have Arisen you have to you'll only be found at a higher level of development so I think the the answer to a lot of these problems are going to find when a significant minority of individuals in this case from different Traditions you know really rise to a higher level of Consciousness and reach an experience a perspective that really transcends all differences and also history itself does that require the intervention of maybe sociology economics political figures uh what's the solution here because what I'm hearing this is not working I think well I think especially when we're speaking in terms of religions I think I think in the end it's going to have to be awaken charismatic inspired individuals coming out of particular Traditions that would be calling their own people to a higher perspective so what's going to be the change that needs to take place and how is it what's the impetus to create that change well the impetus to create change Always lies within you know extraordinary individuals it's when extraordinary individuals awaken and move Beyond rigid and fixed positions and embrace a higher and bigger and more inclusive perspective that that change occurs I mean I don't ultimately think there's any other way but a lot more of that has to be happening and also I think just in relationship to this the fact that we're we're living in in a globe that's becoming more and more interconnected that thinking in any other way is literally becoming outmoded thinking in any other way meaning what well even beginning to think that that we're somehow separate from or disconnected from the rest of the planet and everybody else on it that we're really one family and that we have to learn how to live together I mean it's a very simplistic way of looking at but it's the but that's what the bottom line is and that everyone else's problem is our problem simply because we're all together in this I want to go back to the question of religion and again do you believe on any level that religion or religious Traditions can meet the demands of the future uh not so far no not not not unless they they begin to make a tremendous effort I think to meet the future I don't see how they can currently what are what are the obstacles there what what's stopping it is it is it ego is it steeped in Tradition is it my way is the only way what is it well I I think that it's it's um if we want to move forward we have to we have to be free of heavy baggage otherwise we're not going to be able to move forward too quickly and I think with many of the Great Traditions there is such an identification with a mythological perspective that's based on events that happened a long time ago that really don't have any relevance anymore to the world that we're living in and it's it's it's a sense that we need to constantly honor what has happened before creates a reluctance to want to move forward too quickly