Faith and Diplomacy in a Modern World
Faith and Diplomacy in a Modern World The human race has been struggling to find peace between religion and diplomacy for decades. The start of numerous wars was due to a misunderstanding between policy makers and religious figures. Religion is an emotional thing, something that happens with compassion and understanding and traditions, people will take disrespect of a religion as a personal offence. Diplomacy is something that uses rules and regulations to control and order. This is why the two will never truly be on even playing field where an individual could choose a side. There needs to be combining of the two to prevent issues from arising. That’s why each religion must be studied and learned. To run any successful government society as a whole needs to have a full understanding of all religions. The Dalai Lama, Madeleine Albright, and Thomas Friedman all give ideas to how this can be done. When you are elected into any political position you have a lot of new powers. The Dalai Lama said “with great power comes great responsibility”, this is very true when it comes to government. Political figures have a responsibility to give the people what they want and also what is best for them. They must use their power to please the masses and heal the planet, especially if they wish to be re-elected. Part of the masses that need to be pleased is religious groups. They are different all over the world but they all want pretty much the same thing and that is too be respected, praise their god, and earn more followers. Politicians must use their power in a way that does not step over the toes of people of faith. This does not mean that religion deserves a place in government. “Religion is a powerful force but its impact depends entirely on what it inspires people to do.” Albright understands that religion has its positives and negatives. Friedman agrees, “We cannot live with nuclear terrorism.” He believes that certain religions push people to do the wrong