American Values Religious Voices: 100 Days. 100 Letters.

A joint initiative for the first 100 days of the new administration. We sent a one-page letter to President Trump, Vice President Pence,  Members of the 115th Congress and select members of the Trump administration. The letters offer insight and inspiration drawn from the collective wisdom of our faith communities and their sacred texts.

Dear President Trump, Vice President Pence, Members of the Trump Administration and 115th Congress,

As a Hindu-American scholar, the sacred text that I think of at this time of political transition is the Bhagavadgita and its call to work always for the universal common good (3:20 and 3:25). Consideration for the common good is what makes a person unselfish and wise and what should drive our public policy. After all, the state should exist for the promotion of the common good, not the interests of any particular group.

The Sanskrit word, lokasangraha, which I translate here as “universal common good,” is inclusive, encompassing human beings as well as the natural world. All are included because at the heart of my faith’s teaching is the core claim that all beings embody equally the one divine being who is of ultimate value. This is the source of our reverence for all and the ground of our affirmation of human dignity and equal worth. Any laws we make or policies we formulate must affirm the equal worth, freedom, and dignity of all human beings regardless of race, sex, religion or ancestry. We cannot compromise on this in words or actions.

In placing the universal common good at the center of our policymaking, we must devote ourselves in a special way to the well-being of those who suffer and those who are the victims of injustice. The implementation of policies that are just and that alleviate suffering must become the measure of our greatness as a nation. Power without compassion is destructive and becomes ethically and spiritually debilitating.

The Hindu poet Narsi Mehta reminds us to measure ourselves by our ability to feel the pain of others and act generously towards them. Likewise, Mahatma Gandhi taught compassion for those who suffer. I implore you to remember Gandhi’s words whenever you struggle to make the right decision: “Recall the face of the poorest and weakest man [or woman] whom you have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [or her]. Will he [or she] gain anything by it?…Then you will find your doubt and your self melting away.”

Sincerely,

Anantanand Rambachan
Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies
Saint Olaf College

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