Cate - And that starts right in the living room with your spouse or your child. Conquer and convert - we do that privately with our loved ones every day.
Betsy – Absolutely. And that's the whole religious right. I mean this Ann Coulter woman, her whole agenda is conquer and convert. And what I love about this woman is that she is posed in this sexy dress, all hot, with her leg hanging out and in high heels and she's this hard-core Christian. It was classic. The image being presented was the exact antithesis of what supposedly forms right-wing Christian values. It baffles the mind. And I know this is my own ‘conquer and convert’ attitude talking.
The thing is, I don't think that direction is going to take us anywhere. I think that's the direction we've already been in for thousands of years. We have to move beyond the need to conquer and convert everybody to our way of thinking if we're really going to effect change on humanity.
Cate – And it can be so subtle! You can conquer and convert just by making something sexy. That's what that conflicting image you just spoke about was trying to create: it was an attempt to make right wing fundamentalist Christian values sexy and appealing to people.
Betsy - Right, that's just taking the old tools in the old toolbox and using them to convince people of the message. But this is not just about Christianity. There are fundamentalists in every single corner of the universe pushing their agendas. The thing is … have you ever noticed that the minute you let go of an idea, or an ideal, or something that you really want, that's when it comes to you?
Cate - Yes.
Betsy - I think we’re all holding on so tightly to our perspectives that we can't change. And we're all of us, Christians and Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, New Thinkers, New Agers, spiritualists – we’re all on our high horse thinking we've got the answers. And gee, if only everybody just did this program, or that seminar, or embraced this religion or that dogma then everything would be right with the world.
What would happen if everybody just stopped for a moment and really tried looking at it from the other person's side of things and see how we really are all after the same things, the same goals, the same peace of mind, the same connection? It's the old adage about walking in the other guy’s shoes.
Cate - Well, if we take it as an experience individually, a stance of tolerance is really a very coherent, peaceful place. You're not in reaction. You're not in turmoil. You’re not in ‘convert and conquer.’ You are simply in tolerance, which means you are actually congruent with the other person. It doesn't mean you agree with them. But agreement isn't necessary for congruence. Next > 1 2 3 4 5
