Hidden Links by Zac Sangeeth & Sangeeth Varghese

Author:Zac Sangeeth & Sangeeth Varghese [Sangeeth, Zac]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789357081849
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
Published: 2023-07-23T16:00:00+00:00

How the Closely Connected Exaggerate Their Differences

Sigmund Freud commented in one of his essays that communities which were closely related to each other had a higher probability of engaging in bitter feuds. The more a group was indistinguishable from another, the more they were prone to attacking each other. Hostility between brothers was hence a much higher probability compared to hatred between strangers. Anton Blok, a Dutch anthropologist, further built on this premise to arrive at the conclusion that in the absence of noticeable differences, communities connected to each other would be forced to emphasize and reinforce their subtle dissimilarities, as they are the only available means for them to defend and prove their superiority over one another. Hence relationships between the Rwandan Hutus and Tutsis, Indian Hindus and Muslims and Israelis and Palestinians—closely related in their ethnicities—would constantly be marred by conflicts, as each of them seek to ascertain their primacy. This is the narcissism of negligible differences.

Chalk and Cheese and Cucumber: Three Totally Different Religions

Three religions, which went on to dominate the world, have so far convinced their followers that they are unique in their origins, philosophies and paths, propagating the idea that they hold a monopoly on the truth. To protect this idea, some of their followers would even die or kill. The origins of these religions are separated by time—a gap of at least 500 years between each faith. Buddhism originated in the late sixth century BCE, Christianity in the first century CE and Islam in 610 CE. These religions are also separated by space—Buddhism born in India spread initially across South Asia, China and Southeast Asia, Christianity developed in Judea and grew initially across the Roman Empire, while Islam emerged in Saudi Arabia and proliferated across the Middle East. Eventually, each of these religions went on to compete not only for followers but also for geographical subjugation in a world where religious ideologies diffused into political ideals.

Different, Yet So Similar

On the face of it, these religions seem to be vastly different from one another. But a deeper analysis reveals that they are quite similar in many ways—the myths surrounding their founders’ births and lives, the early development of these religions, the times the founders lived in and the strategic advantages they created. The fierce conflicts and violence that have marred our history can be explained by this narcissism of negligible differences and a desire of each religion to prove its worth by emphasizing on subtle differences. Now, let us look at the various similarities of the so-called vastly different religions.

The Social Context That Gave Birth to These Religions

Rituals Dictated Pre-Buddhist Indian Society

South Asia was undergoing a period of churn in the era leading up to the sixth century BCE. The Indus Valley Civilization had declined and the nomadic Aryans had moved in. Compared to the urbane civilization they displaced, the new settlers were pastoral in nature, with their society organized into villages and tribes. The foundation of their society was a system of rigid impermeable castes that divided their citizens into four compartments.

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