Another Worldview
But God is so vast...
I made my way down the aisle of the crowded Air India plane, scanning the overhead bins for my seat number. A huge sense of pleasure and anticipation filled me. This was a moment I had dreamt of for years. I was embarking on the first leg of a round-the-world tour…solo.
A handsome Indian woman in her late 50s was seated next to me. She had a gentle, yet certain, dignity. I sat down a bit self-consciously, feeling that I might be one of the only westerners on the flight. In fact, there were just three of us. This was even better than what I’d hoped for…
I had chosen Air India for the 1st leg of the journey-New York to London-to enhance my experience, making it as exotic as possible right from the start. It was meant to be a sharp break from the familiar…
I had taken leave of friends and family for the duration. No promises to call, write or check in. It was important to be completely unfettered on all levels. No ballast, no expectations. No interfering thoughts, concerns or worries. No bending of impressions. A tabula rossa for what lay ahead…
********
The woman was also travelling alone. She engaged me in conversation almost immediately. I liked her from the start. Deeply intelligent, frank and forthright.
She had practiced medicine in Colorado for most of her career. At this point in her life, she had just sold her practice and was moving back to India to care for her aging parents.
I wondered at her serenity as she related her story. Not just her calm acceptance of her responsibility, but at her total lack of self-interest as she moved cleanly from one aspect of her life to the next. There were no plans to take a vacation or personal time prior to this next chapter. No weariness, apprehension or resignation about what the future held. She was at peace with her life, as though one experience flowed seamlessly into the other.
She asked politely and sincerely about my reason for travelling. I took a chance and gave her the more serious version. I was doing the final vetting of charitable projects around the world with an eye to sifting the real from the fraudulent, seeing what opportunities there might be and where monies might be given.
Hearing this, she fixed me with a more serious eye. She spoke more frankly now as our conversation took a more substantive turn.
Her next remarks surprised me…
“You know…you Westerners think that we Hindus worship thousands of gods, but that is ludicrous! There is only one Supreme.
But, you see, God is so vast. Who can comprehend such vastness? Let me tell you, rather, how we see this.
The world…this whole world is a manifestation of God. This world that you see, is just a very small part of the whole.
God has created this earth and all the people on this earth are God’s children.
And all the children must be fed. It is our duty to provide food for the children.
This earthly experience is a classroom…and a series of classrooms. Many millions of classrooms, in fact. And so we are all students.”
She went on to explain…
”You have your personal classroom of this life, but also the classroom of your family, that of your marriage, those of your friends and colleagues. You have the classroom of your town, your state, your country, and also that of your heritage. Each is a place of learning for you.
History, religions and philosophies are classrooms, as well…even no religion is a classroom. Do you see?
So, as in any classroom, you have many kinds of students. Some are by nature, fast learners. Others are slow learners and there are even some who don’t want to learn at all,” she remarked with a smile that conveyed her discernment of human nature.
“Beyond that, these children have different interests, differing gifts and abilities. Think about it!
And so we have all of these many temples of learning, for each child is unique. Our job is to feed each one according to their need.
Perhaps one child wants to learn about God through science…or philosophy…or music…or service. We must provide food such as temples, schools and universities for those students. Maybe a child wants to study prayer and meditation, but another is physically inclined and leans toward athletics. So we have gymnasiums and competitions and so forth. The arts may be the path for other children. The body is the path for some. We even have Ganesha for those who want to pursue wealth and success in life.
All are simply manifestations of the characteristics of the Creator.
There are as many paths as there are children. It is all acceptable according to their inclination…according to their level of development.
Whether one realizes it or not, they are learning God…for that is all there is.
And bear in mind, you will not learn all of God in one lifetime…
******************
Now some children will remain in the same temple all their lives. That is alright for them. You will find people who stay in the same small town for their whole life. They live in the same house, work at the same job, they attend the same church, keep the same circle of friends and activities. They feel fed.
But another child may find a sense of dissatisfaction growing within. The food that formerly satisfied them is now boring or even distasteful.
They say to themselves ‘I need new food!’
And so that one should be free to go off in search of new food. This is good for them.
So we have all these choices available…
Always our duty is simply to provide food for all the children. A child may go in search of new food many times on his journey through life. There is no judgment. There is only learning and experience. It is also good.
But for the one who remains in the same place, there should be no judgment. If they feel fed, then they remain. That is also good. He feels no need to move on. There is no conflict or judgment. No need to compare… Let each have his life, freedom and our support.”
************
Her words transformed my outlook…
Translating this into a framework we can relate to…
I have come to regard this world as a great big mixed-up one-room schoolhouse. Every age and ability and the core subjects are to be found here.
The older ones or the faster learners help those who are younger or those who struggle.
You help..and you are helped…along Life’s way.
No need to be unkind, judgmental or unduly impatient. One teacher cannot supply everyone…
Life is the ultimate teacher…
(a look back in time: https://studylib.net/doc/7956905/a-one-room-schoolhouse-curriculum)
***************
Here was graciousness and generosity of spirit. Acceptance and recognition, rather than straitjacketing people into narrow and contrived positions and roles.
The acknowledgement of a Higher Intelligence at work.
The simplicity and common sense of her worldview cut cleanly through my learned prejudices and judgments.
Those judgments seemed like an ill-fitting garment now-heavy and damaging to my spirit. As she spoke, I felt the liberation and flow of Life.
Though it would take time to fully understand her ideas, that flow of Life and a certain instinct guided me forward.
A Hindu woman’s view of life as a series of classrooms….
The thrust of her worldview is that all are God’s children, each unique and in search of the food that delights and grows our souls, each at different levels, aptitudes and abilities.
It is a worldview that deftly makes sense of the people around us and their experiences of life. It excises the need for judging others and helps us to get into the center of our own lives and lessons.
It returns a tremendous amount of misdirected energy to us and refreshes our lives.
It gave permission and understanding…not only tolerance, but freely offered support without the weight of constant criticism and judgment that we seem to favor in our culture.
We in the west have been sold such a bill of goods about the ’heathen idolaters’. This was a far cry from the western propagandized version focused on the lower manifestations of a belief…in order to ridicule or promote division and superiority. She introduced me to the sophistication of their system.
It has been 24 years since our meeting…much time to contemplate and apply her understanding. I have found it to be a wholesome and workable outlook that has stood the test of time.
What a surpassing beginning to a trip around the world…to be given a fresh worldview…
I ran across this recently…It seems a fitting inclusion. It describes a split in the earth’s timelines…”It is increasingly important to focus on what you are creating, and not to be distracted by the lower realities playing out their karma. Stick to your mission.”
Let the others play out their learning…their experiences…without undue distress on your part. This is how Souls learn…through long and detailed lived experience.
As always, thank you for reading! Feel free to share, restack and subscribe (always free)
Eat, pray, love...for grownupsDebra Robinson·May 30, 2025
Do you remember that wildly popular book… Eat, Pray, Love…One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia? It was the ultimate "priv-lit" (a literature of privilege) written to appeal to the neurotic, self-absorbed crowd.
Thanks for reading Debra’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.