By Jessica Desvarieux

Perhaps the scariest question for young adults is ‘What are you going to do with your life.’ Translation -- ‘How are you going to make a lot of money?’ For people like Jeeyun Lee, a sophomore at Wellesley College, this question is pressure packed. “You have to be the best at everything as soon as possible,” she said. “It’s not only about survival, it’s about the importance of having a certain lifestyle.”

The importance of material wealth is surely a natural outcome of a capitalist society. Somehow the idea that you have “made it” is inextricably tied to living the life of the rich and famous. But is that all that really matters and motivates people in the 21st century?

According to Professor Tu Weiming, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Confucianism and a Professor at Harvard University, people are beginning to wake up to the idea that there is a spiritual element that is missing in our lives and as such, religion is reemerging as a very powerful force in the world.

While The Enlightenment (17th and 18th centuries) put powerful ideas like socialism, capitalism, metaphysics, science and technology, and human rationality in action it also pushed religion into the background. “The Enlightenment introduced a secular humanism with two major blind spots,” said Tu. “It was insensitive towards nature and it was a rejection of religion.”

But how can religion reestablish itself in our society today in a way that is acceptable to people who have been weaned on Enlightenment’s humanism? “If human beings are simply rational animals, interested in self interests, maximizing profits in the market, then religion may not be a very important factor in one’s decision to make one’s value orientation,” says Tu. “If a person is also immune to giving, immune to creating, then the unexamined life is not worth living. But if the quest for the meaning in life, purpose in life and something you wish to pursue in order to understand yourself, your community and the world beyond is important to you, then religion becomes important.”

But connecting with the spiritual is not that easy in a world where religious fanaticism and ethnic cleansing are not a thing of the past. Even movies, like Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the story of Jesus Christ are provoking a shake-up in many religious communities over religious ‘truths.’ Certainly religious conflicts arise inter-religiously (between different religions) and Tu says intra-religiously (within the same religion). The challenge for all religions today is to find a way to bridge those differences.

And exactly how easy is it to put religious differences and the violence and historical hatreds they spawn aside and start fresh? “It’s not only possible,” said Tu, “it’s practicable. I don’t think any person, group, tradition - no matter how great, how comprehensive can have exclusive claim of truth and reality of the world. While we are rooted in our own primordial past, we should also understand that other people are rooted in a particular constellation and their primordial ties. That’s why a certain kind of transcendent perspective is absolutely necessary.”

Ignorance of the Other can be dangerous and Tu believes we must open ourselves up to the realm of possibilities. While the US is a model of tolerance for the rest of the world in so many ways, we nonetheless fall short when it comes to religion. “If you just hear the various sermons that are widely publicized through the denominations, you realize the points of view are very narrow and there’s virtually no interest in any other religion within America or the world,” said Tu. “We certainly have a major problem understanding Islam, for example. We are so proud of our heritage and our tradition, sometimes we are really blind to other possibilities. Creating harmony between all religions is very different than creating sameness. That’s why I believe dialogue is the way of the future.”

Dialogue between and within religious groups, across generations between cultures, etc. will need to drive the direction of religion. And while almost everyone comes from a religious or cultural diversity we nonetheless share the challenge to favorably affect so many issues that exist outside of the scope of religion: issues like racial tensions, terrorism, drugs, internationalism, tourism, trade, drugs, disease that Tu believes need to be addressed by religious leaders. “Religions must rise above their faiths to deal with these issues,” said Tu. “Religious leaders must become public intellectuals.”

Reevaluating the role of religion and connecting with our spiritual side Tu believes will offer hope for the future and create meaning in our own lives. “It would be extremely tragic if our youth, the leaders of our future, become totally overwhelmed by social, political and economic conditions at the expense of the possibility of extending our horizons beyond the world we know,” said Tu. “We humans are co-creators of the cosmic process,” said Tu. “An ancient Chinese statement says - Heaven engenders, humans complete – so there is a partnership. As co-creators we must be responsible not only for ourselves, but also for the well being of society, nations, and the global community.”