Clash is bound to happen whenever there are multiple cultures, races or species. These clashes aren't war but knowledge transfer sessions to the rest of the world.
About 2500 years ago, a clash took place on the banks of river Indus. This was a clash of two individuals for the moment but actually a clash between civilizations. Alexander the great, on his race to conquer the whole world arrived here and saw a gymnosophist sitting idle on a rock and staring at the sky. To his surprise he asked that sage who he was and what he was doing. For which the gymnosophist replied, " I am experiencing nothingness". In turn, the sage asked Alexander what he was doing. For which he replied, he is conquering the world, "everything". And then they both laughed at each other. Alexander thought nothingness? what a waste of human life. And the sage pitied conquering the world? its pointless.
To understand the difference between these two individuals we need to understand their mythologies first. The western mythologies evolved with the concept on ONE (linear). You have got one life, just one life. Be heroic, be spectacular, leave an impression that is felt even after ages. But the Indian mythology is related to ZERO (cyclical). You have to reincarnate again and again until you get the point of your presence in this world. It goes infinite times, leave behind the concept of "saat janam".
From mythology comes behavior. We Indians are tolerant as were the gods and goddesses in our folklores. Americans have a concept of promised land and commandments to reach that promised land. This can be seen from their business behaviors. They have missions, values, visions etc to reach a promised figure. But we Indians have something very creative called Jugaad. This is the difference between cyclical and linear mythologies.
To understand how one behaves depends very much on what mythology he got incepted in to his mind.
Mythology is something that develops faith. Because its subjective in nature. Science on the other hand is objective. Science answers us how the sun rises, how babies are born, how Earth rotates around Sun. But Mythology answers why the Sun rises, why babies are born and why Earth rotates around sun. The demonic inscriptions in our epics, half man and half animal characters portrayed in our folklores had some reason underlying for such tellings. It was to make you realize the infinite world where anything can be possible in this world. All we need to have is faith in it. Even an aethist's behavior is out of some mythological impact.
Next time when some stranger behaves awkwardly with you and you have no clue why he was like that, Mythology is the answer!!
P.S: That gymnosophist was none other than Lord Buddha himself.
*Inspired from the lectures of Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik
