Today, I’m about to take the stage at one of Asia’s biggest human resources conferences—alongside one of my personal idols, physicist Dr. Michio Kaku.
My talk will be about how we’ve used AI at Mindvalley to accelerate productivity, creativity, and innovation. It’s a story that’s made our company an academic case study in AI transformation.
But I’ll also address something darker—something that’s hijacking our minds, our votes, and our shared humanity.
It’s the way AI is being used not to elevate us—but to divide us.
We see it every time we open TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube and get served content that perfectly matches our outrage.
So today’s newsletter is about this darker side of AI.
It’s about how AI is being weaponized to divide society.
And how ALL of us, but the immigrant and the person marching to get them out – are both being hijacked to serve a greater political purpose.
Let’s begin with the algorithm
Not the kind that builds robots.
The kind that feeds you headlines. Curates your outrage. Hijacks your empathy.
The kind that fuels TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X.
These algorithms don’t just reflect your beliefs.
They sculpt them.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth:
AI doesn’t care about democracy.
AI cares about dopamine.
It optimizes for one thing: engagement.
And the fastest way to get engagement?
Fear.
Outrage.
Division.
So what do we get?
Not truth.
Not nuance.
We get emotional bait.
Headlines like:
“Trump ends the H1B Visa program.”
“Democrats halt the government because they want healthcare for illegals.”
And who benefits from this firehose of emotional manipulation?
Not the wise.
Not the kind.
But those most willing to say anything, no matter the cost.
And right now, the cost is being paid by immigrants. The very people we once promised to welcome, protect, and uplift.
America: the immigrant myth
Let’s start with the United States, where this lie has taken root the deepest.
In his recent speech at the United Nations, Trump declared that the U.S. government is being shut down because Democrats want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants.
Sounds outrageous, right?
Here’s what he doesn’t tell you:
The actual portion of the U.S. healthcare budget that goes to undocumented immigrants?
< 1%
That’s not a typo. Emergency Medicaid expenditures for undocumented immigrants are estimated to be less than 1% of Medicaid’s total spending.
That’s for emergencies—like if someone is bleeding out on a highway after getting hit by a car. The American way is to save a life.
The alternative? Let them die.
But 1% is still something, right? That could be going to regular Americans. How dare those undocumented folks leech off tax-paying Americans?
Now there’s the other great myth that the White House is perpetuating.
Far from draining the system, undocumented immigrants contribute $97 billion in taxes annually—equivalent to the tax output of the entire state of Ohio.
Yes, you read that right. The average undocumented immigrant in America actually contributes between $8K to $10K a YEAR in tax revenue.
Now imagine everyone in Ohio being told they’re not allowed to access any healthcare—even emergency care—despite paying taxes.
And when people say, “Well, they came here illegally,” let’s talk history:
For decades, the U.S. had a rotating door policy with Mexico.
Undocumented labor was quietly welcomed to do the jobs Americans wouldn’t.
Reagan tolerated it.
Bush tolerated it.
It only became a “crisis” when fear became a campaign strategy.
I want to be very clear, I’m not suggesting we allow illegal immigrants into countries; countries have border policies for a reason.
America spends $25 billion in budgeted per year on policing its border. What I am against is the villainization of undocumented migrants, the tearing apart of their families, people not having the right to due process and fair trial, because these are tactics that dictators use.
As a conscious civilized society, we need to be very, very aware of these tactics.
Obama himself deported $3M people from the United but it was done with due process – there are fairer, safer ways to deal with illegal immigrants.
But before we move on, let’s talk about crime. Trump has been suggesting that undocumented immigrants contribute vastly to crime. Data from the Cato Institute tells another story.
- Undocumented immigrants are 41% less likely to be incarcerated than Americans.
- Documented immigrants are 74% less likely to be incarcerated.
Immigrants are by FAR less likely to engage in criminal behaviour. But of course, it’s not convenient to tell the truth.
If you think this hysteria only affects undocumented workers, think again.
What happened when I tried to build a company in America
Let me tell you why Mindvalley—a global personal growth company—was forced to leave the U.S.
In 2004, I was legally living in New York. Visa approved. Business thriving.
Then, I was added to a federal watchlist.
It was called Special Registration—a Bush-era policy targeting people from Muslim-majority countries.
Here’s the irony:
I’m Hindu. And baptized an Orthodox Christian.
But because I held a Malaysian passport—from a peaceful, developed country with a Muslim-majority population—I was flagged.
For four years, I couldn’t fly in or out of the U.S. without a two-hour interrogation.
Every four weeks, I had to report to the NYPD.
I’d arrive at airports earlier than everyone else to sit in a room with agents who often asked, “How are you even on this list?”
They knew it was absurd. But the system didn’t care.
So I left.
And I moved my company to Malaysia—not for lower taxes or talent, but because I refused to be treated like a suspect for carrying the “wrong” passport.
We built something extraordinary.
Mindvalley now operates globally, has created thousands of jobs, and impacts people in over 100 countries.
And I made a promise:
If I couldn’t build in America, I’d recreate everything I loved about America in my own hood.
This is why Mindvalley became the first company in Asia to win the World’s Most Democratic Workplace award. It’s also why our office made Inc Magazine Top 10 Most Beautiful Offices in the World in 2012 and 2019. I recreated everything I loved about Silicon Valley culture in Asia and helped these ideas spread.
Eventually, President Obama declared Special Registration unconstitutional.
But in 2016, Trump tried to bring it back—under a new name: The Muslim Watchlist.
Only this time, social media was awake.
People protested. CEOs like Sergey Brin marched in the streets. Trump backed down.
But the same fear-mongering I lived through is now being used again.
To divide.
To distract.
To scapegoat.
Europe—The numbers, the narrative, and my uncle at dinner
A few nights ago, I was having dinner with a family member.
He said, “You know, Vishen, Europe is finally waking up. Crime is going up because they’ve let in too many immigrants.”
He’s not even European. But he’s been watching the wrong YouTube channels.
I looked him in the eye and said, “Let’s look at the data together.”
Yes, many Europeans say they feel unsafe.
That fear is real.
I feel it too.
I don’t wear a watch when walking around certain parts of London.
But that fear isn’t being caused by immigrants.
Multiple academic studies across Europe and the U.S. have found no correlation between increased immigration and increased violent crime. (I’ve linked to all of them in the blog post version of this article).
But it goes further. Despite what Trump says, crime across the world, and especially in Europe and the USA, are plummeting.
Why? Because as humans, we grow.
We evolve.
We become more conscious.
Anyone telling you otherwise is hijacking your fear for votes. This chart from Steven Pinker’s excellent book on why we need to be optimistic about the future shows just how much crime is decreasing. It looks at homicides, but the same is true for almost all levels of crime (the book is an excellent read!)
Trump’s Speech at the UN and his claim that the rest of the world is “going to hell”
By now, you should probably have read that Trump’s speech at the UN was widely seen as factually incorrect and described by many pundits as the worst speech any sitting American President has ever given on a public stage.
Trump says, “Look at Germany! Almost half the prisoners are foreigners!”
He’s not wrong—on the surface.
In Germany, around 48% of prisoners are foreign nationals.
But Germany is part of the EU.
“Foreign” includes people from Italy, Poland, and France—people who move freely within the union.
But we have to look better. Of the total incarcerated in Germany who are foreign nationals roughly 70% were non-EU nationals. And many were just the people Trump vilified. Afghans, Syrians and other refugees and people of lets just say browner skin complexion. So let’s examine data and see if it’s true that such people cause higher crime rates.
First, let’s zoom out.
Since the 1990s, immigration in Europe has increased by two-thirds.
In that same period, crime has dropped by a third. (All data sources in the blog post related to this article).
So if crime is falling and immigration is rising, the narrative falls apart.
But still something seems off.
Why are there so many foreigners in jails in Europe?
Here, the analysis is simple.
Here’s what the science of crime shows us:
- Most crimes are committed by men.
Globally, men make up the overwhelming majority of both criminals and victims. In the UK, three out of four people arrested or charged are male. - It spikes in young adulthood.
Crime—especially violent crime—peaks in the late teens to early 30s. In almost every country, young men under 35 commit the highest share of crimes. - Most refugees and migrants in Europe?
You guessed it: young men under 35. That’s because they’re the ones most likely to take the risk of fleeing war zones, walking across borders, and seeking work in foreign countries.
So yes, if you bring in thousands of young men, that demographic will naturally show up more in crime stats—even if their behavior is no different from native-born youth.
But here’s where it gets even more interesting.
When researchers adjust for age and gender, the difference disappears.
A Syrian, North African, or Chinese immigrant commits a crime at the same rate as a white European of the same age.
In fact, in many studies (including from Stanford and the Public Policy Institute of California), immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens of similar demographic profiles.
So when right-wing pundits show you a scary chart without age or gender context, remember this:
They’re not sharing the truth.
They’re selling fear.
Crime is not an immigrant problem.
It’s a young male problem—everywhere, across all ethnicities and countries.
And here’s the good news:
Crime is falling.
Even among the most “at-risk” demographics.
Humanity is evolving.
But if someone’s trying to win your vote with fear, they’re not going to tell you that.
The culture gap
Now, there’s another debate I often hear:
“But can immigrants, especially those from Muslim countries, actually assimilate into Europe?”
Ah.
That’s a more interesting question.
The answer is: Absolutely yes.
When I hang out with my friends in Europe, they come from an eclectic and diverse bunch—Brits, Swedes, Italians, Indians, Americans, Canadians, Colombians, Egyptians, and Emiratis.
And one thing I’ve noticed?
Almost all of us have parents who were deeply steeped in their original cultures.
But among our generation—those of us in our 30s and 40s—our values are remarkably similar.
Sure, we may vote for opposite political parties, but our core values?
We believe in women’s rights. In fairness. In a democracy. In self-expression. In dignity.
But don’t take my word for it. There’s a scale that measures this.
In his book Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker discusses something called the Enlightenment Values Scale, which measures cultural attitudes toward democracy, equality, free speech, anti-corruption, women’s rights, and more.
What does the data say?
Enlightenment values are rising across the entire world.
Especially in the Islamic world. Especially in Africa.
Yes, these regions still have lower average Enlightenment scores than Europe or East Asia.
But they are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth.
According to the data, the average young person in the Islamic world today holds values equivalent to the average young European in the 1980s. (see the chart below)
You know what that means?
We’re talking about a two-generation gap.
That’s it. Two generations.
In fact, today’s 18-year-old in the Muslim world likely has more in common with a European 18-year-old than that European 18-year-old has with his own grandparents.
So if we want to claim that bringing in young immigrants from Muslim countries is somehow bringing in people who will “hijack” European culture, then based on the actual data, we might as well kick out our grandparents, too.
Because the gap isn’t between civilizations.
It’s between generations.
We are becoming more alike as a species.
Thanks to globalization, the internet, education, and shared media.
We are converging—not diverging.
And this new generation—the one crossing borders, dreaming bigger, seeking safety, opportunity, connection—they are not a threat.
They are the future.
Actual diagram of the Enlightenment Values scale from Pinker’s book.
Why right-wing politicians push the fear narrative
Because it works.
Because when it comes to actual governance, they underperform.
VASTLY.
So they rely on outrage. Fear. Division.
Let’s look at the numbers—over the last 30+ years of U.S. leadership.
Since 1990, the USA has had:
3 Republican Administrations: George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Donald Trump
3 Democratic Administrations: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden
Now, let’s compare their performance on indicators of wealth, business, and economy.
Before I go into the numbers. Who do you think performs better?
Pause a moment and guess…..
When I surveyed my audience, over 45% said Republicans. At an entrepreneurship meeting recently in the USA, 90% said Republicans.
Yet the real data shows that Democrats outperform in almost every major category.
- GDP Growth: Democrats averaged 3.46% growth; Republicans 2.4%.
- GDP Per Capita: Higher growth under Democrats in every decade.
- Job Creation: Democrats created 87.8 million jobs. Republicans: 31.9 million.
- Unemployment Rate: Lower under Democrats—5.4% vs 6.2%.
- Stock Market Performance (S&P 500): Democrats averaged 14.4% annual return. Republicans: 8.8%.
- Deficit (as % of GDP): Republicans average defects ~2.68%, Democrats ~2.57%
- Inflation: Lower under Democrats.
- Infrastructure & Innovation: Democrats championed large-scale investment (CHIPS Act, Infrastructure Bill). Republicans leaned on deregulation and tax cuts.
Feel free to use your favourite AI to look up any of this data on your own.
The conclusion?
Democrats govern better.
Republicans market fear better.
And they’ve learned how to weaponize the algorithm.
Now, to be clear, the comparison I’m making here is purely on business metrics.
Many of my entrepreneur friends—people I deeply respect—have told me they vote Republican because they prefer Republican business policy.
When I shared this data with them, they were genuinely shocked. Most had been convinced that Republicans outperform Democrats on economic measures.
Now, if you vote Republican because you align with conservative values, your Christian faith, or prefer Republican tax policies—that’s absolutely okay. Vote Republican.
But let’s stop repeating the myth that Republicans are better for the economy.
When it comes to actual business performance, the data just doesn’t hold up.
And so distraction and division become the political game.
The original Republican Party (pre-Trump) had deep respect for immigrations.
Reagan said, “You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey, or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American.” (From Reagan’s remarks near the end of his presidency)
And Bush said, “Our country is a country of laws, and we’ve got to enforce our laws. But we’re also a nation of immigrants … America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time.” (Address on Border Security and Immigration, May 2006)
But the current administration. I think many ex-Republican Presidents would be rolling in their graves.
What you can do next
Don’t believe the villainization of people who are struggling to feed their families and get a leg up in life.
The next time you see an immigrant delivering your food…
The next time you’re served by a man with an accent…
The next time you step into a cab with a driver from a distant land…
Ask them their name.
Ask where they came from.
Ask why they came here.
Ask what they left behind.
Because they’re not your enemy.
They’re not here to take your job, your healthcare, or your safety.
They’re just trying to live.
Just like your grandparents once did.
And if we keep letting fear win—if we keep letting AI divide us—
Then the greatest con of the 21st century will be complete:
The powerful will keep stealing from you.
And you’ll keep blaming the powerless.
It’s time to wake up.
To research.
To think.
To reconnect.
To choose leaders who build—not burn.
Because democracy will not survive another decade of algorithmic fear.
But it might—if we start choosing love over division, and truth over dopamine.
If this newsletter stirred something in you, I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment below. Do you agree? Disagree? Have a story of your own? I read every single one because these conversations matter more than ever.
With fierce compassion,
Vishen
REFERENCES AND SOURCES OF DATA MENTIONED IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
A foundational study by Luca Nunziata (2014), published as an IZA Discussion Paper titled “Immigration and Crime: New Empirical Evidence from European Victimization Data”, examined European victimization surveys and national immigration data. His conclusion: immigration does not raise actual crime rates, though it may increase fear of crime due to perception biases. You can read it here: ftp.iza.org/dp8632.pdf. Nunziata later published a peer-reviewed version in the Journal of Population Economics (2015), confirming the same result — “no effect of immigration on crime victimization” (ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jopoec/v28y2015i3p697-736.html).
A landmark British study by Bell, Fasani, and Machin (2013), “Crime and Immigration: Evidence from Large Immigrant Waves”, published in the Review of Economics and Statistics (MIT Press), looked at two major immigration waves to the UK — the asylum-seeker inflows of the late 1990s and the “A8” Eastern European workers who arrived after the 2004 EU expansion. Their data show no increase in violent crime, and only a small, temporary rise in certain property crimes during the asylum wave (which later reversed). The full working paper is available from the LSE: eprints.lse.ac.uk/59323, and the published journal version is here: MIT Press PDF.
In Germany, one of the most examined European cases, Maghularia and Uebelmesser (2019, updated 2023) conducted a detailed district-level analysis over 2008–2019. Their study, published in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, found that before the 2015 refugee inflow there was a weak positive association between immigration and certain crimes, but this turned negative or insignificant afterward. Over the full decade, the average effect of immigration on overall crime was statistically zero. The study is available at sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167268123001713.
Huang and Kvasnicka (2019), in their IZA Discussion Paper No. 12469, titled “Immigration and Crime in Germany”, reviewed the European evidence and presented new results using official police data. Their conclusion echoed earlier findings: no evidence that asylum seekers increased violent crime; small upticks in non-violent or migration-specific offences were explained by demographics (young male populations) and economic integration barriers. Download here: ftp.iza.org/dp12469.pdf.
Similarly, Dehos (2021), writing in Regional Science and Urban Economics, analyzed Germany between 2010 and 2015 and found no increase in overall crime attributable to asylum seekers once migration-related offences were excluded. There was only a small increase in property crimes after asylum recognition, which the author attributed to temporary economic hardship rather than cultural factors. (sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166046221000341).
Recent empirical summaries continue to reinforce this conclusion. The Ifo Institute’s 2025 analysis of German police data found no correlation between the share of foreigners (including refugees) and local crime rates — effectively confirming the earlier decade of literature. Likewise, a comprehensive international survey by Marie and Pinotti (2024) in the Journal of Economic Perspectives reviewed studies across Europe and the U.S., concluding that “the bulk of credible evidence finds no systematic relationship between immigration and violent crime.”
Even broader meta-reviews, such as Gehrsitz and Ungerer (2022) in Economica, stress the same point: high-quality studies using causal identification find no significant effects on violent crime, and only minor, temporary effects on certain property offences.
For accessible summaries of this literature, the IZA World of Labor review, “Crime and Immigration” (wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/33/pdfs/crime-and-immigration.pdf), concisely notes: “There is little evidence that immigration increases crime; at most, small, short-term effects appear in specific contexts.” Another readable synthesis is “Immigration, Crime, and Crime (Mis)Perceptions” from the Inter-American Development Bank (publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Immigration-Crime-and-Crime-MisPerceptions.pdf), which explores how public fear often rises even when actual crime does not.
Finally, Nunziata’s earlier conference version, “Crime Perception and Victimization in Europe: Does Immigration Matter?”, presented at the IZA Annual Migration Meeting, offers the early theoretical framing that would go on to guide much of this research: crime perception ≠ crime reality. It’s archived here: conference.iza.org/conference_files/amm2011/nunziata_l1447.pdf
451 Responses
Brilliantly said my friend! My parents come from two different countries (the US and the UK), and I loved growing up being a part of both, belonging to both. As a kid in grade school in the US, you are so proud when you learn that the US is a country of immigrants. Today is ugly, and you are so correct about fear, delivered by algorithms, being the culprit in our great divide. I love all people. I am happy to have a debate with anyone about anything meaningful to life. I love hearing other viewpoints. What I don’t love is seeing people who, at their core, actually agree on 90% of things, tearing each other down. What I don’t love is watching people hate others for ill-conceived reasons. We are better than this—everyone, everywhere. We can, in fact, get through this and be in a better place as a society. It begins with being authentic, understanding, and loving all humans.
Not a great strategy to dive into politics with your customer base. Just a thought. People didn’t subscribe to hear about “fierce compassion”. They paid a premium for the healthy content and not political opinions on either side. We already get bombarded by this on a daily basis, and I assumed MindValley was a place to come to get away from all that. I was mistaken.
Wow Vishen, this was a fantastic read and to see the stats reinforces my view points. We are a nation of immigrants in the US and it has made us stronger! To see what the current administration is doing is disgusting and just wrong. Yet those damn algorithms are teaching a different reality and I don’t know how to stop it. But I’m doing my part and I’ve joined Mindvalley‘s hypnotherapy certification program, so that I can spread more light and help my light bearing clients to make changes faster. In this way, the ripple effect goes out stronger. Thank you for all you’re doing in the world with Mindvalley. Peace to you and all people. Nonviolence is the way.
Very good article, I agree with your points. Unfortunately, here in Portugal, the radical right party (Chega) uses the same lies and the same tactics to incease its votes. The leader of this party seems to be a very faithful follower of Trump. Democracy is not perfect here but what if we turn to dictatorship and be ruled by these liers?
Only today a friend of mine voiced concerns over immigrants.
The truth in the UK is that previously Boris Johnson blatantly misled and misinformed the UK publicon in his pre – Brexit campaign on several levels eg the Australian points system, claiming it to be new but it had been on place for years prior to that statement.
Boris also claimed a Conservative win would end EU freedom of movement: Johnson stated that Brexit would immediately stop EU free movement, but under the Withdrawal Agreement, free movement was set to continue during a transition period after any deal—so this pledge was false at the time it was made.
The short summary to this narrative is
” Lies, dam lies and politicians”
In any other industry, this would be
A powerful reminder of how easily compassion can be hijacked through the blame game and creation of a common enemy.
Very interesting read. This makes alot of sense to me even in my country in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, where politics has been successful in dividing the population among ethnic lines. We are more alike than we are different but politicians don’t want us to believe this.
Vishen! You gave me hope. I engage in despair whenever I listen to the news about our government in the US – and the kinds of gestapo like activities, the kinds of fear mongering, despicable, detestable, angering…… I ask myself to forgive myself for allowing myself to feel hatred for these bozos. Compassion – fierce compassion. I can feel it for most humans, most of the time.
I’ll have to read Pinker’s book. I’m an ESL instructor by trade, now teaching humanities at a major US university because we’ve scared the international students away. Politics. Gun violence. Why would any thinking parent want to send their child here to attend a university – if there are observers of the planet out there in the cosmos, they have to have decided that some countries worship some perturbation/permutation of a divine intelligence. And they have to have decided that the religion of the US is guns and sports. The right to bear arms is more highly honored, vaulted, worshiped (!), than the right to freedom of speech, or freedom of the press. Send my child to study in the US, where she/he may be arrested on campus for speaking up, or just shot for shopping at the wrong time. Or for being brown!
I had studied the Silva Method, and been a Burt Goldman customer, for sometime before you first started MindValley. I have followed you ever since. Now I’m a Paul McKenna student. And I’m older than Paul! By a bit!! Today you have reminded me what it looks like to stay focused on your ideals, while working for peace and justice. I had not realized that your HQ is now in Malaysia – some of my favorite people from my earlier teaching years. Hmm – now I have to set another goal. Get to Malaysia. I hope I am fortunate enough to one day meet you in person – say namaskaram, I salute the divinity within you, give you an embrace. Meanwhile – I will be reminded. We MUST live in hope for/of the future, and of today. F despair! It never was very entertaining, anyway!
PEACE!
This text touched me deeply.
I work in education, and for years I’ve been trying to help new generations learn to think, feel, and create with consciousness.
Reading this reminded me that the problem isn’t AI itself, but what we’re feeding into it… and into ourselves.
I wish more voices would speak, like you do, from compassion instead of fear.
Because what we need today, more than ever, is to remember that we are still human.
Thank you for putting into words what so many of us feel but so few dare to say. 🙏
When Inclusion Turns into Erasure:
Lessons from Kashmir’s Lost Civilisation
By a Kashmiri Pandit Genocide Survivor Living in Exile
I was born into a community that once called Kashmir its home for thousands of years — a land that was not just beautiful but deeply enlightened. Before the 14th century, Kashmir was a fountain of knowledge — a center of Sanskrit scholarship, Shaivite philosophy, and Buddhist learning. Thinkers like Abhinavagupta shaped global metaphysics long before modern philosophy was born.
But somewhere along history’s turning, the openness that defined us became our undoing.
Centuries ago, Islamic preachers, traders, and migrants arrived in Kashmir — welcomed and given refuge by local Hindu kings. The valley’s ethos was one of coexistence; it had embraced Buddhists, Shaivites, and scholars of all schools.
But some of these new arrivals did not come merely to live; they came to transform. With political ambition and a theology of dominance, they began to reshape the valley’s spiritual fabric.
The Transformation: From Pluralism to Exclusivity
By the mid-14th century, a foreign immigrant named Shah Mir rose to power and founded Kashmir’s first Muslim Sultanate (1339 CE). Within decades, tolerance gave way to religious consolidation.
Under Sikandar Shah (Sikandar Butshikan), temples were destroyed, Sanskrit schools were burned, and those who refused conversion were taxed or expelled.
What had once been the Tirtha Raj — the “Land of Pilgrimage” — turned into a place where its original inhabitants became strangers.
**The Lesson: Non-Inclusive Ideology Destroys Civilizations**
The tragedy of Kashmir is not simply a tale of conquest; it is a warning about what happens when immigration without integration and ideology without inclusivity take root.
When newcomers reject coexistence and insist that only one belief, one identity, or one culture may survive — diversity dies, and with it, humanity itself.
This is not a lesson about religion; it is about ideological exclusivism. History shows that civilizations thrive on exchange, not domination. When diversity is replaced by dogma, even the most enlightened societies can fall into darkness.
A Personal Echo
As a Kashmiri Pandit, I carry the generational wound of this transformation. My ancestors built temples, wrote philosophy, and taught peace. Yet I live in exile, unable to return to my roots — a living testament to what intolerance can do.
Kashmir’s story is not unique. From Yazidis in Iraq to Copts in Egypt, the pattern repeats: open societies welcoming the world, only to be undone by non-inclusive ideologies that refuse to coexist.
The Call Forward
True inclusion requires reciprocity — the willingness of all who enter a society to honor the heritage, laws, and spirit of coexistence that define it.
If history has taught us anything, it’s this: a civilization that forgets to defend its openness will lose it.
When Inclusion Turns into Erasure:
Lessons from Kashmir’s Lost Civilisation
By a Kashmiri Pandit Genocide Survivor Living in Exile
I was born into a community that once called Kashmir its home for thousands of years — a land that was not just beautiful but deeply enlightened. Before the 14th century, Kashmir was a fountain of knowledge — a center of Sanskrit scholarship, Shaivite philosophy, and Buddhist learning. Thinkers like Abhinavagupta shaped global metaphysics long before modern philosophy was born.
But somewhere along history’s turning, the openness that defined us became our undoing.
Centuries ago, Islamic preachers, traders, and migrants arrived in Kashmir — welcomed and given refuge by local Hindu kings. The valley’s ethos was one of coexistence; it had embraced Buddhists, Shaivites, and scholars of all schools.
But some of these new arrivals did not come merely to live; they came to transform. With political ambition and a theology of dominance, they began to reshape the valley’s spiritual fabric.
The Transformation: From Pluralism to Exclusivity
By the mid-14th century, a foreign immigrant named Shah Mir rose to power and founded Kashmir’s first Muslim Sultanate (1339 CE). Within decades, tolerance gave way to religious consolidation.
Under Sikandar Shah (Sikandar Butshikan), temples were destroyed, Sanskrit schools were burned, and those who refused conversion were taxed or expelled.
What had once been the Tirtha Raj — the “Land of Pilgrimage” — turned into a place where its original inhabitants became strangers.
The Lesson: Non-Inclusive Ideology Destroys Civilizations
The tragedy of Kashmir is not simply a tale of conquest; it is a warning about what happens when immigration without integration and ideology without inclusivity take root.
When newcomers reject coexistence and insist that only one belief, one identity, or one culture may survive — diversity dies, and with it, humanity itself.
This is not a lesson about religion; it is about ideological exclusivism. History shows that civilizations thrive on exchange, not domination. When diversity is replaced by dogma, even the most enlightened societies can fall into darkness.
A Personal Echo
As a Kashmiri Pandit, I carry the generational wound of this transformation. My ancestors built temples, wrote philosophy, and taught peace. Yet I live in exile, unable to return to my roots — a living testament to what intolerance can do.
Kashmir’s story is not unique. From Yazidis in Iraq to Copts in Egypt, the pattern repeats: open societies welcoming the world, only to be undone by non-inclusive ideologies that refuse to coexist.
The Call Forward
True inclusion requires reciprocity — the willingness of all who enter a society to honor the heritage, laws, and spirit of coexistence that define it.
If history has taught us anything, it’s this: a civilization that forgets to defend its openness will lose it.
So well done! Should be published on front page of every newspaper! Congratulations on a well thought out piece backed by the research!
I agree, I am a Mexican immigrant that lived in America for 35 years, sadly our leaders haven’t changed much for the better or offer better solutions for immigrants they don’t comprehend what it is we are doing here we are making America a better place to live
Your perspective deeply resonates. The rise of algorithmic division leaves a visible scar on American society and spirit. It echoes every day. The shape-shifting headlines that morph in outrage-fueled comment sections on many social platforms, with a relentless churn of “us-versus-them” mentality. Policy or partisanship is not the divide. It is wholly about the slow erosion of what it means to belong anymore.
Your article nails a truth many feel but rarely articulate: American leadership and the engineered echo chambers of social media are equally complicit in promoting mistrust and tribalism. AI’s greatest danger is not that it outthinks humanity, but that it amplifies our worst instincts — feeding division, stoking fear, and transforming differences into battle lines for profit and power. The algorithm is not neutral. It rewards whatever keeps rage animating the feed and nuance out of sight — a distraction chamber for a larger picture.
As an American of Native descent — one labeled “Caucasian” and yet alienated from the dominant narrative of belonging — I see how these manufactured schisms carve up identity. Standing on the threshold between worlds, neither “minority” nor embraced by the mythic American mainstream, reveals in stark relief the manipulations at play. Voters, consumers, and communities are, by design, denied a sense of wholeness and a genuine shared purpose.
Political rhetoric and AI-driven outrage forge a double bind — a double bind. Leaders capitalize on fear because it is one of the best manipulative factors to “keep the people in line,” and it works — for most. AI weaponizes engagement because it profits. Left out in the cold are those searching for the American story in good faith — immigrants, “others,” and those who, by blood or history, should feel at home, but instead feel exiled by the machine built by man to promote division. The myth of national unity is exposed as performance, no promise.
Your call for empathy — an ethic of asking, listening, seeing the person behind the accent or struggle — should not feel radical in a nation built by so many crossings. However, since our narrative is now wrapped in algorithmic loops and political calculations, it does. This is a crisis of identity as much as it is a crisis of information. The enemy is not one another — but engineered outrage and the interests it serves — those who want to control.
The answer? Reclaim the narrative. Not by rejecting technology outright, but by choosing curiosity over suspicion, solidarity over division. Until leadership and platforms align with this intent, belonging will remain out of reach for many. Sadly, that includes those who have every right, by heritage or heart, to call America home.
This is meant to say: Political rhetoric and AI-driven outrage forge a double bind — a double blind.
it was only a matter of time before they got to vishen to program the community with this woke minded bs.
I used to think this was a safe place free from political drama to meditate and find community but you have WOKE-en me up to the fact that anyone can be bought.
The “woke mind virus”? Do you mean dealing in actual facts? If all you have taken out of the above, which is well researched and backed by actual data and facts, is that it is “woke” then I’d suggest you have a very closed mind and no critical thinking skills. Also “Woke” generally refers to people who are kind and welcoming to others, surely the very essence of what a spiritual self improvement community like MindValley is all about . Begs the question what are you doing here?
I would love to see these topics debated with someone from the opposing side. I bet they both have facts to back up their claims… I would definitely counter with “show me areas that the Muslim immigrants have gone in taken over as the majority and improved the communities that they have supposedly assimilated to”?
Brilliantly said Vishen, there is phrase if you tell a big enough lie for long enough and loud enough people will beleive it. Nowadays with social media and the algorithm, the lie doesn’t have to be “big” it just needs to fuel you fear and you believe it.. Which is then reinforced with another algorithm driven feed. Great to see you challenge the false narratives.
Dear Vishen,
Thank you Thank you!! For speaking out, for bringing facts, for the multi cultural perspective. For believing in humanity. You speak about what I sense and it has given me words to speak out.
Thank you for this Blog Vishen. I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am Greek, living in Germany and for the past 20+ years I’ve been working with different cultures around the globe. I can only state how distorted view we have about immigrants. I can talk for hours about cultural differences (are there any?), cultural sensitivity and human respect. I can tell you stories about immigrants with a kind face, a peaceful demeanor, and a sweet smile as opposed to many locals, in Germany and in my country. It looks like we are more geared to look for differences instead of celebrating our similarities. And we have so many of those…When the parents are marrying their children, the feelings of love are the same in all cultures, despite the different rituals and ceremonies. Fear has replaced curiosity in our relationships and in our exchange with people. Thank you once again for opening the discussion and for breaking stereotypes that keep us apart.
I THOUGHT YOU DIDN’T SUPPORT SPEWING HATE AND DIVISION. BUT HERE YOU GO.
The very people we once promised to welcome, protect, and uplift.
If they came in thru the proper channels it would be a whole different story but as you put it they are Illegal. Meaning not counted and stealing resources that the democrats let them do by design on purpose to flood the country with democrat voters.
Now there’s the other great myth that the White House is perpetuating.
Far from draining the system, undocumented immigrants contribute $97 billion in taxes annually—equivalent to the tax output of the entire state of Ohio.
HOW IS THAT WHEN THEY DON’T GET PAID THRU THE SYSTEM BUT WITH CASH. UNDER THE TABLE.
For decades, the U.S. had a rotating door policy with Mexico.
Undocumented labor was quietly welcomed to do the jobs Americans wouldn’t do.
Reagan tolerated it.
Bush tolerated it.
But I know Obama was the official deported in chief. Look it up and quite spewing these lies to defend your liberal base here on MV.
Due process just like what is being done now.
But before we move on lets talk about crime. Trump has been suggesting that undocumented immigrants contribute vastly to crime. Data from the Cato Institute tells another story.
• Undocumented immigrants are 41% less likely to be incarcerated than Americans.
• Documented immigrants are 74% less likely to be incarcerated.
Immigrants are by FAR less likely to engage in criminal behaviour. But of course, it’s not convenient to tell the truth.
If you think this hysteria only affects undocumented workers, think again.
Then why do we have illegals in Texas that have been in and out of jail and killed multiple Americans and they weren’t deported. That’s what is going on now. Getting the criminals out of here.
But the same fear-mongering I lived through is now being used again.
To divide.
To distract.
To scapegoat.
I believe that Biden did the most hands down to kill the country. Oops I mean Biden handled by Obama. Cause we know he wasn’t really running the show for the last 8 years.
He’s not even European. However, he has been watching the wrong YouTube channels.
I looked him in the eye and said, “Let’s look at the data together.”
Yes, many Europeans say they feel unsafe.
That fear is real.
I feel it too.
I don’t wear a watch when walking around certain parts of London.
YOU DON’T EVEN MENTION THE MUSLIM TERRORISTS THAT ARE INVADING EUROPE WHICH IS WHY THIS IS GOING ON.
THE COUNTRY IS CONSPIRING FOR THIS TO BRING IT DOWN. EURPEONS EARN TOO MUCH AND THEY NEED TO DESTROY THAT BUT NOT THEMSELVES THEY WILL LET THE MIDDLE EAST TAKE OVER.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MICHIGAN AND MUSLINS TAKING OVER WHOLE TOWNS AND SAYING AMERICANS AREN’T WELCOME. ANSWER THAT VISHEN. THEY ARE ALL SO PEACEFUL, OK DON’T GASLIGHT US, WE ALREADY GET THAT FROM THE WORLD.
Feel free to use your favorite AI to look up any of this data on your own.
The conclusion?
Democrats govern better.
Republicans market fear better.
MOST IMPORTANTLY I FEEL YOU HAVE THIS COMPLETELY REVERSED. THE WORLD IS CONFUSING ENOUGH DO YOU HAVE TO GO AGAINST THE GRAIN, WHY EVEN WRITE THIS. TO PISS OF YOUR LEVEL MINDED READERS?
I LOST RESPECT FOR YOU, YOU ALWAYS WERE SO MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND NOT SIDE TAKING BUT HERE YOU ARE SHOWING YOUR TRUE COLORS FOR ALL TO SEE.
BY THE WAY YOUR APP MALFUNCTIONS WAY TOO MUCH.
SO YOU WANTED TO LIVE HERE IN AMERICA AS A SOCILIST OR WORSE COMMUNIST UNDER THE DEMOCRATE PLANTATION, ALWAYS HOLDING BLACK FOLKS DOWN AND KEEPING THEM THERE. THEY ARE NOT THE PARTY OF FAIRNESS MORE LIKE HITLER THAN THEY GASLIGHT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ABOUT TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS.
I’M DONE.
Someone sounds MAGA 😆
I agree with Former Valley Member. I’m sorry you have DTS Vishen. It’s a horrible illness. But it’s not just right leaning that fear monger. You can watch the news or podcast any time & see & hear with your own ears the rhetoric that spews from our own elected officials mouths. Democrats love the F word- fascists. After that Hitler, authoritarian, racist, homophobic, transphobic, gun lovers, & on & on. If the stats & studies that were quoted were so true why don’t democrats use that information to promote themselves for the midterms? Why when it’s just easier to scream, cuss, & look like fools! More jobs under democratic rule? Sure the democrats love to expand the government so a lot more jobs were created. But again I see them taking the easy way. Open the floodgates and get automatic democratic voters! That’s pretty obvious. Personally I LOVE immigrants. My grandparents were immigrants & came through Ellis Island, legally. They did their best to assimilate & their children became doctors & lived the American Dream. However letting in the country millions of military aged males just doesn’t make sense. Where are the trafficked children? Drugs? Who cares. Murdered children? Oh there’s not that many. Stats & studies don’t sit that well with me. Look at big Pharma! Stats can always be found to say what you want them to say. I too spent quite a bit on Mind Valley over the years. Great programs & I congratulate Vishen on his tremendous success. It’s unfortunate that what I see in our culture is not white guilt but rich guilt. The more money you make the more liberal you are. Just ask Hollywood. They can’t take being so wealthy while others are so unfortunate. It makes for a lot of cognitive dissonance!
Maybe try writing blog posts yourself instead of outsourcing it to chagpt. This is embarrassing .
I agree completely with the above statement from “Former Mind Valley Member”. You using your platform to push a political agenda is disgraceful. I don’t need YOUR STATISTICS to sway my vote or political affiliation, I’ll stick with my own personal experience. Under Bill Clinton, I was violently assaulted, under Barrack Obama I was laid off three times, and I live in New Jersey, the most corrupt state in the Republic (due mostly to Democrats). I’m sick and tired of being “sick and tired” of assholes like you, who sit up on your Democratic Plantation high horse “feeling the need” to LECTURE you s common folks. Go F yourself! I will never use your product for the rest of my life and I plan on telling my friends and family to do the same. You’re a real piece of work, Vishin. Fuck you!
Dear Vishen,
I admire your compassionate business philosophy. I am an independent, being in the middle of the road is the darnest thing. I see positives and negatives from both sides of republicans and democrats. The capitalistic ideals of republicans with “laissez faire” philosophy to allow businesses and individuals the freedom to use their creativity for inventions and free market activity without over-burdensome government laws. The “one for all and all for one” philosophy of democrats to take care of one another including the disadvantaged, under-served, under-represented, and vulnerable. Finding common values and common ground is key to the world’s mutual beneficial relationships.
Do you have any suggestions on how can we help better see the behind the scenes activities with AI in all aspects of our lives, from AI in business, hiring practices, government, science, and communications?
Didn’t know this was a place for political bullshit. But shows I was wrong.
amen!
So that actual facts given were ignored by you. Mindvalley is a spiritual and self improvement community. If you don’t come here with an open mind, it begs the question- why are you here?