September 1989
MY TURNCry of a Hindu Teen In the West
Chandora, Mukta
I am a fifteen-year-old teenager
who believes that our generation will become a stronger, more advanced
generation than our fathers' and mothers' who first set foot in the land
of the free - America. We will be taught by swamis, gurus and sages who
are educated, good-hearted and open-minded Hindu teachers. Better
facilities like computers and audiovisuals will encourage more youngsters
to learn about Hinduism. Schools should and will be built to fit the needs
of the many students who are hungry for knowledge of Hindu dharma. Our
non-Hindu brothers and sisters will have a better understanding of our
religion. The incentives will be to keep Hindu religion and tradition
alive. Developing a positive attitude will help us become more familiar
with our religion. But if we keep on thinking that we will not be able to
carry out our religious ethics, then it will be like suicide.
The
atmosphere has to be right to persuade children and adults to become more
involved in learning what a Hindu is. We lack the source of knowledge
unless we have schools and learning centers where we can learn about our
Hindu dharma in a positive way. Christians have their churches and Sunday
school where they learn about Christianity. What do we have? Nothing! So,
it is up to us to keep our religion alive before it dies
out.
Society will also push us to learn more about our religion.
People everyday come up to us and ask us questions like, "What religion
are you?" "Are you a Hindu?" "Is the cow sacred?" or "What do you believe
in?" We just sit there and have no idea of what to say. Are we expected to
say, "I don't exactly know what I believe in?" Do you really want your
kids to say that? Thus, as you can see, we need to build schools and have
educated teachers to teach us about what we really are!
Hindus have
contributed many good things to mankind to develop physical, mental and
spiritual health. Among these are how to achieve God, Self-Realization,
meditation, yoga and a grand treasury of tales to increase
knowledge.
Meditation and yoga were introduced to the world by
Hindus. They both make the aims and goals of life clear. They help the
mind and body relax and think peacefully.
Many of the famous
parables of the Bible, fables of AEsop, folk-tales by the Grimm brothers
and tales by Hans Andersen had their origin in India. Stories were told
not only to entertain but also to teach lessons. Storytellers of ancient
India approached problems in a psychological way so that a common man can
understand their meaning.
Man needs religion to live by. Religion
is like a bodyguard that secures the person's emotions and actions. We
need to expand our knowledge of the Vedic truths to encourage more
children to learn more about our religion. Otherwise, if we act as we do
today and turn to other religions for help, our religion will slowly die
out.
Someday we will grow up to be like our swamis, sages and gurus
who encourage Hindus to learn the basic truths of life and to expand our
religion. If we can start now by understanding what we really are and
learn to pass on our traditions, we will not become lost or confused as
some people are today. Together we will help each other to learn more
about our Hindu religion.
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