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.