People always insist to do whatever makes one happy. Therefore, we see that everyone doing what makes them happy. In this way, this is what has happened-
A group of people believes smoking makes them happy and they are smoking.
Some believe that happiness lies in alcohol and they are consuming it.
Some see happiness in movies and hotels so they go there.
Some see happiness in flirting, and they are doing so.
Some believe that happiness is in making materialistic relationships with others, so they do so and hurt others.
Some people get happiness in burning crackers (money), so they do so.
Now, a group of people feels that happiness lies in killing others, in doing bomb blasts..so they are doing so.
We see, that everyone is thinking of happiness, but not about the truth...about the right and the wrong.
I feel, that the target should be the truth and not happiness.
Irrespective of outcome, if everybody starts according to their own will, it seems very likely that there will be confusion, chaos everywhere, which is exactly seen in today' world.
Especially in a country like India, where the greatest saints have taken birth, the place from where all the holy texts come from.... It is very surprising to see the ignorance of our people about our culture.
I can see in many educational institutions and organisations that there are cultural days and festivals are celebrated. In most of these celebrations, we have loud noise, cheap hindi songs and dance, alcohol and sort of Page 3 scene....... ..
I feel pity for those who feel that Indian culture is about clothes, crackers, loud music...etc.
At the same time, human beings like Swami Vivekananda make me feel proud of my Indian culture, which is not about clothes and crackers, but which is of human values.
Its high time, we realise that our culture doesn't lie in alcohol, tobacco, clothes, parties, loud music, but Indian culture is about human values.
I remember Swamiji's comments about India-
"....when religion in the West is only in the hands of the ignorant and the knowing ones look down with scorn upon anything belonging to religion, here comes to the fore the philosophy of India, which displays the highest religious aspirations of the Indian mind, where the grandest philosophical facts have been the practical spirituality of the people. This naturally is coming to the rescue, the idea of the oneness of all, the Infinite, the idea of the Impersonal, the wonderful idea of the eternal soul of man, of the unbroken continuity in the march of beings, and the infinity of the universe.( CW3 FIRST PUBLIC LECTURE IN THE EAST )"
"But mark you, if you give up that spirituality, leaving it aside to go after the materialising civilisation of the West, the result will be that in three generations you will be an extinct race; because the backbone of the nation will be broken, the foundation upon which the national edifice has been built will be undermined, and the result will be annihilation all round."( CW3 REPLY TO THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME AT RAMNAD )
"Go back to your Upanishads the shining, the strengthening, the bright philosophy and part from all these mysterious things, all these weakening things. Take up this philosophy; the greatest truths are the simplest things in the world, simple as your own existence. The truths of the Upanishads are before you. Take them up, live up to them, and the salvation of India will be at hand.( CW3 MY PLAN OF CAMPAIGN )"
"In India, religious life forms the centre, the keynote of the whole music of national life; and if any nation attempts to throw off its national vitality the direction which has become its own through the transmission of centuries that nation dies if it succeeds in the attempt. And, therefore, if you succeed in the attempt to throw off your religion and take up either politics, or society, or any other things as your centre, as the vitality of your national life, the result will be that you will become extinct. To prevent this you must make all and everything work through that vitality of your religion. Let all your nerves vibrate through the backbone of your religion. ( CW3 MY PLAN OF CAMPAIGN )"
"You must go out to preach your religion, preach it to every nation under the sun, preach it to every people. This is the first thing to do. And after preaching spiritual knowledge, along with it will come that secular knowledge and every other knowledge that you want; but if you attempt to get the secular knowledge without religion, I tell you plainly, vain is your attempt in India, it will never have a hold on the people. Even the great Buddhistic movement was a failure, partially on account of that.( CW3 MY PLAN OF CAMPAIGN )'
"We must go out, we must conquer the world through our spirituality and philosophy. There is no other alternative, we must do it or die. The only condition of national life, of awakened and vigorous national life, is the conquest of the world by Indian thought. ( CW3 THE WORK BEFORE US )"
Let us remember Swami Vivekananda' s words regarding conversions:
"And then every man going out of the Hindu pale is not a man less, but an enemy more."
At the same time, let heed his warning:
"Religion and religion alone is the life of India , and when that goes, India will die, in spite of politics, in spite of social reforms, in spite of Kubera's wealth poured upon the head of every one of her children."
In the above context of Swamiji's words, India has not progressed anywhere, and it is high time we think seriously about these statements.
