This theory is not one we can claim to be unfamiliar with either. It is there for every one of us to see on full view in all its glory. Take for example, the craze that has swept through the entire Auckland region. Having a car that gets you from A to B is just not good enough if you are under the age of 30 here. Your car has to have a humongous exhaust pipe. It has to have an oversized body kit. It has to have the darkest of window tints and the loudest of sound systems. For if it doesn’t have any of these features, then I’m afraid you are just not ‘cool’ enough. Without a moments hesitation you are thrown into the category with the other well disciplined intellectuals and civilised individuals. In fact it was just last week I was speaking to a twelve year old boy. He mentioned to me that by the age of eighteen he wanted to have a BMW. When asked how he would fund such a pricey commodity he replied, “I’m going to take an $8000 loan out from the bank.”
Can you imagine ten or maybe even just twenty years ago the youth having such a mindset? What a great shame that our society has stooped to such a level where the topic of discussion amongst twelve year olds is not how they will do their homework, or what they will do with their friends, it is about purchasing high performance cars! This is verily the pressure that western society puts on those who inhabit these parts of the world. This is just a small snippet of what our society is progressing towards.
We have to be conscious of and at the same time keep at the forefront of our minds exactly who we are. We are HINDUS, proud followers of the ancient civilisations set in stone by our forefathers. We represent a Dharma that worships the feet of a Rama, a Krishna and a Shivaji. It was Rama himself who at the immediate discovery of the fact that he was to be dispelled to the forest, left without a moments hesitation. He understood the fact that King Dashratha his father, had made a grave mistake, yet he still went to seek his aarshivaad. Such was the dedication and conviction ingrained in his heart! Can we learn from this and implement into our lives today? Would we drop everything we owned and possessed in terms of riches at the say so of our parents?
Then there is Vivekananda that says we must serve each other before we serve our own hunger. He insists we must use our education for the benefit of those down trodden in society for they are gods and goddesses too. The point he makes is a valid one. Whilst millions of our fellow human beings are struggling to afford even one grain of rice, we are basking ourselves in unnecessary commodities. This is where we need to change our mindset. I’m just as guilty on this front, but Vistaar has made me realise this. The day we realise that a person is a person on the basis of their values and principles rather than their possessions, that will be the day when we restore some of mankinds dignity, until then we stand here tittering on the edge...waiting for that to happen.
