Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Why Are Hindians Disunited?


I'd like to comment on Hindian disunity - which is a fact of life. [Note: Hindian = someone whose heart belongs to India]

First of all, it's not "Hindian" disunity. I think Hindian Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsees, or Badrinarayan Sansthan members
are as united as a similar group in the West: not homogeneous, but able to prioritize their issues and understand what is in their interest as a group. They also have spokesmen for their community, such as the Imam of Jama Masjid.

That pretty much leaves Sanatan Dharmi Hindus. It is axiomatic that a Hindu can profess any view without any need to conform,
because "all paths lead to truth". Moreover, Hindus are divided by caste, sub-caste and language, not to mention education level,
gender and career. What is there to unite them? Besides family ties, not much. There's no group worship, no weekly sermon, no
common Holy Book, no common way of worship; no requirement for commonality at all. Hindus are trained from an early age to tolerate and respect diversity in thought and action.

What about common interests? Hindus were slaves for centuries, which led to a hard life, requiring competition for scarce
resources. You were denied what your neighbor got. Teamwork, or excessive charity, could be fatal. The scarcity instinct keeps Indians from forming lines even today, lest they be left empty-handed. In America, people maneuver, manipulate, jostle and push for promotions, but they stand in line at the bank.

I know this is a tangent, but please respond with your ideas :)

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