Here is a little clip:
The way I see it, there is no superior or inferior culture. We are all people…. all the same creations of God (and if you believe in reincarnation, we can be born into any culture and have probably existed in other cultures). But I do wonder where these views come from?
What exactly do Indians have to feel inferior about and why? They are resilient, hardworking, intelligent, and adaptable people.
Are us whites to blame? I don’t think so.
This is not a topic I feel much of an expert on, but I was interested to read her experiences and I would like to read the book she mentioned.
One thing that it did make me think of is my feeling lately that I'm not doing enough to help the world.
I also believe, as she says, that we are all creations of the same God, that we are all family. (As a matter of fact, a friend sent me this link recently and it is a short story that beautifully illustrates a possible why and how we are all One. It's passable writing and an amazing story. It's very short, you should go read it!)
I hear stories about people living in such poverty and having so little, worrying over having enough to eat, and I feel sad and I feel guilty. I want to do something to help, but it's so hard to know what or how.
I look for opportunities to volunteer, but too often volunteering seems like something I am supposed to do just to feel good about myself. "Come for this tour and do some volunteering on the side." The volunteering to play games with kids or teach some English doesn't seem like it gets at the core of what I want to help with.
So I'm trying something new while I continue to look for opportunities. I found out about Kiva.org from a friend's Facebook page. It's an organization that connects people through small loans. I can loan $25 to a third-world business of my choosing and a bunch of other people will also contribute to that business. When the business owner pays back the loan, you can put the money toward another loan. (And there is a group for Hindus, http://www.kiva.org/team/kiva_hindus ) So, that's one step I can take while I brainstorm other ways to help the world.
What other ways do you think we have to contribute to the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world?
Being Hindu, many of us are concerned about the plight of people in India. I think making certain we buy Indian -- dhotis, saris, jewelry, puja items, etc. -- in order to support Indian cottage industries is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteFinding charities to donate to is difficult. It's hard to know their real agenda, to know where the money's going.
As for here at home, where homelessness and hunger are real issues despite the general wealth in America, I believe it depends upon one's means and one's talents. I've seen personally how the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization can make a difference in a kid's life. And there might be a neighbor -- down the street or across town -- who could really benefit from a couple of bags of groceries dropped anonymously at their door from time to time.
Sri Easwaran says it's us little people, changing ourselves for the better, doing the little things that we can, that can improve the world dramatically.
Hmm, I like the idea of giving groceries. I'll have to see what Chinmaya is up to too because I know they have service programs and I wonder if they do a food drive or anything like that.
ReplyDeletecharity!!!
ReplyDeletehere is an interesting recent story about a hindu beggar, that made me feel guilty, please read-Surya
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6096344.cms?prtpage=1