Have we lost our Identity?

India - For years we had been a nation enriched with best culture, traditions and lifestyle. The way our people lived were like an example to many other nations. Rich in language, religion and art we were the dominating ones and perhaps the old ones around the world. Our civilization was the best and well-studied/researched by several scholars. Although divided by caste, religion and language, we were exhibiting unity in our relationships. A flurry of cultures thronged this part of the world for long and survived the test of times. We worshiped God – Nature as well. We lived the way Vedas taught us to live. The Kings ruled as per the customs that were established and written by Vedic Gurus. Each and every man lived the way according to his duties that were planned. Everyone followed the Dharma and complemented each other. We were great predictors of the future through astrology and great scholars of the functioning and effects of the solar system’s objects movements. We were the first ones who had seen God in Nature and attributed Godly forms explaining their duties. We were perhaps the earliest ones who worship the solar system and the five primitive components of the nature. Several Gurus came and taught us the value of life – about the path to reach God – to improve our lives – to do our duties. It is through those Gurus that we understood how to reach God.

This has been a nation that had all the supplements well documented on how a person must live. Each and every section of the people according to the Dharma were assigned several duties and were bound to perform it at their best. For millions of years, we have been practicing it well although several Kings and Kingdoms with various traditions ruled us. Initially, we worshiped carved Stones as Gods. Then after refinement of thoughts, we felt that God is within us and both our mind and body are God’s own forms. We began to honor and celebrate our body/mind – started to maintain it by feeding the necessary inputs. For long, we performed our duties well. We had God in Human form explaining the true essence of life –and establishing the fact that truth and goodness will prevail over evil. Scientifically too we were well defined. Our Vedas were able to relate Science with life. Without satellites and technology, we were the best predictors of nature and its events. We were the best readers of the future as far as the individual life is concerned. We were the ones who changed the destiny by proper forecast and via our actions. We had a great structure within the family, within the Kingdom. We were methodical in our approaches and had Gurus who used to guide us in our key decisions. We valued the nature’s assets and used it to the fullest. In short we were the best in utilization of the resources.

However, the West (although it knew that we were best in fashion and education), created and developed this feeling in us that they were in fact best in these areas. They brought us and invested the feel in us that they were the best rulers and were great in science and technology. Ever since the English came to us, they have been successful in distracting us and changing the mindsets of us leading us to think that they were the front-runners in fashion/science/education. It is a disgrace that we have made our mind to tune to that belief. Although most of the technological advances have been from the West and it is of at most necessity to embrace the changes and developments in them, we have forgotten our core values and ethics. It is true that if we don’t embrace the West, we will run out of the race. However, there has to be some limitations on what are the things that we have to inherit from them. Good things can be taken from them while preserving our structure and model. The point is not to ignore the fashion or their trends in education but to preserve and appreciate/practice our methods as well along with theirs. To a great extent, we have forgotten our true selves - our soil and started embracing other culture. Slowly we are tuned to their lifestyle. We have indeed lost our identity and became someone else. We are playing an altogether different game. Our platform and surroundings have changed drastically - and along with it our intentions and beliefs too. Slowly we are getting carried away by the West and it is up to us to decide to pause, rethink and plan our life in a better way. Preserving our old traditions and customs coupled with the practice of the new evolution in the science and technology can bring and get us to a better place. Our basics should be preserved. It is only those basic values which can avoid hatred, war and failure in life.