By Pranathi Chitta
Staff Writer
@prannydacheetah
Between school, college applications and studying for the ACT, I never seem to get the time to stop and pray. With so many activities going on in my life, it is easy for me to get lost amid the craziness.
However, I can say that there has always been time for my religion, which has saved me many times when I was in need. For me, religion is a priority and should be considered while making important decisions.
I could not imagine my everyday life without Hinduism. I was brought up in a household where I live based on what my religion allows me to do. This includes praying everyday, living as a vegetarian and being selfless. Although there have been times when I have placed myself as a priority over religion, I realized after that such a decision is not worth it. You will always have time to care about yourself, but you should take as much time to believe in a religion.
Even though I am very religious, I do not express my religion in public very often. I believe that religion should be a private matter. True spirituality includes the believer, rather than trying to spread the religion. Being religious should not be flaunted, as it should be an intimate individual journey.
In my observations of other religions, I have encountered some classmates or peers who have tried to influence me to join their religion or attempted to show it off. For instance, I have encountered a peer who listed the benefits of their religion and explaining why I should convert to it.
Growing up, I was taught the basic manners of being selfless and always giving back, but it was not until I began to deeply believe in Hinduism around the age of 14 did I realize that having such manners were based on my religion. After reading excerpts of the Bhagavad Gita, I learned why Hindus are usually selfless. Similarly, many other religions have such a resource, which should be often referred to.
If I did not have such a resource, it would be hard to learn morals otherwise. I often question those who do not have a religion where their foundation for morals come from.
Recently, I attended an act of worship for Hindus, which further expanded my view and taught me that if I put in the time to pray and worship, then I will be thankful for what God gives me in the future. This idea resembles the common belief of ‘karma,’ which is derived from Hinduism, representing that, “What goes around, comes around.”
Even if it is one minute, worshiping or believing in a religion highly pays off and can teach and help more than you think. It is worth getting to know a religion and believing in it, which expands the way of thinking and behaving.
