The odd conversation that sparks a few well known facts when you are travelling on the tube or waiting at the bus stop really gets interesting when it starts paving its way to personal choice.
Stranger: Ohh what a nice evening!!
Me: Yes! Indeed!!
Then it goes on with a couple of yaade yaade yas etc to politics.
Stranger: I don’t think the government can afford to go on with benefits anymore with the recession!
Me: How long ago was it when they last decided to cut on benefits?
Stranger: Don’t you remember 1985 when the blah blah affected the pensioners
Me: Well I am afraid I don’t because I am new to the country.
Stranger: really then where is home?
Me: India!
Stranger: oh so are you a Hindu?
The epitome of conversation lies on the onus of my reply – err Yes I am!! I was asked the same question twice in a week and thats when I decided to give it a thought.
How would you describe Hinduism as a religion???
Well!! How would I? I replied in short saying that it is most religious and probably the oldest religion in the world. Then comes pat another one – Is it easy to follow?
What is easy and what is not is I guess more of a perception than a definition. All I could tell him was that it if given account of the principles, it gives one the right to choose between right and wrong and guides one to attain what one thinks as one’s spiritual attainment. My learned friend attending the seminar of Stephen Covey’s Industrial Vs Knowledge age, said that he found similarities between Hinduism and Daoism where both of them preach about personal tolerence. I could not comment on it as first I need to know about Daoism as a religion.
This discussion had led me into thinking about religion and how much do I really know about any religion.
