Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism): The Future of The World

      These are great times for flourishing of traditions of Sanatana Dharma. Churches in America and Europe are going empty like never before. As per one estimate, around one fourth population of American Christians is disillusioned from the religion of their birth. Out of various Christian sects, the hardest hit are Catholics and Protestants. Evangelicals alone are seeing some growth in their following. But Christianity is clearly on decline throughout the world. Evangelicals are seeing additions of very poor and less educated segments of people from developing nations as it promises them with quick fix solution of salvation by simply seeking pardon from God. Such easy religion will prevent or promote evils or bad deeds, is any body's guess. Even in America, where they have one of their largest populations living, Evangelicals are seen as representing bad parts of American culture.

Hinduism: Future of The World

      Islam has got its own identification with some unwanted elements and looking to what is happening in the heartland of Arabia, the place where Islam originated, it is not being looked as a system to provide answers for the challenges being faced by humanity in times to come. Then what is the solution? Where does one find hope and aspiration?

      Before we jump to conclusions, let us look at what kind of requirements need to be addressed by the future global religion. It is because the requirements of today are much different than those of the past. Scientific progress achieved by humanity has raised curtains from many unknown and unresolved surroundings. The basic attitude of present day person to entire religious scenery is far open and subtle as well as meticulous. The terrifying mysteries of wonders attached with unseen and unknown God is a thing of past. But human beings are essentially spiritually oriented and still aspire to find meaning and value from human life.

      Gallup, which is a world-renowned company engaged in conducting surveys, has been conducting regular survey in America asking for people's belief in God. The percentage of Americans having this faith in God was 96 per cent in 1944, and went up to 98 per cent in three surveys carried out from 1954 to 1967. But the percentage has come down to 92 per cent in 2011. As per the summary of the 2011 survey prepared by Frank Newport in his article dated 3 June 2011, there is yet another important trend noticed which relates to significant drop of the respondents in their identification with a particular religion and it says:

"Other indicators of religiosity in America have shown more dramatic changes in recent decades, most significantly Americans' self-identification with a religion. At some points in the 1950s, almost all Americans identified themselves with a particular religion. In recent years, more than 1 in 10 Americans tell survey interviewers they have no formal religious identity."

      The points to note, based on the reputed survey findings of last 60 odd years, are more than 9 out of 10 still believe in God but only 9 out of 10 such people identify themselves with any particular religion. In other words, around 10 per cent of population has come out from their original religion. This trend clearly points out to the void, which is there to be absorbed by a better option.

      Let us try to list out what expectations normal person of today has from his religious faith. Let us keep the age until adolescence away as parental influences operate more until formative years as against logics and own thinking. As a young man, he or she is engaged in running his family where his issues are selection of mate for life together, births and deaths in the family; child rearing, schooling, holidays, health, sports and work and life balance. He is looking for a system that guides him to bring sanctity to his thoughts and actions, help him achieve his spiritual aspirations by offering right kind of solutions as per his individualistic orientation, help them for living a stress-free life, help them develop accommodating approach with mutual respect, help them stand as ideals for their next generation, help them avoid conflict in marital blessings, makes them stronger for avoiding all types of violence, help them collaborate with all others, and finally help them in perceiving God's divine and overarching presence in their life.

      The concept of flattening of world and working in boundaryless environment also require the future religion to promote world peace, reduction of all sorts of conflicts and violence, harmony between progress and environment. And all this is required to be met without losing individual identities. All these approaches must be universal in character and global in reach.

      If above assessment of individual and social needs is accurate then Hinduism is poised for secure future because it is the only religion, which has depth and dimensions to address all those future requirements. Sanatan Dharma in terms of its ideas, principles, teachings, knowledge, values, practices and wisdom is the only right choice for a safe and secure future for human to remain on this planet for long time. The philosophies of Hinduism are treasures of humanity and are fully capable to meet aspiration of people from all regions, races, languages and orientations.

      Let us drive ourselves to real Hinduism as quickly as possible. It is not enough that one was born as a Hindu. It will be meaningful only when the born Hindu adopts real Hinduism with full knowledge and conviction and start living those ideals in everyday life. Other religions have grown by resorting to mass conversions as the basis. But Hinduism has to rely first on real converts out of its own followers and it is not going to be easy as conversion to real Hinduism will require lots of efforts and understanding. But if we strongly believe in its intrinsic strengths and if we are committed to uphold the values preached by Sanatan Dharma, we have to be ready to go that extra mile and inculcate all these values in our own lives and educate our next generations about the same.

      Our generation is better off than earlier ones as most of us have taken birth in an independent India and our normal life achievements have secured better futures for us as compared to our predecessors. Therefore, it is our responsibility to pass on this rich heritage to next generation with better value addition, with better understanding, with better conviction and with better confidence that ours is the right culture and traditions for future.

      Surely; our pluralist traditions offer lots of choices to be made but better knowledge always leads to better choices. But better choices need not be simpler choices. Plural choices offered by our traditions enhance our obligation to make informed choices. Let pluralism not result in poor choices and let it not suggest us to do nothing. Let us work for our self and our next generations to understand and build on the rich past. Let us teach our next generations to practise Sanatan values to help them develop capacity to stand against negatives in life. Let us teach them ability to see through difficulties in their life using the prism of virtuous path shown by Sanatan Dharma, the real Hinduism. That will surely lead us towards more fulfilling human life and make us strong to face questions of Why are we here? What shall we do? and Where do we go from here? Because what we do today will impact the future of Hinduism tomorrow.