As someone who was not raised Hindu, I am often asked both what are the central beliefs of Hinduism, and how I became drawn to Hinduism. I have no trouble answering the first question, and I am pleased that someone is curious about Hinduism. Why then, do I have a harder time responding to the second question? Despite the fact that the second question is similar to the first in that it is asking about what beliefs in Hinduism do I follow most closely, I sometimes end up feeling slightly annoyed at this. The only difference I can find between the two questions is that one asks about Hinduism itself, whereas the other asks about my beliefs, and I sometimes interpret the second question as a need to defend my beliefs. This reaction though, makes no sense, as I should not care about what other people think about my beliefs. Why I am attached to what other people choose to think about my beliefs?
Reflecting on this question has led me to the conclusion that my reaction to this question is in fact a sign of what I need to work on myself. I need to work on responding to the questions by looking at them positively as someone actually caring about my thoughts, or simply answer the questions without passing any value judgements on them at all.
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