Friday, October 8, 2010

The Ties that Bind



The Importance of Maintaining Ancestral, Cultural and Religious Ties

If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for everything. This succinctly sums up a problem faced by many people who have left their homeland in search of a better future. Many 1st generation Indian migrants worry that their children and their children’s children will grow up without the traditional moral, cultural and religious platform that they acquired while growing up in India. One may wonder how a person could possibly lose touch with their ancestral and cultural heritage, in this age of global connectivity, web 2.0 and easy access to vast online resources.  But access to books online and the ability to email or Skype a relative pales in comparison to the ability to physically interact with like minded people, who are willing to share their experiences with those of a younger generation. This is what our parents fear they have deprived us of by moving overseas.

Maintaining the association of people of a good calibre, people with a good understanding of the world around us and with people of similar religious faith is no easy feat. Creating a network of like minded individuals with the freedom to discuss sometimes controversial philosophy in a non judgmental setting is an undertaking we have aimed to do. Although opinions can sometimes get heated, and ideals can just as easily set people apart, they can just as easily be brought closer together in the knowledge that there are others in the community who think and believe just as you do.

 Attending community religious and cultural events, and participating in voluntary service hosted by the various associations and clubs around Melbourne give all people the chance to congregate, socialize and have fun while participating in an activity that is mentally, spiritually and holistically fulfilling. It provides opportunities to contribute to society in ways we would not usually do routinely, and reveals facets to our own character we would have otherwise never discovered.