India Festival Souvenir Book-2009 (Part 4)

India Festival 2009
What heritage do you want to leave for your children
By: Ilesh Patel
Living outside of the motherland India has always raised an endless debate in my mind about what
benefits I have gained through such a huge trade off. Assimilation into this new land of opportunities
might not have been as challenging as it was once, especially for the people coming from India with the
abundance of morals and cultural values. Society and its cultural values do play a major role in shaping
up child’s character in his early childhood through adult years which leaves a huge impression for the
later part of life as well.
All parents love their children dearly, however, for Indian parents, this thread seems to go beyond rational
thinking. Being a first generation Indian, I am extremely gratified with the time I spent in India with my
parents, teachers, relatives, and friends in my school and college days. Society where I grew up was
full of compassion and quite accommodating. I always believed that in the history of mankind, each
successive generation lived in more comfort and luxury than their predecessors; my child would naturally
enjoy the benefits of advances in science and technology. But the flip side of the coin is that we have
found the innovative ideas of breaking our traditional values and ideals. Who would be more concerned
about this than a parent who dearly loves his child and would like to give out his entire life and more so a
cultural heritage which once he received from his parents?
Ageless wisdom has shown us that passing on the morals and knowledge to our children is our duty and
obligation. I would like to leave my child with heritage which guides her to leave a life full of human spirit.
If the seed of righteousness is planted in their tender minds, then it can grow and help build a tree of
character.
Especially, living in the western hemisphere, where the very same freedom which gave a birth to a
great nation, United States, can cross moral boundaries and leave young minds in front of incessant
bombarding of below the norm television programs and unethical internet contents. I believe that it is
every child’s birth right to grow up in a moral and ethical society. Certainly, if I can teach very basic ideas
of our ancient Vedic values and morals such as respecting parents, teachers, and adults in the society,
and the significance of family values, marriage and its sanctity and stay on the course of dharma, then it
would be a great tribute to my parents and me. Treasures of great knowledge about this existence and
beyond have always been a point of attraction for western philosophers and researchers. Introducing
my child to the scope or vastness of this knowledge of spirituality and letting her know about the great
rushies, saints and the true spirit of our major festivals would definitely be the best heritage that she
would receive to live a better life.
So how can a parent leave behind a great heritage to their children? Your child’s observation inside of
the family creates a permanent impression on his mind. If you want protect them from the invasion of bad
outside influences, then live the life of high morals which you want your children to follow. I would also
like to mention that according to Hindu philosophy, human life is a great opportunity in terms of spiritual
growth, and there are other dimensions which can be explored through our heritage. Therefore, I would
definitely like to pass on the awareness of this possibility to my children.
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