Ten 21st Century Challenges for Hindus

INDIA, April 30, 2016 : Every 6th person on this planet is a Hindu and Hindus still constitute the overwhelming majority in India – nearly 80% of the population. Humanity needs thus to re-discover the wonder that is Hinduism, the oldest spirituality still in practice in the world. It is also true that Hindus must rise to the challenges of this second millennium.

The first challenge is to “Break the Polytheist Image.” One of the most enduring cliches about Hinduism is that Hindus adore a multitude of gods and goddesses, which makes them heathens in the eyes of Christians, thus good to be converted to the true God, often with unethical financial baits. Hinduism, whether you want to call it a religion or a spiritual system, is without doubt one of the most monotheist creeds in the world, because it always recognized that the One is Many and that He incarnates Himself or Herself in a multitude of forms – hence the million of gods & goddesses in the Hindu pantheon.

The second challenge is to dispel the image of poverty attached to India. One of the reasons Hindus are not taken too seriously abroad, is that their country, India, is always associated with poverty.

The remaining challenges–in order of difficulty–are: 3. Explain the caste system to Westerners. 4. Dispel the notion that Hindus can be fundamentalists and violent. 5. Tell Westerners about the greatness of Hindu philosophy and Literature. 6. Hindus in the West should preserve their Indian-ness. 7. Take political power and Unite. 8. Explain @NarendraModi. 9. Help India become the alternative to China. 10. Spread Happiness in the West.

In conclusion, when Hindus help shed these prejudices which have been harming their image, they can not only continue to contribute to the world’s economic growth, as they have done for several decades, but also, once they participate more intensely in the political power, be recognized as a distinguished community, with a separate and honored identity.

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