Namaste from Confused...???

[FollowerJunior]

Namaste,

I am new to HDF so I'm sorry if I say something that offends anyone or is wrong. I'm also probably a little young (14)...and a few things that I struggle with are going to be the most stupid and trivial concerns. Granted. But I didn't know where else to go, so I came here.

I love reading scriptures, be it the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, philosophy, Sanatan Dharma...since I come from a Hindu family to begin with this is usually acceptable. But we're not a strict religious family and my parents worry that I'm becoming "too religious for my own good". I am "naive", "trust blindly" and these are not good qualities in a dog-eat-dog world.

I know being religious doesn't mean becoming an introspective vegetable. How can I balance...being smart, responsible, standing my own ground with religion? This is the closest I could get to phrasing my problems.

Thank you,
FollowerJunior

[Avyaydya]

Namaste,

I am new to HDF so I'm sorry if I say something that offends anyone or is wrong. I'm also probably a little young (14)...and a few things that I struggle with are going to be the most stupid and trivial concerns. Granted. But I didn't know where else to go, so I came here.

I love reading scriptures, be it the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, philosophy, Sanatan Dharma...since I come from a Hindu family to begin with this is usually acceptable. But we're not a strict religious family and my parents worry that I'm becoming "too religious for my own good". I am "naive", "trust blindly" and these are not good qualities in a dog-eat-dog world.

I know being religious doesn't mean becoming an introspective vegetable. How can I balance...being smart, responsible, standing my own ground with religion? This is the closest I could get to phrasing my problems.

Thank you,
FollowerJunior

Namaste FollowerJunior,

Use religion as a support in your life and not a goal in itself. Nothing should be done for its own sake. It is good we put our heart in things, derive pleasure from doing things, but it needs to support something else. Nor should it all be self-serving. You are young, do not hurry, do the things that belong to your age. Balance is the right division of attention, giving each the attention it needs. If the balance is right, that provides the base for inner harmony. If you feel harmony things go with little effort or struggle. Religion can teach you some good techniques and customs to stabilize your mind, but don´ t overdo it. The wrong measure destroys the balance. To be trusting is a good attitude and the best base for corporation with others, but develop/use your intuition. Reckless is something else. Take your own responsibility. Pay serious attention to the people that love you, they mean well with you. Act responsible and they will have confidence in you. At fourteen we are least stable, it is an age for experiments, finding things out. That is good but don´t let it get you off track. Don´t hasten, many things can be done later, many decisions can be taken later. Consider well and stick to your decisions.

Success!

[FollowerJunior]

Namaskar,

Apologies for the late reply. Thank you for your suggestions/help - I will consider them the next time I'm struggling with these problems!

FollowerJunior