You know you have a 9am lecture tomorrow, but you absolutely love Jay Sean, especially after a bottle or two. I’m sure most of us have encountered a similar scenario. You’re left with a decision to make. Do you become a ‘social visa card’, accepted in most places? Or do you risk becoming a social nobody? What influences the decisions you make in your social life?
Living the independent life at university will always be a challenge. For most of us it is the first time we’re living away from our families, so we look to our friends to become part of the “extended family”. There is nothing wrong in doing so. On the contrary, I strongly recommend that you find your family away from home. But the extent to which our chosen friend circles affect our decisions is something worth considering.
We are all warned about the effects of smoking, drinking and drugs, but at the end of the day it’s your life, and you have to choose how you want to live it. What are your priorities? What is your duty? You, and only you, can be the one who makes the decision, because come 9am tomorrow morning, you could either be sat in your lecture or you could still be hung-over and fast asleep. Should the latter be the case, you are the one who must face the consequences, not your friends. You are the master of your own destiny.
As Hindus, karma plays a bit part in our lives. For every action, there is a reaction. How often do we, as students, remember the laws of karma in our everyday lives? If our actions are positive, then the reaction will also be of a positive nature (aka “The Ripple Effect). Sometimes, maybe not straight away, but that is the magic of karma, that it will come back to us. It’s like knowing the results for an exam before even sitting it. I assure you, it does not get much easier then that! If we are consciously aware that each of our actions is being balanced on the scales of karma, I’m sure we would prefer the scales to be tipped fully to the positive side. All we have to do is make the positive decision.
Those of you who have dared to delve further into spirituality may have come across the “Happiness vs. Pleasure” debate. Do we strive for long-lasting happiness, or short-term pleasure? What truly makes us happy? There is much we can gain pleasure from, and as students we are increasingly pressurised to allow temporary pleasure to become our only form of “happiness”. With clubs offering alcoholic beverages at “student rates”, the increasing availability of drugs and so on, aside from the mental and physical implications of their use, one cannot possibly get in touch with the spiritual self whilst intoxicated. Many may argue that the drinking of bhang helps one to boost meditation and achieve transcendental states, but realistically, how many students do you know that use drugs to get a spiritual high? If the intentions are wrong, then we will achieve nothing good from it… simple karma.
Lest we forget what our scriptures say. The majority of us are aware of the free will exercised by Hindus, that we are not bound by sets of rules in order to maintain a Hindu identity, but given guidance by scriptures and Gurus that we can choose to accept or not. A basis of Hindu Dharma revolves around the “greater good”. Whatever our actions, we should take into consideration the effect on the bigger picture. Just like karma, where a positive action is responded to with a positive reaction, we demonstrate strength in character by making choices based on the greater good. So as students who are trying to maintain and promote our Hindu identity, we must take into consideration whether our actions are of a positive nature. Indeed, being positive will enhance the self to be more spiritual. There is not right or wrong, it is completely down to the self. But one thing to always keep in mind is that all actions will always bring about a reaction. So will you be a spirit at a bar or a Dynamic Spirit?
“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey; we are spiritual beings on a human journey”
~ Stephen Covey.
(This article was featured in the booklet given out as a momento of "24seven- Live it : Breath it", a record-breaking conference held by the National Hindu Students Forum, at De Montfort University, Leicester.)
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