The Who (Am I)

Namaste readers! Here is a late night blog post by yours truly.

I am subscribed to a particular Bharatanatyam dancer on YouTube, and her name is Savitha Sastry. Recently she has put up a video preview of an upcoming dance performance of hers called The Prophet, which, if the video is to be believed, addresses the question of "who am I."

Seeing this preview has given me cause to ask this question myself. Believe it or not, it's still a question I struggle with.

I tend to be a people-pleaser most of the time, and often that results in me "going with the flow," agreeing with whoever on the issues of the day if they present a convincing enough argument. As a result, how I really feel on certain issues is obscured to me. In fact, my therapist has often said that is the reason why I get so upset about such things - because I am not in touch with how I really feel.

However, I can safely tell you right now that me starting on the Hindu path, on the path of Sanatana Dharma, is the most "me" thing I've ever done. The system of thought that Hinduism prescribes certainly wasn't authored by me, of course, but so much of Hinduism genuinely appeals to the "me" that I've denied the opportunity to let out for so long!

Sanatana Dharma truly speaks to what I want out of life...what I believe a "religion" should provide me with. That may sound self-centered at first, but what would you rather have - someone like me converting just to please others and be more "correct" in some way, or someone who is sincere in following the faith, albeit for self-centered reasons? If I know most people, they would probably want me to be sincere.

After all, I can't please everyone. I might as well please Shri Ganesha and Shri Hanuman!