Editor,
No Act, law, or legislation can truly protect a belief system or a way of life. The preservation of our ancestral legacy must come from within the community itself. For that to happen, people need to be educated, informed, and reasonable enough to understand what is at stake.
And shallow statements such as, “If it were not for this or that religion, we would still be drinking, fighting, or killing each other,” reflect a shallow and simplistic understanding of history. Such arguments ignore an important fact that our ancestors lived, survived, and thrived long before the arrival of any religious messiahs, prophets, or gurus.
They developed their own systems of morality, social order, culture, and governance that enabled communities to coexist and flourish.
Take Japan as an example. The Japanese, whose history includes some of the most formidable warriors the world has ever known, continue to maintain a strong connection with their indigenous belief system, Shintoism. Yet today, Japan stands among the most civilised, disciplined, and technologically advanced nations in the world. Their progress did not depend on the arrival of Abrahamic or Sanatani traditions to reform or civilise them. Rather, it was built upon a strong culture, social values, and an exceptional education system.
Education is the most powerful force for broadening the human mind. It exposes people to diverse perspectives, expands their understanding of the world, and enables them to think critically and make informed decisions. An educated society is far better equipped to preserve its heritage while adapting to modern realities.
Ultimately, if our ancestral legacy is to survive and not fade into the annals of oblivion, people must develop a genuine sense of connection to it. Cultural preservation cannot be imposed through laws alone; it must be sustained through understanding and taking pride in our own roots and active participation by the very people who inherit that legacy.
Dr R Sangno
