This semester I'm taking two religion classes: Islam and the Gospel, and Survey of World Religions. These classes (minus the stress they cause due to quizzes) are the highlights of my week. Living in North America, we are sooo blinded and ignorant of what's really out there. In my reading for one of these classes I came across the following quote and it made me really excited. There is so much to learn and so much to experience. I can't wait to learn everything I can here at BYU and then venture off somewhere (hopefully cool) and learn more and more and more. Here is the quote (hope it makes you think): 

Out of the more than 3.57 billion people in the world today, one in seven is a Hindu. To understand why Hinduism, with its intricate framework of mysticism, is espoused by such a large number of people, it might be helpful to examine the Hindus’ contemplative approach to life through the eyes of a student of Hinduism. Here is a comparison between Eastern and Western thought made by Hari N. Dam, a Hindu and former student at the University of Minnesota:

“You live in time; we live in space. You’re always on the move; we’re always at rest.

“You’re aggressive; we’re passive. You like to act; we like to contemplate.

“We always hark back to the past; you always look forward to the future. We pine for the lost paradise; you wait for the millennium.

“We accept the world as it is; you try to change it according to your blueprint. We live in peace with Nature; you try to impose your will on her.

“Religion is our first love; we revel in metaphysics. Science is your passion; you delight in physics.

“You believe in freedom of speech; you strive for articulation. We believe in freedom of silence; we lapse into meditation.

“You first love, then you marry. We first marry, then we love. Your marriage is the happy end of a romance; our marriage is the beginning of a love affair. Your marriage is a contract; our marriage is an indissoluble bond.

“Your love is vocal; our love is mute. You delight in showing it to others; we try hard to conceal it from the world.

“Self-assertiveness is the key to your success; self-abnegation is the secret of our survival.

“You’re urged every day to want more and more; we’re taught from the cradle to want less and less. Joie de vivre is your ideal; conquest of desires is our goal.

“We glorify austerity and renunciation; you emphasize gracious living and enjoyment. Poverty to you is a sign of degradation; it is to us a badge of spiritual elevation.

“In the sunset years of life, you retire to enjoy the fruits of your labor; we renounce the world and prepare ourselves for the hereafter.”

Also, did you know that 1.5 billion people and 23% of Americans believe in reincarnation? 

Such a bizarre concept to me.