There is a video that is going viral on Instagram where a small child is doing exercise in the gym with his father and suddenly asks a question - 'Papa, am I Hindu or Muslim?'
Children don’t think much, they simply ask what comes to their mind. They absorb whatever happens in their surroundings.
When the dad heard the question, he was shocked. He was wondering why this small child was asking such questions. Where did he learn from?
The child told his father that some children in the park asked him whether he was Hindu or Muslim.
When he didn’t get any reply from his dad, he again asked the same question.
What Did the Dad Reply?
When the child asked if he was Hindu or Muslim, the father didn’t give a direct label. Instead, he explained it in the most beautiful way. He explained in a way that the small child will understand.
He said:
“Your heart and my heart beat the same way.”
“The rain falls on you and me the same way.”
“The sun shines equally for everyone.”
Then he gently said, “If God had to make any difference, he would have done it. If he hasn’t, we should not.”
The child listened quietly.
A deep message was passed on quietly to the child.
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A Message Beyond Religion
The father also shared a deeper thought for everyone watching the video. He explained that the purpose of religion is not to take us away from each other… It is to bring us closer to humanity.
Because the closer we get to God, the kinder we should become towards people.
The Deeper Question
The child only asked this because some children in the playground asked him first. That raises a deeper question – what made those children ask such a question? Where are they getting these thoughts from?
So there is something these children are seeing and hearing around, which made them curious and ask such questions. Because children are not born with thoughts, it’s the surroundings that inculcate them.
They Learn from Us
A child does not look at someone as a Hindu or Muslim, they just see them as friends. They don’t know how to create differences.
They learn from our conversations. They learn from our behaviour.
Let’s remember, the world we create is the world they will grow up in. So we have to create the right one for them.
The dad’s reply to the child’s question taught an important lesson, not just for the child but for everyone watching.