Q. How do we know what our duties are? How should they be performed?

A. To perform and fulfil your duties correctly you must very carefully examine, reflect upon and understand life in society and your place in it. As an individual, you have duties towards yourself, as a domestic being, you have duties towards your elders and to those who are younger than you, as a social being you have duties towards the society; and lastly as a living member in a competitive world you have some duties towards yours chosen profession. All these duties are to be undertaken and fulfilled with a sense of loyalty and devotion to the Lord, who in His great wisdom has placed you where you are in your exact circumstances.

Our present joy is – someone's past sacrifice. Duties towards the elders, do not just extend to the home, but towards all older citizens around you. The present is the product of the past. The older generation carved out for us our present, for better or worse. And now we have been given the opportunity to serve them in their old age, when they are tired and fatigued. If everyone looks after and cares for his elders and little growing children the society will be vigorous and secure. But this is not done, because of the indifference born out of our own dirty and ugly selfishness. In our blind search for our personal happiness we ignore and refuse this duty. Children get neglected. Youth come to run wild, with no clear goal in life. Confusion rampant in every bosom. Morality is stampeded under foot and maimed. Corruption raises its head everywhere: within the heart of people, and in the outer world around them.

Q. What are our duties towards ourselves?

The duty that we have toward ourselves is to live in self-control, to eat and sleep properly, to exercise, and to maintain a loving and peaceful attitude toward all. Gain spiritual knowledge so that you can serve the people around you in the proper way. Never give up self-study, worship the Lord, and meditate regularly. Say your prayers daily even if you are travelling or are not well. This alone can bring sweetness into your life. This alone is the path of spirituality.

Q. What are our duties towards our children?

Fulfil your duties towards your children by providing them with a healthy, happy environment. Start teaching them about spirituality and noble values at an early age - before the age of three. Do not ever understand that children of that age are merely passive observers. In fact, only after we have grown up do we learn the art of passive, dull, sleepy, and sloppy observation. If children of that age are passive observers, how then are they able to learn a language? Is not everything new, fresh, mysterious to them? In fact, child psychologists have concluded that children in that age group need more rest as well as more frequent feeding because during those few years of early childhood they have to be alert and learn more than in their later life. The rate of absorption of knowledge and experiences in those years is stupendous. Therefore, an atmosphere of religion and spiritual values around them is very important in moulding and enhancing their mental life.

Between the age of three and five, your children can be introduced to stories of Christ and Krishna, of Rama and Buddha, of Mohammed and Moses. These stories of the spiritual giants of the world, recounting their experiences, their trials and inner strength in overcoming temptations, as well as the positive experiences of joy that they gained, may all be passed on to your children with appropriate expressiveness. Let these stories be told now and then by the father also. Make it a point for the children to pray before their meals, not too elaborately, but for a short yet serious moment. Whenever they ask questions about flowers, clouds, butterflies, or frogs, be alert to flavour your honest explanations with a hint about the play of God around us. Leave them with these small hints; do not go into details. Let there be a corner in your home for prayer – a quiet private chapel or simple altar. Let children watch both of you praying to the Lord regularly. When children have grown to be between the ages of eight and ten, at a fixed time for one half hour every day, sit down with them and read for them. The endless stories and analogies can lead their minds on an independent journey to see for themselves a greater message for life and a larger value in life.

The author is the Founder of Chinmaya Mission