Posted by: Homeyji November 16, 2011
Why are the non-Hindus confused?
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Most people have always seen the fundamentalism of religion negatively. But fundamentalism is only one way to ground you in a world with multiple options. The more options you have in the world, the more it can lead you to have chaotic emotions, the more you can feel overwhelmed and out of control.

Being grounded in the faith of your childhood grounds you. Unlike what capitalism wants you to believe, having more options does not always make you feel free. It can overwhelm you and make you resent life.

If you are too open-minded to all options all the time, it will actually make you depressed:
http://sivers.org/jam

Having too many options about everything and anything will unground you. This is what leads to an existential vacuum.

Read this article:
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Make-Decisions-Avoid-Feeling-Overwhelmed#ixzz1dtdv7Acy
And yet, as her clinical research demonstrates, a multitude of options doesn't always result in happiness. While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, Iyengar investigated the connection between optimism and fundamentalism—anticipating that inflexible religious rules would cause followers to experience lower levels of contentment. Instead, she found that atheists struggled most frequently with unhappiness, while members of strict faiths enjoyed higher levels of hope and optimism. "Many of their choices were taken away, and yet they experience a sense of control over their lives."

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