Jain Spirit 1999 07 No 01

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 27

BE JAIN!
not
MOD
often it gets misdirected by their parents, peers or television and the media. As a result, society pays a huge price when these young people grow up and are unable to be responsible to their families and their employers. We cannot say that this is not happening to our community because it is, and we have seen it through our experiences of talking to a large number of young people both in the UK and abroad. We need to work hard at promoting and encouraging positive role models who are living examples of people who practice Jain values and succeed at the same time, without compromising their beliefs. We need to think of very novel ways of promoting Jainism in the modern world.
One example of this new formula is to have a music concert in English with modern beats and rhythms, but where the songs have a distinctive 'Jain' message. For example, there are many songs about nature and wildlife which have a beautiful rhythm and express the sacredness of all life. Some of them are by famous singers we could play them at our concert. At the recent young Jains conference held at the Brahmakumari World Spiritual University in London, we commenced the day with a mime performed as a modern dance, and ended with a song by Lionel Ritchie performed by an English singer. These items provided variety and communicated important messages in different ways. They were great hits among the young people present. They did not realise that our ancient values can be learnt and promoted in such refreshing ways. Many young people hate speeches or lectures, partly because they hear too many of them, and hate the idea of sitting and listening without direct involvement or participation. Our workshop format used in conferences, where delegates are broken up into small discussion groups is consequently a great hit among the young. In most of our events, we emphasise this spirit of participation.
A lot of work needs to be done to promote a fresh and exciting image of Jainism. For example, it is true that Jainism is a very scientific and rational philosophy of living. It is also true that Jainism is one of the most eco-friendly traditions, and thousands of years ago promoted the sanctity of all life. The fact that vegetarianism in the UK is a growing trend, especially among educated young people, suggests that Jain ideas are presently receiving a lot of public interest and attention outside our community. At a time when animal rights and environmental protection are issues which a lot of young people feel very passionate about, we are failing to communicate these positive facets of Jainism to our young. Thus we need to connect Jainism with these positive images and actively promote it among young people.
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