Unfortunately for us, however, the world is being remade, at this moment, by European culture. Its assimilation is the means and the test of success. With regard to it we are mere students. Then we are all students. It may be that when our lesson is learnt, there will be a compensating one for Europe to learn. That is not our business. Our business is to learn our own. Is it the foreign idea that we have to accept ? Not exactly. The foreign idea, as it stands, would merely give us moral indigestion. We should not become a nation of moral dyspeptics. But we have to find, in our own stock of ideas, that one which enables us to meet the foreign nation on its own terms. The Englishman, loves England, with a wonderful and often beautiful love. What we have to learn from this, is not to share his love for England. That would be the discipleship of monkeys, mere imitation. We have to learn to meet his love for England with an equal, deeper, more tender and far more intelligent love for India. As he professes to make his country and his people the centre of every activity, every thought, so we have really to make our people and country the centre of our own. He has unity of national intention. We must realize our own national intention, and find an equal unity in it. Swadharma "Better for a man is his own duty, however badly done than the duty of another, though that be easy."
Sister Nivedita Complete Works Vol 5
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