Tag: spirituality

  • Spirituality in India: Beliefs and Contradictions

    Spirituality in India: Beliefs and Contradictions

    Daily writing prompt
    How important is spirituality in your life?

    Hey…

    I hope all of you are doing well…

    Well,
    The country that I belong to,
    has very deep-rooted spiritual beliefs,
    which makes it one of the most populous,
    religious based countries in the world…

    A place like India,
    which is the birthplace of many religions,
    including,

    • Hinduism
    • Jainism
    • Buddhism &
    • Sikhism

    There are widespread religious beliefs around the place I exist,
    A big Hindu temple within 500 meters of my residence,
    A mosque within the same distance,
    And within a 10-minute drive,
    a Sikh temple called a Gurudwara,
    and a Jain temple too within that,
    and crossing the gurudwara you’ll find a church too
    (In opposite directions tho)…

    I mean,
    all the hustling bustling goes on during the day,
    and by the night,
    those people who sat Infront of the religious places,
    begging for money,
    become the richest as they buy alcohol and other intoxicants,
    and do it yet again Infront of the said religious place and take rest on the pavement or the sidewalk,
    when nothing else matters,
    because they have already eaten their full,
    during the day…

    This is the enabling that religion has done,
    Of course,
    when asked it’s said,
    “They’re not responsible for what goes outside the premises…”
    like they can’t physically enforce the stoppage of this,
    by appointing people whose sole responsibility is to deter such people…

    But,
    things like this happen,
    Again and again,
    because they just up and move themselves away from the area,
    the area which they have to “keep clean”,
    the entire crowd moves,
    and the same thing happens,
    a few meters away…
    (Us Indians and our way to hack anything’s that’s enforced right…?)

    Coming back to the prompt’s question…

    The things like these,
    the hacks,
    the people who become these addicts by the night,
    the people who among the chaos,
    become the thieves,
    snatchers,
    took a long time ago my faith on religion…

    The way,
    the internal management of a religious place functions,
    is the same as a business,
    they do take up cost cutting,
    the prasad (the food presented to the deities),
    is used and recycled,
    for those who don’t take it home,
    and sold to the same devotees yet again…

    Being one of the most religious countries,
    and praying the G0ds and G0desses,
    and on the other hand,
    we hear news of a girls being brutally Rped,
    people being killed over little things,
    family disputes making people kill their own flesh and blood,
    but,
    on the other hand,
    this becomes a birthplace of religions,
    and a hub of spiritual beliefs…

    The stark contrast,
    in what’s told,
    what’s heard,
    what’s seen,
    and what’s reported…

    A toast to chaos,
    and such a widespread nature of ill management of it…

    Cheers 🥂

    Ashamed Waakiye🤍

    A star here,
    Another there,
    another one,
    where it shouldn’t have been,
    A havan,
    an offering,
    and all of it shall go away…

    The already G0d fearing,
    Thinks,
    “G0d forbid,
    another problem…”
    So,
    they set the appointment,
    and a priest appears,
    at the given time…

    Taking place of a G0d,
    Or his minion,
    he prays and prays,
    and burns incense,
    using wood using camphor,
    creates a place packed with soot,
    and smoke,
    a heavenly fragrance it leaves,
    until its cleared,
    and things become the same,
    same as the day before…

    The same chaos,
    the same panic,
    the same things,
    repeat the next,
    and the same problems,
    become the common,
    like it was the day before…

    “The Star That Shouldn’t Be”
  • Do You Practice Religion? A Personal Reflection

    Do You Practice Religion? A Personal Reflection

    Daily writing prompt
    Do you practice religion?

    Hey…

    I hope all of you are doing well…

    I really wanted this to be one of the questions/prompts,
    well before I started,
    because,
    i like to study people and their religious beliefs,
    and the way they carry it forwards after getting it from their grandparents to their parents,
    and now it’s finally their turn to pick up the rituals that their parents carried,
    watching it happen ever since a child,
    and now they embrace it with their open arms…

    I don’t practice any religion,
    or openly say that i am a part of any religion,
    but,
    in our household,
    both Hinduism and Sikhism are practiced;

    Upbringing of your parents and their place of birth matters a lot,
    My father’s origin was from Panjab,
    whereas my mom’s were from Haryana,

    both the places had a connection with Both of the religions,
    But,
    Haryana tended to have a deeper connection to Hinduism,
    her place of birth being next to Kurukshetra which is associated to the Mahabharata war,
    and birthplace of Bhagavada Gita,

    And Panjab, on the other hand has deep rooted beliefs with Sikhism,
    being the birthplace of the religion,
    that people follow worldwide…

    So,
    a mix of both is followed and respected in our household,
    but,
    that doesn’t mean we degrade other religions,
    we respect those religion that we don’t follow,
    because that’s how we are…

    I was taught to be a better person before practicing any religion,
    if someone follows Islam, Christianity or any other religion,
    it has been ingrained in my being to let people follow and practice their faith,
    until it becomes a problem for me,
    forced conversions and such,
    (a big issue here…)

    But,
    answering the question,
    do i practice any religion,
    actually i don’t…

    i believe in atheism,
    that there is no belief in me of deity worshiping,
    or praying a stone or a clay made and painted figurine,
    that most of the people follow around me…

    BUT,
    that doesn’t mean i forbid anyone else of their choice,
    they can and should do it,
    if they feel like,
    and they won’t ever hear it from my mouth that this is wrong or right,
    until they want,
    truly want my answer…

    WOULD YOU EVER WANT A MORAL COMPASS,
    THAT ALLOWS OR DOESN’T ALLOW YOU TO DO SOMETHING,
    OR,
    A BELIEF,
    THAT WHATEVER YOU DO,
    IT’S ADVANTAGE OR BLAME SHALL BE PAID AFTER YOUR EXISTENCE HAS LEFT THIS EARTH…?

    So,
    you do bad things,
    and justify it with religion,
    or,
    make others suffer just because you won’t have to face consequences now,
    but in an afterlife that you don’t even know exists or not..

    Food for thought

    Cheers 🥂

    Love Waakiye🤍

    As i watch,
    the world run down…

    Run down into ruins,
    by those who call themselves,
    the saviors…

    The savior that believes,
    by hook or by crook,
    his word shall remain the truth…

    The sole truth that prevails,
    is that we are humans,
    before being divided by faith..

    A faith that i follow,
    a fight that ensues,
    my fight,
    the fight,
    it goes on between me and my fate…

    Between me and my faith,
    a person who sits back like a wraith,
    all observant,
    until it’s his turn,
    to narrate…

    “A personal quest…
    To reclaim the voice,
    I let silence arrest.”