Kaam hi Pooja hai, Pooja hi kaam hai! :)
What did you believe about God & Religion?
Growing up in place where festivals are a reason to meet relatives, wear new clothes, eat good food and of course get presents from elders, I had a very beautiful image of religion. The arrival of Diwali filled my heart with much glee. It was only later I realized that religion is not limited to and defined by these celebrations. It plays a larger role and shaping who we are and conditioning what we do. Questioning anything only leads unpleasantness and emotional dramatic reactions. These unanswered questions further made me read books, try out prohibited tasks and come to a conclusion that such things do not exist.
If there were any god, it would give me strength and not cripple me. At present I have no doubts about the absence of a revengeful god. With every passing experience, my belief in myself and my actions has grown stronger.
I firmly believe that the peace that we seek in temples and prayers can be achieved through focus towards our work and well being of our family.
My beliefs:
a) One should work with honesty to the best of his/her ability.
b) I firmly believe in being positive and instilling this belief in everyone I meet. Each of us has the power to turn around things. WE DO NOT NEED AND INVISIBLE UNIDENTIFIABLE POWER.
c) Love your family and be true to your friends as much as you can.
What questions do you still have?
I do not really have questions. However, I would like to understand the reasons behind some rituals. I am fascinated by new places, people and traditions and I’d like to keep this fascination alive by trying to read about different religions.
Regarding religious beliefs, what do you see people grappling with?
I see people not willing and being too afraid to question. This has not really worked in our favour. Time and again rulers & political parties (which by the way, are extremely secular and have NO religion whatsoever) have taken advantage and created situations that have further deteriorated us as individuals. It is like that dystopian society that does not allow the growth of its citizens.
Vagisha
I can personally connect with many of the things you’ve mentioned in your post Vagisha. Like the Diwali thing, since my childhood I was so much fascinated by the glory of this festival that I just loved it. I can also connect to all the 3 beliefs you’ve mentioned and I also hold the same beliefs but something that is not common between us is that I do believe in the existence of God as the almighty who’s always there with me. The faith in god makes me feel stronger rather than crippled. But anyways, each individual has his/her own way of looking at the things and I also liked your idea of visiting different places and finding more about certain rituals!
Har sawal ka jawab nahi mil sakta….mere pyaar ka ….sorry ..sorry…I just got carried away—but yes Vaghisha–you do not find answers and it is not absolutely necessary to question everything—The joy lies in the unanswered mysteries—that’s life—if you knew the answers for everything–wouldn’t life be boring—what inquiries would we have–what exploration might we do–so is there a God—yes/no—keep searching –don’t come to conclusion as yet;)
I agree with your point. Focusing on work and one’s well being should be at the core. I too believe good and bad depends on your thinking power. If you take thinks positively than failure also turns into opportunity. It’s just the game of mind.