The secret of deception under the guise of devotion.
Recently I went to Haridwar to give myself a spiritual break.
A spiritual journey is not about ditching normal works and duties, fleeing from societal responsibilities, or surrendering to the unmount able pressures of life.
The mysterious world of religion in India is at odds with what we see in other regions. It is dense and sometimes almost impenetrable. Moreover, people still keep a blind eye despite knowing the reality of the issues related to religious practices.
Haridwar is one of the ancient Hindu pilgrimage cities in Northern India. This is one among other cities where widows of Hindu families were forcibly abandoned after tonsuring their hair and giving just a couple of clothes.
The revered city as described in Hindu culture and much noted literature didn’t make me happy when I visited there in June. I did not get any positive vibes except my visit to the ‘Har ki Pauri’ and more elaborately during the Ganga Arti.
I asked my husband if he too was feeling the same or if it was just me who read all the traumatic lives of widows in Haridwar and Kashi (modern Varanasi) in pre-independence and post-independence India while reading books on different literature. My husband agreed with my thoughts.
Why is education a must for all of us?
“In my view the imposing tower of misery which today rests on the heart of India has its sole foundation in the absence of education.”
Nobel laureate- Rabindranath Tagore
Still, in 2024, India lags far behind in the field of education, although there are a lot of Indians who hold unprecedented positions in the world. This sad but true fact has been a real concern for everyone in India.
Today’s world is thriving on technology, gadgets, and communication advancements. All the inventions of modern times are inseparable from our daily life.
After food, water, air, and shelter the most important need of modern human beings is a decent education in life without which we are all void and sometimes irrational.
In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the education sector in India. This decline is occurring despite various government initiatives and the Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009, which provides for free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years.
“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.”
-Albert Einstein
The people who suffer the most in society in the name of religion, sect, and faith are children, who have every right to demand their fundamental education in a safe environment. They are also entitled to get nutritious food in their daily life.
Rise of fake spirituality
The political environment is one thing while the religious scenario is another thing, when the political practices get mixed with the religious beliefs then it becomes fatal for the people in every way.
Education is not just a ‘call to action’ for us, it is a basic necessity to excel as human beings in the sea of various issues that may question our existence.
Education is more than just a means to earn a livelihood.
Education is not inventing lethal weapons or hazardous chemical weapons.
Education should be a priority for the world community otherwise those who are deprived of it are very likely to live miserable lives with their voices unheard even when they are alive.
Those in power are often the first to disrupt harmony because they fear that the underprivileged gaining their rightful position will lead to rebellion against them.
Power struggle is real everywhere but an even more unpleasant combination is the mixing of religion with power. Power makes people crazy and disorganized. Without religious sentiment mixed with power, the appeal seems weak.
The recent rise of spiritual leaders is a testimony to the same.
Despite the rapid advancement of technology, there is also a noticeable surge in spirituality. At times, religious beliefs can be illogical and even inhumane. The lack of education allows these beliefs to dribble easily into the mind without raising a single doubt.
Can’t we just be humans?
Education doesn’t make you perfect unless you implement it with honest genuineness. Lack of education makes life murkier.
Religion is just a way to express gratitude to the almighty.
Religion is not to postulate meaningless perceptions in our lives.
Religious practices are merely written or hearsay guidelines that existed when we didn’t even know how to scale a river.
We do not need to consider everything received from diverse sources as religious heritage.
It is foolish of us to blindly follow the rules written several thousand years ago, when humanity struggled to find a purpose in this unwinnable world.
India is emerging as one of the countries in the world where science is being ditched for the sake of illogical and unethical practices in the name of religion.
People are blindly following the so-called religious preachers who are making a fortune at the expense of people’s insanity.
The chain reaction of such an interaction is more dangerous for a healthy society than one can imagine.
Live the moment, respect life.
Everybody knows that God is omnipresent.
Spiritual practice is not a brand, and God has not appointed anyone as a messenger.
Life is precious, especially human life irrespective of region, religion, regime, creed, color, caste and gender.
The outright concern is respecting each other’s existence without any discrimination. This should be a norm for a hale and hearty social stratum.
Conclusion-
Spiritual leaders have nothing better to offer to humanity than to spread fear, confusion, and delusion. Spirituality isn’t a material that one can provide you. It comes from inside. It gives solace to the soul. It makes us a better person. It shapes our minds to see the positive side, and it doesn’t have any franchise anywhere in the world.
