Be Happy – Accomplish Your Dreams (Part 88)

It is being observed, more and more youngsters are gravitating towards religion. Why so? What do they mean by religion? Is it due to some fear or insecurity that is pulling them to religion? Generally, a religion is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth. Religion is commonly identified by the practitioner's prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things, and is often interwoven with society and politics. Some time, it may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality to yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. It is a concept for regulating the conduct in a civilized society.

A fifty-eight-year old lady of rural background might not have heard about Freud who once remarked that religion is nothing but an obsessional neurosis. All she knows is that spending an hour every evening at a temple near her house gives her immense emotional and mental peace. Having married off her two daughters a couple of years ago, she prefers to spend her evenings in that neighbourhood temple attending worship ceremony there. But if you think only the fifty plus population is becoming religious, think again. Even the twenty-plus generation is gravitating towards religion as never before. For a college student, visiting the temple every day may seem to be a must. “I am religious by nature. Moreover, it gives me great spiritual strength to face life everyday,” she adds. She may like to visit other places of worship with her friends following other religions, whenever she gets the opportunity. This way, she is not fanatically attached to her own religion – say, she is a liberal. It applies to male section as well as majority of the youth is not sure of the future in wake of international economical instability.

Thirty-three year old a computer literate, working with a private firm, makes it a point to visit his neighbourhood temple everyday before leaving for his office. He has been doing his for the past five years. “It is all about faith. Visiting temple has that magical effect on you as you are filled with confidence to face the world,” says he. It is his logic to restore his confidence through some divine power.

Religion has become a part of people life in towns as well as metropolis. A teacher in sociology in a college says, “The fact that today people are turning towards religion is reflective of a struggle for identity. It gives them something to hold on to. Religious symbols remind you of who you are and give you a sense of continuity.” Talking about youngsters turning religious, she says, “As the demons of distrust, paranoia and intolerance perform a dance macabre, one, they feel would not fail, is God.” In other words, according to her, youngsters are now constantly looking for security in a world which is changing at a fast pace. It is all about a sense of collectivity and the feeling of being together.

So, religion is a good coping mechanism. It gives you a certain amount of spiritual solace. However, the phenomenon of youngsters visiting temples is nothing new. It is only that they turn mostly religious before exams. Also, it has been observed that a youngster tends to become boastful of being god-fearing and wears his faith on his sleeve. For them, religion is all about emotional security and to stay the course. A lawyer remembers his God when he enters into the Court and a doctor does so when he is about to enter into an operation theatre. God may bless him!

These days more and more channels by airing religious programmes have brought God and spirituality to the drawing room of the devotees, in a way enhancing the accessibility’ factor to God and spirituality. From lectures by self-styled gurus to religious songs, these channels have them all. With tiny wrinkles seaming their faces, some ladies who are in early sixties, prefer to watch these channels at home instead of going to temple due to their failing health in old age. As one nears old age, the bodily corrosion is distinguished by the amplification of the spiritual temperament. It is also, as many believe, a quest for timeless wisdom, the nector for which we humans strive throughout our lives.

The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures. It considers psychological and social roots, along with origins and historical development. It is there for regulating your social life but it must not be afforded at the expense of others. No religion in the world has preached for discordance with others. Peace and love are the two basic principles of living together. It is, therefore, essential that we must adopt them in our life to Accomplish Our Dreams.