This generation and spirituality
I just read a very interesting article in 'The Week' about how young Indians are perceiving religion today. The article made some interesting observations.
- While the previous generation was tied up in making enough money for a decent living, the present generation takes a deeper look at religion and its relevance in our lives.
-The pressures of globalisation and cut-throat competition and associated dysfunctions of modernity create the necessary push to explore spirituality.
-The present generation has access to adequate avenues to find answers to the questions that rise. If yoga, meditation, Buddhism form one set of avenues, atheism and self-reliance too has become a religion of its own.
This totally explains why a large number of urban Indians today describe themselves as spiritual. And I am bullish that Indians would continue to nurture spirituality in all its dimensions.
Among those who will not try the spiritual path are those who think that it is a crutch for the insecure. The 'work hard, party hard', happy-go-lucky yuppies too come under this category.
And then there are liberals who will not explore spirituality in all its dimensions (including rituals and congregations) because spirituality to them is a private affair. They thus deny one of the most fundamental aspects of a religion - its social character.
Then there are those to whom the dogma of modern science has taught the word 'why'. The 'why' demands an instant answer, disallowing the possibility of a dispassionate observation.
- While the previous generation was tied up in making enough money for a decent living, the present generation takes a deeper look at religion and its relevance in our lives.
-The pressures of globalisation and cut-throat competition and associated dysfunctions of modernity create the necessary push to explore spirituality.
-The present generation has access to adequate avenues to find answers to the questions that rise. If yoga, meditation, Buddhism form one set of avenues, atheism and self-reliance too has become a religion of its own.
This totally explains why a large number of urban Indians today describe themselves as spiritual. And I am bullish that Indians would continue to nurture spirituality in all its dimensions.
Among those who will not try the spiritual path are those who think that it is a crutch for the insecure. The 'work hard, party hard', happy-go-lucky yuppies too come under this category.
And then there are liberals who will not explore spirituality in all its dimensions (including rituals and congregations) because spirituality to them is a private affair. They thus deny one of the most fundamental aspects of a religion - its social character.
Then there are those to whom the dogma of modern science has taught the word 'why'. The 'why' demands an instant answer, disallowing the possibility of a dispassionate observation.
posted by Anand at 11:19 PM
3 Comments:
The article makes extremely sweeping statements. On WHAT basis (read, statistics) are the authors making these statements? NONE whatsoever.
And, for your information, such articles appear on a REGULAR basis once every few years in EVERY magazine. I'm surprised you've NOT read them earlier!
Whether one agrees or not, religion/spirituality is indeed a crutch for the insecure. And, over 99 per cent of the population IS insecure one way or the other. This is where religion/spirituality plays an important role. All kinds of beliefs, faith etc are there to address these 'insecure' needs of ours.
I don't know on what grounds you make utter those last few sentences of your post. I do NOT agree with that. I'd rather argue that science (or scientific bent of mind) teaches one the idea of 'dispassionate observation' than spirituality. It's religion in particular that brings in more dogmas to the human mind than any other aspect of life!
Oh that's quite a spirited response, footnotz! :)
The article quotes some sociologists and surveys, but let me defend what I added.
To me, spirituality and a 'scientific bent of mind' are NOT divorced. What I rile against is the glorification of the word 'why'. To the extent that the question 'why' demands an immediate answer, without allowing the experimental process to take its time and the observation to be completed, it is not the scientific bent of mind in action.
For example, a statement like 'if you stop eating, say, meat and garlic, and practise this ritual everyday, your life force gets energized and you'll lead a more creative and content life' will be met with 'why's and 'how's. And possibly will be rejected on 'scientific grounds'. When in fact, the scientific mind would actually follow it up and see the results.
And if indeed spirituality, which is concerned with the wholesome happiness of an individual, when applied makes people happy, I do not think it is justified to call it a crutch. It would be like saying, 'oh, music is just a crutch to bust stress, we can do without it'.
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