Monday, July 18, 2016

Better to avoid the word Spirituality

Faith healing is an age old concept and mostly caters to people lacking access to formal medical facilities. But it has gained respectability among the elite, over the years, by being portrayed as an alternative lifestyle choice as well as a valid form of spirituality. This sort of Arta and Artharthi mode of seeking has trivialised the word spirituality and Spa establishments are milking it quite successfully. Recent political elevation of Hindutva also has provided a fresh impetus to such endeavours.

The attitude of young people towards all these, however, is a bit curious. Many of them just go through the practices in a mechanical fashion due to social pressure but inwardly the critical approach persists. Education and professional situation never permits young people to believe in superstition. Rituals are performed as a compulsion but without the feeling of complete reliance on them.

This is the enduring contribution of modernity and its emphasis on scientific attitude and rational scrutiny. In this sense, the word spirituality needs to be avoided since it means nothing and there is no method of validating it. This is essential to stop quackery and cheating which is proliferating at a fast pace. It's worth repeating that no one knows the mystery of this world and human life. [TNM55]








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