Rituals (via Akanksha Damini joshi)

(via Akanksha Damini Joshi)


The biggest abuse that #modernity can give to #tradition is a word, “Ritual”. Sample these.
'She is very ritualistic.'
'I don’t want to tied down by rituals.'
'I dont believe in rituals.'

Nietzsche was one of the first men, a sensitive guy no doubt, the beginning of this phase of human life. He declared the death of #god. The setting free of #man. That ‘freedom’ was supposed to replace rituals.

Rituals meant old, dead, decayed, prisons.

Freedom meant, being-me. The sky, the flights, the expanse. To do, To be, To see. Atomic independence.

With time. Over some 150-200 years, what do we see? All that has happened is, this.
The old rituals have been replaced by … new rituals.
Oh we don’t sit in front of god and pray.
Oh we don’t sing songs together.
Oh we don’t eat together.
Oh we don't play together.
Oh we don’t story together.
Oh we don’t delight together.
We are free. Each person to do their #own #thing.
But there are other #ModernRituals we are tied down by.
We go to office, set days.
We have weekends, set days.
We stand in lines at the airport. Ritual.
We get scanned. Rituals.
We apply for passports. Rituals.
We pray for visas. Ritual.
We give exams. Ritual.
We graduate. Ritual.
We vote. Ritual.
We happy hour. Ritual.
We pay taxes. Ritual.
Like it, or not.
To exist on earth, is to live with rituals.
Such, simply, IS.
Old or new. Really does not matter.
All we have is one option.
To infuse our rituals with love, with life.
Or to keep them dead, mechanical.
We do have a ‘freedom’,
that freedom is in #Curating rituals.
It comes from consciously choosing
a #ritual #platter.
Taking some from the tradition.
Some from modern.
Suffusing our ritual-platter
with bhaav, love juices.
( I find the word ‘consciouness’ too dry. )
With chit-ananda.
That aware love curation will truly be
the beginning
of a new phase
in human life.
Not post, but Beyond Modern.
Such love-rituals
are the foundation of relations,
of families,
of communities.
Without this …. ?!
A dryness that we all live! 😉
Rest, is our choice.
Of course.
God is Dead. And Man is Free.
Right?!

Shashi Joshi The ritual of birthday cake.
The ritual of throwing hat at graduation.
The ritual of gathering around TV in the evening instead of arti.
Ribbon cutting.
Cake on the face.
Candles.
Birthday bumps.
Secret handshake.
...
Questioning the logic of hanuman but not of spiderman.
List is long.
Rituals are a must, it makes an event important. And the more important an event, the more elaborate the rituals.

 

Srijit Basu Totally agree with you; doing away with our traditional customs merely because they are supposed to be "rituals" has been to the detriment of cultures such as ours. Nurturing rituals that bring people and communities together is much more valuable than some of the mechanical rituals that have sprung up in their place..