Religion....

We talk a lot about things which we don't fully understand. I'm no exception. In today's world, one of the most talked about subject is religion, especially the extreme forms of them.

Let me try to dwell a bit on this. What is religion? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to me? To me, religion is something very personal, is a way to uplift myself, a path to gain more knowledge on the Bigger Picture. In other words, spiritual advancement. My definition of religion is strictly only these. Anything else falls into other categories.

One such category is culture. The way we interact with others, the way we dress up, the kind of food we eat are all parts of culture and never should be confused with religion. Since culture involves interaction with society, it has to be in a framework. Many of these accepted frameworks are regulated and become a part of the larger set of laws of land.

Religion on the other hand is very personal. There is very little scope for social interactions to uplift oneself. At the most, interaction with like-minded intellectuals, a spiritual Guru and/or efforts to access/understand texts that offer spiritual knowledge are the only social interactions. There are no bounds in a religion.

A religion, in a most ideal definition, is unique to each person. We may start with a known and popular "religion", but as we progress, the path we take usually is a unique one. But the ultimate goal again maybe same for all of us. It is more like this: starting from south pole of the earth, there are infinite lines parallel to earth surface that again meet at north pole. Which line you take does not matter. You will reach north pole ultimately.

[to be continued on another day to avoid overdose :-)]