Just hire a Pandit to do the Pooja!

Modern Times
By Bhrahma
Just hire a Pandit to do the Pooja!
Vish, I have been thinking, what is the difference between our ancestors, a few hundred years ago, and us today?
Evolution of brain over brawn, I suppose. Earlier it was survival of the fittest, now its survival of the richest!
You may be right! We no longer depend on instinct for survival. By and large, rules of society provide the necessary framework. There is a quantum improvement in quality of the comforts and we know more about everything around us than we did before. But has all this ‘progress’ made us a ‘happier’ lot?
Why do you think it may not be so?
Perhaps because all the ‘progress’ so far has been directed towards improving our life withOUT and not withIN. With our ‘readymade’, ‘off-the-shelf’ lifestyle, I think we may even have regressed in this area. With the ever increasing cost of comforts, who has the time to sit back and think about such things?! Besides, one can always hire a pandit to do the pooja!
Since when did you get into this ‘spiritual’ mumbo jumbo, Bhrahm?! As it is, there are enough gurus around and they all seem to be thriving!
Maybe because more people are realizing that something is missing and they are searching for answers! Unfortunately, ‘spirituality’ has become a misunderstood concept, especially amongst the urban youth. It conjures up the stereotype of saffron clad gurus and magic mantras. But if you just think of it as a path to be one with yourself, it doesn’t sound so esoteric, does it?.
It still does! I am tired of hearing this business of ‘being one with yourself’. What the hell is it supposed to mean?
It probably means different things to different people. I wake up every morning in a society where I am under pressure to gain acceptance and admiration of my peers. This causes a conflict between my perception of myself (often grand) and the reality (often humbling) and I feel at unrest. You see, I can fool everybody but I can’t fool myself!
So you think being ‘one with yourself’ is about getting rid of this conflict?
I am pretty sure this is the problem, but it’s a moving target and I, for one, am having difficulty in pinning it down. Perhaps the answer lies in identifying and then living by ones own ten-commandments, what we also call principles.
Why can’t we just live life guided by our natural instincts instead? So much easier!
As long as they are not animal instincts but intelligent instincts! Intelligent instincts and principles are, perhaps, two sides of the same coin. I look at spirituality as the process of keeping them in focus.
Hey Bhrahm, isn’t this getting a bit heavy? Why don’t you just learn to chill instead?! Maybe that’ll do the trick?!
I am sure it will. I really think spirituality is about learning to ‘chill’! I look at people who are ‘chilled out’ as very spiritual!
Now you are talking! Maybe they should introduce a Nobel Prize for advancement in ‘chilling’ techniques!