<p>Rituals are important in life. They help you stay focused and bring awareness. Even a champion tennis player like Nadal went through multiple rituals – from adjusting his clothes to placing his water bottles in a specific pattern to entering and exiting the court by stepping with his right foot. The problem is that when done mindlessly, rituals cease to be a means to the end. For instance, as a country, do we realise the enormous significance of the Republic Day – the day we gave ourselves the Constitution which resolves to secure for each of us justice, liberty, equality and fraternity? If not, it becomes a routine, ritualistic celebration. </p>.<p>In the context of religious beliefs, rituals play an even more important role. They create a feeling of community, of togetherness, and help us appreciate the very presence of the Almighty. So, when we bow, join our hands, kneel, and genuflect in prayer, we often tend to forget the purpose for which these acts are being done. Even as we mutter our sacred texts, the rituals become meaningless motions. If we approach rituals with reverence, humility, solemnity and concentration, they take on a different meaning.</p>.<p>Reverence, for we are after all praying to the Almighty, a fact we should never lose sight of. We are praying in a divine presence, who we believe is the Creator. Humility to acknowledge that you are what you are because of God’s grace. Solemnity is a given once you accept, and only when you accept, that you are in the presence of a higher power. All these – reverence, humility and solemnity – help in concentrating on our prayers. Rituals then take on a different meaning, as do prayers. </p>.<p>There is an Islamic concept which defines this best; it is the concept of taqwa. This word loosely translates to mean ‘God-consciousness’ or ‘piety’. What this in effect would suggest is that you are cognisant of the presence of God. And once you do that, you can never do consciously any wrong – be it in prayer, or social or commercial dealings, in your daily routine. Which child does any mischief in the presence of her teacher? The critical difference here being that God is omnipresent – which means that you will not do any wrong even when there is no minder.</p>.<p>So, approach rituals with an understanding and seriousness that they demand – make them meaningful. And in case they have ceased to serve any purpose, abandon them. </p><p>(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)</p>
<p>Rituals are important in life. They help you stay focused and bring awareness. Even a champion tennis player like Nadal went through multiple rituals – from adjusting his clothes to placing his water bottles in a specific pattern to entering and exiting the court by stepping with his right foot. The problem is that when done mindlessly, rituals cease to be a means to the end. For instance, as a country, do we realise the enormous significance of the Republic Day – the day we gave ourselves the Constitution which resolves to secure for each of us justice, liberty, equality and fraternity? If not, it becomes a routine, ritualistic celebration. </p>.<p>In the context of religious beliefs, rituals play an even more important role. They create a feeling of community, of togetherness, and help us appreciate the very presence of the Almighty. So, when we bow, join our hands, kneel, and genuflect in prayer, we often tend to forget the purpose for which these acts are being done. Even as we mutter our sacred texts, the rituals become meaningless motions. If we approach rituals with reverence, humility, solemnity and concentration, they take on a different meaning.</p>.<p>Reverence, for we are after all praying to the Almighty, a fact we should never lose sight of. We are praying in a divine presence, who we believe is the Creator. Humility to acknowledge that you are what you are because of God’s grace. Solemnity is a given once you accept, and only when you accept, that you are in the presence of a higher power. All these – reverence, humility and solemnity – help in concentrating on our prayers. Rituals then take on a different meaning, as do prayers. </p>.<p>There is an Islamic concept which defines this best; it is the concept of taqwa. This word loosely translates to mean ‘God-consciousness’ or ‘piety’. What this in effect would suggest is that you are cognisant of the presence of God. And once you do that, you can never do consciously any wrong – be it in prayer, or social or commercial dealings, in your daily routine. Which child does any mischief in the presence of her teacher? The critical difference here being that God is omnipresent – which means that you will not do any wrong even when there is no minder.</p>.<p>So, approach rituals with an understanding and seriousness that they demand – make them meaningful. And in case they have ceased to serve any purpose, abandon them. </p><p>(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)</p>
