16 Dec 2008 Schwabmunchen, Germany
Category: Western culture
We are looking forward to celebrate Christmas together with Ramona’s family and feel very lucky that we could celebrate Diwali in India and now Christmas here in Germany. The celebrations are anyway very similar. The festival of light for which the family comes together with sweets and gifts.
It is not only this celebration that seems similar. When I see the Carnival here it reminds me of Holi, the festival of colours. It is the time for making jokes, singing, dancing and being naughty. There are many similarities in the cultures.
I also see similarities in the different religions, positive things as well as negative things. There are positive things that I can see in Hinduism, in Christianity, in the Islam and in other religions which people tell me of. When you see the basis of a religion, it is always based on love and honesty. That cannot be ignored. If you see the negative side you will also find similarities like a manipulation of mind. Many religions try to create fear of god and His punishment or they teach the suppression of normal feelings like sexuality. All this is made by human and for human. It doesn’t matter that we grow up in different cultures and on different continents.
I talked with Thomas about this and he told me about another parallel of our cultures. In India there was a time which we call ‘Bhakti kal’. It was around 500 to 700 years ago and in that time many spiritual people lived who wrote wonderful literature on spirituality. It is considered as the time of devotion and Kabir, Tulsi Das, Soor and Meera were all born in this era. And Thomas told me that great mystics were born here, too, and he told me the names of Hildegard von Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Theresa of Avila and Luther. So you see that this evolution takes place in different continents and cultures at approximately the same time.
In the European Middle Age and in India at the same time, there were fights and wars among kings and others who wanted to have land and power. The society was divided into casts and guilds by profession. All carpenters lived and worked in one street while bakers had another part of the town. This all is similar. If I look at the present situation, I imagine that what is going on now in India is how the culture and society looked like here, but 50 years ago. Now the time difference is probably reducing and I guess that we will face the same problems in India in 20 or 30 years.
A negative trend is there when you look at the environment and the nature, when you look at the families which are falling apart and at the structure of society which makes deep changes. We should try to learn something from the development of the Western world and keep good values and take more of the positive changes.
Tags:: Celebration, Fear, Indian culture, Love, Religion, Western culture, God, Honesty, Festival
3 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
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We are all human, it is interesting that we are all so different!
Reply By Saundra on January 03, 2011 12:12
Oh I love festivals! I was in India for six months when I was younger and sadly missed out on Holi, it happened right after I left! It looks so beautiful.
Reply By Jamie on October 26, 2010 02:20
I wonder why it is a common thread among religions to try and suppress sexuality? That must mean that it's a wide-spread and well known source of power, or people would not be trying to control it in so many different places. Interesting...
Reply By Jessica from USA on October 26, 2010 02:18
Today was the last day of the school year 11/12. The children got their report cards, the olde...
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If you are attached to something, you cannot leave expectations and your ego. Attachment always raises expectations.
SourceLove is the most therapeutic energy.
SourceDon't enjoy being a victim. Don't keep your problems like companions but let them go.
SourceBeating children only creates anger as well as the thought: ‘Okay, now I am small, you are big, let me become big and then we will see!’
SourceYou are the best expert for your children!
SourceDo what you feel is right. That will make you happy.
SourceLove what you do and you will spend most time of your life being happy!
SourceYou should not trust god completely because if you do, you will die, waiting for him to come and help you! Fool god, tell him that you believe in him and have full faith while you would never actually trust him that much!
SourceIn order to save your friendship, control your expectation after having uncommitted Sex with a Friend!
SourceGive time the chance to heal your sorrows, wounds and pain!
SourceIn my relationship I want to give the command of my life and my heart to the one I love. Now you can guide me because I know you, I trust you, in your love, you will do best for me.
SourceBeing happy is the biggest worship of god. I don’t think that God would be more happy about any other ritual or method of worshipping.
SourceHaving a positive attitude can help especially in situations when it is difficult for someone else not to fall into a deep hole of negativity.
SourceIt is easy to cheat God and his believers on the name of religious tradition.
SourceLove is nothing to show off but it is still something to show to the one you love. Isn’t it beautiful to say or be told ‘I love you’?
SourceWe all have to be like children. We need to find our inner child which is innocent and has the freedom to express.
SourceReligion is a dictatorship with inflexible outdated laws.
SourceChildren and teenagers need a balance of control and freedom.
SourceYou are more than a body and not only your body. People should love you not because of your body. Your real freedom would be if you did not use your body as a medium to attract people’s attention.
SourceReligion practically teaches you to feel guilty for something that you have not done and which you really cannot influence in any way.
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