In the beginning of the unit concerning religion, the central question posed was about how religion shapes different people’s realities and their lives as a whole. Throughout the course of the unit so far, I began to neglect that question and focused more on the specificity of certain religions, its practices and beliefs, their impact on history (historical significance) and the connections between different religions and branches of ones alike. Although, when asked to go through aspects of life and lifestyles in India, I really tried hard to bridge together those two concepts and establish a good foundation as to attempt to answer the overarching question, or find somewhat parts of evidence which I could use to back up my argument about religion in general. Anyways, what struck me to see when I reached the website was that religion one out of twenty four different topic to be discovered and looked upon. What? I had thought that the sole purpose of the assignment was to learn more about vast religions in the world, but here it said that religion was a minuscule fraction of the aspects of daily life in India. So, from the get-go, I forced myself to really critically think and find out how religion was incorporated in this given assignment, and what it would serve use to me in the development of my understanding of religion, generally speaking. So, after going through five different gateways, I had solidified a generalized opinion/argument about religion which I will soon use evidence to back up. I concluded that religion includes, covers, influences, is a result of, and is a part of everything (daily life) which consists of any individual or group of people. Religion is, usually (or in this case is) the root cause of everything; everything is an outcome of or is a result of a certain religion--and encompasses a specific aspect(s) while doing so.
I’m going to start of with backing this up with the Ganges River. That river is used for everything, centralized right in the middle (geographically) of India, running through the entire region, assisting populated areas to fulfill the need for water. This river was relied on for an enormous variation of things, from agriculture to food and water, to hygiene, to history, and ironically, to religion! Who would have thought that a river would have anything to do with religion? This was my first attempt in bridging that gap that I had mentioned before. The river, it said, was the terrestrial home of Ganga, I highly regarded and powerful goddess in India’s religion. It has been the prided home of that religious figure ever since, and because of that, logically, the river would be established as a sacred, religious place. Therefore, it is favorable and “promising” to use it for such purposes as agriculture, drinking, bathing, and even use it as a deathbed for some, being a popular place to dump one’s ashes in (for a sense of goodness and prosperity). Bathing in particular is a big deal in this region (in the river itself) as it serves as a purifying ritual, symbolizing the washing away of one’s sins and evil within them as the goddess which inhabits the river interacts with the bather. And upon death, the spreading of one’s ashes in the water may improve ones lifestyle, afterlife, or humanity. So, clearly this is not anything comparable to the Chicago River, as the Ganges River is so much more than just a river. As it is a primary source for many aspects of their life, the fact that religion is incorporated with it and makes it that much more unique, special, and valuable clearly alters the way someone in that society views the world, nature in particular, than someone not in that culture. Like I said before, millions of people in Chicago neglect and discard the Chicago River, even though it has a historical importance (not so sure about religion...). Although, in India’s culture, one will view the (somewhat same!) river completely different as religion plays a part in it, therefore altering the way that one perceives their reality and aspects of their life. One more example.
In the science and medicine section, it explains how India is characterized by its extensive scientific contributions. Although, the continuation of the sentence completely changes the meaning of the sentence! It says that in addition to the scientific contributions, its rich philosophical tradition integrates science and religion together so they coincide with one another. This basically says that science is a direct result of religion. It even goes on to describe how people in India began to practice ancient systems of science (astronomy and mathematics to be specific) and that the modern systems of science are merely advancements off of what was before. Isn’t that what religion is, too? The individual application of something greater that changes over time? So, religion changed the way people in India view science because their religion (or general upbringing) altered the way they view scientific reasoning, applications, and methods! Their religious history involves science and math, and therefore, the religious aspects play a significant part in the scientific and mathematic doings throughout their culture. So here is another example, of science an religion--two completely different aspects of life on opposite sides of the scale--which come together and create something different as a result of one another to change the way people view something. So, the River and science both support how religion is integrated into all (many more examples) aspects of life, and has a major cultural and traditional influence. Now that this is proved in India, I wonder how it could be proved and examined in my own life.
No comments:
Post a Comment