What a great piece. As I became more agnostic and irreligious, it struck me how unfortunate it is that belief is used to create factions, instead of seek commonality and oneness.
The call to communal sharing, the chants of words with or without meaning, timbres of voice calling and combining with others in rhythms that transcend meaning, the pursuit and occasional brushes with bliss that result, all can be transformational experiences. You found similarities between the Sikh and Jewish priest cadences reading their holy texts. I saw similarity between those in Christian traditions talking about a quiet peace in prayer and Buddhists speaking of being present and clear of mind in meditation. The gods are all named differently, rituals diverse but the goal appears to be the same
The core goal of unity in communal encounters seems at the root of all religions and worship practices. This wedding ceremony and its leadup bridal party are beautiful overall. More lovely is the openness and respect you showed an unfamiliar culture and its religion, and how it was met with welcome and the best attempts to accommodate as much of your immersion in the event as you could manage.
Homo sapien sapiens may have variations in appearance and practices from place to place, but its needs are largely common. Those prehistoric campfires you alluded to, that all of our ancestors gathered around in their respective places of origin, live in the recesses of memory embedded in the building blocks of our cells. If we all valued that common pursuit of connection and shared experience, over the gods, religions or rituals we subscribe to achieve it, true brother and sisterhood could be realized. Imagine.
Thank you very much for this comment, Claude (did I remember right?). You’re spot on about different rituals with the same goal. At this wedding, I noticed the differences of their culture, but at the end of the day, they were manifestations of the same things: love, community, expression, joy, reverence, and so on. I haven’t felt closer to humanity in a while than I did at a wedding whose customs I was unfamiliar with. I’m not religious or even spiritual, but had this overwhelming feeling that we were all connected.
Your close is the thing: all connected. Our variations should just be different flavorings and condiments bringing a variety to life's palate. Instead, they've become clans and brands, poisoning how we interact. It's a shame.
What a great piece. As I became more agnostic and irreligious, it struck me how unfortunate it is that belief is used to create factions, instead of seek commonality and oneness.
The call to communal sharing, the chants of words with or without meaning, timbres of voice calling and combining with others in rhythms that transcend meaning, the pursuit and occasional brushes with bliss that result, all can be transformational experiences. You found similarities between the Sikh and Jewish priest cadences reading their holy texts. I saw similarity between those in Christian traditions talking about a quiet peace in prayer and Buddhists speaking of being present and clear of mind in meditation. The gods are all named differently, rituals diverse but the goal appears to be the same
The core goal of unity in communal encounters seems at the root of all religions and worship practices. This wedding ceremony and its leadup bridal party are beautiful overall. More lovely is the openness and respect you showed an unfamiliar culture and its religion, and how it was met with welcome and the best attempts to accommodate as much of your immersion in the event as you could manage.
Homo sapien sapiens may have variations in appearance and practices from place to place, but its needs are largely common. Those prehistoric campfires you alluded to, that all of our ancestors gathered around in their respective places of origin, live in the recesses of memory embedded in the building blocks of our cells. If we all valued that common pursuit of connection and shared experience, over the gods, religions or rituals we subscribe to achieve it, true brother and sisterhood could be realized. Imagine.
Thank you very much for this comment, Claude (did I remember right?). You’re spot on about different rituals with the same goal. At this wedding, I noticed the differences of their culture, but at the end of the day, they were manifestations of the same things: love, community, expression, joy, reverence, and so on. I haven’t felt closer to humanity in a while than I did at a wedding whose customs I was unfamiliar with. I’m not religious or even spiritual, but had this overwhelming feeling that we were all connected.
Yup, you remembered right.
Your close is the thing: all connected. Our variations should just be different flavorings and condiments bringing a variety to life's palate. Instead, they've become clans and brands, poisoning how we interact. It's a shame.
this is lovely
thank you
I appreciate the kind words. Thanks for reading.