I grew up in a religious community, but I am no longer religious. One tool that you lose when you move away from religion is the theatre of it. You can address the issues, like mental health, community building, gratitude, values and purpose separately. But you lose some of the ancient tools, and have to find creative ways to replicate them.
Religion can provide the shared rituals, and necessary buffers from everything else. Like the difference between watching TV and going to the Cinema. The Cinema has a certain magic. The lights go down, the phones go off, and the film goes on. Religion can be a shared agreement to focus on something.
Keeping things Holy. Creating space around them. Protecting them. Arriving early and getting into the right head space. Putting the rest of the world aside.
We are "trigger happy" - words, spaces, people, clothes, smells etc. trigger us to get into a certain frame of mind. Seeing a Rolex on a warrior on Saxon battlefield as they take on the Danes would burst the bubble. That is the strength of dedicated building with songs or words that create the environment to target whatever emotional connection it is you want.
Without the religion, you need to have a shared agreement of what it is you want to make special. You need everyone to want to make it special. Then you need to create the theatre. Maintain it, so you can give the story space to move you.
Religion can provide the shared rituals, and necessary buffers from everything else. Like the difference between watching TV and going to the Cinema. The Cinema has a certain magic. The lights go down, the phones go off, and the film goes on. Religion can be a shared agreement to focus on something.
Keeping things Holy. Creating space around them. Protecting them. Arriving early and getting into the right head space. Putting the rest of the world aside.
We are "trigger happy" - words, spaces, people, clothes, smells etc. trigger us to get into a certain frame of mind. Seeing a Rolex on a warrior on Saxon battlefield as they take on the Danes would burst the bubble. That is the strength of dedicated building with songs or words that create the environment to target whatever emotional connection it is you want.
Without the religion, you need to have a shared agreement of what it is you want to make special. You need everyone to want to make it special. Then you need to create the theatre. Maintain it, so you can give the story space to move you.
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