Ssstretched Toooo Faaaaar

Taking up a line of thought that occurred in connection with an earlier post.

The analogy between religion and medicine; gods and doctors.

* in both, 'normal situations , normal actions.'
-daily prayers, rituals woven into your daily routine;
-a healthy lifestyle, nutritious and timely food, good hygiene, good sleep...
In these, the parents, the family can have maximum influence.set the tone, set patterns that may last a lifetime.

* regular maintenance, upkeep, renewal,
-pujas, visits to temples etc.
-periodic check ups, preventive care

*what if I am healthy, don't need a God / doctor?
- familiarisation with God/ Dr. in peacetime helps when faced with sudden problems. You have a Dr. to go to and the Dr is already familiar with your systems, allergies, blood group, the depth of your pockets; can help you better in an emergency.
-easy to turn to God in times of crises..,if you are already in the habit.

* You have family gods, you have family Drs; you grow up with them, share a great comfort level. More of a personal than a professional relationship. fee-minimal, no fancy procedures, no appointments, no long queues.

*specialization and super specialization exist in both. Specialists Gods for your particular needs, specialist Drs. for yr. ailments. you spend a lot of time and money for a glimpse of these specialists

* over specialization in either becomes the butt of many a joke.
-like a visa Ganapathi. a cricket Ganapathi; (heard of them?)
- a different Dr for the right/ left eye.

*excess in both- more harm than good; obsession with religion, obsession with health.

* people shun you if wear either on your sleeve; if you flaunt your religion or your medical history.

* Both disciplines have more to do with the mind than they may be ready to acknowledge. most ailments psychological, many religious experiences, imagined. Faith plays a major role. Expts. with simple vitamin tablets given as strong medication have worked; similarly nonsense syllables passed on as mantra have been found to do their part.

*That makes both these fields a rich hunting ground for impostors; beware of poli samiyars and quacks!

*The dispensers of (hope / medicine as the case is ) do not bluntly tell their clients when the case is hopeless; that his problem has no solution or that he is on way up.; mercifully let them enjoy the bliss of ignorance.

*The need for both in direct proportion to your age!

*both generally spurned in good times, besought in desperate hours.

*Alternative systems available in both. Although you are well advised to follow your own, (it evolved in your climes, caters to your particular needs) it would be foolish not to learn from the others, not to incorporate what you can to your advantage. In both cases a healthy respect for the other systems would help solve most problems on earth!

should stop stretching before it snaps!