SPIRITUAL vs RELIGIOUS.

The main difference is that religion is an organized system of beliefs, rituals, and practices, often with a specific deity or group of deities and a communal structure. 

Spirituality is a more personal and individualistic pursuit of meaning, purpose, and a connection to something greater than oneself, without requiring adherence to a specific institution or doctrine. 

Someone can be religious without being spiritual, spiritual without being religious, or both. 

Religion

Organised Structure: 

Involves formal organizations, specific beliefs, dogmas, and rules. 

Communal Practice: 

Often centers on worship services, communal rituals, and shared sacred texts. 

External Authority: 

Beliefs are often dictated by religious texts and teachings from a specific religion.

Identity: 

Defines a person's identity through their affiliation with a particular faith tradition. 

Spirituality

Personal and Individual: Focuses on an individual's inner experience, connection to the self, and personal relationship with a higher power. 

Flexible and Inclusive: 

Not tied to a specific dogma, but rather embraces a personal understanding of the sacred or a connection to something larger than oneself. 

Introspection and Mindfulness:

Often involves practices like meditation, mindfulness, and introspection to achieve inner peace and a deeper understanding. 

Search for Meaning: 

A quest for meaning, purpose, and a profound sense of connection, often described as a "personal journey". 

Key Distinctions in Simple Terms:

Formal vs. Informal: 

Religion is the formal, organized path; spirituality is the individual, informal journey. 

Community vs. Self: 

Religion provides a community and shared rules; spirituality is an internal experience of the self. 

External vs. Internal: 

Religion is about external beliefs and practices; spirituality is about internal feelings and personal insight. 

MY DAILY ROUTINE.

6 am Wake up.

6-7 brushing, prayer and coffee. ( I make my coffee)

7-8 morning rituals.

8-9 walking with music. (4,000 steps.)

9-10-30 bathing, prayer, meditation and reading news on line.

10-30 morning meals with DIL.

11-11-30 nap.

11-30 to 2 reading.

2- half cup coffee.

2-3 posting articles in my blog.

3- light tiffin- one dosa or two Idlis with DIL.

3-6 movie.

4-5 walking with music. (4,000 steps)

6-7-30 reading.

7-30 dinner with DIL.

7-30 to 8-30 news on line.

Posting on Facebook 5-6 times.

Playing sudoku 5-6 times at expert level.

9 pm to bed.

I strictly follow the schedule. 

On Saturday, Sunday and on holidays my son takes me out with the family.

LET US LAUGH.

There was an announcement on the Radio.

"5 people got crushed at the Railway station, one escaped unhurt"

The TV station immediately sent a reporter to interview the person escaped. 

The reporter asked him what happened? How 5 people got crushed? 

The man replied that due to a small mistake in the announcement, the accident happened.. 

What was the small mistake?

The person said they announced that the train would arrive on platform 3 shortly. 

On hearing this, all the 5 people moved from the platform to the track nearby to save themselves, but the train wrongly came on the track and they got killed.

The reporter then asked him how you escaped?

He said I was lying on the track to suicide myself. On hearing the announcement  I moved from the track to the platform. But the train did not come on the platform.as announced and I escaped.

Random thoughts 3231 to 3245.

3231. Time is the only currency you can spend without ever knowing your balance. So use it wisely, carefully and prudently.

3232. This life is like a train journey. So many people are travelling together, going to different destinations, carrying different luggage.

3233. At 20, a man loves all women. At 30, a man loves only one woman-his wife. At 40, a man loves all women except one woman-his wife.

3234. Women cannot remember where they kept their hair clips this morning. But they can tell you what you told them 4 years before.

3235. Six Indian cities Rank Amongst 100 Best Food Cities in the World: Mumbai 5th, Amritsar 43, New Delhi 45, Hyderabad 50, Kolkata 71, and Chennai 75.

3236. Someone is doing something wrong which is not to your liking. Will you keep quiet or tell him not to do it? (I will keep quiet.)

3237. World's most expensive tear: One drop of camel’s tear can neutralise 26 snake venoms, says study.

3238. First I listened to my mother, then sister, then wife, then daughter, now daughter-in-law. When am I going to listen to myself?

3239. Life has only one simple and the most successful formula. 1. Look back and thank God. 2. Look forward and trust God. 

3240. Most of the people will not change when they see the LIGHT. They will change only when they feel the HEAT.

3241. Anyone can love you when the sun shines. You will know who loves you sincerely only when there is a storm.

3242. A person’s attractiveness is optimised when the face’s vertical distance between the eyes and the mouth is approximately 36% of its length, and the horizontal distance between the eyes is approximately 46% of the face’s width.

3243. Kerala’s Herbivorous Elephants Are Now Leaning Towards A Non-Veg Diet Of Chicken Curry & Parotta.(news)

3244. ‘Crashing out' is the emotional breaking point. It is due to intense stress, emotional overwhelm, and shutdown of motivation.

3245. Some are soft spoken but not talented. Some are talented but not soft spoken. Only a few are both talented and soft spoken.

GOD IS BEYOND KNOWLEDGE.

Everyone is asking where God is and to show Him to them. God is everywhere, He is shapeless, colourless, odourless, and invisible to the naked eye. Only from our life incidents, we can feel the presence of God. He is beyond our knowledge.

After we get up from bed, we brush our teeth and before taking coffee or tea, we should pray to God for a few minutes. Then we wish ”good morning” to others to develop a cordial relationship. Then we talk about good matters to get peace of mind.

Knowledge can be explained in three ways. 1. Known 2. Unknown 3. Unknowable.

You go to a fruit shop and you see an apple. You know very well that it is an apple. This is KNOWN to you.

But you do not know how many seeds are there inside the apple. This is UNKNOWN to you. You cut the apple and count the seeds. Now the unknown becomes known to you.

But you do not know how many trees, fruits, and seeds those seeds will produce. This is UNKNOWABLE. Whatever the effort you take, you will never know. That is GOD. Let us pray to that God

Random thoughts 3216 to 3230.

3216. The secret to happy and longer living is to eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure.

3217. If everyone is happy with you, you have made compromises. If you are happy with everyone you have ignored their mistakes.

3218. People have a strong desire to live forever. It is a human feeling. But once they get married, this desire will disappear in no time.

3219. It is the human tendency to think more about the people who have done bad things to them than about who have done good.

3220. Bad things don’t happen only to good people. It happens to everyone. How good people take it, is different from others.

3221. If I know for sure that doing a particular thing is either good or bad, previously, I used to explain to people. But I keep quiet now.

3222. Move away is the only answer to Disrespect. Don't react, don't argue, don't get into drama. Simply move away from the scene.

3223. Greatness doesn’t come out of intelligence. It comes out of character. And character comes out of sufferings in life.

3224. Not getting what we want is not the wound. To think that we are not worthy is the wound. Learn how to handle disappointment.

3225. If someone corrects you, and if you feel offended, then you have an ego problem. You must realise that everyone commits mistakes.

3226. He who blames others has a long way to go. He who blames himself is half way. He who blames no one has reached.

3227. Knowledge decides what to say. Skills decide how to say. Attitude decides how much to say. Wisdom decides whether to say or not.

3228. You can easily hold a glass of water for a few seconds. Imagine holding it for an hour, or a day. Holding on to stress is similar to it.

3229. If a person remains calm that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to react. it means he is able to control his emotions.

3230. Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. It is the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves. 

HOW TO BE A GOOD GUEST?

There was a time, with no communication facility, friends and relatives longed to see each other once in a while and enjoy their company to develop love, affection, and intimacy. 

Now with modern development in communication people do not have the mind or means to visit the other. However, there are certain unwritten rules to be observed during a visit to have smooth sailing. 

1. The visit may be voluntary and or on the invitation. But it should be mutual.

2. The guest must get gifts for the host according to his status.

3. If there is a lack of space in the host's house, the guest must stay outside.

4. The guest should not visit when the host has another guest.

5. The guest should not visit during exam time for children.

6. The guest must come forward to share outside expenses with the host.

7. The guest must share the domestic chores with the host.

8. The guest must adhere to the timings, food habits etc of the host.

9. It is better to avoid discussions on controversial topics.

10. If the visit is for sightseeing, the guest should make his own arrangements.

11. The stay must not exceed 3 to 5 days covering weekends/holidays.

12. It is better not to give special attention to our family members.

13. We should ignore the fight, if any, among the children.

14. We must handle their household equipment with care and concern.

15.Any other welcome steps you are already following.