Dussehra-the irony

Dussehra - a celebration of the victory of good over evil..a festival of immense hope..but what really happens...it has become a mere ritual..the spirit of celebration is distinctly missing from the human psyche.Horror stories of dead ritual with a lot of unwilling participants abound. One of my relatives has to wake up at unearthly hours and go through untold hardships to bow to the needs of dead ritual thrust upon her by an elder. Such stories abound. Makes me wonder; how many of us "know" our Gods...knowing as different from believing....for the vast majority, they are yet another concept borrowed from tradition.Knowing is different from believing. We hide behind convenient concepts without ever trying to explore the realities behind them. Some of these concepts are very intelligent and beautiful. That is a matter of personal perspective. A lot of us chose to abuse and put up with abuse in the name of dead ritual and habit. Some of us though chose to abide in a spirit of love for our dear ones for whom it may have a lot of meaning.That is fine.It happens in awareness and is a gesture in compassion. Jai Mata Di!!!!!