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Culture War Roundup for the week of July 17, 2023

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  • An intuitive understanding of live, let live and let us live.
  • Prioritize celebration of one nationally recognized festival (Diwali, Ganpati, Navratri, Holi, etc) and its associated God with national appeal.
  • In parallel, importance is placed on family specific local Gods whose stories are passed down orally. There are both annual and point-of-time-in-life rituals associated with the local tradition. Usually involves a guru coming home and saying something for a few hours while you sit around uncomfortably.
  • Some core restrictions as selected by the family - Degree of vegetarianism & alcohol consumption. Fasting on certain days. Periodic rituals without a specific goal in mind.
  • When a big event is coming up, it's preceded by rituals for good luck.
  • Have a local pandit/guru for recommendations on the small stuff. He might also do some astrology. Might also be the family therapist. Might be extortionate.
  • Most rigid = Specific traditions around birth, marriage, weddings and death.
  • Having a dev-ghar = small region of the house dedicated to idols
  • Have a local temple you visit = community
  • Have a remote temple to visit to gain luck for big events or as a life's goal for a pilgrimage.

It's more like being in a Frat than a religion per se. Notice how temples are somewhat distanced from the practice of the religion, and serve more are source of community. The first point undergirds the rest. You intuitively understand that none of your neighbors might practice the same thing as you. You shrug and move on. But if a neighbor ever puts their nose in your practices and tells you what's right or wrong, that's a grave social mistake.

It is easier to say what's not Hindu than what is Hindu. Never claim to know a universal truth, and never make passes on other people's group's membership rituals. That's a good start. No wonder the Jews and Parsis fit right in. They already performed #2 , and ended up performing #1 simply out of fear borne from being a tiny minority.

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