Rediscovering Yourself in the Land of Spirituality

In terms of finding the essence of spirituality and knowing spirit (the essence of human nature), I am a novice. Quintessentially fresh off the boat I must say.  Is being a good kid on the bloc (in other people's terms), getting into college, earning A's and getting into a steady career path, having a family, having kids, buying a house, taking care of your parents, saving for retirement, following your religion (like a pious woman) enough? Or there's more to it? What is the relation between religion and society? Since I have crossed my mid thirties, I have gotten into the habitual process of contemplation, of introspection as to whether I am on track for achieving my purpose in life? What is my life's purpose?

Let's say the purpose in my life is being 'free'. By being free, I mean freedom to choose...freedom to have kids and be with them for their entire life...freedom to choose my profession...freedom to save for retirement or be a vagabond...freedom to live a life of the highest order and believe in religion ...or freedom to not believe in any religion...freedom to be an atheist or freedom to be a devotee. I choose to believe that I am free to choose my religion and the interpretations of religious commandments and that there is a supreme positive power who exists for all of us, including ardent followers or psychopath killers. And expressing gratitude to this positive power is core to all religions.

Do freedom and religion interwine like a tangle of woollen threads? They surely do. It's like the artwork you do in school where you sometimes make mistakes and put the wrong colored threads in the wrong squares of the mat. If you decipher religion in the wrong perspective, then its like you are getting the criss cross pattern wrong on the freedom part.

For example, religious texts do influence the freedom that an individual in the society has. Religion dictates whether God takes an 'ABC' form or an 'XYZ' form. Being religious influences the choices a person makes. Whether a person eats meat or not. Whether an individual prays five times a day or once a day or none at all. A group of like (or unlike) minded persons form the society at large. So, religion is core to forming a society. All religious texts essentially teach the same thing. 

That makes me think. If my freedom narrows down to religion, then the first thing that I should be doing is that I should confer upon myself and my family and fellow well wishers and friends and acquaintances the freedom to choose their own religion...wham! And if I am a clergy or a priest, I should at the same time, ensure that the choice of selecting a religion is a well educated deep dive case study. Followers should be oriented into a religion. I should advise them to pick a religion that suits their needs in all forms. Just as one chooses his/her professional calling in life, he/she should choose his/her religion.

Essentially, babies should be allowed to grow as spirited human beings and then be introduced to religions all across the globe just as you introduce them to languages. Let children read about stories from Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Tao, Jainism, Christianity. Let them read about interracial, multicultural religions. The sad part is that governance in most countries is hooked on to one core religion and hence is not transparent. 

Fortunately, India has been the birth land of spirituality. It is one country where there is far more tolerance and love of all religions. It is nation that is a spiritual mecca for the world. "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma" It has offered peace, solace and spiritual discourses to believers and non-believers alike. Hence the "right to choose your own religion" dictates how the world shall shape up for our kids in the near future. Let the individual selects his/her religious path, the path shall define his/her spiritual calling that may (or may not) confine to the boundaries defined by her religion. This, to me shall be true rediscovery of the individual in the land of spirituality.