I’ve recently made the decision to habitually use the word “Namaste” in my interaction with others in everyday life. It may be a touch eccentric for an awkward white guy like myself to use this word in casual conversation, but I just cannot find another word that fits what I mean to say. It’s the exactness of the word that I enjoy.“Namaste” is a Sanskrit word that is commonly translated as meaning “the divine within me honors the divine within you.”
Think about that for a moment, and you’ll realize just how intimate that sentiment can be. Not many people believe that they are divine, and among those who do not there are some who think very poorly of themselves. Some religious doctrine teach that we are each somehow broken or incomplete; the concept of “original sin” comes to mind. When I say to another person “Namaste,” not only am I recognizing them as an equal, but I am confronting the insecurities they may have.
Why choose this word over the phrases “God Bless You” or “Thank You?” First of all, neither of these are as personal.“God Bless You” has the disadvantage of being religiously charged. While saying “Namaste” may denote a recognition of spirituality, it does not suggest a particular spiritual belief. Saying “God Bless You;” however, insists upon the existence of one God – mine. Non-theists and individuals of other religions may not be comfortable with being blessed by my God. It wouldn’t be very tolerant of me to make that assumption. “Thank You,” on the other hand, is what you say to be polite; it just isn’t powerful enough for some situations.
Now, it could be argued that “Namaste” is New Age-ish and pretentious. Meh – whatever. I enjoy hanging out in New Age shops, so that really doesn’t bother me. As far as being pretentious? It’s only pretentious if I’m pretending. I try my damnest to say what I mean here on this blog. If one word is enough to shake someone’s trust in my sincerity, then that person probably didn’t think I was sincere from the start.
I am still wrestling to make this word into a habit. It doesn’t always occur to me to say that word when I should. I think the important thing is that it describes a feeling that I have on a regular basis; what is significant to me is that my heart has already made this word a habit.
Originally Published December 9th, 2007.
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Two of my favorite greeting / parting words are ‘Namaste’ and ‘Shalom.’ I don’t find them fake or pretentious. If others do, that’s because they either don’t know what they mean or they are projecting their own attitudes on the giver of such a beautiful benediction.
One should say what they truly feel, and ‘perhaps’ that is right, despite the fact that there is a lot of judgement around the world. I used to say ‘blessings’ but only when I truly meant it and felt it. There is a lot of what I would term (despite not being as good a magician with words as I’d like to be) ‘new age cultic fakeness’.
The divine honors everything regardless of the words and the meaning behind them. It’s a strange world though, a world where everything seems or even is confusing, evil, satanic, selfish, painful, and utterly hopeless. Where the opposites are attracted to each other in search of something familliar. Where the God of this human world, it’s truth and light, truly is the very embodiment of all things evil, devious, and untrue. Yet somehow, within and beneath all these things lie some strange forever unknown, void like thing that simultaneously gives us grief and hope, called love. How strange. Truly the one who endeavors to word, and tame that great beast (which you seem to do in a tasteful manner) has great strenght and dreams, and maybe even love… But throughout history all the great artists ’seem’ to have fallen short. I friended you on facebook because the artist in you seems to be strong and when speaking to you I may get to see some pretty pictures that may ease my disturbed mind.
“what is significant to me is that my heart has already made this word a habit.”-Thumbs up
Hello Pieter,
Saying what you truly mean is indeed one of the most powerful ways in which someone can change the world. However, it must come from a place that is in harmony with the universe at large. As above, so below – as the adage says.
A god that is the embodiment of all that is “evil, devious, and untrue” is not THE God – at least not in my experience. Think of the greatest entity that your mind can imagine and then realize that the Divine Source is beyond even that thing. For example, if you think that the sum of the whole universe has its own intelligence and is the greatest entity your mind can conceive, then the Divine Source is beyond even that.
The Divine Source of which I speak is also what I call “The Truth,” or “Balance.” It is what others have called the Tao or Way. In fact, reading the Tao Te Ching is probably the easiest way to begin understanding my personal view of reality… Regardless of your path, the Tao Te Ching can provide valuable wisdom to help you on your way.
You call me an artist; I like to think of myself as an artist. You think that I am wise; I am not wise – I am just rewording what has already been said. Whatever help I provide is what I have learned the hard way… I just hope my advice can save you from the same.
Namaste.
Thanks, I appreciate it. You know I wish I could logically see God as a part of reailty. It’s not that I’m an atheist, it’s just that I always see a lot of evil and negativity around me and in me that always seems to have the upper hand first and it’s always my chocie whether I succumb to fear, believe in it, and let it be, or confidantly shine a light into the void by not believing in it.
But through it all I don’t feel I ever found God. When I see suffering hopeless people that I can’t help, not because I don’t have the means, but because of the way they are, I just can’t help but see it as an evil joke on me that says ‘Haha, the only one you’ll ever love or save is yourself”
Everytime I see violence repeating itself because of the weight and the pain it bears I just don’t see how there can be a god. It’s like your article about the muslim guy who killed people in texas. People don’t understand that the solution to our problems is accepting and not resisting the differences in each other. It’s a double edged sword to say that though. But that’s my crazy side I guess. I truly feel reality is in this plane is ‘Satanic’.
I hope you don’t feel like you have to be my psychologist or anything. I just would like to be able to say these things to someone without them antagonizing me.
Hello Pieter,
I believe the problem that you are describing is called “The Problem of Suffering.” Simply put, if an all powerful God is a being of good, why does he allow suffering to exist in this world? If he allows suffering to exist, then he is not good; at best he is indifferent. If he cannot prevent suffering from existing in this world, then he is not all powerful. You have taken to the understanding that God exists, but he’s a bastard and an asshole. I can see how you would think that with all the suffering that exists in this world.
The way in which I philosophically deal with “The Problem of Suffering” is to look at the bigger picture. Without pain and suffering, there would be no need to evolve, learn, or create. It would be like a video game for which you have all of the cheat codes unlocked; at first it’s fun, because you can literally do anything you want, however it gets to be a little bit pointless after a while.
In regards to how much suffering there is in the world, I think the media and society at large over-hypes and over-estimates how much evil there is in the world. We can easily be caught up in this, and become ever more fearful and paranoid of the world around us, if we are not careful. If news programs accurately depicted reality’s ratio of good to bad news, it would be about 50/50. However, if you ever watch the news, you see about nine negative stories to every one upbeat story. This isn’t an accurate depiction of reality.
I have chosen to take as wide angle of a view as possible. I choose to see both the good and the bad. In doing so, I’ve found that this existence can be both heaven and hell, depending on your choices. I have observed that for individuals who create pain and misery for others, life is hell. It is a hell of their own making, as they are not only destroying the lives of those around them, but also their own. I have observed that for individuals who try to do good in this world, life is closer to being like heaven. These individuals have more moments of joy and comfort than pain and suffering, on average. But, again, these are just my observations.
I don’t feel obligated to be your psychologist… I’m not qualified for that position by a long shot. I don’t mind listening, though, and giving my honest opinion if that opinion is requested. If my opinion is ever unwelcomed, let me know… sometimes I don’t know when to shut up.
Namaste.
No, it is not unwelcome. I’m much more used to receiving hostile opinions than ones that have a good vibe in them, and it is true this has given me a learning expereince on how to sound more sincere and logical.