About praying

I think I have taken a step closer to understanding the praying. When I think about it as showing gratitude to your god for evertyhing you have got. Taking time for being grateful for all the good we have in our lives. Acknowledging all the good we actually have, reminding ourselves about all the things we can be grateful and happy for.

Personally I am closest to agnostic I think, I think that is pretty common in Finland and maybe in some other western countries. I mean, even though statisticly about 70% of Finnish people belong to the Christian church, the religion doesn't play any role in most people's lives.That's the way it is, people concentrate on the terrestrial things in life. But at the same time than people get more busy with their terrestrial lives with carriers, families and hobbies, their level of stress increases and mental well-being decreases. New trends to increase our well-being in everyday life keep popping up: zen meditation, mindfulness, yoga etc. Research in positive psychology shows the strengthening and healing effect of gratitude and other positive feelings. I think positive psychology, that I personally highly appreciate and am interested in, has born because of the lack of religion in western people's lives. It has come to remind us to be grateful for what we've got, something that highly religious people probably never stopped doing. In the Islamic world, at least here in Aceh (Sunni Islamic area) people pray five times a day, meaning that they will at least five times a day take time to be grateful. I bet they are happier than many western people. Our feelings are affected by our thinking. If ee don't have take time for feeling positive feelings because we are so busy, it affects our well-being. Improving mental well-being equals feeling more positive feelings such as gratitude, joy and happiness. Increasing positive feelings happens through changing our thinking, by concentrating on thinking more positive, by taking time for thinking positive thoughts every day.

Even though I am still far away from understanding the strict obeying of one holy book, no matter what the religion is, I do understand the strengthening and unitive power that continuous praying has. I can see the similarities between praying and positive psychology. Making time in your life for being grateful and by that increasing your well-being. Right before writing this, I spent a short while "meditating", kind of praying, thinking about everything I am grateful for. And I do feel good now. In some way I do believe there is a higher power, but still I do not personate that power. When I am grateful and kind of "pray" in my own way, I am not telling my thoughts of gratitude to any named god, but more for an impersonated power, the universum. Pr something like that.

For the Muslims, praying is a lot of praising their god, Allah. Also in Christian religion I have experienced the same, the masses in the church contains too much praising for my taste. I don't understand the praising and that is why I don't feel comfortable with it. What is interesting but a little hard to understand here, is that the Muslims pray always in Arabic language, even though they would not understand the meaning. They just memorize the holy Koran so well that they can recite it despite of understanding it or not. Of course they have translations in another book, and it is possible to study Arabic language. It is better for them, if they do understand the praying, but it is not obligation. Sometimes there are optional prayings, like in this school after morning circle, that is a daily routine here in the morning when teachers gather together for daily announcements. In the optional prayings you can pray in whatever language, because the god will understand your wishes and thoughts. And it would be impossible to pray from your heart with a language you cannot speak. For me, these optional prayings make more sense than the praising part. But on the other hand, I am somehow starting to understand that the daily praying and praising routines must feel very safe, strengthening and unitive. It is powerful. There is something very beautiful in the praying routine also.

Normally men pray in the Mosque and women can choose if they pray in the Mosque or at home. I have got to be there by my Guardian Angel's side when she was reciting the holy Koran and I have seen the praying routine from close. It is beautiful, and at the same time it feels like there is something sensitive or vulnerable in it. I feel it's an honor that I am allowed to follow it from so close, sitting by the side. Or taking pictures of it. It doesn't matter that I am not a Muslim, I am still welcome to follow the ritual as I am also welcome in this school being the only non-Muslim here. In the end we are all the same, similar humans all over the world, despite of our religious orientation. We are people who feel, who express themselves, who care about others and who are interested in learning new things. Humanity and the ability to feel and think is a unitive power with no limits.