The Power of Prayer
An age-old concept rebranded for the modern world.
I want to preface this by stating that the goal of this write-up is not to force some type of indoctrination — instead, I want to have an open conversation on the correlations that may exist between the actions/advice we have been getting in the modern world on mindfulness against an age-old concept that is still followed by millions of people; the power of prayer.
Mariam-Webster defines praying as a way to address a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving. Similarly, in the modern world, we may substitute praying with either meditation or journaling. Looking at a grander scope, both share a similar concept; taking a moment in our day to unplug and reflect — but instead of talking to the one above the clouds, we shared it to the one in our iCloud.
Why does this matter?
A religion-based prayer offers a set of rules over what, when, where, and how we should perform our prayers. Islam dictates 5 times a day to pray, Jews 3 times a day, and for Hindu twice a day. When it is time to pray, their followers know exactly what to do — and during those moments, they are fully committed to completing their session.
The modern world has replaced these rules with something more convenient to us; we choose when, where, and how to perform our mindfulness practice. However, with many of us lack a strong foundation to follow through, we tend to then try to find supplementary help. This could be in the form of apps, alarm clocks, a specialized journal, etc.
Mindfulness is a habit, it is most beneficial when we decide to take the time; we will hardly see any changes in our life by spending 10 minutes on our journal for one week. Rather, it needs to be something done consistently through a long period (or an average of 66 days). Because of the long yield for a result, many gave up early and abandoned the idea of mindfulness, thinking it is just a waste of time.
Let’s draw a comparison:
Islam Daily Prayer v. Modern Meditation
Islam requires its faithful followers to perform 5 daily prayers. The rules as to when and how the prayers are to be done have been defined since the inception of the religion itself. If you happen to find yourself living in an Islam-dominated region, you may notice that during the times of prayer — things may come to a halt as people take a step back from their daily activities to pray.
Modern meditation requires us to unplug when we can, to take a step back from our daily activities to help us clear our mind.
When done properly, both practices will put us in a state of mindfulness as they both put the practitioner in a situation where they are in control and is fully aware of their actions for the duration of the session.
Catholic Confessions v. Journaling
The Catholic Church asks its followers to confess their wrongdoings (or sins) for them to ask for forgiveness (or penance). This practice can be done in an anonymous setting between the confessor and a priest, allowing them to be more open and honest over their acts; the priest then guides the confessor as to how they can ask for forgiveness.
Journaling gives us the platform to express our thoughts on a piece of paper. These thoughts can be anything from the good to the bad. Since it is only between the writer and the paper, this provides an anonymous setting for the writer to be more open and honest about themselves.
When done properly, both provide us with an avenue to be reflective of ourselves in hopes that we become more aware of our actions.
Hindu Mantras v. Self-care Mantras
There are sacred utterances in the Hindu religion that are considered to have spiritual efficacy. Mantras can be spoken loudly or in the mind but are repeated continuously. It is believed that the repetition of a particular mantra can help invoke a higher spiritual awareness.
Self-care mantras are utterances than we repeat in order to help us realize our potential and bring about internal strength.
WHen done properly, it is believed that we can materialize our mantras to help us fulfill our intentions.
So why do we see a fall-off in religon based practice?
The culture and connotations of religion have created an unpopular adjustment to lifestyle to the modern world. Whilst the modernist believed that everything in their life happens due to their hard work/effort — religion explains it as the will of God. Whilst the modernist would blame themselves over a misfortune — religion explains it as a will of God.
Everything happens for a reason
Many modernists would find this frustrating as it tends to be seen as an individual just willing to let go of effort because it has been set that way.
I believe prayer and effort are the keys to success. Prayer is necessary to achieve clarity and effort is necessary to make it happen. Unfortunately, many still think that just one of them is enough. Yes, you can work hard and achieve what you want, but you may start to question the purpose of it all. On the other hand, just praying to make things happen won’t make it magically appear.
One very important tip is to always be intentional in your practice. Don’t just do them because people tell you to. The full benefit only comes when your mind and body are one with your intentions.
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In the end, either you decide to divulge into religion or follow along with modern solutions, one thing remains the same — mindfulness is the key to a fulfilling life. A clear mind that is achieved through meditation or prayer is equally as beneficial versus a clouded mind. Heck, I started with mindfulness practices for a few years only to find myself closer to religion in the end.
