Kanikaism

I don’t eat beef, as it is against Hindu practices. I don’t eat any meat for that matter, because of cultural reasons. I celebrate the festivals, respect the observances, that sort of thing. But I am far from pious.

I was never one to pray, whether it was out of gratitude or grief. I always find it rather strange to sit in front of our little home temple and try to pray to God. I don’t ask for things while I pray, but I don’t really know what else to think while I’m there. I had this problem when I was a kid, too.

This idea of God and religion baffles me, but not enough for me to go on a journey to find Him. So many conflicts are sparked by religions, which all seem to be leading people to the same conclusions about life, in my opinion. You can choose whatever path you’d like, but we all want the same goal in the end, I guess.

I cannot force myself to be religious, nor do I try to. Rather, I am spiritual in a different sense. I self-reflect often. I think about life and its meaning. I try to rise above material things and superficiality. Sometimes…I epically fail. And that’s okay. I’m not perfect. I can learn from my mistakes.

I don’t know much about other religions, though, at least not as much as I’d like to. I try to learn a bit about each, whether through reading about them or asking people of different faiths. People usually don’t mind my questions, which I greatly appreciate. I like that there’s still open mindedness when it comes to the topic of religion, even when it’s just telling someone more about it. Tolerance is important, and it’s always nice when people tolerate my ignorance, haha

It’s not that I think religion is a waste of time. I really just don’t know what to believe in. What I think matters in the end is that I be the best that I can be. I should be caring and thoughtful, moral and optimistic. That’s Kanikaism in a nutshell, but my ideas are far from unique. I can’t claim to have developed this as an original moral system, let alone claim it is the most ideal. Can anyone really fight for the latter point? I think not.

For now, I’ll work with what I have. But I am pious in my own way, and that should be acceptable.