Humans need a sense of order to go about our lives. Without something to tell us what’s wrong and right, whether it’s in our laws, our workplace, or our religion, we can find ourselves lost and without purpose. We search for some kind of higher voice (whether that’s physical or not) to guide us and give us some direction.
Whether you believe in a higher power or not, we all need a way to promote well-being. For many people, faith in a higher power answers this. Since its beginning, religion has been a source of guidance for over 80% of the world. It acts as a teacher, as people will use what they’ve been taught from whatever religion and apply it to their lives with the ultimate goal of enlightenment or salvation.
Hinduism was the first established religion and the most ancient we know of, starting around 4,000 years ago. It’s rooted in philosophical movements and common ideas of the time. As religion evolved, so did the people, as caste systems were formed, social classes were separated, and an overall shift in the teachings happened. It greatly influenced how society ran from then on, beginning what we now experience today.
Everywhere you are, there is some kind of social hierarchy. We have kings and queens, presidents, supreme leaders, chancellors. Even narrowing it down there are CEO’s, bosses, priests, teachers to parents. It’s so common to see people above each other as we know that these people above us allegedly know more than us and deserve to be in their position. These different social standings have provided us with social control and without it, we’d be lost and without a voice telling us what we have to do.
Many people have been put in their place of power because they’re seen as vessels, sharing their interpretations of religious texts and how others should apply them to their lives. Those learning these beliefs tend to truly trust them.
Again, believer or not, you can’t doubt the extreme impact that religion has had on the world. Wherever you are, whoever you are, you will always see something resulting from religion. Your place in the world has been determined by those above you however far up you look. No matter what happens or has happened, humans will always find a way to appoint leaders and search for someone or something to guide them through their lives.
