SPIRIT OF AUTUMN
In Japan, the people practice an ancient traditional religion called Shinto 神道 which believes that we share our world with spirits and gods that exist everywhere in nature.
In western culture, we tend to regard nature as something that we conquered and is there to serve us, but in Shinto, every tree, every lake, every rock and mountain is sacred and deserves our respect, as they house spirits which form our fabric of reality. This is also why Japan is full of shrines, as most of them, but not all, are dedicated for Shintoism.
Even though Japan is among the least religious countries, at least 80% of it's population practice Shinto in some form. It is not something abstract or requires a huge leap of faith, but rather, it's a beautiful philosophy that helps us regain our connection to all living things, and to pay respect to the beauty around us. I think we can all learn something from it.
In western culture, we tend to regard nature as something that we conquered and is there to serve us, but in Shinto, every tree, every lake, every rock and mountain is sacred and deserves our respect, as they house spirits which form our fabric of reality. This is also why Japan is full of shrines, as most of them, but not all, are dedicated for Shintoism.
Even though Japan is among the least religious countries, at least 80% of it's population practice Shinto in some form. It is not something abstract or requires a huge leap of faith, but rather, it's a beautiful philosophy that helps us regain our connection to all living things, and to pay respect to the beauty around us. I think we can all learn something from it.
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thank you for watching
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happy autumn!
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happy autumn!
