Sustenance and faith: first move yourself, then move the heavens, and use metaphysics to deal with uncertainty
Confusion is undoubtedly the background color of this generation's life. The rapid development of society has exacerbated the gap between different classes, and the fragmented entertainment method has made more people sink into it in a first-class situation. Countless times after brushing a short ** in the middle of the night, you look up and stare out the window for a long night, will you still remember the dreams and longings of your youth? Or they may lament the bad luck of the times, and lament that the baby crying at the top of the high-rise building will eventually be the future master ...... the building
The suffering of young people, the temple knows best. On the first day of 2024, the two ancient temples of Lama Temple in Beijing and Lingyin Temple in Jiangnan are in an endless stream, and young tourists are weaving back and forth, trying their best to grab a pillar of incense.
More and more young people are exploring the spiritual world in an unprecedented situation, and looking for inner peace and comfort in the noisy and complex social environment. In their daily lives, there is a significant increase in the number of young people who go to the temple to worship and pray for blessings, either carefully selecting bracelets or waiting patiently for the incense to burn out as part of their rituals. If there is a project to take over at work, first go and ask for a bracelet; Before taking the postgraduate examination, first go to ask for a royal guard; If your career is stagnant and your life is at a low point, you can also go to bad luck by walking around the temple a few times. The temple has become the "physical koi" of this generation of young people, and they have left all the problems of life in the temple.
After all, young people choose the third way between going to work and going to school - incense. The green smoke is not only driving the growth of the local economy, but also stirring up social suspicion about this group: have the young people of this generation lost their fighting spirit for life and are willing to live absurdly in asking for immortals?
In fact, for young people, it is obvious that they do not place all their wishes on the "manifestation of the Bodhisattva", and burning incense and worshipping the Buddha is nothing more than pressing a pause button for themselves: in order to adjust their mentality, do their best to change those things that they can change, and at the same time accept the unchangeable facts with a peaceful heart. When a person is willing to offer incense religiously, it just shows that he still has dreams and pursuits in his heart. Going to work, being motivated, and being incense are not in conflict.
Inheritance and innovation: the revival of the wandering god activities, the "Shizi Tiantuan" and the fan circle culture
Recently, in the "Youshen" ceremony held in Changle District, Fuzhou, Fujian, an Internet celebrity ingeniously dressed up as the image of "Zhao Shizi" and was in front of the statue parade. This unexpected turmoil not only made the Internet celebrity in question the focus of heated discussions, but also helped to a certain extent to promote the folk activity of "Youshen", which is rich in local characteristics, into more public eye, and the popularity was unmatched for a while, attracting a large number of tourists.
And "Youshen" not only drove the tourism fever, but also caused widespread heated discussions on the Internet. Netizens generally believe that Internet celebrities cos gods are contempt for local culture. In this ** interweaving, people also unexpectedly found that the images of the gods in the custom of "wandering gods" are not as high and unreachable as imagined.
Zhao Shizi", "Zhang Dashizi", "Zhang Erzi" and "Huaguang Dashizi" and other gods, with their heroic cartoon images and likable characters, quickly gained fans, and built a high-profile "Shizi Tiantuan": among them, "Huaguang Dashizi" will hang QQ candy and distribute it to the people participating in the event along the way; And Mazu, a sacred being, has also been endowed with the breath of modern life, and legend has it that she actually prefers the unique taste of three-point sugar milk tea, which makes people smile; Hokkien people even chartered theaters for the gods who came out to parade and invited them to watch movies.
Tourists who are ready to **"wandering gods" are asking for advice in social networking, how should they correctly **"wandering gods"? This question has attracted many netizens to share a variety of ** taboo guides, and among the different opinions, local netizens in Fujian gave a simple and practical answer: "There is no taboo in dressing, taking pictures and eating, and the wandering gods are originally lively activities in order to pray for good weather and peace in the family and country, so you can respect it." ”
It can be seen that in the eyes of the locals, the gods in Fujian's "wandering gods" are so "down-to-earth", which just shows the strong vitality of this folk culture. "People think that gods, like humans, also have worldly hobbies and needs, so in this day and age, they also watch movies, drink milk tea, and pay attention to their appearance. But in any case, the core gene of "Youshen" cannot be changed, that is, to seek good fortune, carry forward the excellent character and cultural spirit of the gods, and pray for smooth weather and peace for the country and the people, "Only by 'advancing with the times', in line with the needs of the times, the development of society, and people's spiritual pursuit, traditional culture can have vitality." ”
This also requires us to participate in the ceremony from a civilized perspective on the road of exploring and perceiving colorful folk culture, not touching public order and good customs, nor violating any taboo laws, and savoring with a humble and rational attitude, and striving to find the right balance between appreciating the charm of folk customs and respecting local culture.
In the process of exploring and inheriting the culture of the gods, young people also have their own "fan circle culture": "We are not superstitious, not confined to the old form, the gods pray for blessings is a kind of spiritual sustenance, and the gods will be a cultural carrier, and it is also a folk culture that the whole people can participate in." Houdong Village Youth Lin Mu said.