Words fail us as much as they shape us. Take the word "God" for example. Its meaning ranges from an absolute God to an abstract idea/a metaphor that has widely lost its symbolic status. Starting out as a person who believed in an all encompassing entity or agency as God but not too particular about the religious practices around it, my journey has taken me to being someone who no longer believes in the agency of a God separate from the self (and is comfortable with the randomness) but has extreme curiosity and appreciation of the evolution of the religious practices and rituals. Religious practices may have started out as steps towards more balanced and motivated ways of living. Sunday church/ pooja rituals are absolute means to socialize in harmony. Many ablutions and prayer steps help with consistent stretches of the body. Lighting a lamp in the evening could be that break you take to reflect on the day before...