Sento Mindset: Modelling a Successful mindset through spirituality

As human beings,our genetic mind imprints,not to show weakness and remain in our comfort as unfamiliarity creates a trigger in the brain which humans avoid clearly. Weaknesses are viewed as outright flaws in the human mind. Breaking shackles of the trained human psyche is what the "Sento Mindset" is all about. During my research,I happened to find an article that discusses about the Global Spirituality Index(Lotte Nash,April 2023),during my research on about Japan and to my amazement, this country is rated the 3rd World's most Spiritual Country, sharing the spot with India, 2nd being Italy and at the1st spot,it was Canada.

So what really is Sento? Sento is a public bathhouse in Japan where people gather to relax and socialise to foster community bonding. The concept is as old as around the 1960s and there were around 2600 of sento bathing stations in Japan. Speaks largely about its popularity in Japanese culture.

Attaching this concept to human mindset,simply means that we must find comfort through exposure. Isn't it highly inconvenient to be bare bodied in front of a group of strangers in a public bathhouse? Sounds nightmarishly hard!! Building a comfortable level of acceptance when being exposed reframes the mind to embody one's own authentic expression and largely,acceptance of oneself. Sento Mindset promotes exactly that!! These days social media handles coins it as "Nofilter" which this mindset is slowly being accepted by variety of cultures at large.

Showcasing one's scars,insecurities,vulnerabilities is what Sento Mindset imparts. Japanese and a lot of Asian countries are known to be culturally sensitive which creates a whole new sacred space for the human race to experience our lives through the lens of other people's experiences.

Another standpoint to Sento Mindset is to have a complete dissolution of societal hierarchies. Individuals from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds converge on equal footing during these bathhouse sessions in Japan.Such a wonderful sacred space to bond with people of distinct lifestyles!!! Certainly is enterprising. A mindset growth only happens when conversations and quality time is spent with people outside our circle of friends,family,colleagues etc.

I would like to bring in a scriptural philosophy angle here. The Hermetic Philosophy states an important line, "As within, so without, as above, so below, as the Universe,so the soul " which translates to the fact that the human body and it's functions are barely a miniature version of our outside world. If one performs good deeds,these will be reflected when we are "below".

I would wish to discuss my early childhood experience of community culture. Having spent my schooling years in Lagos,Nigeria since 1990, where there was no technology, we were dependent on sending written notes to neighbours, walking down to each others homes, using the telephone line to communicate, carpooling to the Indian school,gave me the advantage of mixing with different cultures.

Meeting people from different ethnic backgrounds,Lebanese,Chinese, Nigerians; enabled me to befriend them which taught me so much. I remember one of my Lebanese friend used to read the Namaz every evening post a shower and then,we used to go to out to play.

Having said that,cultural diversity,in a foreign land makes one more empathetic towards one another and makes us build strong and close bonds.

Unfortunately,community based culture is what is fading away due to fast-paced technology and lifestyle. However,as humans we need to remember that interdependence is what makes our race unique and we need to preserve in centuries to come.