Cleanliness is Next to Godliness Essay

I have been fortunate to get the love and care of my parents as well as siblings. During my childhood, my parents taught me the morals based on the holy teachings of scriptures. Among the many good sayings, I remember a proverb, â€Å"Cleanliness is next to Godliness,† which was reminded to me, time and again, by my mother. When I was about seven years old, I avoided taking bath on a daily basis. It was at that time when my mother first narrated this proverb to me, which continues to guide me everyday. Although many of us may be religious and Godly, we may be defying, either intentionally or unintentionally, the basic principle of cleanliness in our practical lives. For instance, it can be seen that some people throw their household garbage on the streets, and as a result, mosquitoes and flies spread harmful diseases in the community. Similarly, some people spit on roads due to which their infected saliva often becomes a source to several contagious diseases. It must be recalled that our scriptures teach us to keep ourselves as well as our places of dwelling clean. Since God is ultimate in purity, the only way to reach God is to remain pure, and purity is attained by keeping our mind as well as body clean. However, the fellow humans are polluting the purity of the environment through their deleterious activities. Burning of fire crackers leads to air-pollution, which in return, causes respiratory problems like asthma. Also, when somebody smokes a cigarette in a public place, then the surrounding environment is polluted, and people become vulnerable to cancer due to passive smoking. I have strictly practiced the meaning of the proverb to keep my mind as well as body clean. I do not smoke, do not spit in a public place, and do not burn fire crackers. My body is a holy temple, which houses the spirit. I make every endeavor to retain the purity of my spirit because only then I can attain salvation.