Peace of mind.

I have told about the shrines people build to pay respect and homage to a spirit who has been able to assist a sick person on the road to recovery.

However, not all shrines come about as a result of such homage and faith. Sometimes it is built for the peace of mind of the residents in a particular area.

People throughout the centuries have desired peace of mind and this could be achieved through living in harmony with the environment and other inhabitants of the place such as other living creatures and spirits. People have always understood and respected this kind of harmony and therefore are willing to do anything to achieve the very essential peace of mind with which daily life could go on smoothly without any undisirable event or happening to disrupt their lives.

So, upon venturing to a new piece of land, the Chinese believed certain elements of nature could have been disturbed and to overcome any possible consequences, they would be wiling to pray to God for assistance, be friendly to the neighbours and whatever spirit which could have been uprooted from its abode in the course of constructing their homes.

To do that, they built shrines for the spirits and thank them frequently for their generousity in allowing them to live in the area in peace. Whether such spirits do exist or not is immaterial. What matters is the peace of mind as a result of having done all they could to appease anything or anybody whose ire could have been aroused by them. With such peace of mind, the residents would have better sleep, good rest, good health as a result and ensured happiness in the place.

As such, government authorities should allow such small shrines to exist as they, in no way dirupt anyone's lives not cause any obstruction to anything. Such shrines merely enhance the happiness and peace of mind of the people, something any authority should give encourage.