10-hour wait, 3-sec hug

That's exactly the headlines on today's San Francisco Chronicle. While the picture on the front page looked like a middle-aged Indian woman hugging a white kid, I had to be sure I was seeing it right. And what I saw really surprised me. Here it is, right here in the bay area, a spiritual Indian Guru who goes by the name 'Amma' (meaning mother), hugging her followers en masse. She is apparently the spiritual master of thousands in US and Europe, most of whom are non-Indians. And then there is ofcourse the long article about Indian spiritual mysticism that has lured westerners for years. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 70s who had the starry reputation of spiritually guiding the Beatles, Swami Muktananda, Rajneesh, Swami Prabhupada(ISKCON) all have had wide follower base in western countries. While living in India I had always believed Indians to be the more spiritual & superstitious kind, who believed in the supernatural, who believed in the outer elements, who believed in spiritual masters for changing the course of their fates etc etc. And now when I am here, I see no difference. Though the level of faith following is different, in the sense it uses more high-sounding words like 'transcedental meditation', 'awareness of the being' , 'the art of living' , at the very core are we all the same? Still seeking answers to questions we can't answer? Do we all need Gurus to instill faith and show us the right path? Or are we just terribly lost and desperately seeking to hold on to anyone who promises to show us the light?