Around 3000 BC, in a place we today call India,
the sages made two proclamations. ‘Vasudaiva
Kutumbakam’ – which means that this world is one family and ‘Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti’
–which implies that the
universal reality is the same though wise people call it by different names. Putting
to use the intelligence acquired over centuries, this simply means that we are
a big world of enormous differences that ultimately bond into one single family.
Isn’t it quite inspiring
that over four thousand odd years before people thought of ‘the global village’,
‘we’ believed in tolerance and submission? That even before the world got
‘connected’, ‘we’ believed that however different we may be by gender, colour,
philosophies, beliefs, language or location - we were all ‘one big family’!
I’ve heard stories of God sending down prophets from heaven to save humanity. I’ve even been taught that he once decided to send his own son. And that we successfully conspired to crucify him and send him back! I’ve also heard of Gods (though I’m always confused about the usage in plural) taking form of humans to destroy evil on earth. The stories are numerous, distinct and inspiring. But then sadly one day, these guys go back to heaven only to be worshiped on earth fostering more evil outcomes!
Since when did our beliefs of faith start reaping so much of evil? To think of it, at the core, all beliefs are about humanity and the right path of living. Christianity is about sacrifice and love. Hinduism is about ‘dharma’, the attributes of which include peace, truthfulness, compassion, non-violence, tolerance etc. Islam is all about voluntary submission to God with its basic pillars of faith; prayers after purification of self; sharing of wealth with the needy; fasting for repentance and self discipline; and devotion, self awareness and self improvement. I find it horrifying as to how these extremely positive attributes spiralled into the modern day ‘communal’ sentiments of hatred, intolerance and violence. The sad (or happy?) reality is that today people out there have started asking as to how many humans have been killed in the name of ‘Satan’ and how many in the name of ‘God’? It really is a disturbing question with even more disturbing answers. And the statistics are actually capable of shaking the very foundations of our faith!
My younger son is just around 9 months old. And I find it fascinating how impressed and excited he gets with things that we adults take for granted and almost always ignore. The happiness on his face when he sees me back from office (every single day); the giggles at my highly imperfect dance moves; the faith he shows when I throw him up in the air only to catch him on his way back down; the excitement at every new step he takes in life and the joy he finds in sharing his happiness with us. But in all this, even at this tender age, he never likes to be compelled. I can’t push him into his bed to sleep, for he will bounce back with more attention and vigour. I can’t hush him silent when I want him to, for he will rise up with more noise and conviction! On another side I have my elder son, at the age of 6, who is now like a box full of questions. For every other thing you plan to tell him to do, you should be ready with a truly convincing answer as to ‘Why’.
My children actually make me wonder. If we had successfully safeguarded the characteristics we had in us as children, would we really have brewed so much of hatred towards our fellow beings? Would we have thoughtlessly turned violent and killed each other for something we ‘this time’ called ‘beef’? If being mature is about losing the goodness we possess as children; if it is about losing our curiosity of knowing ‘why should I?’; if it is about losing our innocence to enjoy and cherish every single moment in our life; and the excitement to share our little joys with each other, I humbly prefer staying immature all my life. And thereby not let anyone out there (not even the Gods) compel me into sin!
And in the midst of all this chaos, I often wonder... Why is God not sending someone anymore? Has he grown so old that he can’t anymore have a son? Hasn’t it been quite some time now? Personally I wish this time he sends a daughter because for some time now they have consistently proven to be the stronger of the species. And then from somewhere this line from a bygone movie echoes in my mind – “Maybe even God has turned scared of his own creation”!
God created us in his own image. He sent us prophets. He even sent us his son. He came as one among us. God gave us wisdom. And he gave us free will. He gave us the power of choice. Maybe he’s done with his job! Maybe it’s now our turn to do! And the truth is, all that we are doing is not (and will never be) about ‘beef’. It is (and will always be) about ‘faith’ – the faith in God and in His Doctrines. And the interesting part is that faith is always accompanied by ‘hope’ – the hope for something bigger and better.
I believe that the simple rule of life is that one’s ‘faith’ does not stand in the way of another’s ‘hope’. That is when God can really act. And that is when we can let miracles happen. So every time our faith invites us to be intolerant and violent, let the very childish question of ‘Why’ rise up with more noise and conviction. And that question is what I would like to call ‘Divine Intervention’!
Fast forward to year 2015 - it has been close
to 7 decades since over 14.5 million people crossed the Indian
borders looking for a safe haven from the seething imbroglio of partition. It is over two decades, since the
religious militants demolished a centuries-old Masjid. It is also almost the
same time since the serial bomb blasts in Bombay were choreographed by similar communal
outlooks. It has been over a decade since a missionary and his two very young
children were burnt alive inside their car - again motivated by communal
instincts! And it is just over a month since a man was lynched by a communally
motivated mob for allegedly eating ‘beef’! Yes! You heard it right! And no, you
don’t have to swipe your smart phones for the date. You really are in the year 2015!
I’ve heard stories of God sending down prophets from heaven to save humanity. I’ve even been taught that he once decided to send his own son. And that we successfully conspired to crucify him and send him back! I’ve also heard of Gods (though I’m always confused about the usage in plural) taking form of humans to destroy evil on earth. The stories are numerous, distinct and inspiring. But then sadly one day, these guys go back to heaven only to be worshiped on earth fostering more evil outcomes!
Since when did our beliefs of faith start reaping so much of evil? To think of it, at the core, all beliefs are about humanity and the right path of living. Christianity is about sacrifice and love. Hinduism is about ‘dharma’, the attributes of which include peace, truthfulness, compassion, non-violence, tolerance etc. Islam is all about voluntary submission to God with its basic pillars of faith; prayers after purification of self; sharing of wealth with the needy; fasting for repentance and self discipline; and devotion, self awareness and self improvement. I find it horrifying as to how these extremely positive attributes spiralled into the modern day ‘communal’ sentiments of hatred, intolerance and violence. The sad (or happy?) reality is that today people out there have started asking as to how many humans have been killed in the name of ‘Satan’ and how many in the name of ‘God’? It really is a disturbing question with even more disturbing answers. And the statistics are actually capable of shaking the very foundations of our faith!
My younger son is just around 9 months old. And I find it fascinating how impressed and excited he gets with things that we adults take for granted and almost always ignore. The happiness on his face when he sees me back from office (every single day); the giggles at my highly imperfect dance moves; the faith he shows when I throw him up in the air only to catch him on his way back down; the excitement at every new step he takes in life and the joy he finds in sharing his happiness with us. But in all this, even at this tender age, he never likes to be compelled. I can’t push him into his bed to sleep, for he will bounce back with more attention and vigour. I can’t hush him silent when I want him to, for he will rise up with more noise and conviction! On another side I have my elder son, at the age of 6, who is now like a box full of questions. For every other thing you plan to tell him to do, you should be ready with a truly convincing answer as to ‘Why’.
My children actually make me wonder. If we had successfully safeguarded the characteristics we had in us as children, would we really have brewed so much of hatred towards our fellow beings? Would we have thoughtlessly turned violent and killed each other for something we ‘this time’ called ‘beef’? If being mature is about losing the goodness we possess as children; if it is about losing our curiosity of knowing ‘why should I?’; if it is about losing our innocence to enjoy and cherish every single moment in our life; and the excitement to share our little joys with each other, I humbly prefer staying immature all my life. And thereby not let anyone out there (not even the Gods) compel me into sin!
And in the midst of all this chaos, I often wonder... Why is God not sending someone anymore? Has he grown so old that he can’t anymore have a son? Hasn’t it been quite some time now? Personally I wish this time he sends a daughter because for some time now they have consistently proven to be the stronger of the species. And then from somewhere this line from a bygone movie echoes in my mind – “Maybe even God has turned scared of his own creation”!
God created us in his own image. He sent us prophets. He even sent us his son. He came as one among us. God gave us wisdom. And he gave us free will. He gave us the power of choice. Maybe he’s done with his job! Maybe it’s now our turn to do! And the truth is, all that we are doing is not (and will never be) about ‘beef’. It is (and will always be) about ‘faith’ – the faith in God and in His Doctrines. And the interesting part is that faith is always accompanied by ‘hope’ – the hope for something bigger and better.
I believe that the simple rule of life is that one’s ‘faith’ does not stand in the way of another’s ‘hope’. That is when God can really act. And that is when we can let miracles happen. So every time our faith invites us to be intolerant and violent, let the very childish question of ‘Why’ rise up with more noise and conviction. And that question is what I would like to call ‘Divine Intervention’!
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