I hate writing about religion. Yet today I am going to tread this dangerous path. It seems to have become a passionate cause for thousands across the world – a cause important enough to defend, fight for and even kill for.
What is religion? A set of rules that its followers swear by? Beliefs that they want to thrust down unwilling throats using any means they can? Or does it stem from an insecurity deep inside them that makes them want to control and dominate? Or better still, is it a tit for tat game pitting one’s God against the other?
How can we deceive ourselves into thinking that God really cares about our dietary preferences? Or about what we wear and how and where we worship? But have these become the parameters that measure virtue today? Whatever happened to reason, common sense and most of all compassion? Have our respective Gods too decided to do away with these “frivolous” values in pursuit of the more “important causes” that our respective religions staunchly espouse?
The crossroads that my country stands at today frightens me. On the one hand we are the world’s fastest growing economy but we are also heading towards becoming the world’s most mislead minds by mimicking radical sects that spew intolerance and hatred. Why are we as a society seeking to safeguard our culture by trying to efface others? Whether it is dictating what foods our neighbours stock in their refrigerators, whether it is allowing the caste of a person to determine who can and cannot enter a temple or controlling personal choice in matters of love and marriage – are these today the causes that are driving us as a society? Is this truly the focus of our life and the reason for our existence?
It’s a pathetically pitiable condition to be in – an insult to human intelligence not to mention the wisdom of our ancient philosophy that we pretend to take so much pride in. If religion unleashes the beast in us it is best left alone. As long as we think of religion as an identity to cling on to rather than a way to live and let live, we will never rise above all that is base and lowly – a far cry from what religion actually meant us to be – humane and magnanimous.
A related read: Ensnared
Meghana like always you have spoken my mind.. There is such a sadness in society and people don’t realise where this comes from.. In a frantic attempt to clutch at happiness we are just excluding anything even mildly not to our taste.religion is the only justifiable cause where they can be openly aggressive.there is so much latent violence today how will come out?Today religion has become a dirty word.
Very truly questioned ma’am. The misguided religious crusaders are assuming the hegemony of intolerance with the contorted vision that maybe it is bringing them closer to their God. Their very purpose or connect with their religion is to misinterpret few guidelines written in the Holy books and forsake all the good that their religion stands for.
This doesn’t happen only in India. Racism in the US isn’t new as well. With instances like these around the world, it seems human mind across the globe is highly intolerant.
Man first created God. And then, he created demon to fear from that God. The demon that I am referring to here is – Intolerance and Nonacceptance.
Human mind, irrespective of class, creed, education, ethnicity, society and gender is highly incapable of dealing with the so called standards / norms that keep on changing every now and then. For example, even after knowing that the color we are born with isn’t in our hands, the spiritual path we tread on is a personal choice and the dietary habits that we follow shouldn’t be of anybody’s business, we cannot accept these simple things. In short, the freedom that a soul is bestowed upon birth by the nature is imprisoned, so that the person could be mold as per the norms that are felt right at that point of time could be enforced. And if it doesn’t come easily, then probably a massacre. (History has recorded all such events)
I think it is intolerance and nonacceptance that has to be conquered; but it will be possible only when we stop fearing or doubting our existence and start looking around with an open mind.
Beautiful. We have always been on the same page when it comes to ‘religion.’ And even today i miss those days when we sat down talking about religion and people, and so many other common topics that we couldn’t agree more.
Thank you Sonali