Well, well..I guess the Part Two took quite some time. Sorry to keep all my readers waiting :D If you are still waiting with bated breaths, please have a sip of water and come back, as I will go on with some rigmarole before I actually come to the subject ;) I take liberty in being my own "sweet" critic, thus saving the humiliation, and keeping up the dignity, by overtaking those who just part their lips to comment about something... Well : ) that's me..Now that I have indulged into this senseless comprehension, I hear some grumbles and I guess they are louder after that sip of water.. So I continue with my Interpretations.. I'm now locked up in my room, thus curbing my fingers from typing "to be contd.." hence giving birth to a Part 3 ;-) ;-)
My interpretations - about Religion, God, Faith, Life and things of least importance to many.
I sat down to think about the very reason behind the emergence of religions, the concept of God. I have given this so much thought that I've started viewing things in unanimity. My theory might be far from Science,Logic or whatever. But I'm just taking liberty to blog what my mind conceives. Stepping out the door, there are so many things we see. So many things we don't see as well. I tried this at a crowded bus stop. I observed people and there was a real conflict of emotions, unspoken, but very daring, staring right at you! I was just contemplating, what was running through their minds. And, I just wondered, it would have been a difficult task, for God to create so many lives and bring in some form of unity between them, just to maintain harmony in the world. That's when I feel, religion was born. (*Tadaaa!!* *AVM* bgm)...Let's take an example of a school. There may be 1000 or more kids, all of different shapes and sizes., coming in several packages. A uniform however brings in some bond, just to channelize them and mould them into a single unit. In the same way, religions were born, to channelize people. To take them through one path of wisdom. To me, religions are just different interpretations of God. God is one, but God is interpreted in different ways. It is just that, someone took the lead, and followed one of God's interpretations. People who believed, followed suit. And hence, we had a group of people, organized and united, in the "name of God", and thus a new religion was born. When this happened all over the world, different people started believing in different ways. Thus based on the geography of the area, a few miracles and lot more blessings, considered as gifts from God, the world became united in the name of God, but still fragmented, in the name of Religion. All this is just my thoughts, ideas, and expressions. You are all entitled to your opinions, as I am.
My God is Human :
A weird comparison?? I take an example of one human being(Man) and I thought I'd relate this one person to all the religions (actually 3 main ones I'm well aware of). Here's what I came up with...
A human is more a human because he has - a heart which beats and thus prolongs his life: a brain - which controls his actions, enforcing a discipline into his body: the other important organs and limbs - that help in his perception, survival and sustaining the quality of him being a human. Taking all this into consideration, here's my interpretations (Supposed to be the actual "matter" content of part two :D :D As usual, I just got carried away! ;P )
Human Body :
The Heart - Christianity :
Only a heart can undergo all sufferings and pain , but still forgive the cause of the pain. Talk of heart-aches, or heart-breaks..I leave it to your judgment. But just, for this one quality , I thought the Heart can be related to Christianity.
The Brain - Islam :
The brain is the so(u)l(e) controller of the entire body, and it has a role in all our actions. I know a few friends who come from this religion. I've always admired them for their discipline and almost all of them, had a driving force to entrust complete faith in "their" interpretation of God.
The Others - Hinduism :
I am a Hindu, though I like to be referred to as a Theist than being categorized as a Hindu. Unity in diversity - Hinduism stands as an example to it. Just like all the different organs, limbs, which all function for one purpose - to give life to the human. With its diversity, each with a different purpose, different classifications and hence, several interpretations of "My God", Hinduism forms a large family to panegyrize the several forms of my one God.
Conclusion [ *Atlast* Applause please] : "My God is Human "!!
UPDATE : As on 9/10/08 :
An alternative to Hinduism - The Mind. I would like to quote here, Niranjan who was kind enough to suggest an alternative, with a reasonable explanation :) [In the Comments section]
" Let us call Hinduism , "The Mind". Now the mind is not the heart, nor is it the brain (the former is a blood pump and the latter is the is an integrated circuit with a lot of logic gates and FPGA's ). It's there in us, but not in any apparently physical form. It is interpreted by various people in various ways but one, and all agree it is what makes mankind what it is "
Though I din't get the part about FPGA's and Logic Gates, I agree to this interpretation. If any of you have any other alternatives, post them in the comments section. You can relate it to any of the religions. I will try and update here, as much as possible. Thank you!
There ends My interpretations - about Religion, God, Faith, Life and things of least importance to many. (no worries, I'm not typing "to be continued"... :O .... oh oh!even though I've typed it ;) I dint mean it!) ;P :P :P So chillax! (;-) )
Note : (Just in case you didn't notice ;-) Making sure, you scroll back and notice !:D )
I haven't genderized God in any statement. I don't like to genderize God . I 'm against the term "goddess" too. I strongly believe that God can be a male, female, or both or even "it"! I guess, its the perceptibility that counts. I perceive God as God and there's no He, She, or It...I find nothing wrong about the way things are going on in this world. About the way the religion is perceived. About the religious rites, sometimes followed by "riots". All in the name of God....Well...If only people can hear God screaming and asking them to stop!....Who said this - "The Gods Don't Mind ...but "They" DO! " They referring to all those caught up in beliefs in taking out peoples lives , (not) again (!), in the "name" of God. They referring to all those who lead lives to bestow massive destruction upon a group people, again with God as an excuse....
And yeah..! by the way...I said it! ;) :) ;-)
Go on and post comments. But please don't ask me anything. I cannot answer any of them, if they are logical or scientific or religious. Because, No.1 I'm pathetic in VIVA-VOICE (;-)
No.2.I didn't do any research. I just spoke my heart out...Again..On impulse! So spare me! I wouldn't mind discussing the issue though..!!!
Now for some excitement : Post blog contest :
Q: The number of times the blogger has used the expression "in the name of God" . ..
Correct answers to be posted in the comments section. Exciting gifts waiting! Hurry!!!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D hahahahhahahhahaha!
Thank You!
May "MY GOD ;) " Bless You All !! :-)
My interpretations - about Religion, God, Faith, Life and things of least importance to many.
I sat down to think about the very reason behind the emergence of religions, the concept of God. I have given this so much thought that I've started viewing things in unanimity. My theory might be far from Science,Logic or whatever. But I'm just taking liberty to blog what my mind conceives. Stepping out the door, there are so many things we see. So many things we don't see as well. I tried this at a crowded bus stop. I observed people and there was a real conflict of emotions, unspoken, but very daring, staring right at you! I was just contemplating, what was running through their minds. And, I just wondered, it would have been a difficult task, for God to create so many lives and bring in some form of unity between them, just to maintain harmony in the world. That's when I feel, religion was born. (*Tadaaa!!* *AVM* bgm)...Let's take an example of a school. There may be 1000 or more kids, all of different shapes and sizes., coming in several packages. A uniform however brings in some bond, just to channelize them and mould them into a single unit. In the same way, religions were born, to channelize people. To take them through one path of wisdom. To me, religions are just different interpretations of God. God is one, but God is interpreted in different ways. It is just that, someone took the lead, and followed one of God's interpretations. People who believed, followed suit. And hence, we had a group of people, organized and united, in the "name of God", and thus a new religion was born. When this happened all over the world, different people started believing in different ways. Thus based on the geography of the area, a few miracles and lot more blessings, considered as gifts from God, the world became united in the name of God, but still fragmented, in the name of Religion. All this is just my thoughts, ideas, and expressions. You are all entitled to your opinions, as I am.
My God is Human :
A weird comparison?? I take an example of one human being(Man) and I thought I'd relate this one person to all the religions (actually 3 main ones I'm well aware of). Here's what I came up with...
A human is more a human because he has - a heart which beats and thus prolongs his life: a brain - which controls his actions, enforcing a discipline into his body: the other important organs and limbs - that help in his perception, survival and sustaining the quality of him being a human. Taking all this into consideration, here's my interpretations (Supposed to be the actual "matter" content of part two :D :D As usual, I just got carried away! ;P )
Human Body :
The Heart - Christianity :
Only a heart can undergo all sufferings and pain , but still forgive the cause of the pain. Talk of heart-aches, or heart-breaks..I leave it to your judgment. But just, for this one quality , I thought the Heart can be related to Christianity.
The Brain - Islam :
The brain is the so(u)l(e) controller of the entire body, and it has a role in all our actions. I know a few friends who come from this religion. I've always admired them for their discipline and almost all of them, had a driving force to entrust complete faith in "their" interpretation of God.
The Others - Hinduism :
I am a Hindu, though I like to be referred to as a Theist than being categorized as a Hindu. Unity in diversity - Hinduism stands as an example to it. Just like all the different organs, limbs, which all function for one purpose - to give life to the human. With its diversity, each with a different purpose, different classifications and hence, several interpretations of "My God", Hinduism forms a large family to panegyrize the several forms of my one God.
Conclusion [ *Atlast* Applause please] : "My God is Human "!!
UPDATE : As on 9/10/08 :
An alternative to Hinduism - The Mind. I would like to quote here, Niranjan who was kind enough to suggest an alternative, with a reasonable explanation :) [In the Comments section]
" Let us call Hinduism , "The Mind". Now the mind is not the heart, nor is it the brain (the former is a blood pump and the latter is the is an integrated circuit with a lot of logic gates and FPGA's ). It's there in us, but not in any apparently physical form. It is interpreted by various people in various ways but one, and all agree it is what makes mankind what it is "
Though I din't get the part about FPGA's and Logic Gates, I agree to this interpretation. If any of you have any other alternatives, post them in the comments section. You can relate it to any of the religions. I will try and update here, as much as possible. Thank you!
There ends My interpretations - about Religion, God, Faith, Life and things of least importance to many. (no worries, I'm not typing "to be continued"... :O .... oh oh!even though I've typed it ;) I dint mean it!) ;P :P :P So chillax! (;-) )
Note : (Just in case you didn't notice ;-) Making sure, you scroll back and notice !:D )
I haven't genderized God in any statement. I don't like to genderize God . I 'm against the term "goddess" too. I strongly believe that God can be a male, female, or both or even "it"! I guess, its the perceptibility that counts. I perceive God as God and there's no He, She, or It...I find nothing wrong about the way things are going on in this world. About the way the religion is perceived. About the religious rites, sometimes followed by "riots". All in the name of God....Well...If only people can hear God screaming and asking them to stop!....Who said this - "The Gods Don't Mind ...but "They" DO! " They referring to all those caught up in beliefs in taking out peoples lives , (not) again (!), in the "name" of God. They referring to all those who lead lives to bestow massive destruction upon a group people, again with God as an excuse....
And yeah..! by the way...I said it! ;) :) ;-)
Go on and post comments. But please don't ask me anything. I cannot answer any of them, if they are logical or scientific or religious. Because, No.1 I'm pathetic in VIVA-VOICE (;-)
No.2.I didn't do any research. I just spoke my heart out...Again..On impulse! So spare me! I wouldn't mind discussing the issue though..!!!
Now for some excitement : Post blog contest :
Q: The number of times the blogger has used the expression "in the name of God" . ..
Correct answers to be posted in the comments section. Exciting gifts waiting! Hurry!!!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D hahahahhahahhahaha!
Thank You!
May "MY GOD ;) " Bless You All !! :-)
12 comments:
God, Im getting sick n tired of commenting!! i hv only one thing 2 say always!! How do u manage to make even a serious topic humorous?,,God's gift i think...
Though my perceptions differ,I really enjoyed reading this piece.
Good work Somsie:).Thank God U finally got around to writng part two;)
ur interpretations are really good..dat to abt de gender,..somethin dats unnoticed..i'm for it..well all dat i know abt GOd is..He loves us and care for us..i feel u shd concentrate more on.."IN DE NAME OF GOD"..riots..wat ppl think religion is all abt..establishing themselves..do some work on it sowmi..ul come out gr8..good job:)..i like dat AVM background:D:D..and abt de blog contest..i think u've used only once.."in de name of God"..wen ul be anouncin de results:D:D:D:D:..good work sowmi:)
Awesome write up. I really think this post is much more serious and matured from the previous posts. The flow of language was really good. I liked the example of the school uniform thing. Its apt for the religion thingy which u have explained further. Lovely write up... n further down I enjoyed reading the line "GODS don't mind ..but they do".... The big punch!! I will never forget this!!U ROCK!:)
am too lazy to count... forgive me :D :D
Very interesting read. I'd say the flow is very good. I don't know if I can comment on the subject matter, but the mechanics of the language is good.. Keep the good work up!!
As you rightly stated, God is an interpretative entity and everyone is free to choose what fits them best. I am glad that you have chosen your interpretation and expressed it succinctly.
Kudos to your overall style of writing, it keeps improving all the time and we might have a lady Coelho in the making !
Now, for the critique ;)
I am wondering how Hinduism got relegated to "others" as if it was a miscellaneous entity in the sea of religions; when Christianity and Islam seem to have found their due place.
Hinduism is probably the most difficult and consequentially the most misunderstood concept. First, it's convenient to call Hinduism a religion when it actually is not. The Vedas (scriptures) are quite clear on this topic, they don't talk about a specific form or way to reach God at all. The appendages viz. puranas, shastras and epics talk of multiple ways to reach God.
Religion, by definition is general agreement on a way to reach god and it has almost nothing to do with methods of worship, most of which were invented to suit the people of that time. Islam and Christianity are staunch and agree on only "one true way" to reach God.
Hinduism is more loose in its edicts. It leaves a lot to imagination and interpretation than declaring "one true way". Hinduism is a "way of life", certain foundational principles which help us understand ourselves and the world around us better. It is akin to the First principles or the Newtonian Laws in Physics, its usefulness is apparent but not fully appreciated.
Not many understand that most of modern Physics is based on these basic laws. Hinduism is in a similar situation, it laid the foundation to ideas behind almost every religion and yet ends up relegated to "others".
Now, let me make this clear. I am not critiquing other religions, they have identified "one true ways" and have got it right as well. It's just that Hinduism ends up misunderstood because it is either too vast or too elite or too flexible. I would recommend that you read "Arthamulla Hindu Madham" written by Kannadasan to get a better perspective of what I am talking about. There are English translations available as well, though I would recommend the Tamil original.
to be continued ...
Contd ...
As you rightly stated, it is very difficult to characterize God. Giving God a human form is a mere convenience that helps us concentrate on an image, to meditate upon it, to relate to it, to feel that God being human-like will also need to eat and would prefer all the goodies we do (naivedhyam).
Theism is when you don't believe in any supreme power above us and resort to "false until proven otherwise" tactics. I think you are a monetheist since you do seem to believe in one God though you wouldn't like to attribute any form or function to that God.
One final thought, God is not an entity according to me. It's a concept, an idea. Something that will make people conform to certain social practices and unify them in certain ways. Let us leave discussions on who made everything we know and who put order amidst chaos and who put in so much wonder in something as basic as creation (creation of life).
But sometimes, coming to think of how everything in this universe seems to be so well balanced, how the "golden mean" has been achieved in so many disparate pieces, it almost seems suggestive that there is some entity with more intelligence and understanding of all creation than we do. I choose to call this entity God, you are free to call it Einstein or any other fancy term you can cook up ;)
To sum up in Yoda's words
"A lot of promise, I see"
"Go places, you will"
"Sharp your mind is but not still".
Keep thinking ! Keep blogging !
@ DP,Disney,Shara,Mythreya : ThAnk You! :)
@Niranjan : I humbly agree to whatever you've stated in the comment section.I think I have to justify the reason why I chose Hinduism n categorized it under Others... Well...You yourself have said that the religion is vast.And its has more scope for imagination than the rest. Think about it..I don't think "others" should be demeaned. We do worship various forms of the One God. You can't deny it. And..imagine what it would be. if any of the "others" are missing..Life wouldn't be the same, would it? Do you think you can become a complete human, without any of those collective organs and limbs adding to life? Logically speaking, Missing a heart, will result in death.No brain, then you'll be brain dead. All this will be quick n cause definitely lesser physical pain,than those caused when You miss "THE OTHERS~" I agree to your justification of the religion.But I refuse to agree with your view that Hinduism hasn't got its own place. I would be happy if you could suggest an alternative to it (Make sure you link it to a Human Body) And another thing you said was "It's a concept, an idea. Something that will make people conform to certain social practices and unify them in certain ways" - High fives~~!!!
I agree to the Universal balance,the divine entity...And YOda's words..!!*thank you!*
I'll definitely try that book by Kannadasan.(if you think that will answer my questions, I'll definitely try it..:) )
Anyway..Thanks for the comment Niranjan...:) I've learnt a lot through it...:) thank you..!
Let us call Hinduism "The Mind". Now, the mind is not the heart nor is it the brain (the former is a blood pump and the latter is an integrated circuit with a lot of logic gates and FPGA's). It's there in us but not in any apparently physical form. It is interpreted by various people in various ways but one and all agree it is what makes mankind what it is. Makes sense ? ;)
As always, we can agree to disagree if that fits you best. cheers !
Makes a lot of sense! :) :) I agree!!! :)
Whoa !! Great post yaar!! But 2 things:
There's something for which I really admire the Supreme Power - for providing a reasonably fair playground for atheism and other nihilistic approaches (was really expecting that point somewhere in your post yaar).
Throughout your post, you seem to presume that God ought to be given a form (A Homo sapien in your case). I somehow feel, God is more abstract than that. God is a notion and the illusion, the existent, the non-existent and all the interjacent transformations. Come to think of it, we can at least give the Super Power that freedom. May be in a more fallibilistic sense even ’God Simply is.’ (THAT should definitely ring a bell!!)
But hey, that’s just an opinion. By the way, I had been going through numerous passages of this debatable kind, of late. Yours was one of the very few with a blend of humour in them. I guess you took some pains to ensure that it doesn’t bring down the quality of the content. Cheers :-)
Hey sindhu...Thank you! Well...the reason I chose the comparison to a homo sapien is because, to me, despite the supreme power and all that,I view God as my friend. I don't pray with respect but with adoration..Like how You would talk to your friend..And hence, if God were to be a human, this is how my interpretation would be.. And for the second thing, about scope for atheism and nihilistic approaches, I agree to the fact that I've never given it much thought.You do have a point ! :)
And yea..God simply is..! (RINGS A BELL...LOUD N CLEAR - love simply is!) :) :) :) :)!!!!!
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