21 Aug 2004, 9:32am
When God holds no meaning...
Posted by Script Writer | Category [ General ]Comments (20) | Trackbacks (0)
Tonight, I helped an old woman cross the road. And, though I did have that glow of 'doing your good deed for the day' for a while it quickly faded and I was overcome by a different kind of emotion.
Why do people have to grow old? Why can't they just decide to die someday without going through the misery of old age? Is old age life's way of handing back to us what we gave others during those moments of youthful indiscretion?
Every once in a while when I decide to do the grocery, I see old couples walking down the street carrying a few bags in their old wrinkled hands that contain the provisions that would get them through the week. Their children are probably sitting comfortably in their plush apartments somewhere in New York or Seattle oblivious to what their parents have to go through just to make sure that food gets to their table.
Is it what I will go through once I get... I can't even get myself to say the 'O-L-D' word. It is too scary a thought that someday it will be my turn. I will be that man who has to walk the road everyday to buy provisions because he is too weak to carry a month's supply. Someday it will be I who has to seek help to cross the road. Someday these legs would be too old to walk a mile and the hands too old to hold a cup of tea. Someday I would die. That would be deliverance. But, why do I have to go through suffering before that?
I do not believe in the doctrine of karma that says people only get what they deserve. What is the fault of an infant born into a family so poor and undernourished that his mother is not strong enough to be able to breast feed him? However bad his karma might have been does it really justify his not getting food, the basic right of every animal on this planet?
May be it is not. May be it is just God's way of pleasing his sick ego that he is all pervading and powerful. May be that is how he gets his kicks by playing with us. May be God himself is not so perfect after all. May be all the praises that we sing for him are overrated. May be he is the devil's alter ego. Who knows?
But, what I do know for certain is that a person so infinitely capable of compassion as he is made out to be is not capable of causing hurt and sufferring. So, may be I am right. He is, for all that he wants us to think, just a slob like one of us. Or may be he is us. All of us, manifested into one supreme being having great power and, along with it, great chances of abusing that power.
That hurts. We all know that evil is supposed to do, well, evil. But is God not supposed to thwart all its schemes? Is that not the very purpose of his being? Then why is he not fulfilling that purpose? Perhaps he is just a conniving heartless soul. If all people were happy and content, would he not be out of business? Then how does he differ from Microsoft?
The truth is, he doesn't.
Current Mood: Gloomy
Current Music: Nothing... just pent up frustration
Why do people have to grow old? Why can't they just decide to die someday without going through the misery of old age? Is old age life's way of handing back to us what we gave others during those moments of youthful indiscretion?
Every once in a while when I decide to do the grocery, I see old couples walking down the street carrying a few bags in their old wrinkled hands that contain the provisions that would get them through the week. Their children are probably sitting comfortably in their plush apartments somewhere in New York or Seattle oblivious to what their parents have to go through just to make sure that food gets to their table.
Is it what I will go through once I get... I can't even get myself to say the 'O-L-D' word. It is too scary a thought that someday it will be my turn. I will be that man who has to walk the road everyday to buy provisions because he is too weak to carry a month's supply. Someday it will be I who has to seek help to cross the road. Someday these legs would be too old to walk a mile and the hands too old to hold a cup of tea. Someday I would die. That would be deliverance. But, why do I have to go through suffering before that?
I do not believe in the doctrine of karma that says people only get what they deserve. What is the fault of an infant born into a family so poor and undernourished that his mother is not strong enough to be able to breast feed him? However bad his karma might have been does it really justify his not getting food, the basic right of every animal on this planet?
May be it is not. May be it is just God's way of pleasing his sick ego that he is all pervading and powerful. May be that is how he gets his kicks by playing with us. May be God himself is not so perfect after all. May be all the praises that we sing for him are overrated. May be he is the devil's alter ego. Who knows?
But, what I do know for certain is that a person so infinitely capable of compassion as he is made out to be is not capable of causing hurt and sufferring. So, may be I am right. He is, for all that he wants us to think, just a slob like one of us. Or may be he is us. All of us, manifested into one supreme being having great power and, along with it, great chances of abusing that power.
That hurts. We all know that evil is supposed to do, well, evil. But is God not supposed to thwart all its schemes? Is that not the very purpose of his being? Then why is he not fulfilling that purpose? Perhaps he is just a conniving heartless soul. If all people were happy and content, would he not be out of business? Then how does he differ from Microsoft?
The truth is, he doesn't.
Current Mood: Gloomy
Current Music: Nothing... just pent up frustration
21 Aug 2004, 10:04am
It is we who define god.One appreciates him saying he has given me life...another says he hasn't given me enough life to live...or gives me a painful death...Its all my perception...I strongly believe in god only when science can't answer because i dont have any other option...Man is created with some default settings like microsoft...ofcourse life is full of bugs...Not quality assured.Bug fixing is part of our job...You want to die then no body is stopping...if you want to live nobody stops you...it is your own perception and belief of god..Death is inevitable -why should we care if you live and die with your wish..Old age should not be a problem if you have well defined definition for it..It is you who give birth to kids and always EXPECT the ROI ??why depend on your children..its their wish to look after old...Always have a backup plan for it...Life will be great....
LIVE when you are ALIVE....
Your blog is great buddy love to read it...Thanks:-)
21 Aug 2004, 9:09pm
Sandeep, at the outset let me thank you for the compliments.
This post, as does any other post on my blog, is just an opinion of mine about something. It does not necessarily mean that it is right or wrong. The same holds in your case, too. This diversity is what makes us truly grow.
Having said that, I do respect your point of view, even though it is in disagreement with mine.
21 Aug 2004, 10:36pm
Will agree with Sandeep about the 'greatness' of the blog :) This post is especially good (wudnt include the one about the 'wonder fluid' though, for obvious reasons).
Read somewhere that God is man's greatest invention. From that persepective, it may appear pointless to complain about His shortcomings.
22 Aug 2004, 12:42am
Thank you JLU.
Yes, I agree that God is man's greatest invention. That is why his actions become a little difficult to explain. Could we, as a species, not have invented a better role model? :)
23 Aug 2004, 12:14am
Yeah, old age is gonna be hard, but there has to be something about growing old with the person u r in love with. I guess, surviving is the name of the game anyway, right?
23 Aug 2004, 10:22am
Not 'greatest invention' - 'biggest mistake'.
That's how the statement goes. The idea that God is great would never allow for God to be an 'invention'.
23 Aug 2004, 10:41am
Neurotron, I found your statements factually inconsistent. Why can't God be considered great and an invention at the same time? Do you mean to say that no invention is great?
However, I do agree that the notion of God can only be just that - a notion, and a false one at that.
25 Aug 2004, 8:49pm
great read, i must say. rather thought provoking.
26 Aug 2004, 12:38am
Thank you, Stupendous Man.
26 Aug 2004, 12:04pm
Alright, I will go into this, for once.
God, as a concept, is an individual/power above ordinary mortals. The idea that 'God' had an inventor implies the inventor, here human, is above, and greater than, 'God'. This defeats the purpose of a 'higher' power. If the 'God-invention of man' idea is assumed to be true, then Man, as the inventor, becomes superior to God, a Creator of 'God' if you like. Which renders the concept of 'God' unnecessary, making the statement, and the argument, redundant.
I never said an invention cannot be great. Just that 'God', by conventional definition, cannot be an 'invention'.
Thank you and goodnight. :-)
26 Aug 2004, 2:33pm
Neurotron, that was a wonderful explanation. Thank you.
*is overwhelmed*
1 Sep 2004, 12:34pm
God doesn't exist. He told me so.
2 Sep 2004, 8:34pm
Am really in no mood to say how stale that one by Kenny was. No offence meant. :)
2 Sep 2004, 9:43pm
I'm in the mood to say how stale that one by Kenny was. Kenny, that was stale. No offence meant. :)
3 Sep 2004, 11:09am
Huh? Aran? Huh?
3 Sep 2004, 10:58pm
No Scripto. Go back to sleep. Nothing for you. :p
27 Sep 2004, 3:22pm
Alright. I don't believe I've ever done this before...
It's been a while, dude. Write. :-)
8 Oct 2004, 3:59am
Where art thou?
11 Oct 2004, 5:27pm
Nice read; as were the others.
18 Oct 2004, 7:01pm
Knock Knock!