Our mother will be heartbroken to see at least two of her children grow up to be such good little iconoclasts. Well Mum, it's all your fault. Appears you didn't raise us right.
First of all, you forgot to mention one other normative philosophy - " I'll learn to live with other people's normative philosophies".
The hardest bit of practising any religion is to look at another religion diametrically opposite to yours and understand why the twit insists on adhering to it. Oh, and also knowing that the twit has the audacity to think that YOU'RE the twit, and pity him for his idiocy. There's a very thin line that divides unwavering faith and plain fanaticism (and I'm not sure that they're all that different). But the difficult part is understanding it. Not accepting it, mind you.
What is religion? It's trying to explain why certain things happen, to people you love, to yourself. For most people it would be devastating to know that that's it. There's nothing beyond here and now. That they're a meaningless speck in a big cosmic mess which is never going to make sense or give their existence any worthiness.To quote somebody who wrote a Law article (I'm stuffed with them, and sick of it)- "I have immortal longings in me". Religion gives people a way out.
Think about it. All religions keep stressing on that bit - nirvana, salvation, judgement day. It helps people believe that they really matter, that they're not forgotten. Gobbledegook. If I were God, I'd be pissed too.
2 comments:
Sougata (also for your sister):
Religion = Spirituality + Societal BS
It is the societal BS part that makes the religion so fanatical. If we were content to remain at the spiritual level.. then secularism will be instantly achieved and be irrelevant at once!
I have been trying to explore some of these questions myself in my blogs: http://www.deshkapoor.org/archives/personal/desh_wisdom/index.htm and also on www.innerguru.org.
If you get a chance do read Vasistha's Yoga by Swami Venkatesananda - Your own "Religion" will be clearer.. but read it AFTER you have read "The Awakening of Intelligence" By J Krishnamurti!
its an interesting search for answers where we are in a circular loop... Truth cannot be found except when we get help from someone who knows the "truth".. but HOW do you know someone "knows" the "Truth" when YOU couldn't even separate Truth from Untruth if they were standing RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!??
cheers,
desh
www.deshkapoor.org
Desh,
Thanks for your comments (and the pointers). I will look into the items of literature you mentioned soon, and in that order.
Best,
Sougata.
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