Everyone knows the anecdote of five blind men, who were asked to
describe an elephant. But aren’t we all blinded by our ignorance at some degree
or another. Hence it would be hypocritical to call someone blind just because
of sensory disability. So I would like to change the beginning of the story.
Let’s say five men who had never seen an elephant were asked to describe an
elephant kept in utter darkness.
Each one of them groped various parts of elephant in dark and gave
their opinion as they perceived. None of them matched. But they were all
correct from their point of view. Some said elephant is rubbery long limb. Some
said it is a giant pillar. One of them passed in between the legs without
touching elephant and hence concluded there is no such thing as elephant. It's
just figment of imagination.
Are we any different from these men when we talk about god? We are
all slaves of our senses trying to describe the magnanimity of god which is
beyond senses yet it resides in heart of everyone. What believers perceive as
god, atheists perceive as super-consciousness of mind.
From our cave dwelling days to the current age of space
exploration mankind has fought with members of his own species in the name of
holy land, religion, and god -- The genocides to convert from one religion to
another, the massacres to build temples, mosques, churches and synagogues. We
fight for a god we haven’t even seen, yet we fail to acknowledge the god that
resides in each one of us.
Unless we start respecting and loving each other as most people do
to their gods, deities and set of beliefs. There could never be a spiritual
progress.
What I find sad is that people with luxury of having decent food,
shelter and clothes are talking adamantly about god, religion and holy lands
that they are forgetting millions of sons and daughters of god who are
dying of starvation around the world.
Our unfortunate brothers and sisters, children of god, our
countrymen struggling to survive... they are dying! And along with them god
inside them is suffering. He is waiting for people with advantage to stop the
hypocrisy over religion and actually lend a hand to help them nourish, to lead
better life, to accomplish freedom from their sufferings and finally attain enlightenment.
Isn't that the gist of all religious books?
