THE OTHER SIDE OF RELIGION

The Other Side of Religion

The Roman Empire is known for slavery, brutality, ethnic cleansing, and violence and yet is considered the most powerful one. Does it mean that the poor and downtrodden have no choice but to turn to religion? This is prompted by the following lines in Quora Digest. 

“There is the reason why Christianity was popular among slaves and the poor because it gave them something no other religion did and that is compassion and hope for the better future be it in this life or the afterlife.”

An answer in Quora on Roman Empire.

As I know, our scriptures tell us so. Karma of this life will be rewarded in the next life. A vast majority of poor people believe in that and get exploited by the preachers who can in no way be called poor. This is like hanging a carrot at a viewing distance or hanging green grass with a stick on the neck of the camel, as a motivator to run as fast as possible and eat it, which never happens. 

One has to observe the huge crowds our God-men and God-women attract. Most of them are brought their all-expense-paid and free food. One has to watch the rush for reaching the food tables. Who are these Bhakti-the poor and downtrodden? Who brings them-the paid agents? Who benefits from them-the God-men and God-women?

These ‘preachers’ of Karma are used by politicians to further their own agenda to remain in power. Most politicians are corrupt and self-serving and nothing is expected of them for the betterment of the poor, except their votes. 

The answer seems to be to do your karma and make life comfortable and if possible luxurious as you wish in this life only because there may be no other life. Some compromises may have to be made in the process but everyone does. 

There is, however, one caveat. There sure is some Super Natural Power that controls and all your efforts may not lead to success. There will always be leaders and followers. 

WHOSE LIE IS NOT UNTRUTH?

Whose lie is not untruth? 

Gautama Buddha said:

“An untruth spoken by people under the influence of anger, excessive joy, fear, pain or grief, by infants, by very old men, by persons laboring under a delusion, being under the influence of drink, or by madmen, does not cause the speaker to fall, or, as we should say, is a venial, not a mortal sin.”

I can not vouch for it but if Max Muller has quoted it in one of his lectures, I am inclined to accept it.

It seems a lie can be spoken and condoned in almost any situation. 

On the other hand, in Mahabharata, Kaushik, a Satyavadi, saw men flying into the forest chased by robbers. The robbers asked him which way they had gone and he told the truth. Robbers caught the men and killed them. Kaushik went to hell for speaking the truth. 

A butcher chasing a cow asked a man which way it went and he misguided him by directing him to the opposite way. The man goes to heaven because he saved a cow. 

Hindu holy books give utmost importance to the truth. But in the same wave, truth is punished and the lie is rewarded. 

Today, it is difficult to say what is true in the first place. Each individual has his or her own truth. 

Having scanned the above truths, I am inclined to believe that there is no lie or it is difficult to prove a lie.

The reason is simple. There are people who can prove that earth is in the center of the universe. All it needs is cunningness and playing with facts. In fact, some of our leading lawyers are famous for taking cases of criminals who have committed crimes in daylight under the presence of several witnesses and videos. How come? By buying or threatening the witnesses, by proving the videos are doctored at el. 

So, what do we do? We know that there is the truth though we may not be in a position to prove it like, say, there is GOD. It is in there somewhere, maybe in some of the mysteries of the universe we have yet to uncover. 

Or, maybe there is neither truth nor untruth, two sides of the same coin. 

PLEASURE OF LIVING AS A TENANT

Pleasures of Living as a Tenant

Those of us who lived in rented houses for a considerable time and built our own house or purchased one, know the pleasure of living as a tenant. There was no botheration of taxes, repairs, and municipal laws. Not that there were no problems with the landlords but by and large it was a pleasure because we were free to change the landlord meaning thereby move to another house depending on our pockets and facilities provided by the landlord. It also gave us the freedom of accepting transfers with or without promotions and moving to another city. Owning a house restricted that choice. 

It is the same way, when you are a tenant of an ideology built by someone else, you enjoy it. It is sort of a rented ideology. You have taken it on rent, pay the rent in the form of raising slogans and flags of that ideology as desired, and move on. You have the choice of shifting to another ideology depending upon the concessions and promises given. This ideology may be cultural, social, or political. You have no contribution to the formation of this opinion. You have no botheration of maintaining and strengthening this ideology. You trust the opinion maker and follow it to the brink. Vast masses of people fall in this category. 

In hindsight, I think the soul in our body is also a tenant. It lives in our body but has no responsibility for repairing or maintaining it. That responsibility is of the owner of the body. As a tenant, the soul pays rent regularly in the form of guiding us from time to time. When the owner of the body fails to preserve its strength, the soul leaves and enters another body as a tenant. As long as it is in a body, it pays the rent and enjoys the pleasures of tenant life. 

ART OF DISAGREEING MEANINGFULLY

Art of Disagreeing Meaningfully.

The ‘agree to disagree’ adage has become stale currently. People have started using abusive language toward each other.  

Let us agree that our opinions and beliefs are based on knowledge currently in our possession and knowledge itself is limitless. We have learned more. 

We are living in our own echo chambers where everyone agrees with what others say. We have to take leave of these echo chambers and make friendships with different ideas. 

Our minds are clogged and no fresh air is entering. We have to 

empty clogged minds and let the fresh air fill them. 

IF I CAN'T, I CAN'T

IF I CAN’T, I CAN’T

Tired of listening  -be positive, stay positive, think positive, do positive, as if positiveness is the boat to attain Nirvana, take a seat and cross the Ganges.

During school days, we used to chirp- 

Aaj kare so kaal kar, kaal kare so parson,

Itni bhi jaldi kya hai jeena hai barson. 

(Postpone to tomorrow what you have to do today, and to the day after tomorrow what you have to do tomorrow,

What is the haste when you have years of life in hand)

There is the same worn-out teaching of elders at home - focus on studies, if you pass with good marks, you will get admission to a good college, if you pass out from a good college you will get a good job. Hey brother, how much more oil should I burn?  I am studying, if I do not get a good job, I can set up a pakoras cart!  

But NO, read diligently, negative thinking is not good, think positive. 

Every time the same useless taunts. See the goals your friends have achieved. I am not like them and they are not like me. Ramu is long in height and has a flexible body, he can jump 6 ft high. I can do only 3 ft but both land on the other side of the rope! 

But NO, try, you can do it, stay positive.

As soon as you get the job - warns the boss  -if you do not fulfill the target, do not come to the office. Then, with a pat on your back, it will happen, look at Gupta who crosses targets every month! Now how can I say that many of Gupta's relatives own medical shops and order only through him.  I work hard to get orders!

But NO,  stay positive.

Wife at home is no less crazy - Hey you lose courage quickly.  How can I tell that today is not the last? There will be another day and another day and days and days. Learn to live with what you have!

But NO, don't lose heart. Be positive.

God save these TV people - Keep preaching - Disabled sitting on the chair brought the Olympic medal, a woman with one artificial leg hoisted the flag on Everest, the tenth failed boy made an app and sold it in crores.  I can't climb stairs if the lift is not working!

But NO,  positivity can do wonders. 

I am different. I make people who know me happy with my failures. Is that not an achievement, making people happy at your cost? Great inventions were made after failing 1000 times. There is no harm in failing, harm is in making fun of failures. 

Cleverness is better than courage and positivity. It is clever to get others to do the work which you cannot do yourself.  Who can understand this better than Ambani and Adani?  Had they been doing all work themselves, they would be still digging pits!

Wisdom is not in what you have, it is in who paid for it!  Making others to pay bills in a five-star hotel is an art, not a positivity.

The people of the house do not get tired of reminding you of your mistakes. Just think and see, the number of unsuccessful people in the world is more than that of successful people?  But they will not believe as if I am alone in the world, worthless, negative. 

Every parent is worried about the future of their children.  But don't put pressure on the kids.  Don't compare.  Every child has some skill.  Recognize it or take the advice of an expert.

Positivism and negativity are twin sisters.  Put anyone in front, no one knows. People judge you by your shoes and clothes in that order.