“The goal of life is to
make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with
Nature,” declared Joseph Campbell, illustrious mythologist. Myths, rituals, and prayers help in making
our heartbeats match the beat of the universe.
It’s about the harmony
between oneself and the world outside.
It’s about discovering the meaning of that world in spite of its apparent harshness, absurdity,
and terror. It’s about discovering the
harmony between the self and the universe.
Literature has helped me
much in the process of discovering that harmony. Any good work of literature makes me probe the
defences I have erected against painful truths about me as well as the world
outside me. Good literature chips away
those defences. Truth is revealed
through a alchemical process. Good
literature also has the potential to heal the ruptures caused by the chipping
away of the facile inner illusions and self-delusions. Good literature takes the reader beyond his “intellectual
games and ego-preserving strategies,” to use Rollo May’s phrase.
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| Source: Here |
What literature does for
me, religion may do for many others. That’s
why I don’t question people’s faith.
Religious rituals, superstitious as they appear to a rationalist, have
many psychological functions to fulfil. The sacred thread given by the priest
at the temple and attached to the bike may not have any power to save the rider
from accidents as far as science and logic are concerned. But the faith of the rider in that piece of
string has magical powers. Magic lies in
the heart of the believer. Magic lies in
his faith.
I am unable to accept
religion and its rituals simply because they don’t resonate with my
heartbeat. In fact, my heartbeat goes
berserk when I’m faced with religion most of the time. I endure the agony of dissonant beats because
of circumstances. I’m a hypocrite to the
extent I endure that agony. I pretend to
the society around me that I’m religious so that I don’t hurt their sentiments.
I wish the religious
people possessed the same magnanimity.
The magnanimity to respect other people’s beliefs or lack of them, other
people’s practices however stupid they may appear to an observer. The problem with religion is the lack of that
magnanimity among believers.
That is because, I think,
for most people religion stops at being that magical thread on the bike or some
such miraculous symbol and nothing deeper, nothing that has touched the core of
their hearts making the beats resonate with those of the universe.
PS. Written for Indispire Edition 115 #rituals which asked the question:
“We Indians give too much importance to rituals...visiting a temple on a
particular day , fasting for religious reasons...are these relevant in this age
? or they are just a solace to fight our fears and insecurities ?” [Maya Varde]
I was nodding throughout the post. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it agreeable.
Deleteit is the tuft of hope that hangs on to you whilst you struggle to saty alive from the edge of the cliff!
ReplyDeleteFor many that's true. Hope is what sustains people and religion is very effective in nurturing hope. I rely more on reason. I use reason even to fight my pessimism and deep-rooted cynicism.
DeleteI prefer literature to organised religion. However, I wouldn't mind some quiet time with prayer also. We all want hope. We all want to know its going to be Okay. We all want to figure it out. But when religion becomes a business and rituals becomes its marketing tools and its eligibility criteria, then its starts getting a bit irritating. Maybe people feel they need to earn their blessings and doing a ritual as prescribed by the 'religious order' is just the thing.
ReplyDeletePrayer can work psychological wonders. I don't disagree. What if there's no God as long as our belief is working well for us? After all, the only good thing gods can do is to help us with this stupid life here on the earth. :)
DeleteUnfortunately even gods have been converted into good business. Bad business, if you like to see it that way. Gods are running educational institutions today - I mean their people are doing it. In the same way, gods are running hospitals, art of living, counselling, and what not. Religion is a big comedy or tragedy depending on your outlook.
I spent a good amount of my adult life being a spectator of various religious rituals without believing in any of them. I thought... If it makes my dear ones happy I am happy to play along, but now I am past that phase too :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are fortunate. There are many who are caught in a web woven by the society and relatives...
DeleteTotally agreed! During tough times, I've always sought solace in literature! I'd always prefer a Hermann Hesse novel over a prayer!
ReplyDeleteHappy to come across another Hesse fan, though my all-time favourites are Dostoevsky, Kafka, Camus, and Kazantzakis. Still 'Siddhartha' remains top in my list as does 'Narcissus and Goldmund.'
DeleteAh.....how I have agreed with you on this. Literature has been to me that light at the end of a dark tunnel. Religion has hardly helped. But it i okay if people around me differ from my beliefs. I have problem when those beliefs make one superstitious and sorry to use the loaded word here -'intolerant'.
ReplyDeleteSuperstition is understandable because it goes with ignorance and helplessness. Gods are particularly useful for such people! Intolerance is terrible because it has nothing to do with genuine religion. In fact, the intolerant are using religion as a political tool. It has happened throughout history.
DeleteAgreeable quite a lot......
ReplyDeleteGlad :)
Delete