Walt Whitman longed to be
an animal. “They are so placid and
self-contain’d,” he argued. He found a
lot of qualities that make animals superior to human beings.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania
of owning things,
Not one kneels to another…
 |
| Walt Whitman |
Poetry is not to be taken
literally. Whitman was not glorifying
animals really. He was just using them
to highlight our own pathetic condition.
Whitman’s original religion, Christianity, laid much emphasis on man’s
sinfulness. Christianity believes that
man is an evil creature unless redeemed by Jesus Christ. Christianity instils a terrible sense of
sinfulness in the soul of the believers.
So ‘good’ Christians are condemned “to lie awake in the dark and weep
for their sins.”
But all that weeping has
produced no visible effect on the human soul.
That’s the real problem. If
people really felt sorry for their sins, they would liberate themselves from
the sins. What’s the use if you beat
your chest any number of times before your god and then come out and beat the
hell out of other people? Such religion
is absolutely meaningless. That’s why it
made Whitman sick.
Whitman lived in the 19th
century. The situation has only become
worse after his death. What people do in
the name of religion today is far more disgusting than in Whitman’s time. Any thinking man is left wondering why people
still continue to put their trust in god(s) and yet remain worse than animals
at heart.
Religion is essentially sugar cubes which are loved by donkeys so much. The fact that people in Christianity are considered as sinners makes me puke my iota of sensibility left inside after looking at such self derogatory tragedy. That's why people with some intelligence and courage are moving away from conventional religion gradually. Do you think people would eventually accept critical thinking as the alternative?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't foresee critical thinking emerging as an alternative at all. As I wrote earlier majority of people are mediocre and critical thinking is out of their intellectual capacities. Religion is the right thing for them as far as intellectual potential is concerned.
DeleteHumans have used their brain too much for the 'supposed' betterment of 'others'.
ReplyDeleteYes and they continue to do the same. See what's happening in India now.
DeleteBy the way, I'm happy to see you back here after a long time.