God, Fate And Nepal Catastrophe
"Do not bring in god and fate to every discussion
Look within and realise what was your mission"
-Persian mystic Hakim Sanai
We all know what happened in Nepal on August 26. Flash floods drastically altered the whole landscape of the tiny Himalayan nation and wreaked unprecedented havoc. Countless people, many of them being pilgrims, lost their lives. In this utter mayhem, you may have come across innumerable instances in which survivors are seen thanking their respective god, gods, deities and fate for their survival. Do we ever think that when one's miraculously saved in such a huge disaster, thanks to his god or goddess, why didn't the same egalitarian and benevolent god save the lives of other innocent people?
Alexander Pope wrote, " Who sees with equal eye, as god of all/A hero perish or a sparrow fall/Atoms and systems into ruin hurl'd/And now a bubble burst, and now a world?"
For thousands of years, humans have believed that disasters and catastrophes are caused by some divine agency or power up there in heaven who saves and slays people at will. This is a fatalist belief that has a false psychological cushion effect on humans. When we believe that it's all god's Lila (game), we shrug off our combined and collective responsibility to save precious human lives and the planet earth. When god is the (G)enerator, (O)perator and (D)estroyer, why should we care for the upkeep of planet earth? God will take care. This abject resignation to god and fate makes us so inert and sluggish.
Anthropologists and neurologists have begun to believe that our belief in god, fate and stars prevents us from acting in a proactive manner. On the other hand, those who don't have any faith in god, stars, prayers and intangible phenomena, remain grounded and alert.
The point is having a clear vision and conscience that man has to help his fellow humans during such cataclysmic episodes that jolt humanity. The acute awareness that no higher power does this, nor does it save mankind from these epochal events, helps us shelve god and fate for the time being. To quote Abdul Hamid 'Adam', "Hai tujh se bhi laachaar tera Khuda" — your god is even more helpless and hapless than you! Humans need to minimise their unflinching belief in god; better and saner, if we altogether reject it.
Faith often makes us foolishly bold and valiant. We tend to ignore the worldly signs and insinuations that the clouds of danger are looming large and some disaster is afoot. It's a known fact that rains are particularly intense in Nepal till mid-September. Undertaking a risky pilgrimage to the treacherous Kailash mountain during the heavy rains must be avoided. Yet, people went there, assured and reassured that God would save them. Fate or destiny is a human concoction; it has actually no hold over humans.
It's, therefore, time for all of us to think of the futility of such visits to the so-called 'holy' places. When it's in your capacity to save yourself and others, pay heed. Your intuition or warning is the voice of god. Listen to that. Stop attributing everything to god and fate and become a human full of rationality. Even if you reject atheism, you can still believe in god albeit with a ring of reason and prudence.
Authored by: Sumit Paul
Look within and realise what was your mission"
-Persian mystic Hakim Sanai
We all know what happened in Nepal on August 26. Flash floods drastically altered the whole landscape of the tiny Himalayan nation and wreaked unprecedented havoc. Countless people, many of them being pilgrims, lost their lives. In this utter mayhem, you may have come across innumerable instances in which survivors are seen thanking their respective god, gods, deities and fate for their survival. Do we ever think that when one's miraculously saved in such a huge disaster, thanks to his god or goddess, why didn't the same egalitarian and benevolent god save the lives of other innocent people?
Alexander Pope wrote, " Who sees with equal eye, as god of all/A hero perish or a sparrow fall/Atoms and systems into ruin hurl'd/And now a bubble burst, and now a world?"
For thousands of years, humans have believed that disasters and catastrophes are caused by some divine agency or power up there in heaven who saves and slays people at will. This is a fatalist belief that has a false psychological cushion effect on humans. When we believe that it's all god's Lila (game), we shrug off our combined and collective responsibility to save precious human lives and the planet earth. When god is the (G)enerator, (O)perator and (D)estroyer, why should we care for the upkeep of planet earth? God will take care. This abject resignation to god and fate makes us so inert and sluggish.
Anthropologists and neurologists have begun to believe that our belief in god, fate and stars prevents us from acting in a proactive manner. On the other hand, those who don't have any faith in god, stars, prayers and intangible phenomena, remain grounded and alert.
The point is having a clear vision and conscience that man has to help his fellow humans during such cataclysmic episodes that jolt humanity. The acute awareness that no higher power does this, nor does it save mankind from these epochal events, helps us shelve god and fate for the time being. To quote Abdul Hamid 'Adam', "Hai tujh se bhi laachaar tera Khuda" — your god is even more helpless and hapless than you! Humans need to minimise their unflinching belief in god; better and saner, if we altogether reject it.
Faith often makes us foolishly bold and valiant. We tend to ignore the worldly signs and insinuations that the clouds of danger are looming large and some disaster is afoot. It's a known fact that rains are particularly intense in Nepal till mid-September. Undertaking a risky pilgrimage to the treacherous Kailash mountain during the heavy rains must be avoided. Yet, people went there, assured and reassured that God would save them. Fate or destiny is a human concoction; it has actually no hold over humans.
It's, therefore, time for all of us to think of the futility of such visits to the so-called 'holy' places. When it's in your capacity to save yourself and others, pay heed. Your intuition or warning is the voice of god. Listen to that. Stop attributing everything to god and fate and become a human full of rationality. Even if you reject atheism, you can still believe in god albeit with a ring of reason and prudence.
Authored by: Sumit Paul
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