Are we working for HIM ?
A thought came up in my mind when I heard Sarah Palin on TV yesterday. She said that what American soldiers are fighting for in Iraq or anywhere else was what God intended them to do...it was God's will that we are fulfilling. Several thoughts popped up in my mind after that. Think about it...if God wants us to kill each other then he probably doesn't want the human race to flourish. Can that be true? Its a very complex thought. And it gives me shivers.
Since the past couple of months I have read a few books (philosophical) and I have loved all of them. I am going to quote and refer the concepts in those books. "The Alchemist" says that everything in the universe speaks a universal language, all events are inter-related and each one of us has a role to play which was given to us by God. He will show you the signs so that you can achieve your destiny (your fortune) and all we have to do is understand that universal language and follow the signs. But the question here is can those signs lead us to something so evil? I cannot believe that God wants us to wage wars....its impossible. "Shantaram" has a very intersting concept which I will use to further justify my argument. He talks about the "tendency to complexity" of the universe....it is a concept in Physics. It means that everything in the universe has a tendency to getting more and more complex right from the big bang event. And it makes sense...if we think about it everything around us evolves into complex entities. So this is the physics part. Now he further develops on it and says that there is a ultimate complexity towards which we all are moving and that is what is called GOD. So how do you differentiate between something as evil or good? Its simple....whatever helps us reach that final complexity is good and whatever hinders that is evil. So killing people comes as being evil because God wants humans to evolve further into more complex beings and if we kill each other thats never going to happen. Cool thought eh? Yeah, I liked it too and that's what I first thought about when I heard Sarah Palin's comment. It might be true that we are all doing what God intends but can we make this argument when we are doing something evil and destroying what God himself created?
The more I think about it, the more I believe that evil things happen because we mis-interpret what God wanted us to do. We become self-absorbed and start speaking a different language than the universal language. We drift away from the path. Where is this going to lead us? Are we going to destroy ourselves before the earth decides to get rid of us? Or is that a punishment we desreve for spoiling HIS plan?!
Since the past couple of months I have read a few books (philosophical) and I have loved all of them. I am going to quote and refer the concepts in those books. "The Alchemist" says that everything in the universe speaks a universal language, all events are inter-related and each one of us has a role to play which was given to us by God. He will show you the signs so that you can achieve your destiny (your fortune) and all we have to do is understand that universal language and follow the signs. But the question here is can those signs lead us to something so evil? I cannot believe that God wants us to wage wars....its impossible. "Shantaram" has a very intersting concept which I will use to further justify my argument. He talks about the "tendency to complexity" of the universe....it is a concept in Physics. It means that everything in the universe has a tendency to getting more and more complex right from the big bang event. And it makes sense...if we think about it everything around us evolves into complex entities. So this is the physics part. Now he further develops on it and says that there is a ultimate complexity towards which we all are moving and that is what is called GOD. So how do you differentiate between something as evil or good? Its simple....whatever helps us reach that final complexity is good and whatever hinders that is evil. So killing people comes as being evil because God wants humans to evolve further into more complex beings and if we kill each other thats never going to happen. Cool thought eh? Yeah, I liked it too and that's what I first thought about when I heard Sarah Palin's comment. It might be true that we are all doing what God intends but can we make this argument when we are doing something evil and destroying what God himself created?
The more I think about it, the more I believe that evil things happen because we mis-interpret what God wanted us to do. We become self-absorbed and start speaking a different language than the universal language. We drift away from the path. Where is this going to lead us? Are we going to destroy ourselves before the earth decides to get rid of us? Or is that a punishment we desreve for spoiling HIS plan?!
Comments
I don't know about GOD and whether he wants a certain thing, but I think that there nothing like good or bad in reality. I feel morality(whats right and wrong) is a human invention. It doesn't have an existence outside human thought.
Having said that, as humans morality somehow seems integral part of our lives. Can't seem to live without it. The world just seems to fall apart in the absence of it.
So I seem to think that the divine purpose you are talking about is the divine purpose we impose on ourselves to make our lives more - predictable, in-control, non-chaotic, acceptable, gratifying to our senses etc.
I think of GOD as a more non-intrusive force, who just lays the rules of interaction (you may call it laws of physics in some sense) and lets the game unfurl. There are no judgements to be made only consequences to be faced. Judgements or "conformity to some divine purpose" exists in the domain of human thought.
If Sarah Palin's argument against the war in Iraq is that; thats what God wants us to do, then she should repect the same argument if its used by women who want to defend their rights to abortion. After all its the same result right...killing a life for what you think is "right". Thats quite a narcissistic view of looking at things.
GOD as a topic of discussion perplexes me actually..., and I guess thats the beauty of life...we will NEVER know. And that is what authors, philosphers, and everyone at some level does...try to figure out GOD and what he/she/it wants...so much so that we also attribute a gender to that existence :)
There are innumerable theories on GOD, the most popular example is Religion. When anything is accepted as a dogma and thereby God's will, it becomes extremely easy to put it forward as an excuse for all your acts.
What gregory roberts says in shantaram seems similar to what the principle of Advaita in the Vedanta philsophy talks abt...and infact there might be many other such philosophies which attempt to figure out God and his supposed plan.
But apart from trying to believe that GOD acually has a plan for us....I think at the every least if remember that we are all born with equal rights to life, then morals and ethics will take care of themselves. The war of right and wrong and morality begins because one person think that his/her beliefs are the absolute truth. Morality cannot be absolute, because it so obviously changes rightfully according to situations and environments.
I guess a better thing for humans to do, rather than to wonder what Gods plan for us is to make sure that our plans dont encroach upon someone elses right to live.
Anyone, especially politicians sell morality and ethics. They manufacture their definition of morality and ethics, put it in nice package to get votes.
Any thing and anyone that institutionalizes GOD is just trying to create a market for their vested interests and should not be taken seriously.
There is a quote ."If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans "....may be Gods already laughing on knowing his own supposed plans by the likes of Palin too.
I guess I might have digressed a bit..but will pour in more as I think on it more.
Good job! :) Keep writing.
I will go through your blog later. This is just a pat on your back :)
Keep up the good work.
Nitin
actually you are the wrong pallavi
i wanted to post it to a different pallavi p joshi from nasik.
i was trying to play a prank on her
i do apologise for my grave mistake
pls delete the comments.
by the way your blog is really wonderful
keep going....
all the best
sam...