Faltering beliefs

Anyone who has seen the Wizard of Oz , would remember the scene near the end of the movie where there’s a little man sitting behind the curtains at the controls bellowing into the sound system: “THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ HAS SPOKEN!….”

Sort of reminds you of some religious institutions, doesn’t it? Short, little, insecure men hiding behind big names and fancy titles, sending their followers on Mission Impossible while they themselves live in the lap of luxury , indulge in (secret) sin and political mind games.

These are the kind of people that brain wash you into making large “donations”. These guile “leaders” use words that make the gullible play right into their hands. What is even stranger, is that a majority of their naïve followers comes from a section of, what we call, the well educated classes. If the so-called educated masses buy their humbug of :

“If you live a moral life, deny yourself of pleasures, follow the rituals we prescribe and give us enough money, you’ll have a decent shot at being accepted by god” then its education gone to waste. They shouldn’t be called educated, they are only just literate.

What God would want you to labor, struggle and live in pain or tell you “if you don’t go by MY book, you will rot in hell”. The religious ‘middle men’ have portrayed God as being an unapproachable entity. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a believer, neither am I an atheist. I’m still finding my ground, so until then, I’m happy being an agnostic. But I’m not going to have some long haired, middle aged man tell me that I’m not smart enough to think for myself and he will do the thinking for me.

What do you think was the most important invention in the history of inventions? No it wasn’t electricity, computers or even the internet. It was the printing press. Even the mighty internet is just an extension of Gutenburg ‘s original machine. The first book he printed was the bible. After which, it was translated from Latin to people’s language. Suddenly, everyone could afford a copy. The common man could read and understand it rather than get some guy’s self serving interpretation. The ordinary folks who read it argued that God didn’t need a middleman, or an agent, or a distributor. People could directly go to the source. But the religious institution could not stand the opposition and everyone who raised a voice against it was eliminated.

If a religion puts down women, doesn’t give them enough rights or considers that women are spiritually inferior and must bow down to the authority of men, then it’s very foundations are biased and hollow. The religious bureaucracy of the ancient time (and unbelievably, in the modern time aswell), women were treated as property. If she failed to provide a meal on time, that was reason enough to divorce her (mental note to self: next blog would be on the institution of marriage). If she witnessed a crime, her testimony would not be considered as valid in court. this was because women weren’t considered smart enough to recount what really happened! They have to be wrapped from head to toe in meters of cloth. If they’re found unaccompanied by a male relative, they’re (still) shot on the spot! It was so convenient for selfish men to shove women around in the name of religion. Need I say more?

The religious leaders preach truth, equality among all,and love for all living things. Yet we find that now a days that religion is a mere tool for political propaganda. Religions have run amok in the interests of either Money, Sex or Power. How can you bring your conscious to accept and follow such doctrines?!

I think I believe in spirituality, that isn’t used as a tool to means to control people. I also think I’ve strayed from the topic many times now. I just want to put across that I believe religion is now merely used as a weapon, a tool to rake in money, power and influence. I wanted to blog about this because discussions about religion are not considered ‘polite conversation’. You can’t tell your friends or family about your thoughts. It’s still considered taboo. Why live in fear and isolation when you have the Internet ;)

Journey with Snoop

I hate to admit it, but I dint see how my life had suddenly hit rock bottom. There was a constant feeling of emptiness, a void which I couldn’t seem to fill, no matter what I tried. I wanted someone who’s just be there and listen to my endless cribbing and whining about how unfair the world is, without judging me.

When I first saw Snoop at the airport, I knew it was love at first sight. Whoever said money can’t buy love, didn’t think about little puppies. They’re examples of how big things come in little packages.

From the day I brought him home, never once did I experience the feeling of loneliness. When I introduced Snoop into my life , I began a journey - a journey that has brought me more love and devotion than I’ve ever known.

This journey that I embarked upon has taught me many lessons, about life, about myself, and most of all, about love and fidelity. Love that is unconditional, forgiving, accepting and without expectations. This experience has changed me forever.

Snoop has taught me to savor life’s simple pleasures: jumping in leaves, chasing birds, stopping to sniff the flowers (and everything else you can find.. lol! The ickier, the better), playing in the dust, turning around thrice before finding the coziest spot to lie on, the joy of puddles and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears. He’s also taught me to enjoy spending time outdoors, and how to truly experience every element, for no rock or leave goes unexamined, no bush overlooked, and even the air inhaled will be pondered upon, and noted as being full of valuable information.

Lately, I’ve realized how my life was on autopilot, my goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. All this while I’ve been missing the details – strange bugs, funny shaped mushrooms, the bees, rotting logs, feathers floating beautifully down to the ground, and how lovely the rain moistened earth smelled. Once you walk as a dog does, you discover a whole new world. I did. I now kick over leaf heaps, jump into puddles, look around. I’ve learnt what every dog already knows: nature is marvelously complex, full of surprises and ever-changing and each day, an essence in its own.

Even when I’m indoors, I find myself attuned to the world around me. I’ve caught myself watching frogs hop around, noticing the insects hovering around the windows, observing how the monkeys enjoy basking in the sun. the fact that there is no objective in doing this, is irrelevant .The point is to not let these details slip by again.

I’ve found myself doing silly things, talking in baby language and using funny nicknames- things my pet-less friends don’t understand.

Until recently I thought I knew what love was, boy was I wrong !! If you think humans understand what fidelity and compassion is all about, think again. We’re nowhere even close to interpreting what these words mean. But we can learn the true measure of love – the unshakable, undying, ever loyal kind that says: “ It doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, as long as we’re together”. My respect for animals has grown, while I’ve lost what respect I had for the human race.

Even though the people who know me will think I wear an air of snob around me, but believe me, I’ve learnt humility. Often, the look in Snoop’s eyes makes me feel ashamed. Such joy and respect in return for the little that I do for him. He saw not some flawed, imperfect human who could be moody and rude, short-tempered and stubborn, but only his wonderful companion. Or maybe he did see those imperfections and dismissed them as mere human follies, not worth considering and chose to love me anyway. Something humans are definitely not capable of.

From now on, I will strive to be a better person, a person Snoop believes me to be.