"Religion". Those of you reading this, come across this word everyday, a lot of times. For you all, it's just another term we all have learnt to live with. We know it is going to appear in newspapers, in the news channels, very casually. Honor killings, Terror strikes, Riots et al. remind us that we live in the world with many faiths. But then that's it. "Religion", this one term that should have been the most revered one, reverberates in our minds for all the wrong reasons.
For me, on the other hand, this term has deeper meanings. I am not the one chanting verses from The Gita or humming shloks and mantras all the time, yet for me, "religion" will decide the course of my life. I am not happy with it. Anyway, this post is not about my situation.
Talking religion, for me, religion's role should begin and end with 2 words: 'Peace' and 'Spirituality'. That's it. The words mentioned above result in discipline, faith and harmony. Rest of the things: Festivities, rituals, functions, let these be a part of our tradition, our culture. I don't know the nitty gritties of most of the religions around me. What I do know is, if a person is killing others citing religious reasons, he is a fool being guided by another fool somewhere.
I am very sure the earliest of preachers of the religions, never ever asked anyone to kill or force. I am sure their teachings, words and advice would have been the most simplistic and sensible. It's the interpretations of those teachings that spoilt it all. If there was separation of classes based on their skills earlier, it became cast differences today resulting in clashes based on nothing! Similarly, I think ‘Jehad” never meant killing innocent people across the world. (I am not well read about this term, but somehow I am confident that it's nowhere near to what it is perceived today by the world). These are just a couple of examples. With the advancing world, religions advanced. Not in a good way!
Today, all the major religions in the world have contradictory views on things. Every person on this planet agrees with one religion and therefore as a protocol has to disagree with the rest of them. Therefore, people of religions different than mine are something I should have sheer disregard for and try and change everyone who believes in it. If they don't agree with me, I ought to feel enraged and as a result should be ready to hate, fight, abuse, kill! The evolution has made us the enemies of each other. What's the point at the end of the day?
It actually hurts to see a person praying for his community alone. It’s SICK to see an educated person to have sympathies for the sufferings of people only belonging to his religion. When violence happens, it hurts everybody.
One can't stick to the principals which were laid down thousands and hundreds of years ago in these times. They need to have amendments, in accordance with the changing times. Let’s face it, we all have difference, however in this rapidly developing world, we all are getting closer with each passing day. We HAVE to learn how to be tolerant towards other religion, every second neighbor of yours will become a problem for you.
At this point, something crops up in my mind. I am perhaps going to beat myself up for the rest of my life, for using this example. (Simply because it’s an instance from a KJo-Shahrukh Khan film, and the duo have seldom come up with anything sensible, till date). In the movie, My Name is Khan, the protagonist’s brother (A Muslim) asks him not to marry a Hindu girl citing reasons that Hindus are very different. At this point, Shahrukh Khan (Whatever his character’s name was) says, “Koi farak nahi hota…achche log, bure log…bas yahi farak hai…aur koi farak nahi”!!! This one sentence does strike a chord with me. Every time I listen to it!
For me, religion is all about respecting the almighty. I, although a negligibly miniscule part of this world, refute each and every religion, for what they all have become! My religion is my faith, and my trust in GOD. At least when I pray, I pray with absolutely no preconceived notions and segregations about the people I am praying for!!!
