Anupam- The Dreamer

Faith is one such thing which is very intricately linked to the identity of a person. It defines your life in many ways- right from the day of your birth till the day of your last breath. Even before a person comes to his/her senses or gains the ability to make decisions in childhood, faith plays a major role in what you eat, the way you dress, the way you celebrate festivals, the way your home is organized (like the room for prayer), the Gods you pray, the manner in which you greet other people, the way your ideas gain shape, etc. There is hardly any area of life which is not touched by the faith, which explains the crucial role it plays in the life of a person.

But, as you grow up in childhood, and you start thinking on your own feet, develop reasoning and start making some decisions, faith can act as a double-edged sword. If you come in the company of good people with ability to reason, have rationality, and are spiritually enlightened, then faith can be an “eye-opener” for you. And if you come in the company of crooked people, then the same faith can make you “blind” to everything that exists in this world. I will now delve into the aspects of both these facets.

If faith is an eye-opener for you, then it leads to greater fulfillment and joy in life. You tend to see good that exists all around, you try to behave properly and ethically, you care about other people, you consider the pain of others as your own (atleast sometimes), you do charity, you dream of a more equal society which values liberty, tolerance, fraternity and justice. Faith can make you more down to earth person. It is something that imparts you inner strength and shapes your character. It will help you to see yourself as a part of the humanity, where benevolence and kindness is the norm. For example, see the spiritually enlightened people around you. They embody good values and try to make positive contribution to the society. You don’t need to be a “dharm-guru” to attain enlightenment, rather you could be in any profession and yet practise faith.

Now, let’s analyse the reverse facet of faith. If you are in the company of crooked people, they would want that faith makes you blind! It means that they would like to inhibit your own ability to question, reason and then only accept anything. You will be forced to accept the faith as is preached to you. Even if that faith leads to injustice, pain and cruelty towards others, you will be asked to become a party to the crime, in the name of faith. If you question the “custodians of faith” (read Dalals of faith, who actually have nothing to do with faith rather use it for their selfish gains), then you are gone. On the other hand, the real and actual custodians of faith will never inhibit you from questioning, reasoning and only then accepting what they are preaching. The good custodians don’t profess monopoly over faith.

Afterall, what is faith, if it doesn’t lead to moral and spiritual development of an individual, alongwith development of the society. If faith is leading you towards more injustice, crime and inhuman behaviour towards others, I am afraid you have to question – “Is it really a faith?” 

The atheists who are reading this may feel lost, but I don’t really have an issue with them as long as they are moral and keep their eyes and ears open for reasoning, discussion and debate. The aim is to become a better person, whether your faith plays a crucial role in that or not, is totally upto the individual.

Till next time….