Yesterday I was thinking as I walked home alone, and passed a temple. We tell stories of fairies and goblins and fictitious prince and princess to children, but don't believe in them ourselves because we think we are too smart and know that they are just mythical characters. When a child thinks that a tooth fairy or a Santa Claus will come, we laugh at them. But we stick onto our beliefs that god exists, though no one has seen him. And we go to great lengths to appease him or influence him. Are we not akin to the children we laugh at? Do you think some one greater than us would be laughing at us, seeing our silly beliefs about a non-existent or mythical god who may not exist, who may be as fictitious as a fairy?
'Caught in a strange land in a net with other butterflies, I'm a caterpillar yet undecided to remain a caterpillar and perish or turn into a beautiful butterfly and live a life full of joy.' Readers don't laugh. But I came up with this one night recently when I was travelling in a train. I tossed and turned, not being able to sleep, upset over unexplainable things and frustrated over events not in my control. Then it occurred to me that our life and its usefulness depends on our decisions -- whether to remain a crawling caterpillar whose existence otherwise is either ignored by all and sundry or who is cursed for just being there and thrown out with a stick, or to develop wings of life and metamorphose into a beautiful butterfly whom everybody adores for its beauty and colour, for its flitting liveliness, for its service to the flower's pollination... I thought that I should be a butterfly, of service to others, but then again I thought, anyway, who really cares?
... if you can't suspend 'thinking' and appreciate the essence of children that is eternal & beautiful & true - you've missed God!
ReplyDelete... the process of growing up to see children as different from 'we' the elders, is unbecoming of the God we're born with/as/to be
... to see Him is to realize the eternal, beautiful & true child within .. & staying centered with it ...
... never mind the myriads of deities, temples, rituals & religions - they're all instruments & paths with mostly forgotten intent ...