The Divine Gift

I love reading the Greek Mythology. Among all other cultures in the world the Greek is the only one which portrays its Gods to have human emotions. In the mythology the Gods feels anger, greed, lust ego and so on. Not omnipotent and definitely not benevolent. From what I'm given to understand they live in constant fear of humans not worshiping them. A true testament to the statement: "...created from His own image...". Breaks the whole barrier between God and Human. Anyway I'm straying from my point...

One well known story from the Greek Mythology is of the Titan Prometheus stealing fire from the Gods and giving it to humans, for which he was banished to spend the rest of his immortal life chained to a mountain in penance while his liver was eaten by a vulture everyday only to be regrown (typical Gods). He was eventually freed by Hercules (typical Demi-Gods). But a lesser known myth is of the creation of Humans. It is said that Prometheus shaped the humans from clay and breathed life into us while Athena bestowed upon us the Gift of Reasoning. I do not care much for the creation of Humans. Hell I'd go so far to say the Earth would be better off without humans. But what cannot be overlooked is the latter...Athena's Gift.

Man has always questioned the things around him. He was able to walk upright because he questioned walking on all fours. He was able to fabricate clothes out of vegetation because he questioned being naked. He was able to invent wheel because he reasoned it was easier to move things around that way. We invented all kinds of arts and crafts because we reasoned living surrounded by beauty and good taste. We lived every moment because we questioned 'just existing'.

And somewhere along the way, we lost it all... Somewhere along the way living was no more our quest; it was survival. Somewhere along the way we lost the sense of beauty and started questioning its worth. Somewhere along the way we lost sight of the purpose of living our own lives and questioned the worth of life.

The power to question and reason is analogous to fire. It can shed light as well as burn down. And history's biggest horror is that Humans have been using this burning ember to burn down its very purpose while enlightening only a little for the past century. It is a pity when we see that this gift that was blessed upon us has only been used to climb over one another instead of advancing as one. This boon is being used as a curse.

We all come into this world the same way: covered in flesh and blood, kicking and screaming. We grow up discovering the little joys in the world and seeing things as they are, with no ulterior motive. And somewhere along the way we get it into our heads that we are destined to greatness and we start to lose sight of what we are really meant to be: Humans. Instead we conform ourselves to daily routines and slave everyday for a future that may or may not exist. We stop being curious and that part of us that wants to question things, to reason, to learn new things and have new adventures in life becomes dormant and eventually dies... Just ask yourselves this question before you go to sleep guys: Are we really meant to live like this..?
#MoreToCome

The Greater Fool

Ever since I started this blog, there have been a lot of people who came forward with appreciations or good opinions about this space. There have been many more who questioned the very purpose of such a blog. One person just asked me, "Why..?"... just like that. And it was a very good question. So good, that it got me thinking. Why indeed..? Why did I start this blog..? There is nothing in this world that exists without a reason. What's my reason for doing this..? And it wasn't long before the answer became apparent to me.

For as long as I can remember I found solace in very few things in life. I found that only a few things made me happy. I would start reading a book and I would be lost in this world for the next few hours or so having no idea of what's going on around me. I didn't care and I just couldn't. And it is the same with writing. When I start writing I find myself in a place that was free of scrutiny, free of any restrictions whatsoever. I can just write and there's not much anyone can do about it. Slowly I found out that it is one of the ways I can give voice to my ideas without having to stifle myself or be afraid what others might say. It was that one place where what I write matters only to me and I have only one critic to judge my ideas: myself. I started writing when I was in high school and have continued writing ever since. I don't mean to assume the pretentious position of a moral authority nor do I claim what I write is exceptional. But ever since I started I have tried to do right by the pen and no matter how amateurish my work is I have always taken pride in it. It was during one of those episodes of self oblivion that I realized something...

Everyone who takes up the pen or more plainly everyone who gains a voice loud enough to make the world to take notice of us are presented with a task, a duty. It is optional. We may choose it or we may walk away but if we do choose it there is no going back.We all are presented with a duty towards the world towards humanity to proclaim facts as they are , truth as it is. No matter how small or insignificant we are we all have this duty. Our only moral compass: our conscience. We have to lose all inclinations that we may have towards anything except one: Truth. We are not allowed to have compassion, nor are we allowed to sugarcoat what we try to say. We have to deliver the truth smacking in the face of everyone who is willing to listen and those who are willing to listen do not mind because they know that truth is supposed to smack you across the face. No matter how insignificant we may be no matter how loud we are, we owe it to this world to shout out the hard truth without impediment without reservations for we are the voice that shout for those whose voices are repressed. We are the voices of those people who cannot shout out anymore. Because when we shout it doesn't matter if our voices aren't loud enough. It doesn't matter if some people are forcing you to stop. Because someone is always listening to what we have to say when we say the right thing. Someone is always listening when we tell the truth...

They have a term for people like me who think we should proclaim the truth to this world as loudly as possible: The Greater Fool. I got this from a TV show and I don't care where it is from as long as its correct. It is an economic term for a person who buys a worthless commodity in hopes of selling it to some 'Greater Fool' who comes along at a higher price. The Greater Fool is a person with a perfect blend of ego and self delusion to think that he can succeed where others have failed. But the catch is the whole world was built by Greater Fools. When I look at it that way, it makes me wanna say one thing: I want to be a Greater Fool.
#MoreToCome

In Pursuit of the Ultimate Truth...

There are a lot of questions posed by humanity over the centuries. Some are simple, some are overly profound and some are plainly pointless. But human nature to question and reason has been its greatest gift for it led us where we exactly are. Or maybe it is a curse. Either way it is a power of unfathomable magnitude. Depending on how it is used it will prove to be the greatest step forward or the very undoing of Humanity. Over the evolutionary timeline of the human mind we have brought to question the fundamental reason for the existence of life. Why do everyone of us are alive..? Towards what goal do we toil everyday..? What is our purpose..? All our life we run in pursuit of the very reason for our existence. We gave many names for it: Fate, Destiny...The Ultimate Truth. Slowly but eventually man realized that the pursuit of this Ultimate Truth, the Higher Truth is nothing but the pursuit of our origins, the starting point of everything, the beginning. We ponder over this mystery that is the reason for creation of all things in the Universe, creation of the Universe itself. We gave this mystery a name - a name that would be the biggest misunderstanding, whose meaning would be distorted beyond our wildest imagination - GOD.

Somehow whenever I say God, my mind automatically shifts to Morgan Freeman in a crisp white suit, widening his arms ever so slightly and saying "I am God...". Call it Bruce Almighty, but somehow that is where it goes. But who is God..? That is a question that is yet to be answered. Everyone has their own version of God. Before we ask that question we are forced to ask more questions which may appear to be childish. But is that a problem..? After all children are supposed to be closest to God. So, let us start thinking like children. If God created the entire Universe, where was He born..? Rephrasing, where was He created..? Does this mean that there is an entity that is higher than God..? What is that entity called then..? The more we think about these questions the more complicated things become. What does this all mean..? All these questions are those raised based on the current theological theories. Does this mean that somehow these theories are peppered with holes..?

The answer appears slowly after pondering hours and hours over these doubts. God isn't an old man with a white beard sitting atop a throne overlooking us all. God, is a concept... Being a concept it can only be felt and hard to comprehend otherwise... For men of cloth it is whatever imaginable form that they give it. For atheists it is the epitome of the highest knowledge. For men of science it is that mysterious equation that created the universe. For idealists it is that driving idea. For rebels it is that spark that burns down a forest.  What made a desert handyman die for the sins of people he barely knew ? What made lay on the cross and beg for others' forgiveness ? What made an Argentinian doctor take up arms and fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves ? What made a humble boy from the backyards of Jamaica sing a whole country of people to their freedom ? What force was behind a man who spent 30 years in jail, that he came out ready to forgive the people who put him there ? 

 Simply put : God is anything that brings us to our knees and weep in joy. God is anything that makes us realize our position and drives us to be more. God is that mysterious spark that makes the strong realize that they exist to protect the weak and the others to realize that their weakness is only so they could become stronger. God is that eternal melody that sounds in the hearts of the people willing to listen. God, is that one word that contains the wisdom of a million books. God, is that one word, that makes us realize the beginning and the end.