I am a religious fanatic. Now what?

The large scale debate last year on intolerance seems like breathing its last. Of course, there could be someone wanting some limelight for a potential political career who may bring up the issue of intolerance again with a speech covered live by most media channels! Till then, let the debate rest in pieces.

The commonest ground for intolerance has been religion. The feeling of “my religion is better than yours” has led to dialogues, discussions, debates, heated arguments, fist fights, social upheavals and battles. The recent Dhaka attacks saw people getting butchered because they were unaware of the religious texts of a particular religion. There has never been any consensus on which religion is the best. The question is, what is religion?

God has existed. Faith has existed. Religion is man-made. Invented and fuelled for man’s personal gains and his insatiable need of power and authority. These men have reduced religion to being a means of survival for the meek. They have made it a point to ensure that those in need of strength and support, flock to them for a dialogue with God. And these are the people who have created the huge divide that exists among religions.

A few people I know are of the opinion that one should not believe in God because that will help in reducing religious intolerance. I would term those people as ignorant individuals. They believe that following God is the reason why people get into religious intolerance. It is not God that says we should be intolerant. No avatar of God has ever asked us to be intolerant. It is the self-appointed but very narrow minded agents of God who have taught us to be intolerant. If those (that believe that religion is about making people irrational and therefore one must not follow God) were to get the real picture and spread the word that God is not religion and religion is not God, they would do much better service than try and convince people not to follow God at all. That in my mind, is also fanaticism that leads nowhere.

I have been lucky to be born into and raised in a family where belief and faith in God has a lot of importance. I have imbibed values that define ‘Indianness’. I am by definition a ‘Hindu’ because I pray to a certain set of Gods and follow certain festivals and rituals. But Hinduism is not my religion. I don’t need a categorisation by which Gods I follow. I have utmost faith and belief in the almighty. And I really don’t see how being or not being a ‘Hindu’ will change that. I am certain, if I was raised in any other family, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or any other, I would still have the same outlook if I had the same upbringing.

I am not a God fearing person. I am a God loving person. I love God as I love my mother and my father. I don’t fear God because he is not a policeman or a judge. He is a parent and I am his child. I will not do wrong because I know if I do that, I will hurt Him. Exactly like I did not do anything that my mother asked me not to do; only because I knew I would hurt her.

The question is, if my religion is not Hinduism or any other that is generally found in the drop down list of religions, what is my religion? My religion is Humanity. I think that is the only religion required. Rest are all beliefs and faiths. And all lead to one destination, God. The names might be different but the end is the same. Thanks to a few mindless and selfish individuals, the world today stands divided by religions.

I help people when I can. I ensure I keep people happy around me. My heart feels pain when I see someone in pain. Ever since I have become a father, sorrow fills my heart when I see little street dwellers. I try to empathise with people. I buy a balloon from the vendor who chose not to beg but earn his living, and have bought them packets of flour to feed their families. I buy pens from the blind salesperson because he chose not to give up in life. I try and help as many as I can. I can’t help them all; I would if I could but I can’t. So I help as many as I can.

My guru, Aniruddha Bapu, asks us to live by 3 principles – Truth, Love and Joy. While I won’t say that I live the first one to my best, the other two, I live by to the best extent possible. My life has changed. I see a better world. I don’t fret in traffic jams. I don’t stare at the person who cuts into my lane. I don’t seek revenge for every wrong done to me. I respect others and their points of view. I do to people what I expect them to do to me. I don’t think and work according to only my convenience; I keep other people’s convenience in mind as well.

A Hindu world, a Muslim world, a Christian world – these are all misleading. The only world we need to create is human’s world. Care for each other. Love each other. Laugh with each other and cry for each other. That is the world that we need to gift our children. Let us not make them grow up to be rigid, hateful, and vengeful. Let us make them love humanity. Let us raise them to love peace. Let us train them to make this world a better place.

I believe in God. My religion is humanity and I am a religious fanatic. I wish and hope everyone becomes that. The world needs only that kind of fanaticism.