Of late I had been wondering about how we relate to the divine. The usual approach is of prayer and that too prayers of a particular kind in which there is a work to do, we are giving a job to the divine:
- please save me
- please heal my neck pain
- please take me out of this mess
- please speed up this dam server
- please save the galaxy from the fanatics
- please make this compost toilet work
- etc
The list of things to do is endless. It is somewhat like calling a plumber, even if it is done in the form of a prayer. You remember the fellow only when things are clogged up, otherwise you are busy with life doing things all by yourself. In this era of increasing labour charges and do it yourself approach it is a default setting to manage things on your own which makes you independent and free. But still there are times you run into a mess and you know that you can’t fix it yourself and that is when the plumber is called to clean things up.
Religions have taught us to kneel down and pray and call the divine plumber to fix all our problems, or to live cautiously following all the moral codes of conduct so that you are not committing any sins in front of God who is judging all our acts, a mighty presence who’s job is to grand us boons or punish, according to our performance; a relationship that is largely governed by fear.
On the other hand science has taught us to be rational and it may be even quite embarrassing to consider that there is a dude out there running the show. It is quite possible to imagine a cosmic Intelligence running the show but it is seen as impersonal even if it is brilliant. We know that it is there spinning out the atoms and galaxies or busy managing the winds and other elements. It is possible to go that far, but to have a personal and intimate connection is to become bit too emotional and that is not looking very progressive. We are supposed to have crossed pre-rational stage of our development and it is quite risky to be emotional about the divine. To be a rational scholar it is better to avoid the moonshine.
Very rarely do we come across someone who has a different relationship and approach to the divine and relate as if you are relating to an intimate friend.
* I miss your smile…
- Where were you yesterday, I was waiting.
- Ah! You look beautiful today
- You look cute as this frog
- If you come like a mosquito I am going to smash you
- I am cooking you, be of good taste
- I was awestruck by your lightning and thunder
- Thank you for speaking those words; that helped me to remember you.
- You made it so easy to do, I am amazed.
It is a different kind of relationship in which the divine is an ever present Presence permeating everything and the relationship is of a very intimate and constant companionship. You adore, love, fight, work, play and sleep together.
But it seems to me that the most preferred approach is to call the plumber.