Who is a Mother ?

I think Motherhood is NOT the defining feature of Womanhood, but one of the many defining features. But who is a Mother? Is she a woman who gave birth to a child, and then raised it? Yes, if you go by how a dictionary defines her. But something as great as motherhood should not be constrained by the biological act of giving birth, however noble and painful it maybe. A mother is a woman who offers love that is pure as it can ever be and that comes from the spring of her soul. A mother is the one who sacrifices very selflessly and very willingly. A mother nurtures Life, like nothing else does. But, it is not just the child that she bore which brings out the Mother in a woman. The object of her love can be anyone, her child, a child, a friend , a family member, even a complete stranger. It could quite possibly be a dog, a cat, or any other pet, or even an idea or a belief. What makes her a Mother is the way she loves what she loves. That, I believe is Motherhood. And women start being mothers from a very early age, don't they?

p.s. And this, is my hundredth post :)

Math, God and Time Travel

1 and 0.

1 is Force.

0 is energy.

They exist as 11, which is when force is in abundance, and destroys.

When energy is added to force, when zeroes are added at the end of a 1, we all know what happens. And everything can be expressed in terms of 1 and 0 .

They exist as 00, when an abundance of energy creates.

And they exist in the quantum state of 10 or 01, which their simultaneous and balanced existence, also known as the state of preservation.

When there is a balance between the two, then it is said to be in a state of preservation. The three of them co-exist, as the Trinity in Hindu Philosophy, as the 3 physical dimensions, as the biological processes of birth, life and death, and in many other unseen, unheard or inexperienced ways.

Force needs energy. It is the concentrated form of energy. Energy is channel less without force. What will energy ride, in absence of force? But what does not ride, and cannot be rode, what needs no medium, no complementing entity, is Time.

Force is 2 dimensional. It is a vector. Energy is 1 dimensional. It is a scalar. Together, they are the third dimension. Time is like the blanket wrapped around the three dimensions. It is always there, containing it all. For can you ever tell when was there no time?

Force and Energy together create what we can see, touch and hear as the 3 dimensional structures we are and contained in , and the World around us is permeated by what we cannot see, hear or touch, by what we only have a limited sense of, Time.

That’s God. And it manifests itself in so myriad ways, and that it would be foolish attempting to quantify it. And it is expressed in so many different languages, by so many different religions and is so many different shades and hues. What else can it be but God? And an Avatar of God seems to be the incarnation of a balanced form of Force and Energy. I do not know whether the physical manifestation of an Avatar can be substantiated or not, but the concept exists.

Suddenly time travel makes sense. Say, there is a very small, but very discrete unit of time. Something a lot smaller than a second, say t. Then at the end of some duration of t, something which is sort of like a snapshot of our 3 dimensional World is being saved. So, we have a super map, which contains every moment. We need to figure out how to map our sense of space and time, say 15th August, 1947 A.D. at the Red Fort, New Delhi, to find out the right co-ordinates from that super map, so that we can reach there. And this is for going back into the past. The future would be a lot more difficult, because we need to figure out the how, as well as the where, which region of the super map. Now, what all the Sci-Fi books and movies have been trying to show makes sense. :) Warp time.

Reflect on the Genius of Einstein. He gave us the equation of energy. E equals mc squared. That IS mind blowing. And theoretical explanations of time travel are supported by his theories.

What inspired what I wrote above? Flat Land. Read about it and check it on you tube. It blew me away, because may be, deep down, I am in love with Mathematics, but I just cannot express it the way Mathematicians do. And I apologize if I wasted your precious time.

Why ?

Why ? Why the fuck do these questions , which have so many different answers come to my mind ? What the hell should I strive for ? Peace of mind ? A fatter wallet ? Should I do what my parent's want me to do ? Or should I do what I want to do ? Live peacefully in a picturesque village ? Struggle in a bustling city ? Drink hard water , eat semi poisoned food and breath toxic fumes ? Savour the city life at the cost of my dwindling health ? Or pass my life in perpetual tranquility in some remote corner of the world , while enjoying the pristine Nature ? Should I marry ? Should I not , for the fear of incompatibility ? Should it be out of obeisance or my own will ? Should I try to change this fucked up world ? Or should I just try my damndest to get the best deal out of it ? Should I pray for a female offspring , cause the way women are treated sends shivers down my spine (that bastard DGP, for one) ? Or should I devote to the "worthy cause" of obtaining a son , when the time comes ? Should I measure my success in rupees or in terms of people who care for me ? What will make me happy ? Do I want to be happy , the way this world defines it , or for that matter , even sane ?

It seems as if the only thing I can do , is handle what is on my plate right now , to the best of my abilities . Will everything else fall in place ?

Evolution -> Aham Brahmasmi

This is my friend, DJ. I have known this genius for about 14 years now. And he wrote this incredible post "Aham Brahmasmi“. And that made me think, no surprises there. :) All I do is waste my time thinking on everything under the sun except those subjects, the diligent study of which might bring me some moolah. :D Anyways, without much ado, what I thought of was Evolution.

The very concept of evolution is so beautiful, bold, brilliant, and terrifying. It is in sync with the ubiquitous cyclic universal phenomenon around, Change. Evolution is a direct product of change. And change, is brought about by Evolution. They are so symmetrically in tune, balancing each other. And I call evolution terrifying, because things can go horribly wrong as well. When the change brought about is disharmonious, like a self destructive defense mechanism, evolution leads to oblivion. Remember Dinosaurs? And Evolution is in the Blueprint of this Universe, intricately embedded. And by Evolution , I am not just implying the biological changes that the millions of species have gone though , but the process in which everything passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage) . The eternal cycle (my favourite phrase) of birth-death, creation-preservation-destruction of every entity composed of what we perceive as matter, which, I think is one of innumerable iterations of the process; one of the uncountable spokes in the wheel, of Evolution. That is the real Intelligent Design. Not the creationist bunkum about a creature bearing the appearances of a man, in a fit of benevolence, deciding to make mankind out of clay or whatever it was. Moving on , we , our species , have climbed quite a few rungs on the evolutionary ladder, from one celled organisms , to , well , I don't know how to describe the complex organism we are now . It is the world's best machine. It is perfect. It has a BRAIN! And what lies ahead? What do we evolve to now? A super-species, taller, stronger, faster, maybe smarter? Maybe, maybe not. What I think is that, the next evolutionary hurdle, for a human who is truly evolved so far, would try to grapple with the Reality. The Real Reality. To escape the pull of this Virtual World. The moth and the Maya. The delusion we call Worldly Life. To achieve a state of super consciousness, where we resonate with the universal spirit. Where you, in not a very human way, realize, that you are the universal spirit. There is no I or You. Where you become the part of the giant web of pure energy permeating the entirety.

That is what "Aham Brahmasmi" is all about, I guess. That is what I understood of it. That seems like the ultimate Evolutionary jump to me. And what happens next? I think that state would be beyond the 4 dimensions of space and time, so there would be no next. Again , just a speculation . Thank you, Dj. gave me some good food for thought. And everyone, please feel free to correct or supplement my understanding of “Aham Brahmasmi”.

Random Thought #7 : Gift of God

I read a joke. Here it goes .

The new minister's wife had a baby. The minister appealed to the congregation for a salary increase to cover the addition to the family. The congregation agreed that it was only fair, and approved it. When the next child arrived, the minister appealed and again the congregation approved the increase. Several years and five children later, the congregation was a bit upset over the increasing expenses. This turned into a rather loud meeting one night with the minister. Finally, the minister stood up and shouted "Having children is an Act of God!" An older man in the back stood and shouted back "So are rain and snow, but we wear rubbers for them!"

The joke sparked off these thoughts. Many a times have I come across these words - "Bacche to Bhagwan/Allah/Whatever-name-you-use-for-your-God ki den hai", and the ones who say it have a dozen kids, give or take a few ; and it suddenly struck me, are they? Really? Maybe, for a childless couple who have been trying too hard too long, it can be looked upon a great gift. Personally, the birth of twin daughters to millions of families in India would be one hell of a gift for India, given the seemingly FUBAR-ed sex-ratio. But for the rest of the cases, I say BS. What a load of crap! WTF , literally . A horny husband wants to do it, may be the wife does not let him that often, so he decides to cook up a solid excuse for it. Quite possibly his priest/padre/imam/rabbi helped him figure out a good one. "Woman, children are the gift of God, and refusing a gift from God is blasphemy”. Take that. Irrefutable logic. The magical wand of God/Religion was waved over it,and lo and behold, you have a football team. But that was then. One might say, that people were encouraged to have a lot of children , in the name of God , as the infant mortality rate was higher , and the average life expectancy lower . But then again , no longer true , relatively speaking . 6.5 Billion people and counting ! We should thank God for contraceptives. All I have to say is, please feel free to engage in this activity as much as you want to , but don't call it an act of God , and the by-product , His gift . But if men can kill in the name of the Merciful One, why not this?

On a side note, I remember reading about the Chinese manufacturing/distributing very cheap TV sets, for/to the masses, as a population-controlling measure. You know, keep the guys entertained through other means, as for most of them, being poor, it is the only recreational activity. Interesting, eh? But will that work in India, given that most of the shows/movies aired do not necessitate a functioning brain. So ultimately, the blood of the male animal will not stay up there. Just a silly thought. :D

Corny jokes apart, we are heading towards some very tough times, given that we already are 6.5 Billion strong, and that number won’t go south short of WW III or the Yellowstone going boom. It seems to me, that most of the problems we face today are somehow related to the mass of the humanity that occupies earth. If the people inhabiting this planet were in sustainable numbers, who could have been fed, clothed and sheltered, then those who want to wage wars using religion, caste, creed, colour,nationality,race or their own asinine ideology would be out of a lot of soldiers. We think we are evolving , as a civilization, but are we? Leave alone the jackasses who want to go back to medieval times, what about the rest of us. Our technology, is mostly un-green, it makes our life easier, but creates a mess as well. It sounds very pessimistic, but nothing other than a disaster of biblical proportions, either natural or man-made, would restore the balance.

A thought provoking movie – Children of Men. Maybe, this what Mother Nature has in mind for us.



Source for the joke

Random Thought #6 : In all fairness

Who came up with the concept of fairness and equality? Who thought of an egalitarian society? From what I know of, this fundamentally flawed world has never been fair or equal, and I don’t think it ever will be. Quite often we use the phrase “double standards” ,contemptuously, but, when in fact , that is what the normal standard are like . It seems as if the tendency to not use the same yardstick (within the right context) for everyone/everything is in every human being. We all are partial; some exhibit that trait consciously, some subconsciously; everyone has his/her own axe to grind. Time to revise the definition, I guess. We have on side, a set of people fighting for fairness, justice and equality , and then those, who are unwilling to level the field. It is like a never ending tug of war .There are times when words like objectivity, impartiality, etc. seem like nothing more than foolish Utopian ideas. Once again, the dichotomy. It is like a pattern. Always there, in almost everything. Why?

Random Thought #5 : A Grey Zone

The World, as I perceive it, is one huge grey zone. No absolutes. Nothing in black and white. I think that no individual can be held completely accountable for his/her actions, and that they are influenced by factors, some quite out of our hands, and some even out of the realms of our sensory perception. A vicious and mystical cycle of cause and effect, where one cause gives rise to an effect, which further creates another cause, and so on. But it would be too chaotic a world to live in, if we did not delineate, defined right and wrong, guilty and innocent, a crime and its punishment, and penalized those who dared to cross over, no matter what the reason was. The societal structure would surely crumble, if we take away that. We obviously do not have a right to decide who lives and who doesn’t, but then, creating societal rules pertaining to that, gives us a false sense of power and security, and may be, even righteousness. And that, I guess, makes it seem less chaotic. But still, born in this world, have to live in this one. We need to have “cut-offs”. To carry on with this madness called life. To serve our biological purpose and die. And to give fools like me fodder for rumination. Three cheers to Anarchism ;)

Nothing is easier than to denounce the evil doer; Nothing more difficult than understanding him." - Fyodor Dostoevsky

A thought provoking movie - The Grey Zone , and song – Behind Blue Eyes by The Who

Random Thought #4 : Mother Earth

If only every human being could look at our world from above, literally. If only it were possible for each of us to stare at the pale blue dot pulsating with the force of life, as we define it, in the vast universal emptiness. If only, each one of use could see how utterly insignificant are the issues over which we maim and murder, and realize that our homes are not characterized by the languages we speak, religions we follow, or the way we look, but the blob of blue , all alone as we know so far, in this universe. If only we could just be Humans , and nothing else . If only we could see our mother, our planet, our only home, the embodiment of Gaia through our own ocular senses. I bet it would bring tears to the hardest souls. Wishful thinking ? I guess it is even beyond that . Doomsday , where art thou ?

" If men could only know each other, they would neither idolize nor hate " - Elbert Hubbard

Life After People

I watched a documentary called Life After People, which explores the scenario when all human life disappears from the face of this planet one day. It delves into how Nature would react to such an event. It was shown that Mother Nature would eventually reclaim what was hers, and slowly and steadily, in a matter of 10000 years, almost every trace of an intelligent life form would be wiped out. The Earth would be green to hilt, the oceans teeming with life, and every other species except the Homo Sapiens lived happily ever after. My heart rejoiced at the end of this hypothetical yet quite possible episode. It was mentioned in the show that the possibility of us evolving again was bleak, as its first occurrence was a rather fortunate accident for humans (unfortunate for the Planet). In short, the existing chimps might not evolve into the ubiquitous omnipotent human with astonishing brain power, but would be limited to a species with a fair amount of interaction and control with its surroundings. I am not a misanthrope, but sometimes my thoughts are rather misanthropic. I wish to live a full and healthy life, but the chances of it bearing fruition seem gloomy, thanks the havoc wrecked on mother earth by its most intelligent son. I vividly remember the scene from the blockbuster Matrix, where Agent Smith , an AI sentient sentinel delivers the following dialogue to a captured Morpheus,

“I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure”,

and I sincerely believe it to be true, except that I definitely do not wish to be a bloody battery for machines. Our species did not just spread to the entire planet and is consuming every resource the planet can offer, we wage wars, we kill each other, we kill other species, we pollute, we over-populate, and our entire existence seems to be out of sync with nature. The technological advancement that we are so proud of is mostly ungreen. While I am absolutely, indubitably and irrefutably in awe of our brain, the ability of think does have its side effects.

We as a species have evolved to such an extent that we not only interact but more or less control our environment which has taken a severe toll on the natural order of things on planet Earth. Our quest for survival has put to an end the very existence of many species and the others are in imminent danger. Sometimes, I wonder where our civilization is headed with all this incessant development and advancement which does ease our lives in the short term but creates new problems in the long term. Electricity was an electrifying invention, but didn’t it lead to the burning of fossil fuels? Splitting the atom was a momentous event, but isn’t that the greatest threat humanity faces today? One slip, a genocidal maniac ends up with a nuke, and oblivion for a part of humanity. Quite obviously, every thing can be used for good or bad. A knife can be used to chop vegetables or human heads. But what is the collective goal of our civilization? Is our existence fuelled just by the need to do so, the innate genetic programming which drives us to eat, drink, sleep, breathe, copulate and ultimately die? Hindu philosophy has an answer for it called Salvation. But let’s adhere to the materialistic world alone, what is the answer then? I often cogitate on how the greatest gift we have, our brain, could someday be responsible for our obliteration. It’s quite a paradox. But at then end of this tirade against my own kind, the inevitable truth that faces me is that Life for us is indeed precious, because it comes at a great expense.

Why sometimes I wish I was an American

The Good, The Bad and The Stupid reasons I came up with in favour of Uncle Sam.

1. The language problem would be solved. The manner in which the English language is spoken in America may vary a lot, but it sure as hell is the same language. It is highly unlikely that if some poor workers from Missouri migrated to California, some son-of-the-soil mother-effing Californian would try and kick them out for their different accent.

2. The American education system, on the school level offers a very pragmatic course which actually is useful for the student. Plus the student has the choice to pursue his area of interest from a preliminary level. And as far as the universities are concerned, they are the Best, according to me. The pure and intellectually stimulating environment offered by the better universities of America would be any student’s dream. The freedom to study subjects completely unrelated to your major is to die for. To be a part of such a beautiful system is undeniably the best reason to be an American. For me, if there is heaven on earth, it is on the campus of a great university like Harvard, Stanford, MIT or UCLA!

3. The American Media has a lot of freedom, unlike poor Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka who had to face hell after his sting operation. The other fundamental rights are fiercely protected as well.

4. Conviction Rate – The crime rate may be high, but so is the conviction rate, between 65 & 80 %, and compared to the Indian one, which is under 10% (for serious crimes), is phenomenal.

5. If I ever were to witness a crime, I would hesitate less in going to the police. In fact, I could also be inducted into the Witness Protection Program if the need arose.

6. I would be immensely proud of the fact the US of A got its freedom by mauling the Brits and kicking some serious Red Coat ass. That would have made me one really happy man.

7. I could legally gamble in Las Vegas, and visit a strip club if I ever wanted to. It feels good to know that you have the option to legally indulge in such activities.

8. The right to bear arms would allow me , an aspiring fire-arm enthusiast to purchase and own a collection of weapons , which would include automatic rifles, semi-automatic rifles , hand-guns and pistols , and if possible a WW II MG 42 .

9. The military might of America is also a good reason to be on that side. Of course, more often than not, it ends up being used for the wrong reasons, but they did stop the German juggernaut during the WW II. Had India been that powerful, maybe the incessant bullying by China would have stopped.

10. I have never been to the US but what I know of it through books, movies and other sources suggests that it is a meritocracy. Nobody can stop from you from going to the top if you are good enough. Your talent, if nurtured will bear fruit. I guess that is one of the reasons it is the Promised Land, the place where your dreams come true, and why people have been flocking to it.

11. There would not be any politicians who spend crores of the tax payer’s money on unveiling statues of themselves to wallow in a false sense of grandeur. There won’t be any politicians who will be cheered and hailed by the media even after destroying a state systematically for 15 years and being involved in a multitude of scams. There won’t be criminals turned politicians who are actually involved with a foreign power’s intelligence agency and are de-facto agents for them. Corruption is everywhere, but the Indian politicians are corrupt on all fronts and have no class at all. Nixon was impeached, Clinton was almost. How many politicians of this country have actually suffered for the crimes they committed?

12. I am bored of all the caste, religion and language related issues. Race would be a lovely change. I may be judged by my race, I sure as hell would not get any reservation for that.

13. I would not live in a country surrounded by three of the best neighbours a country could ever wish for, Pakistan, China and Bangladesh.

14. I could be proud of the fact that America is home to Hollywood which churns out some good ripe stuff every year for the movie buff apart from the usual time-pass crap , unlike Indian Cinema ( or Bollywood) , which mostly produces crap including the plagiarized ones . Indian Film Industry produces the largest number of movies in an year , but I still have a tough time finding a movie decent enough to watch, one which would not make me pull out hair by the roots and gnash in mental agony. I have still not gotten over my Om Shanti Om experience, which lasted about 3 hours. I am pretty sure I lost a few IQ points, so mind numbing it was. A good Indian movie is rare enough. A great movie is even rarer, unless Aamir Khan decides to make one and/or act in it.

15. Buying a really fast car or a bike would actually make sense, because of the excellent roads and the cheap fuel (not so cheap nowadays).

16. The US is 11 times less crowded than India, numerically speaking. America is 3 times larger than India, and India is 3.7 times more populous than America. That gives a factor of 11.When I stand on the roof of my house and look around, all I see is a never-ending concrete jungle .It would be really wonderful to live in a place not swarming with humanity.

My Favourite Serial Killer

My favourite serial killer is a Mr. Dexter Morgan, working as a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department by the day, and a vigilante serial killer by the night. And sadly he is purely fictitious (to the best of my knowledge).Dexter is one of my favourite shows, as not only is it great entertainment for me, but it also enacts retributive justice, doled out by the protagonist to the sick and twisted, the killers, the drug lords, the rapists and the child molesters, the scum of the earth who managed to escape the justice, which is a concept I love. Taking out the trash, as Dexter calls it, brings this thought to my mind, wouldn’t it have been wonderful if there was a real life Dexter? If one can overlook the obvious that a character from a TV- show ( a book rather , Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay) would be successful at killing the bad guys and getting away with it easily as he was meant to , would the actions of such a man in real life pose an ethical and a moral dilemma ? How bad would I feel if I came to know that the society I live in just got itself rid of a scumbag? I would like to think of such a person as a scavenger, who feeds on the morally dead and rotting to keep the society clean. We, as members of the society are supposed to uphold the law and not break it. But how many criminals do really get caught by the system, specially the Indian one? The conviction rate is absolutely atrocious. More often than not, a criminal does get away. So should one wait for the windmills of God to work at their own pace or take the matters in their own hands .It is said that nobody except God has the right to take the life of another human being. Why are then the soldiers who kill for their country honoured and glorified? It is highly unlikely that the other man who is fighting for his country, for the right or wrong reasons, would be a menace to the society, and in all likelihood is a decent human being who had the courage and conviction to fight for his motherland. So, you are a hero and a saviour of your country if you kill dozens of this kind in a war, but if you do the same to the rotten bastards living amidst you, you are a god damned killer! A single act of murder or assault can be forgiven, but you cannot turn the other cheek when it happens again and again. A man who got away with what he did would most likely repeat it, confident that he would get lucky again. If only criminals were smarter! What provision did the law makers have for the scenario where the justice was thwarted? None, I guess. They left it to fate. I think our society would be better if there were a group of Dexter’s scouring to scourge the scum. The only catch is that there should be no reasonable doubt in ascertaining the guilt. In my day-dreaming sessions, I have often fantasized about being a vigilante or a superhuman, torturing the perpetrators of the most heinous of crimes to death. But will I be able to do it in reality? It would be great if somebody did all the dirty work, but what if I had to get my hands dirty? Do I have the courage to take another human’s life, even if he were the devils incarnate, and the mental strength to face the consequences of my action? I wonder if I have the spine to slaughter a chicken and then skin it for food, leave alone killing someone. And I wonder for how long these questions will remain unanswered.

Religion

The oxford defines it as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. Wikipedia says that a religion is a set of beliefs and practices often organized around supernatural and moral claims, and often codified as prayer, ritual, and religious law. But sometimes I think that it’s pure evil. I am not an atheist and I believe in God, but I think this institution of His is nothing but a bad hat. And sometimes I just wish that the practice of it was banned! That would give humanity one less reason to fight amongst themselves. And the manifestation of religion which I hate the most is the organized one, which is the most prominent. They are nothing less than corporations fighting for bigger numbers and more territory. How else can the desperate attempts to convert people of one faith to another be explained ? What was the purpose of religion? How did a faith or a particular way of living your life evolve into a religion? A glimpse at the history of the world tells that a lot of blood has been spilled in the name of God. Most of the major confrontations of today are centered on religion. The so called Men of God decree their own faith to be the only path to the Almighty and blaspheme the others. It is said that ‘everything is fair and love and war’. It should be changed to ‘everything is fair in love, war and in the name of thy God’. Why should I be a part of an institution which breeds hatred and mistrust, mostly? There would not have been a WW II had there been no religion . There would not have been so many riots and genocides . There would be no terrorism . There is only one God , but man has so many different versions of him . The fairer sex has been at the receiving end of the religion since ages . I do not think I have the right to comment on how other religions treat women , but as a born Hindu I can freely comment on it . Shakti meaning sacred force, power or energy is the Hindu concept or personification of the divine feminine aspect, sometimes referred to as 'The Divine Mother'. Shakti represents the active, dynamic principles of feminine power. In short, there are scores of Goddesses in Hinduism and they all are worshipped with no less veneration. But at the same time, women are burnt alive for dowry, raped, beaten, tortured, bullied and mistreated in a number of ways. What greater hypocrisy can be there? And Religion is not just about the conflicts. Religion controls big bucks as well. The preachers and evangelists, the pilgrimages, and the endless TV channels. How many of these preachers are truly spiritual themselves? How many of them really lead a Spartan life and are trying to attain enlightenment? They live larger than life and have a celebrity life style. And they want the poor sucker who is listening to them to leave the web of delusion that is this world. The Tirumala temple at Tirupathi has a system which offers different kinds of Darshan for the price you are willing to pay. And the revenue generated from that place alone is in multitude of cores . That’s commercialized religion . The Babri Masjid – Ram Mandir row of Ayodhya is another instance of enmity fostered by religion . Why don’t they build a university or a hospital there , which would actually benefit the populace . But no , that would be against the sanctity of the faith , after all it is the birthplace of Shree Ram . I believe in Maryada Purushottam Ram , but I don’t believe in the cause to build a temple by violence or bloodshed. It positively repulses me when I think of the misery caused by religion , and makes me pity my fellow man . I need God but I don’t need a religion . How can you be a part of the system and not let it influence you consciously or sub-consciously ? But how do you abandon it as well ? I don’t believe in the image of God being a tall man with a flowing beard and a booming voice , sitting on a throne in heaven , but if I did , I wonder whether He is laughing at us , crying for us or in a perplexed state of mind .

Religion is a by-product of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity? – Arthur C. Clarke

Religion is against women's rights and women's freedom.
In all societies women are oppressed by all religions. - Taslima Nasrin

A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward

after death . – Albert Einstein

The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God. - Susan B Anthony

Random Thought #3 : GOD

Do we humans question the existence of God,debate over Him,in short make a BIG song and dance about it because we ,like everything around us ,are created and destroyed,and therefore the concept of an eternal,ageless,timeless God just doesn't seem right ? Is it beyond the realms of our three dimensional,logical,rational and analytical intelligence to encompass the true understanding of the entity we fondly refer to as God ? May be that's it , God is God because we in our human form cannot possibly come even close to understanding Him.I guess that is why we just don't need to believe in Him,we need indubitable Conviction ! Does all this make any sense ? :)

Random Thought #2: Perfection

Perfection: The state of being perfect, without defect or blemish. We humans are always trying to achieve perfection is our little endeavours. And it is often said that nothing in this world is perfect except God. But is our definition of perfect correct? Maybe something is perfect only when it has flaw, at least a tiny one. Maybe that defect is necessary for the system to ultimately break down, end itself and perish. Because everything that is created is destroyed. Everything has a life. Even our universe. Hindu philosophy says that the entire process of creation-evolution-destruction has been going on since aeons. The eternal cycle of birth and death, of creation, preservation and eventual destruction. If there were to exist an entity which would be perfect by our standards, it would cause a glitch in the overall operation. We have defined perfect as flawless, I guess, because we do not want to create again and again, only to see it destroyed. Maybe we have defined perfection for our own convenience. Let us consider our own species. If we were created by the God who is perfect himself, again by our definition, then why did we evolve over time? Why are we still evolving? Perfection would imply that nothing could be better than the current state. I guess that’s against the very concept of Life. Our body creates itself out of mere nothing, a sperm cell and a minuscule egg. Driven by the super software of DNA, we develop into a living organism. And once fulfilling our biological and/or spiritual purpose, we die and disintegrate. Isn’t this perfect? Why does man-kind crave immortality? That’s stupid. If I were to be born again and again on this earth , I would prefer not to start from scratch in every iteration of the loop,i.e. it would be really cool if I could re-load my last conscious image and continue from there , provided I was born in the same species . Now that would be Perfect ! An imperfect system would be the one without a flaw, because then, it would cease to fit “perfectly” in the big picture. Its one hell of a cycle!

Random Thought #1 : Freedom

What is Freedom? Is it the condition of being free? Is it the power to act, speak or think without external constraints? Or is it immunity from an obligation or duty? Is it a state of mind? Or is it just an illusion, something which seems to exist? Or is it relativistic in nature, you are only free if the man next to you is bogged down by more than his share of trouble! If somebody shackles me up, I won’t be free to move, but would I really be enslaved by mere shackles? Or even if I were free to do anything I wish for, would I really be free? We are enslaved by our senses; the very purpose of our very existence is their appeasement. How can we be free then? A better education, a degree, job, money, material comforts, good health, the list is endless. Even the most content man on this planet would be free in a limited sense. He is free because he doesn’t burn with the desire to acquire more. But even he has to bow down to cycle of birth and death. Even death won’t free you. I guess, salvation, freedom from the cycle of birth and death is the Ultimate Thing. Sometimes I wonder, what’s the purpose of life? Why do we exist? Where is all this leading to? Everything in this universe is a part of some great cycle, but why oh why? Is it because He had nothing else to do, so he created all this to keep himself busy? Its really mind boggling!