The Four Variables of our Faith

The Four Variables of our Faith

“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.”

― Abraham Lincoln

Time will tell what religion is and why people believe in it. My point today is not Religion per se, but the Faith which people have in God, the Almighty.

I won’t reason if there is a god or there is not, nor will I pick on a particular religion and dig the best or the worst of it; However, I do believe that all religions in the world have certain common variables to them. It is these common variables, or threads which define the teachings of any religion. They might sound different they might be spelt differently but their interpretation is common across the various religious followings.

I look at a human beings life as a journey. This journey is not exactly a walk in the park. The journey of a human being is like a turbulence while flying or a more fitting description would be travelling by car on a typical Indian road; Ha! I got this right

Indian roads- have you ever come across a road in India which doesn’t have potholes? Have you come across a road in India which is straight? Have you come across a road where you have never had a traffic jam?  Just as the probability of a YES to any of these questions is minimal, the probability of having a perfect life is a utopian expectation.

Let’s see what Lincoln said; When I do good (read Deeds or Karma), I feel good (self fulfillment, happiness)

A religion is like a book. The Cover page of this Book called Religion is the Faith i.e. Dharma; The pages inside are your Deeds i.e. Karma while the Index pages (though important but not critical) is the devotion i.e. Bhakti. The author of the book is YOU

Now what does life book say?

1. Faith ( Dharma)
2. Deeds ( Karma)
3. Devotion ( Bhakti)
4. You will believe the author, if you not only read this book but also believe in it and make it a part of your everyday life ( Trust)- Remember what the bakery cash counter note says-

“In God we Trust… Everyone else pays”

What is your Faith?

My faith is not the religion I believe in. It is the way I choose to lead my life. The choice of my life is in itself a service to the almighty for he/ she has little less of work minding me on a daily basis. It is the way of life I opt; At the end of the journey of my life, the question that would read as the title of the book would be, was he a good human? And trust me, that’s the only title possible at the end of this sojourn for each and every human. It’s like a book with Billions and Billions of prints but all of them look exactly the same and all of them have the same title- Was this Soul a good soul?

Right, so you have a book in your hand and the title of the Book says, was this soul a good soul? What do you do next? Open the Book.

Chap One says Introduction. What are you being introduced to? You are being introduced to a life form which exists as a soul and the deeds (karma) of that soul. It begins with infancy and like any other book the first few chapters are a bit boring till the story comes to a boil with all its twists and turns- Mystery, Sex and a Crime but here it’s slightly different- it is what you have done in your life i.e. a report card of each and every stage of life is a new chapter.

“You were a good man, whose deeds make the almighty proud for granting you life and a soul to live” or it can read, you were a mess of a human and far worse as a soul and the almighty has serious regrets about granting you life and a soul- probably Hitler’s report card will read that as a final statement which will be the complete reflection of your balance sheet- a Positive Life or a Negative life.

This is where an important variable comes into play- Devotion or Bhakti.

Devotion can often be on the lines of sycophancy where by the people believe it will provide for absolution for your deeds or most often bad deeds. God doesn’t expect sycophancy nor does he want it. God wants you to lead a life which he has blessed you with and be a good soul. Do good deeds. Don’t be a thief, don’t be a greedy monster; don’t be an evil devil; don’t make others life miserable for your betterment.

Confessions and prayers don’t earn you points. They should technically keep you on the right path but sometimes people believe that prayers are a platform where they have been granted a right to do what they think is right. That’s not the objective of prayers. Prayers are a way to thank god for what he has done for you. Prayers are a way to keep you righteous for it’s a message. Comprehend and decipher the message for understanding the true meaning of prayer.

So what’s the conclusion?

• Your book will be a story of who you are. You cannot change it once you are gone.
• Your book will be a tale of your life. It will be a benchmark for your future generation.
• You may wish to but it will not be possible to wash away your sins with prayers and confessions. Your deeds are your deeds and they are there to stay.

 Those are the memories you leave behind.