God of the faithful and the faithless

First of all let me wish every Indian a very Happy Republic Day. Let me also echo/copy the sentiments of a friend.

Wishing all my friends greetings on the occasion of the Republic Day of a prosperous, compassionate, developing India with an active judiciary, neat governance and a vibrant democracy to lead the world into the new times of change and growth accessing technology and advances in Science for the benefit of mankind, flora and fauna all over.

I shall soon be boarding the plane to let our children have some time with their grandfather (Hubby’s father) who may soon bid adieu to this world. Later, they would need to get back to their studies and their world full of promises and so also heartaches. They loved their grandfather like every other grandchild and I am not sure how they shall deal with such inevitabilites of this life. As for me, let me gather my strength and hold onto to my own faith in the Almighty. One needs it all the more at times like this.

The following is an email forward from my blogger friend and many may have read it. It is just another bid to try and convince a few who hold on to their faithlessness.

GOD
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked o n you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
Exactly, affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

God's own country

God’s own country has once again acted like God.

With no mercy, it has taken away the lives of more than a hundred and all because they sought solace from the Almighty.

Like many, I think it was an avoidable disaster. Everyone, including those in authority knew that lakhs were using this route to reach Sabarimala, yet they were not stopped. But stopping them would not have been easy either since it would then having been akin to hurting religious sentiments. Yet, something could have been done especially since there is no lack of money pouring in.

But then there are Hindus who think otherwise too. For them, a pilgrimage to Sabarimala has always been a penance. They take Vritham (fast) for 41 days and undergo many trials to reach the Sannithanam. In earlier days, this journey was even more dangerous since there were also wild animals to face. Yet, they undertook the journey even if they had to face death. Having lived in the high ranges, I have seen pilgrims from the state of Tamilnadu walking a whole lot more distance in earlier days, to reach Sabarimala.

After the 1999 tragedy at Sabarimala, as usual, there were discussions and commissions and recommendations from well meaning people. But nothing was done.

I am not sure if it is only the increase in population in India, but overall there is an increase in the number of people thronging to religious places, be it the Church, Temple or Mosque. As for Christians, there are now more thronging to places and people outside the traditional Church. I think people have lost faith in humanity and are desperately seeking God. May the Almighty Himself give us a solution?