DESTINY IS GOD (PART I )

How cruel are the hands of destiny!

Do we ever realize this until misfortune comes knocking? But before this rude knock, destiny is nothing more than an eloquent word--lifeless, still. However, once tragedy strikes and fate intervenes callously, mercilessly, we awake wide-eyed to the full 'meaning' of such words, to the pain they hide in their bosom, to the life they can conjure up in the mere letters they are made of. And then we wail in agony, we curse our stars, we tremble with rage, we resign in helplessness. Some of us are resilient in the face of the crisis and some of us wilt and give way. Some of us turn to vacuous philosophizing, and others turn to the solace of God and religion. But we all witness the ebb and flow of Destiny at some point or another in the long march of our lives.

Destiny is the very antithesis of logic. Life is not Physics. It is a gamble, a bundle of chances, a theartrical saga unfolding without a shred of uncertainty. This unfolding cripples Man and makes him realize that he is but a mortal. All that a Man(Woman) does---all his dreams, aspirations, achievements, solid as they may be, built upon foundations of hard work and nurtured with years of unrelenting dedication---needs just a whiff of misfortune to make everything come crashing down. Destiny is a monster with no respect for good and bad. As death equalizes men dead, destiny equalizes men alive!

How justifiable is destiny in men's lives? Does it have any purpose other than proving that God is our Lord and the master of the universe, the King on whose commands and whims the world is governed? Or is destiny God itself? Destiny armed with unpredictability as its weapon plays God and is thus adored and worshiped the world over. This power to surprise mankind has really been the source of its strength, for Man hates nothing more than surprises.

Our urge to know is unlimited but our power to know is limited. This schism, of necessity, brings to bear upon Man a tragedy that enslaves Him all his life. To sooth itself Mankind turns to God. This recourse to religion helps to put to rest all doubts that naturally crop up in the minds of men who are instinctively rational. Thus religion is the manifestation of the irrational side of Man. Spirituality is nothing but a valiant attempt to quell inquiry into disturbing questions by accepting a final authority. This causes doubt to vanish and faith to reign. Softened by this placebo, the ever-so-curious mind of man rests in peace.

To be continued......

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