An old friend gave me the honour to partake in a religious function recently.
Sitting through the function, I came to realise that the basic tenets of all religions are the same. The common seemingly 'good values' are somewhat universal. At face value, everything appears simple but as time goes on, we soon realise that things become more complicated. A simple statement like 'Thou shall not kill any living being' sound simple enough but not when you ask, "What if that being is potentially harmful, like a Bengal tiger or a lethal Dengue spreading aedes aegypti mosquito?"
To these difficult questions, different leaders would give different explanations and rationalisation that appease different target audiences. If the target audiences accept that there could be more than one way to dance the tango, no harm done. The problem arises when each vehemently proclaim that theirs is the only accepted way and others must be reprimanded for not doing the same.
The highlight the event was the stage drama acted and directed by its youth members. I thought that it was a very relevant story affecting all members across the generation. The older generation just goes on living life blindly (or faithfully) based on what they inherited from their elders without questioning too much. They, naturally expect their offspring to follow suit. Unfortunately, the very trait that their parents inculcated upon them, that is to question things and to be learned, are the very traits that make the younger one go astray from old religious teachings. To them, religion is just a set of rituals, akin to meaningless acts of a sufferer of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
To the young, modern day popular gurus like Oprah Winfrey, Robin Sharma and Deepak Chopra seem more relevant. They speak the same language and their answers seem contemporary. Unfortunately, all the answers that the youngsters are seeking are all there in the scriptures. It is just that they are not looking at the right places. The cyberspace always gets the bad reputation for spreading devious thoughts but it can also be instrumental for finding answers for questions people have been asking for generations for the purpose of life.
To these difficult questions, different leaders would give different explanations and rationalisation that appease different target audiences. If the target audiences accept that there could be more than one way to dance the tango, no harm done. The problem arises when each vehemently proclaim that theirs is the only accepted way and others must be reprimanded for not doing the same.
The highlight the event was the stage drama acted and directed by its youth members. I thought that it was a very relevant story affecting all members across the generation. The older generation just goes on living life blindly (or faithfully) based on what they inherited from their elders without questioning too much. They, naturally expect their offspring to follow suit. Unfortunately, the very trait that their parents inculcated upon them, that is to question things and to be learned, are the very traits that make the younger one go astray from old religious teachings. To them, religion is just a set of rituals, akin to meaningless acts of a sufferer of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
To the young, modern day popular gurus like Oprah Winfrey, Robin Sharma and Deepak Chopra seem more relevant. They speak the same language and their answers seem contemporary. Unfortunately, all the answers that the youngsters are seeking are all there in the scriptures. It is just that they are not looking at the right places. The cyberspace always gets the bad reputation for spreading devious thoughts but it can also be instrumental for finding answers for questions people have been asking for generations for the purpose of life.
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