BREAKING DOWN WALLS

A wonderful blogger recently asked me to share my thoughts and views Religion and spirituality.

My response was as follows:

I have never identified myself with labels, whether nationalistic, religious or otherwise. The more I have seen the world the more I see the unity as opposed to differences, which are so very superficial. The joys and sorrows, the pain and happiness that govern a human life are fundamentally the same no matter, which country, religion, race or culture they belong to. Parents feel same joys and sorrows for their children, lovers the same love – what might differ is the external expression of those things. The expression being deemed as acceptable or not depending on the cultural conditioning. Ultimately everything that we tend to identify ourselves by is nothing but conditioning. Even nationalistic feeling, though considered to be a good thing can ultimately be detrimental when compared to the unity of the human experience – as it tends to separate man from man and woman from woman.

Anything that comes in the way of the unified human experience of love, which takes us away from basic fundamental human emotions and experiences of empathy, compassion – cannot be close to divinity. All spiritual paths, whatever names they go by, ultimately lead to the same destination. To claim that only one is true and the rest not so – is ludicrous. HE, SHE or IT that is all pervasive and has created the entire universe – how can such an intelligent presence differentiate between the very things it has created? That is pure indoctrination of the human mind by the human mind for nothing but control and power. How can love for God exist where no love for his creation exists!

Inner experience shows – that the more one advances, the more the labels fall off, the less is the insistence on a specific self limiting identity. How can that which is infinite be defined in finite terms? This is what i feel. The more one grows, the freer one is from small, narrow limitations; the more the walls break down. The more is the expansion of love. Not only does that love extend towards ones near or dear ones but it expands in ever widening concentric circles to include all societies, all nations, the world and ultimately the universe. It all exists within us.

The creator and the created are identical, the same holiness pervades all creation.

SWORDS AND ROSES

There nestled two villages –

on opposite sides of

a majestic mountain

but never had the twain –

seen each other.

 

There nestled two villages –

idyllic and as pretty as could be

heady with the fragrance of roses but –

Red in one and White in the other.

 

There nestled two villages –

with beauteous women and men

that strutted with chests puffed and swords –

that gleamed and glistened.

 

And then one day, there arose a rumour –

skies darkened and lightning struck

and blood thirsty cries rose  –

in a thunderous and murderous chorus.

 

“How can Roses be Red?”

“How can Roses be White!”

“How can that possibly be true?”

“Kill those liars! Kill for ’tis definitely untrue!”

 

And so, they disbelieved each other and cried –

 “Sharpen your swords! Get on your horses!”

“Kill those liars! And save your souls!”

“For our truth is the only Truth!”

“For it cannot  –

otherwise be!”

 

And so they clawed and clambered

to the top of the majestic mountain

and fought and fought and fought

and their children and their children –

too fought.

 

And killed and killed and killed

For their truths –

Roses could only be Red!

Roses could only be White!

How could it possibly be otherwise!

 

And they continue to disbelieve each other –

And continue to fight

their bloody and brutal fight

and trample upon Roses both –

Red and White

And now there are Roses –

No more.

 

And now there are children –

no more.