I often try to find the good in the religious scriptures of all faiths, discarding what I find obsolete while seeking out the common threads that unite us. In this approach, I face little opposition. But if I am to express my true opinion, based on my observations, much of theology is simply a construct of mankind designed to control the masses. While everyone should be free to believe as they wish, it was the clarity of philosophers like Socrates, Marx, Voltaire, Nietzsche, Osho, and J. Krishnamurti that truly led me out of the fog of superstition and dogma.
We recently witnessed a debate between an Islamic scholar and Javed Akhtar on the question, “Does God Exist?” Many have already debunked the scholar’s academic arguments, and while Akhtar isn’t a traditional academic, he speaks from a place of raw honesty and life experience, much like J. Krishnamurti.I often wonder why we are so deeply concerned with a “Creator” when we seem unable to love the living beings right in front of us, the people and animals sharing our world. It brings to mind a quote by Hubert Reeves that perfectly captures our modern insanity:
“Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible Nature. Unaware that this Nature he’s destroying is this God he’s worshiping.”
I have written before about the strangeness of how social rules assign us labels the moment we are born. How is it conceptually possible for a child to be born a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew? We all share the same skin, organs, bones, and DNA. Why not let individuals decide what they want to believe?I have deep love for Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and Moses. But that love doesn’t mean I will follow them blindly or adhere to a rigid, narrow path. We need flexibility; we need the potential for cultural exchange rather than isolation.In this regard, Buddhism is fascinating. It rarely strives to convert, yet it attracts people from every corner of the globe. Buddha is “GOATED” (Greatest of All Time) in the sense that centuries of imperialism couldn’t erase his philosophy. It needs no aggressive preaching to sustain itself. As one of the few major “atheistic” religions, it adjusts itself to other faiths with remarkable ease.
In India, many are so emotionally tied to religion, caste, and creed that they become vulnerable the moment a rational argument is raised. Atheism faces an uphill battle here because obedience is often viewed as more “moral” than rational discourse.
Dr. Ambedkar envisioned radical social changes to move us toward a more just structure, but the India of his time wasn’t ready. Even today, it remains a challenge. I find his frustration, the feeling that led to his resignation from the Law Ministry, entirely relatable. Pandit Nehru, in my view, handled the social sphere with maturity and sensitivity. We need time, a great deal of it, to witness true social progress. Only once we advance socially can we truly revolutionize our political sphere.
Our social sphere remains deeply fractured. My primary grievance with the current political trajectory under the BJP and RSS is the attempt to drag us back to medieval mindsets. The progress made over 70 years in building unity and tolerance seems to be eroding within a single decade. We are making the same mistakes Pakistan did, and I fear we will face similar consequences in the near future.
Recently, news broke that non-Hindus have been banned from participating in the Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar. It made me wonder: Where are we heading? We are repeating the intolerance that other regions have spent centuries trying to rectify.
It is heartbreaking to see radical groups oppressing others in the name of God. True religion preaches peace, love, and compassion. Extremists, however, rely on literal and distorted interpretations to create an “us vs. them” mentality on purpose.
In my view, the individuals “infected” by this ideology are often the most helpless. They frequently come from impoverished backgrounds, are tricked with promises of money, and are brainwashed by superiors until they are willing to kill themselves and thousands of innocents. The real culprits are those who build these organizations and vomit toxicity for profit. For them, religion is not a path to truth; it is a tool to earn money and seize the throne.
I am increasingly worried about a new generation of graduates who seem unable, or unwilling, to examine the claims of political leaders. They inherit their parents’ biases without question. This intellectual passivity is exactly why we continue to elect the wrong leaders.
Recently, the Bhagavad Gita was introduced in schools. My appeal to educators is this: if you introduce the Gita, also introduce the Holy Bible, the Qur’an, the Guru Granth Sahib, and the Dhammapada. Let students see the common truths underlying all of them. Let them learn to reject dogma and build a foundation of genuine respect for one another.
History shows us that those who raise their voices for unity often face the harshest persecution. This is why Buddha went silent. It is why Jesus was crucified. Countless truth-seekers throughout history have been burnt alive or stoned to death for simply pointing toward the truth. We must decide if we want to continue that cycle or finally break free from it.