God- an enigma

God has a personal meaning for everyone who believes in it. I have not written ‘him’ or ‘her’ because it is a personal matter, it can be him or her or something else, no one knows. But the general consensus is that God exists. Broadly we approach god through idol worship, non idol worship, worshiping the book, worshiping the natural forces. Also god is presented to us in the form of the god itself, ‘son of god’, ‘messenger of god’, ‘the book of god’, god in various physical forms which have been idolized.

The common man is the biggest believer of god and he has never seen it or experienced it. He just believes because someone has said it in his religion that propagated it or because their parents inculcated the habit or god is required to pour our heart out to tide over our difficulties. Still some say that he has seen it or felt it or experienced it, but was it god or something else.

Some say god is in heaven or god is inside us or god in everywhere. Nothing happens without gods will and everything happens as per his will.

Now we are faced with so many permutation and combinations that someone trying to seek god will himself becomes confused.

But the underlying similarity is that the common man believes in it or a supernatural force that is working behind everything. We pray daily, some once, some twice and some 5 times a day. Our relation with god is that of a problem solver or as a listener to our sorrow or as a short cut to redeem our wrong doings by confessing to it.

There are two aspects of religion which defines god. One is to devise a set of rules which will govern our life, what to do, how to do, when to do, where to do, what not to do. For example not to harm others, speak the truth,morality, help the poor and needy, not to steal or kill, immorality and things like that. The second aspect is for the seekers who want to have god realization. Here also there are many ways propagated by many, like pray, meditate, worship, sing, dance, doing good deeds, study the scriptures etc.

The common man falls in the first category. These things said by the high and mighty are normal common sense things. It comes automatically to us. We tend to deviate from it when we find no other option or the gain from deviating is too much. Otherwise a common man generally tries to stay within the parameters of it. There are a few incorrigible who love deviating from it and chronic in nature.

The die hard believers also sometimes question its existence when circumstances get difficult, like when his young son is diagnosed with serious illness threatening the life. At that time even the believer who has worshiped god diligently the whole life will ask why me?  But as their will be no reply so he will take it as gods will and accept it. Direct intervention by god in difficult situations is hearsay mostly or it can also be a coincidence or a matter of luck.

Also those claiming to have seen god, felt it, experienced it may have suffered a hallucination. When someone is fervently seeking god for years, mind may play a trick which may be an interpretation of god realization.

So there are a number of possibilities and none can be negated. If for the common man it gives an outlet to his problems then the purpose is achieved, but the question still remains. Is there a god, if yes then what is it, if not then what is it that the people believe.

These are my personal thoughts from my personal experience through various phases of life. The pendulum still swings between an ardent believer to a rationalist from time to time. I have still not reached a conclusion but the search continues.