‘I don’t give a shit about what you think’ I shouted at him.
‘Neither do I’ He replied!
‘Then why the hell do you mind when I step in to a mosque?’ I was angry.
‘Do you ever feel His existence?’ He sounded as if he was equally angry.
It was not the first occasion that me and my good friend started fighting or more precisely bitching about belief.
‘Coffee?’ I broke the ice and we occupied a comfortable table in a near by café.
‘Answer me!’ He was not ready to see me sip the coffee peacefully.
‘So everyone who believe in His existence is a fool or what?’ I reiterated.
‘Of course! You think rationally dude! You will get it!’. The reckless atheist replied.
‘First up, you please think!’ I sounded as if I was frustrated.
‘What do you mean?’ He was certainly frustrated now.
‘I mean that you are terribly wrong! It depends, dude!’ I added some fuel to fire.
‘What the fuck? Depends on what?’ He replied, annoyed.
‘Depends on every individual. Depends on everything in their lives...’ I tried to explain it out to him.
‘Speak at least a little logically’ He was certainly annoyed.
‘Well, There is something that I believe in. It's called "the staircase model". I guess it can explain things better to you da!’ I tried to vent some heat off the conversation.
‘What staircase has to do with here?’
‘Like I said, it just serves as an analogy here!’ I was confusing him even more.
‘Dude, don’t talk random shit! Get to the point!!’ He annoyed me like anything with this
‘Please let me explain. Can you please be a little patient?’ I shouted at him.
‘Chill.. Go ahead!’ He finally showed some patience.
‘See, consider the variety of people who take the stairs. Their dependence on its hand rail serves as an analogy for different peoples’ belief on God!!’ I started explaining myself.
‘Huh? Explain da!’
‘Well, consider the staircase to be the life you live and the associated handrail as God or more specifically, the belief on Him’
'Okkkaayyy?'
‘So consider an energetic youngster like you who is taking the staircase, you don’t really need the assistance of the handrail, and you guys don’t give a damn about it! Well the energetic youngsters in my model refers to the people who are really strong either mentally or economically or are very skilled and can proceed with their life without any assistance. So they don’t believe in God!’ I stopped being a little happy, as I had finally managed to make him listen to me, atleast for sometime.
'Then why does this energetic youngster seek out to it??' He asked, pointing me out, being happy ( revenge :P), thinking he had cornered me!
‘Well, for a super safe journey and to give some support and prevent me from stumbling, as I progress.’ I comfortably countered him.
‘But this world has quite a lot of people who are not energetic youngsters? What about them?’ He was not ready to give up.
‘I do agree that quite a lot of people other than youngsters take the stairs. Let me finish...’ I replied.
‘Go ahead’ He smiled.
‘Consider quite an old guy, or a differently abled guy. They need something to bank on as they climb the staircase and they seek it! So, I think the poor people or the people who are bit weak either economically, mentally or as in regard with the skills, need something to bank on to move ahead. Specifically, something which gives them confidence and keeps their hopes alive. God serves as a source of confidence and becomes the only hope for them’ I finished.
‘Mmmm..’ He seemed to be agreeing with me.
‘You know what the beauty is, quite a few people who don't seek the handrail normally, automatically extend their hands towards it if they stumble somewhere and also when a treacherous path is ahead of them..’ I added some more lustre to my theory.
‘Ok, why are you getting so angry and serious when I question you about your belief on Him?' He finally asked something which he was ought to ask aeons before!
‘Well, Seeking the handrail is completely upto me!! Who the heck are you to dictate things to me and to others? Why should anyone dictate terms to others? Do you love being dictated? Just because YOU don’t see something, it is not ethical or even logical to question its very existence. Someone somewhere needs it!! Similarly someone who needs that has no right to dictate you guys to use it!’ I ended.
‘Well, I’m sort of confused!’ He nodded unusually.
‘Free!, Chill out! Its time for us to leave’ I said as I dropped a tip to the bearer.
‘What about going to the Mosque?’ I tried to pull off some words from his mouth!
‘I don’t give a shit about you right now and I never will!’ He smiled at me.
And we proceeded to the nearby Mosque!
P.S.: This series of my 'Talks', starting with this, is to serve as a repository of my thoughts, view and perspectives regarding few issues and so, I’m trying to bring that out through fiction. Correct me, if I'm wrong at any place.
- Karthik Selva.
