Wednesday 1 May 2013

Why I would not like to be an Atheist


 

Prakash Srinivasan





I have always been surprised as to how atheists lead their life. It is not that they are not successful and they do not have a prosperous life (finally it depends on destiny) but I would like to focus more on the emotional aspect of it. I feel that atheists are missing a lot of things by not believing in God. It is not that they are bad people, there are so many honest and committed people who I have read are atheists but this is the one last thing that I feel anybody must not do!
I would like to confess at the start that I am not a very religious person but at the same time I have a lot of faith in the concept of God. One motto which I am trying to practice is that I must just not pray when I am in trouble but pray and thank God daily and as frequently as possible. To be selfish towards God is one of the worst things I could do and hence this thought.

Let me put forth a few rational points which I feel really proves that God does exist.
The Magic and Harmony in Nature and Creation: Nature is one of the greatest marvels that we will ever see. The million things happening in nature with such clockwork precision cannot definitely happen if it’s not the handiwork of a supreme and monstrously powerful being. The simplest example is the seed becoming a massive tree. So it’s impossible for me to think that all this was just random and by chance! I can actually write an entire article on just this point as there are a thousand examples of the daily miracles that happen in nature. We miss everything and take it for granted.
The Experience of Love: When we believe in the concept of God, we feel a strong sense of belongingness and we feel secure. It is almost like the kangaroo baby in the mother’s pouch. It is not at all necessary that we need to believe in the things that we can only see. There are many intangible feelings (love/hope/confidence/enthusiasm) which are deeper and long-lasting than the tangible ones. I really wonder how atheists would tackle all the calamities of their life, if God is not a part of my life then it would be more desolate and dark in such times. I will fall back on God when I have a problem. If God does not solve my problem immediately (which happens quite frequently), then I take it that he wants me to solve it myself and learn in the process. Don’t we talk about learning on the job (thro mistakes) and training in corporate life, then why is it not applicable to our life itself? When our problem is not solved, we blame God and question his very existence. We are missing the point that he wants us to learn and, believe it or not we do come out stronger, patient and more resolute after the whole episode.
The concept of unconditional love is always taken only in the context of God and not among humans. So, why not try to experience that feeling by believing in God? We are ready to try out a hundred other things in life but when it comes to God our priorities are very rigid with no compromises whatsoever. Instant results are very rare in life and more so in the case of God.
The God concept makes us more united, humble and thankful for the countless blessings we have received in our life. Whom should we be thankful to when we know that we have almost every comfort that we need? We will understand our good fortune only when we see a hundred other people daily who do not have even the basic necessities of life. God is the one umbrella under which all of us are taking shelter and the sooner we realize it the better our life will be.




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