I received the following in an Email.
It is supposed to be a letter from God, speaking as a friend to you.
So me being me, I wrote up a reply to it, which is present below the letter…
I request the reader to not take this personally. This is not directed at you or at anyone specific.
There are a few people in this world who have a nasty itch to express them-selves – even if what they wish to express may offend others. I am one of those unfortunate ones.
You may find my comments quite pessimistic. I agree I am a pessimist – because, unlike these self-proclaimed optimists, I cannot bluff myself into falsely believing that life is great and all is well in the world – because it isn’t…
Of course your comments / arguments / opinions on the below are most welcome – I will not contradict them for they are uniquely yours…
The Letter goes something like this…
My Dear Friend,
As you got up this morning, I watched you, and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday.
But I noticed you were too busy, trying to find the right outfit to wear. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy.
At one point you had to wait fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip instead. I watched patiently all day long. With all your activities I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, which is why you didn't bow your Head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That's okay. There is still more time left, and I hope that you will talk to me yet.
You went home and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done, you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it not thinking about anything, just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn't talk to me.
Bedtime I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience, more than you will ever know.... I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought, or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation.
Well, you are getting up once again. Once again I will wait, with nothing but love for you. Hoping that today you will give me some time. Have a nice day!
Your friend,
GOD
My Reply to this letter is as follows:
Dear God,
I agree with you, dear God. It is very difficult to have a one-sided conversation. I should know. For whenever I have prayed to you, or asked you for something, I hardly ever received a response…
Yes I agree that I am embarrassed to speak to you in front of my friends. And that is because I know they don’t believe in you and they will think of me as a fool to believe in you… Have you ever wondered why they don’t believe in you? Why so many of humans have lost faith in you and instead invested their faith in life-less Idols and meaningless Rituals??? I think it is because even they, at some point of their lives, have tried to have a conversation with you. And I guess even they found it quite one-sided… It is because you don’t make your presence felt in the way that us average moronic mortals can understand, that we morons turn instead to stone idols and silly rituals for spiritual comfort – for we can at least see and feel them…
Philosophers and Spiritual Leaders say that not all our prayers are answered – because You probably have something better in store for us. Or maybe You want us to grow stronger by making us struggle for what we want.
Now, I am not a genius. I am an average human being (You created me, You should know)… So, I cannot understand what these evangelists say. All I understand is that I ask something from you and I don’t get it. Or I have to struggle my whole life to get it. I feel like a guineapig mouse – the one that is made to run out of hunger within a rotating drum – a piece of cheese hangs right in front of it, but the mouse cannot have it. Sometimes I feel like that. Is that your Idea of Friendship? Is that your Idea of love? Does a Friend do such a thing to another friend? No. But you do it to us humans. Why create a feeling of craving within us in the first place? And if you did create it, then why make it so difficult for us to satisfy those cravings? Why make us struggle for it like a guineapig – always running after our dreams but never getting them? Is that your definition of life, dear God? If it is, then I fail to understand You…
Of course, we don’t usually ask anything of friends. But that’s because our true friends help us out without needing to ask.
You will say that all I do is ask. Well, I cannot enjoy a game of chess or cricket with you. Neither can I freak out in a “disc” or a “pub” with you. Nor can I talk to you of my deepest feelings and thoughts because I don’t have you in front of me – to console me, to at least show that you are listening. (Sure Philosophers say that You are everywhere. But still I don’t feel your presence). If I cannot do all these things with you, on what else do I base our friendship? I am honoured to be called a friend by you, but I am sorry to say that I cannot bestow the same honours on you. So all I do is ask of you…
You may call me selfish and arrogant for that – Well, of course I am selfish and arrogant. After all I am only human. I am not omnipotent, wise and all-knowing. I am not God, You are…
As I have said before, I am no Philosopher or genius or God. So I will not understand your grand scheme of things. And hence I am compelled to loose faith in You. And where there is no faith, how can there be love or friendship or even a conversation???
And yet dear God… Whenever I am in pain, or in trouble, or feeling really low in life, I call out for my Mother, and sometimes for my Father, and then sometimes I call out to you – not because any of you may come and relieve me of my pain and suffering. But because I know that if anyone of you were near me now, you would do your best to comfort me. (I know this to be true of my Mother and Father. And I have been taught to believe this to be true about you). And that feeling gives me support and hope – even though my brain says that You do not exist – that there is no scientific or physical proof of Your existence – that You will not come even if I call you…
So dear God, I may not consider you as a friend. I may not even consider you as a parent. But I do consider you as an invisible support – knowing with all my reason and logic, that even if You are not there in a way that I can feel your presence – yet the thought of you (however self-deceitful it may be) is a comfort and a reason to hope…
Best Regards,
A Mere Mortal.
It is supposed to be a letter from God, speaking as a friend to you.
So me being me, I wrote up a reply to it, which is present below the letter…
I request the reader to not take this personally. This is not directed at you or at anyone specific.
There are a few people in this world who have a nasty itch to express them-selves – even if what they wish to express may offend others. I am one of those unfortunate ones.
You may find my comments quite pessimistic. I agree I am a pessimist – because, unlike these self-proclaimed optimists, I cannot bluff myself into falsely believing that life is great and all is well in the world – because it isn’t…
Of course your comments / arguments / opinions on the below are most welcome – I will not contradict them for they are uniquely yours…
The Letter goes something like this…
My Dear Friend,
As you got up this morning, I watched you, and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday.
But I noticed you were too busy, trying to find the right outfit to wear. When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy.
At one point you had to wait fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip instead. I watched patiently all day long. With all your activities I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, which is why you didn't bow your Head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That's okay. There is still more time left, and I hope that you will talk to me yet.
You went home and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done, you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there and you spend a lot of time each day in front of it not thinking about anything, just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn't talk to me.
Bedtime I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience, more than you will ever know.... I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought, or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation.
Well, you are getting up once again. Once again I will wait, with nothing but love for you. Hoping that today you will give me some time. Have a nice day!
Your friend,
GOD
My Reply to this letter is as follows:
Dear God,
I agree with you, dear God. It is very difficult to have a one-sided conversation. I should know. For whenever I have prayed to you, or asked you for something, I hardly ever received a response…
Yes I agree that I am embarrassed to speak to you in front of my friends. And that is because I know they don’t believe in you and they will think of me as a fool to believe in you… Have you ever wondered why they don’t believe in you? Why so many of humans have lost faith in you and instead invested their faith in life-less Idols and meaningless Rituals??? I think it is because even they, at some point of their lives, have tried to have a conversation with you. And I guess even they found it quite one-sided… It is because you don’t make your presence felt in the way that us average moronic mortals can understand, that we morons turn instead to stone idols and silly rituals for spiritual comfort – for we can at least see and feel them…
Philosophers and Spiritual Leaders say that not all our prayers are answered – because You probably have something better in store for us. Or maybe You want us to grow stronger by making us struggle for what we want.
Now, I am not a genius. I am an average human being (You created me, You should know)… So, I cannot understand what these evangelists say. All I understand is that I ask something from you and I don’t get it. Or I have to struggle my whole life to get it. I feel like a guineapig mouse – the one that is made to run out of hunger within a rotating drum – a piece of cheese hangs right in front of it, but the mouse cannot have it. Sometimes I feel like that. Is that your Idea of Friendship? Is that your Idea of love? Does a Friend do such a thing to another friend? No. But you do it to us humans. Why create a feeling of craving within us in the first place? And if you did create it, then why make it so difficult for us to satisfy those cravings? Why make us struggle for it like a guineapig – always running after our dreams but never getting them? Is that your definition of life, dear God? If it is, then I fail to understand You…
Of course, we don’t usually ask anything of friends. But that’s because our true friends help us out without needing to ask.
You will say that all I do is ask. Well, I cannot enjoy a game of chess or cricket with you. Neither can I freak out in a “disc” or a “pub” with you. Nor can I talk to you of my deepest feelings and thoughts because I don’t have you in front of me – to console me, to at least show that you are listening. (Sure Philosophers say that You are everywhere. But still I don’t feel your presence). If I cannot do all these things with you, on what else do I base our friendship? I am honoured to be called a friend by you, but I am sorry to say that I cannot bestow the same honours on you. So all I do is ask of you…
You may call me selfish and arrogant for that – Well, of course I am selfish and arrogant. After all I am only human. I am not omnipotent, wise and all-knowing. I am not God, You are…
As I have said before, I am no Philosopher or genius or God. So I will not understand your grand scheme of things. And hence I am compelled to loose faith in You. And where there is no faith, how can there be love or friendship or even a conversation???
And yet dear God… Whenever I am in pain, or in trouble, or feeling really low in life, I call out for my Mother, and sometimes for my Father, and then sometimes I call out to you – not because any of you may come and relieve me of my pain and suffering. But because I know that if anyone of you were near me now, you would do your best to comfort me. (I know this to be true of my Mother and Father. And I have been taught to believe this to be true about you). And that feeling gives me support and hope – even though my brain says that You do not exist – that there is no scientific or physical proof of Your existence – that You will not come even if I call you…
So dear God, I may not consider you as a friend. I may not even consider you as a parent. But I do consider you as an invisible support – knowing with all my reason and logic, that even if You are not there in a way that I can feel your presence – yet the thought of you (however self-deceitful it may be) is a comfort and a reason to hope…
Best Regards,
A Mere Mortal.
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