Monday, June 15, 2015

Beliefs

The number of things normal human beings are expected to do, which I do not do, simply amazes me. For example, I believe that the process of maturing involves collecting beliefs - like a child collecting marbles - till you reach a state of acceptable maturity. Nobody told me! So, I ended up being inadequately equipped with beliefs to function like a normal human being.

To be accurate, it is not that I did not collect my share of beliefs. So many of them were floating around that I did manage to snag a few of my own. What could be considered an adequate collection even if it did not reach the exalted heights of someone who could find a belief to guide him in every problem - specifically other people's problems. The issue was that I failed in the most significant part of collecting a belief. I failed to convert all of them - or even some of them - to iron-clad convictions.

The way words get used these days, I must clarify what I mean. I speak not of facts here and, by facts, I mean things that you KNOW about the world. I speak of beliefs which, to me, indicate ideas about the world that you THINK are correct. And, convictions are things that you THINK you KNOW about the world. The surprising thing about human beings is that they are more confident of their convictions than their facts.

The one major belief I failed to imbibe is something I have talked of in detail earlier. Apparently, doing anything is of value only if you get paid for it. Otherwise, what you do is useless indulgence and, if you do not agree, you are a loser. In the recent past, I have had people going starry-eyed when they hear I am a blogger and ask me, "How much do you earn?" The moment they hear that I make nothing from it, the stars turn to black holes and they lose interest in my blogging, and lose respect for me as well. As indeed is right for who respects a loser? THAT is the result of my not acquiring the seminal belief, leave alone making it a conviction, that "If it has no price, it has no value".

The other thing that I fail in miserably is in having opinions about leaders. A belief about a leader is a potent thing. Of course, human nature being what it is, a negative belief about a leader marks you as a discerning person and worthy of respect. But, even if you hold a positive opinion, it can still work - especially if the leader is considered the major, if not sole, champion of an ideology that is universally accepted. This much was possible for me. The problem is that I never could rise to the heights of, thereafter, also believing that the same leader could do no wrong and, if he was an apostle of Ahimsa, say, he was also an able administrator, a champion of gender equality, and kind to dogs and the elderly in his spare time. Nor, indeed, could I acquire the religious fervor of assuming that anyone who dares point out a single fault in the leader of my choice, is the devil incarnate and, if he does not have horns, tail and a pitchfork, it is merely one more sign of his duplicity. No wonder, I am considered sub-human by most people who know me, since I have not been able to acquire the smallest sign of mature beliefs.

What beats me, though, is this innate need for people to hold beliefs where no beliefs need be held. I mean, the money thingy I can understand because people want to make money and seek to make friendships with people who can help them do so. One who does not himself make money is unlikely to be of use to them. Likewise with the leaders - people want a Society that suits them and they believe (Illogically? There you go poking your nose in with YOUR belief) that the leaders will lead them to such a Society. I may disagree with their motives but I can understand what motivates the belief. There are beliefs, though, where the motive simply escapes me.

Let us assume that the people around you believe that Eskimos will treat you well as guests,if you put up a daily status message praising Eskimos. Let us say everyone around you has started doing so. You do not want to be their guest anyway, you also do not believe that it will help, why you do not even believe that there are Eskimos! So, do you vehemently say that "I am an anti-Eskimoist" or do you just say "I have no interest in guesting with Eskimos. Leave me alone." Ah! Leave me alone, huh? I thought so!

What, then, makes people behave differently when it comes to 'ism's? Take Theism, for example. There are people who pray to God and want to be with Him in Heaven. You do not want to go there, you do not think prayers will help, why you do not believe there IS a God. THEN, instead of putting that time spent in prayers to better use, you spend time yelling "I am an Atheist!" instead of merely saying,"I have no interest in your Heaven or Hell. Just leave me alone." Why, I have seen Atheists spend all their time spewing venom against a God that they insist does not exist. What sort of person spends a life hating a being that he is sure is nonexistent? I have found most Theists spend less time thinking about God than some Atheists and, if there IS a Heaven, they may surprise themselves by landing there after death! In their place, it would seem best to me to just sidestep the believers and go on to a discussion about "Piku" or something, but that is me, the ab-human!

So, yes, in some 'ism's like Atheism, I have never managed to figure out WHY people feel the need to choose that 'ism' but then, as someone said, when people have no rational reasons to fight each other, they will always find irrational ones. Or, maybe, it is just that you HAVE to call yourself some 'ist' or other, in any choice of 'ism's, for people to consider you adult.

That, though, must have conclusively proved how unfit I am for human society. I mean, not having beliefs is one thing but not even knowing WHY beliefs are necessary is certainly beyond the pale. No wonder I find myself talking to myself most of the time - since I hardly ever find an audience.

Good for me that I like the sound of my own voice. At least, that is what I believe about myself.

32 comments:

  1. Totally with you on the belief that If it has no price it is of no value. People do lose interest when I tell them that I earn zilch from blogging. They are like, Hain? Why waste time then?
    Much to chew, as always.

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    1. Alas! ALL my beliefs or lack thereof causes people to go "Hain?" :)

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  2. This was absolutely delightful Suresh. You turned self-deprecation into an art. And what an art! Such finesse.

    Regarding the whole belief/ conviction axis, I'm afraid I've more or less blown a fuse there as well. I am not able to weigh every effort in scales of gold either. As for leaders, don't lets get started on that one.

    People who spend their lives arguing about the existence of a God they KNOW doesn't exist seems self-defeating to me too. Don't they realize how they are arguing against themselves?

    Oh well! To each according to his own. Or her own. More the former though. :D

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    1. There you go, ending that comment with your belief :) I am sure you had your tongue firmly in your cheek :)

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  3. Great write buddy, you made my day:)
    I have firmed up a belief today that being skeptical and apprehensive is not an abnormality;)
    Thankfully I didn't grow up with beliefs...for I was a rebel and had my own scatterbrained(?) ideas:)
    The result is that I am considered peculiar/cynical if not a hard core weird;)
    What makes me particularly happy today is that if an 'established' successful intellectual like you (an IIT/IIM:)) can be a 'non-believer' in beliefs, why are people after the life of an ordinary person like me?
    Thanks a whole lot, Suresh! Felicitations..!

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    1. We need, sometimes, to operate on beliefs since we may need to act and there would not be enough facts to KNOW what it right. The point is a. We need to KNOW that it is ONLY a belief and b. There is no need to hold convictions, that we refuse to change, when there is no action required - beliefs are all right as long as we do not firm them up to convictions and refuse to change them, no matter what the evidence to the contrary OR no matter what the lack of evidence is that underpins the belief.

      As for IIT/IIM, I lay claim only to the latter :) AND, as for 'intellectual' - even were I from both IIT and IIM, I would still not lay claim to that :) Analytical ability alone does not make one an intellectual - one of the other beliefs so prevalent in the world, that I do not subscribe to :)

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  4. " Atheists spend all their time spewing venom against a God that they insist does not exist."- I've seen so many people in different social forums doing this! And, you've just penned my thoughts about them so accurately. Perhaps we can't live without any 'isms' ...it's self-satisfactory to embrace one, I surmise.

    About blogging, whenever I proudly pronounce "I'm a blogger''! The question mark on the faces followed by a smirk ..... Oh! Me...okay...leave it... :-(

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    1. There are some atheists, who keep their belief to themselves and do not think that a belief in God is necessarily a disbelief in science. :) But, yes, it is the other lot that are a lot more vociferous :)

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  5. Oh! I know that first belief. I too failed to imbibe that (thankfully). If I had a rupee for every time I've been asked how much I'm paid to blog, I'd have enough to buy a few Agatha Christie novels for sure. And I stay away from opinions about leaders. If it's the belief that one must have an opinion about a leader, I'm thankful that I failed to imbibe that too :)

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    1. Hahaha! Leaders/Parties same difference. No opinion, not adult :)

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  6. This is some great stuff, Suresh! The example of an Atheist is so apt, I too have wondered about that. I am happy to be in your company of not earning (and not even having an interest in earning anything) from blogging (or almost all of my writing, for that matter). Being a loser can be fun too, especially when the company is so delightful :D

    The way you end this piece is absolutely delightful! Keep on sharing more of such gems.

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    1. Thanks Beloo! Great to know that I am in such wonderful company too

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  7. Well, I am sure they will never understand how blogging pays, even if not in cash.

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    1. When people think that cash IS the only payment, how will they ever understand, Akanksha? :)

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  8. In this society where we judge success only by the money one makes, it is no surprise that an activity that yields zilch is considered futile. Why do you think homemakers are so unhappy? They immediately go in their shell because they don't earn. Hence the job of managing a home and bringing up children seems largely useless. These are the times of beliefs. Everyone has one, and it is the only right one. :)

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    1. So, you know why I am always on the outside :) Never did acquire the knack of acquiring beliefs and turning them into convictions :)

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  9. In this ever-changing world,it would be risky to have ironclad views --esp.about our opinions of others,our pet theories and general stereotypes.I believe in keeping an open mind.

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    1. The rarest of human attributes, Indu, an open mind :)

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  10. "but that is me the ab-human" very interesting, especially the theist-atheist argument. Your stand is agnostic, like most of us. But we dare not speak out the truth about our relationships with God (especially if its anything other than fanatic faith), because of the fear of being labelled and categorized against our own wishes. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I believe that the only truth about God, rationally, is the we do not know. There is, as yet, no known proof of either his existence or non-existence (and the latter is far more difficult to prove as I have written in an earlier post "Atheism is also only a belief"). All that we have proved so far is that our understanding of the attributes and acts of God is incorrect in quite a few things, which is not exactly conclusive proof of his non-existence. Which is why I am surprised that people should call themselves rational and pick a belief when there is no need to pick one. All they have to do is express disbelief in what the Religions say in order to avoid doing what they do not want to do. No need to go further and adopt a belief of their own :)

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  11. loved the eskimo reference. belief is a salve that many need, but to turn it into a conviction so strong that you are willing to kill for it is what i dont get. Religion is like Pizzas, some like it , some dont, some want it thin crust, some like it with extra cheese, it's difficult to convert a non pizza lover into a pizza lover, or vice versa. also there are new types of pizzas every day, and the origin of it all is up for question. Have what you like I sayt,but to not like it and still have it because "your family has it" or "you believe it is good for you in your afterlife" thats ranges from stuoid to crazy to downright dangerous depending on how far you will go to defend your pizza choices. do it if it feels right , RIGHT NOW, otherwise its pointless.
    Also about the pay, I feel your pain fellow blogger.

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    1. No pain, Kuheli! I am merely amused. I walked out of a well-paid job (Well - IIM MBA, so that should explain it :) ) at 41; have earned 50k a month for writing policy pieces and walked out of that too, so I am unlikely to be pained by these references, having heard it about my idiocy too often for too many of my decisions :)

      'Good for afterlife" is OK by me :) After all, I do not KNOW that there is no after-life and what is good for it, if it is there - so why should I interfere with my own beliefs in his beliefs? I will act in accordance to my own beliefs - I only find it funny that I should have any opinion at all about someone else's beliefs. AND convictions just beat me :)

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  12. Loved this. Especially the way you wound around the facts with simple logic and wordplay. And those Eskimo and atheist references. But I didn't follow or rather disagree with your argument that maturity is a measure of 'human-ness' Doesn't it come with age, experience, travel etc...? Isn't it relative?

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    1. Well - no wonder they say that the reader can get something that the writer did not intend :) Maturity is a measure of 'human-ness' was never what I intended saying. What I WAS saying was that there are some things - in this instance having beliefs about some aspects of life one way or the other - which are considered essential for a 'mature' human and, if someone becomes adult without having acquired that 'maturity', people tend to see him as an abnormal human being :) AND - I make tongue-in-cheek reference to that perceived 'abnormality' as 'sub-human' and 'ab-human' :) The argument in the post is ALL about the absurdity of expectation that one should pick a belief in all aspects of life considered important in society and had nothing to do with any inference about maturity and 'human-ness' :)

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  13. Guruji you should start a school - offering a course - 'Quit your Job at 35 and Chase your Dreams' - I am sure it will be a hit! Many of us are trapped badly in the EMI black-hole. Every single risk/non-risk has to go by a 100 calculations before taking a decision. Like a Politburo - the mind and its demons have meetings forever and nothing conclusive comes out except for the same dull monotony of day-to-day office yatras!

    Coming back to the post - as usual - super ji :) Sometimes I wonder - what is it that I satnd for? 'Beliefs' has so many connotations to it - Am I a believer, an atheist, a follower? Don't know I am a confused soul trapped on this planet :)

    Shower your guidance - Oh Enlightened Master :)

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    1. I have a simple credo, Mahesh! I believe in facts; in things where facts are insufficient, I pick a belief that decides my course of action AND only to the extent that it has an impact on my course of action AND also always keep in mind that it is ONLY a belief and NOT a fact, and , thus, is subject to change if I come across any facts that disprove the belief. I do not bother to pick a belief when it will change nothing in the way I live - except, maybe, it may cause me to have arguments :)

      In the instant case of Theism and Atheism - I think I have said it before in "Atheism is also only a belief". As long as there is so much that we do not know about the Universe, there is no way we can say that there is or isn't a God. So, both of these are ONLY beliefs - the true rational opinion is only that 'We do not yet know'. THAT is my intellectual stance.

      Emotionally, I tend to believe in 'Advaita', always remembering that it is ONLY a belief. So, I believe we are all a part of a Cosmic Soul and we need to shed our ego to FEEL that oneness. If you asked me whether I believed in ALL the other things that go with Hindusim - methods of worship, boon-giving, all the rituals and all, my answer would be that 'I do not know and I do not care'. I do not adhere to any rituals but, at the same time, I do not feel any pressing need to go around laughing at people who do.

      That is ALL the guidance that I can offer you, O Inquisitive Disciple :)

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  14. Thank you Guru ji :) Truly a simple yet useful explanation!

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  15. when i read it the first time couple of day ago, i didn't understand a thing. so, i decided to come back later and read it peacefully again.

    wonderful writing Suresh! i often nod my head while reading your posts :)

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    1. Good that you dd manage to get it eventually :) Need to write more clearly I suppose :)

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    2. OMG !! Never saw much voluptuous comments n replies in the blogging universe, before.
      I enjoyed reading your blog as well. I found out around five years ago that all the beliefs I had collected was utter rubbish and I was least qualified to be an adult, even a parent. Reworking my whole foundation, process still on. To each his own, whatever works. As long as we respect each other.

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    3. All of us use beliefs to conduct various parts of our life, since our knowledge is too limited to be always guided by facts. True maturity lies first in understanding that there is no need to hold a belief unless you need SOME belief to decide on a course of action and, secondly, in knowing when you are operating on only a belief, being uncritical of other beliefs AND being open to any facts that may overturn or modify your belief.

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