Stupidity

What I am about to say is probably taboo. It should never be said so as to guard against some ignorant fool who might walk into it unknowingly. But these are ideas I find it absolutely preposterous that I found it extremely difficult to contain.

And why it is taboo, precisely because people believe in it- so saying it just means it becomes blasphemous and sacrilegious even. It is like telling your kid that Santa does not exist. But we are not kids unfortunately- hiding behind fantasies is like dipping your head in the sand. Let's just wish for things to go away without doing anything, so long as I can "arrange" certain things in my favour.

Things were not in your favour not because the Gods favour you, it is because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You wish for it to happen and for some reason, some people understand your deep down fantasy and played along with you- thinking that this is good karma that would be returned back in kind later. Culture and rituals is one thing, luck and fortune is another thing altogether.

While you watch the tribal documentaries and secretly mock at them for their primitive ways- thinking that praying to some rain god will bring them rain or praying to some spirit would bring them food- of what difference is you and these primitive jungle dwellers. If one were to believed that symbols would bring them good fortune, then of what difference is praying to these gods by these tribal people. One pray to something he does not see, the other thinks that symbols emanates luck and fortune.

It is this type of belief that conflicts and differences arise. People jockey for the best position and symbols regardless of the issue at hand. And having the so-called symbolic upper-hand, they start getting confident and start demanding things for self interest in the name of general interest. It is as if gaining a cultural advantage is as good as winning the actual war. Why don't people wave the flag at people rather than shoot guns at each other.

It is really superstition of the highest degree and futile battle fought in the imaginary worlds of the unseen. People repeat themselves over and over again, fighting these imaginary battles in their head- thinking a special arrangement of certain symbols would guarantee them victory in reality.

What this "divine" arrangement will give you is ignorance. The symbols will not come in the night and fight with each other- you have to fight it yourself. What these symbols do is tell people I believe in this animanistic bullshit, and if you believe it, you should help me too.

And eventually everybody engage in this mumbo jumbo and we are just walking tribal apes with a special inclination to certain symbols. We do not have capacity to think ethically, to act functionally, to address appropriately and to manage equally.

We are given eyes to see and act and not to discriminate unthinkingly, we are given ears to hear, not to differentiate between accents but to gather information. But we choose to ignore this and choose the easy way out by letting imaginary symbols fight the battle for us.

Symbols have meanings only because we give meaning to it. It doesn't jump out and save the day the for you like some restive spirit.

Stupid...