Spirituality 2.0

Before you start reading let me tell you that there is some

- real graphic content

- real thoughts that might make you T.H.I.N.K

- might make you feel trivial and kind of undeserving of the comforts that you get

- might change your perception towards life

- might feel like a kick. A real zinedine zidane kick (Since it's ZZ, a head butt might also do..) in your ass.

Time for graphic content:

When do you think these photographs were taken?

This was not pre-historic period.

These are colored photographs.

I really don't want to give you time to guess, but yes.. these were taken in last couple of years.

YES! Last couple of years.. some may be within last month.

Can you imagine, that this is what has been happening not more than 20 hours travel time from where you are right now?\\

Just give it a thought... while you were having your breakfast, a baby was being killed.

Ponder on that.. you safe-as-shit asshole. (just like me!)

and you know what's the reason for this?

R.E.L.I.G.I.O.N!

Yeah! That thing which you pretend to follow because your parents told you to!

Let's get the elephant out already. I am a Hindu.

I don't know enough about Hinduism to be proud of it.

But yeah.. I am kind of used to it and I am glad that I got used to it.

Are you already thinking that I am a religious fanatic who is propagating Hindu propaganda? Just because I mentioned that I am a Hindu makes me a person who should be mandatorily hated by everyone who is a non-Hindu? Is that what all the religious scriptures preach about?

Well.. My personal analogy of religion is that of an ERP system or an Operating System.

Sorry for being in IT industry but right now, I am sure that people reading this blog know what an OS or Operating System is.

You are on iOS or on Windows or Linux or Ubuntu or.... whatever. You get the point.

Like an Operating System on your computer which you get used to after spending a couple of years with it..

Same is Religion. You feel good about it after spending several years following it.\\

You see and admire the good in it. You understand and tend to ignore the bad in it.

(for e.g: awesomeness of iOS when you get used to working on a mac and equally amazing experience of using a Windows machine and admiring it's ease of use and collaboration with any other devices..)

It's like a set of commands or rules or a process which you can apply to your life and get through the journey called life.

But let me ask you.. if you are a Windows User.. would you kill your neighbor just because he is an Apple guy?

This post is for people who would answer.. "Are you crazy Shantanu? Off course not! I might pull his or her leg on using that Operating System.. but I definitely won't kill him/her!"

Don't you think that's exactly what's happening a mere 20 hours from you? People..and of course all the children you saw above, getting killed because they used a different operating system A.K.A RELIGION to run their lives on?

Religion is a way of finding peace of mind.

A relevance in this quite irrelevant world.

A sense of belonging in this crowd of 7 billion.

A clue to solving this very, very hard puzzle.

Lets do an experiment. Listen to all the three videos below.

If possible with your eyes shut.

If you really heard these videos, with your eyes shut.. you might have felt, a sense of peace. Some calmness may be.

Well.. that's the irony. All the videos come from different RELIGIONS!

It's time for Spirituality 2.0.

Something that we have to drive.

Let's stop being all fanatical and touché and intolerant about our religious beliefs.

Its perfectly OK if someone is endorsing some other religion.. because that's what's leading him/her to peace of mind!

Isn't it time to tell our brothers and sisters to take a chill pill if they feel overtly enraged for some stupid facebook post or a mindless tweet? Oh come on! Our respective religions have been around for decades and centuries now, they are not that fragile to fall apart because someone criticizes it..

Friends. Go back to the start of the post.

Look at those pictures.

Do we really endorse this?

It's not important which religious fanatic group caused this.. what's more important and worrying is people like you and me silently endorse this horrendous act just because of the operating system AKA RELIGION we were born into.

Ok.. you might say you don't endorse it.

But are you opposing it?

Are you vocal about it?

Are you talking and posting and openly criticizing this?

Does it make you a bit uncomfortable that a child, age of your own girl/boy/niece is being given a HEADSHOT? A real one..

Don't be naïve.

Do something.

Talk about it.

Oppose it.

Write about it, discuss it and let others know that you are actually are enraged about this happening..

not more than 20 hours away from where ever you are...