Want to Start a Fire Discussion in India? Talk About Religion
It has the power to either unite or divide a community
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Scientists have a hard time understanding why some people follow a myth without any proper reasoning. Some have terrible consequences on humans. I don’t want to name any of them. Indian folks already know what they are.
You raise your voice, and society declares you as an outcast. Not only that, we believe in some rituals that also hurt humans like inanimate objects.
There are so many issues when you try to express your religious views here. Especially if you are on the atheist spectrum, then there is no point in clarifying why you think any ritual is unethical.
Religion can either unite or divide.
Now, this is where wisdom comes. When a false idea spreads that clashes among different groups of society then instead of coming to a logical conclusion, fight-or-flight (sympathetic nervous system) is the brain’s response that sprouts from the survival instinct.
Survival instinct borns from human evolution which means our fight-or-flight mode activates whenever any new ( doesn’t matter if it is dangerous or not ) situations arise. By “new”, the context here is any radical idea that challenges the current belief system with valid evidence.
Instead of paying attention to the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you calm down and look at things objectively to come to a reasonable conclusion, we tend to ignore everything and project our false ideas as the sole truth — which is what happens when negativity goes uncontrolled on a large scale.
If you are on the atheist spectrum, it is better to be silent.
Here comes the dangerous part — the part which will get you in trouble. If you say, “I don’t believe in God”, then you are questioning the belief system of an entire nation, or at least the majority of the community.
Instead, the smart way is to listen to what the staunch religious people have to say, and if you think they are directing to a wrong idea, you can point out why they are wrong. Don’t do it so often. You will be wasting your time. That’s how strong religion is here.
Humanity above all
People have asked me, “Which religion do you follow?” I prefer to stay numb because that’s the smart choice. I don’t know what their next question will be. I don’t want to hang a label on my name.
I try to divert the discussion and convince about everything that humanity has in common with all the religions.
I am a science guy. So, I don’t believe anything that I couldn’t see or fact-check whenever I want. That is why I still have disagreements with people who blindly follow some traditions that don’t make sense.
Final words
Mob mentality is real in India. It can unite or destroy a community.
When you have radical views about a topic that you think will be highly scathed by society just because of your ability to ask a question, it is better to stay silent.
Rational thinkers know this truth: “wisdom is in knowing when to speak and when not.” They know when their questions will be answered logically and when it will be crucified.
This blog belongs to a series of posts I am publishing in this 100-days streak. Today is day 93. Navigate to the end of article 22, for the references from day 23 onwards. If you would like to read the ones before day 22, here is the first one that documents them in the end.
~ Sanjeev
