Continuing with the wonderful discussions that followed my post ‘to do or not do’ .. sachin asked me a question. Why am I posing all this as question, when sometimes I exhibit to others that maybe I am spiritual.
The answer, Sachin, is that not only do I not know, but that my greatest fear is that one day, in my arrogance and a false belief of my own importance/induviduality, I will believe I do know. That is the death of experience. Knowing.
I think God lies in the questioning. I do not believe that God lies in the finite world of knowing, but in the infinite world of questioning. I believe God lies in the search for God. God lies in spaces that our words have not explored. God lies cosily in the cocoon of questions.
I just hope that I never cease to wonder.
shekhar
This echoes the philosophy of Richard Feynman, which I carry around with myself like change in my backpocket.
“I would prefer to live life with questions that I can seek answers to, than with answers that might be wrong.”
Shekhar ji ,hi and a hello to u as u r soon going to pbe my prpfesional senior sir dread sir i have read cjed mumbai meta friends ofur theirswho told me abt ur studio in london well i ll becoming to se eu there soon the play is on with me its just more intrewsting sir.
I think “knowing” is finite – when we realise or can grasp the notion of “infinity”, which is actually terrifying, then we are forced to question, or even doubt (the same thing?) – on a simple perceptual level, “knowing” is about what you can see or what falls within a certain sphere of understanding or interpretation – how can we “know” something that is beyond the immediate sphere or limit of “vision” – well, I guess we make assumptions and extrapolations based on what we know, which may turn out to be wrong….
But then where does the idea of “intuition” figure in all this ? – is it “hard wired” into our genetic code that there are just some things you have to put your trust in, and sort of “know” even if you’ve never experienced them directly …??
Hi Shekhar.
My mum, Anna Rager / Anna Kee, sent me a link to your blog. She knows I’m in to such things- politics, writing, art, etc. I’ve found it a pretty interesting read so far- especially your thoughts on the mess that is the US lead occupation of Iraq. Such a sad thing that it. It’s something that ashames most I know.
Who are we to tell people how to live and to say what’s right and what’s wrong for them? When did America start to back pedel into McCarthyism? So it goes.
It’s time for a change. A movement against the wrongs boasted as absolutes in our names.
Mum sends her regards.
Best,
Trevor N. Rager
PS) I’ve added a link to one of my pages. It has links to others and spider-webs out.
From my earlier comment, which I haphazardly paraphrased from Feynman, it seems that the point doesn’t come across.
As Shekhar says, “God lies in the questioning.” The existence of the facility of curiosity is god-given, in whatever sense that entity might exist.
I don’t see how infinity is terrifying, however. It’s like the notion of zero (India’s much trumpeted contribution to mathematics.) Zero, being nothing, is infinite. No amount of anything is an infinite amount of nothingness. That isn’t so terrifying is it? The space contained between 1 and 1.001 can be taken to infinity. There are infinite amounts of spaces between those two numbers, aren’t there?
If some point is to be made from this, it would be the duality of all arguments, ideas, and beliefs. It’s as the Zen Buddhists say: (in another badly memorized paraphrase) Take everything you know to be true, take the exact opposite and hold it as true, and then perhaps you will be closer to enlightenment.
There are no absolute truths, only perceptions. There is no god, and there are not 600 either.
I suppose in order to continue this it would be good to receive a response or a question instead of blubbering on about ideas.
The simplest and most direct thing left to say was said by Willam Blake, which I’m sure too many of you have already heard:
“Happiness is to see the world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in a wild flower, to hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in a single hour.”
if God is not also the finite world of knowing, what then is it? is there anything which is NOT God?
I think Shekhars point is about questioning and not settling for comfortable answers – not the existence or non-existence of “God” – it’s fine to be happy with a particular “status quo” or consensus about the world, universe or whatever or even a set of purely personal opinions or conclusions – but what happens when those views are challenged, or if you agree to challenge them yourself ?
I meant “Infinity” as an idea, not a literal or mathematical fact (which we can take refuge in as an “absolute” truth) – mathematics holds the key to everything that lies behind the “observable” and “invisible” universe – but I was never any good at maths, even if the equations show that what I might choose to “believe” in can be disproven – that’s a matter of choice that has nothing to do with the evidence – it makes life more interesting….
Who is a spiritual being? Really I think we all are, just are completely oblivious to it. To say something like “God lies in the search for God…”, you’re painted spiritual. Really Shekharji,thou doth protest too much.
IF YOU ARE TRUELY IN SEARCH OF GOD AND WANT TO GET ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED, YES ALL QUESTIONS, HE IS AVAILABLE, BEFORE APROACHING YOU SIR I NEVER NEW YOU ARE SO CONCERNED ABOUT SPIRITUAL LIFE, BEFORE I THOUGHT OF YOU AS FOLLOWS
1.MR.INDIA: WAS COMMERCIAL FILM MAKER MR.KAPUR,
2.ELIZABETH :ONLY HIGH VISION, HIGH AIM,HOLLYWOOD QUALITY BOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR.STILL COMMERCIAL.
3.BANDIT QUEEN:I GOT CONFUSED ABOUT YOUR PSYCHOLOGY.BECAUSE THIS SURELY SEEMED RISK TO ME ITS A NON BOX OFFICE HIT TYPE, I MEAN NON COMMERCIAL.
THANK YOU AGAIN,
VICKY KAMAL
Shekharji with all due respects.. I feel a lot of this quest for spirituality is too abstract! I personally feel Spirituality is a simple concept which has been made too Complex! We should learn from The Life of Mr JRD TATA.. Who I believe is the true example of a spiritual being! He always stated dat ” I came empty handed & will go Empty handed.. But in between If I do my Duty well without caring for the fruits then I will be paying the ultimate tribute to my maker”. I totally agree with Mr JRD. Spirituality lies not in abstract thinking & mystic life But in doing ones Duty To perfection without any expectations. These r my humble views. No disrespect meant to anybody.
Yes, I find it easier to accept (not know, of course) one thing as a spiritual foundation. ‘Duty To Perfection’ is good. Then I can explore other questions without getting confused. To each his own.
do read: ” Beyond The Last Blue Mountain- a Biography of JRD TATA” by RM Lala. GR8 BooK
The well-known tax consultant, Dinesh Vyas, says that JRD never entered into a debate over `tax avoidance,’ which was permissible, and `tax evasion,’ which was illegal; his sole motto was `tax compliance.’ On one occasion a senior executive of a Tata company tried to save on taxes. Before putting up that case, the chairman of the company took him to JRD. Mr. Vyas explained to JRD: “But sir, it is not illegal.” JRD asked, softly: “Not illegal, yes. But is it right?” Mr. Vyas says that during his decades of professional work no one had ever asked him that question. Mr. Vyas later wrote in an article: “JRD would have been the most ardent supporter of the view expressed by Lord Denning: “The avoidance of tax may be lawful, but it is not yet a virtue.'”
“To the questions of your life
you are the only answer
To the problems of your life
you are the only solution”
I feel God doesnt lie in the questions or answers
but he is all encompassing,we are just trying to create directions for ourselves.Its our questions that give rise to creativity.Maybe because you question so much you create so well
can i get an online interview of paani movie