Rensil D'Silva: How to Make it in Bollywood Education in the Gulf ...

FUTURE QUEST
continued from page 96
for about half of my life before
I figured out that vertical direct
access to the Maker is possible
without the aid of middlemen.
Looking back at my own
experience and seeing how
universally every religious system
basically controls its members,
I wonder if most people live in
a world where unwittingly they
have voluntarily given up their
God given right to evaluate their
spiritual life – most have been so
thoroughly conditioned to “do,”
not to think.
But Truth is an ocean wide
and deep and eternity is set in
our hearts. We are all given
a few precious drops of truth
that can lead us to understand
why eternal salvation cannot be
earned by good works hoping to
bribe God. True righteousness
flows from a penitent heart that
humbly receives salvation as an
unmerited gift of divine grace.
Fear, intolerance or custom
should not hinder us in our
individual pursuit of God. We
are engineered to be free, we are
not meant to be in awe of other
There are many levels at which we connect with
people but I find there is nothing deeper than a
meeting of minds searching for the Truth.
people no matter how wise or
religious they appear.
Today I am an ordinary
follower of the One who promised
that we shall know the truth and
the truth shall set us free. I took
him at his word and discovered
the promise is real. Reflecting
on my life as the days pass, I
constantly review and examine
the wonder of it all. It is quite
fascinating – where I started and
where I have ended up with no regrets about my spiritual journey into
freedom and out of bondage.
If you ask me whether what I have done is my life, what can I really
say with confidence? Only that my spiritual quest has been invaluable
– I’ve learned it is indeed possible to understand the character of this
great Creator of the universe because he allows us to. It is compelling
how he reveals himself – something he alone does uniquely and
personally for everyone who calls upon his name. One thing I know
for sure - he is not the exclusive property of any religion nor does any
religion have the authority to guarantee that mere membership will
take you into his presence. Still you might persist in asking - Is what
I have done my life? Yes! In terms of work I found my labor of love.
In terms of family I have met my obligations. In terms of health I’m
in reasonably good shape. In surrendering my life to him not to any
institution, I couldn’t “do” better! I finally learned not to be in awe of
people with religious knowledge because it is possible to gain wisdom
directly from the source of the Truth in the holy scriptures. There I
found the knowledge and freedom I longed for hidden in plain view. It
is visible only to the lowly in heart who can lay aside their pride, for he
turns away the proud in heart.
Observing the joy and meaning people find when they genuinely
engage one another on matters of faith is very interesting. Why this
particular awareness has developed for me I can’t say, except that I have
always been intrigued by the mystery of human relationships. There are
many levels at which we connect with people but I find there is nothing
deeper than a meeting of minds searching for the Truth. At first this is
difficult because each of us is unwilling to accept the other person’s views.
We may hardly have examined our own beliefs so how can we interact
meaningfully with someone else’s? A nugget of wisdom might have been
gained, but in fear we refuse an opportunity to share life’s brief journey
with a fellow human being of infinite worth. Or worse still we pretend we
have something better when we do
not. Perhaps we even go so far as to
engage in an act of violence.
For much of my life I too was
intolerant of other beliefs. My mind
would not consider even the tenets
I believe in that require me to love my neighbor as myself without any
exceptions. But for most of my life I preferred to choose my neighbors
and as a result I have few friends. Now after six decades of my life
there is a desire to understand more, to share more - including lessons
learned from disappointments and failures as well as successes, and to
love people more. I am at an age when such desires are less likely to be
misunderstood! I keep knocking in the hope a few doors will open if
only to commiserate with someone in the evening of his life who could
have done better and been less judgmental of his fellow man.
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
Futurequest is a search for the truth in our times.
Frank Raj is theFounder Editor of TII
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