In search of salvation, I failed to salvage my pride of volition

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 10 November 2022 “I’m neck-deep in my own lies...." -Persian mystic poet Nizami Ganjavi's last cryptic words before his death in 1209 CE ... Nowadays, I'm reading Eloy Rodrigo Colombo's " Evil Religions Unmasked: Oppression, Torture, and Genocide Through the Millennia." While reading, I tripped over a very thought-stirring statement by the author that man finally starts believing in his own canards and forgets that he himself concocted them to deceive others." It's a classic case of hoist with one's own petard and when these unyieldingly strong misnotions have the scriptural sanction, they become like a dead albatross. I read a story, rather a parable: The village priest was distracted at his prayer by the children. To get rid of them he said, “Hurry to the river and you'll see a monster breathing fire through his nostrils." Soon the whole village had heard of this monstrous apparition and was rushing to the river. The priest too joined the crowd. As he panted his way through four solid miles, he kept saying to himself, “It’s true, I've invented the story. But you never can tell! " A good way to believe in the gods we've created is to convince others of their existence. We're chasing ever-elusive truths, which don't exist. We try to justify that for a jam tomorrow. Before his death in 1986, the Anglo-American novelist and a disenchanted Vedantist, Christopher Isherwood bemoaned, “In search of salvation, I failed to salvage my pride of volition." Man must concentrate on what are the existing truths, rather than the bewitchingly beckoning promises from distant horizons, which remain unfulfilled. To achieve that, we shall have to believe in the Roman poet Horace's famous dictum in Latin, Sapere Aude (Dare to know/Have the courage to use your own reason and discernment). At the same time, man should also remember not to experience those existing truths vicariously. For, you cannot transmit a kiss through a messenger, not even through your 'divine messengers' like Muhammad, Jesus, Ram, and Zarathushtra, to name but a few. You need to put your own lips to plant a peck. ... A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. ------- URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/salvation-salvage-poet-nizami-ganjavi/d/128372 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism