It's A Burden to Be Wise Among Fools

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 4 August 2023 "Archaeologists have discovered evidence of religious practices as early as 60, 000 BCE. Writing first appeared in Mesopotamia c. 3500-3000 BCE, making it possible to preserve records of religious beliefs and practices.11-Apr-2023, From Google.com" The editor Mr Sultan Shahin is spot-on. Religious practices are hoary old; as old as human civilization. This proves that religion is in the DNA of humans and it's our chromosomic character. When something becomes integral to humans over a period of thousands of years, it becomes a part of the collective psyche and a subconscious behavioural trait. In his Doctoral thesis, 'Evolution of Religion and Scientific Temperament' submitted at Cambridge University in 1965, Dr Ken Jervis observed that god and religion seeped into human consciousness in myriad ways. What are those ways: All sorts of superstitions, magic, customs, rituals and even certain acts and idiosyncrasies of social behaviour come under the broad rubric of religion and god. That's the reason, one is seldom completely rational or an atheist in the strictest sense of the word. Even those who claim to have no faith in god and religion have faith in superstition/s like astrology, palmistry, angel therapy, clairvoyance, among others. All pseudo sciences are superstitions, albeit 'refined' ones. There's an old Ladino saying, "Tahik Men'aboor Phim Zik Kebaan" (every individual believes in at least one superstition). And so long as you believe in one superstition or a single act of irrationality, you remain religious and cannot be called truly rational or atheist. Recently, even world's most celebrated atheist Richard Dawkins also conceded that scientific temperament was a relative behavioural pattern or relative evolution because we're all carrying (religious) behaviour and vestiges from our ancestors and however hard we may resist or refuse that, it tends to surface at times, much to our embarrassment. Dawkins himself once exclaimed 'Oh, my god' on the stage when he had no answer to a Christian theologian's poser. This is also indicative that we're still evolving. We all haven't yet been able to shed gods, religions and a raft of superstitions just because our process of evolution is still going on. The day humans will be fully evolved, there'll be NO god, religion, magic, practices, rituals, animism, totems and superstitions. But that will take thousands of years. Until that happens, devolved humans will continue to spar over your god, my god, this sect, that sect, angels, gods, my Ram, your Muhammad, his Jesus, their Abraham and all that jazz. So, enjoy this universal ignorance because in the words of Thomas Fuller, " It's a burden to be wise among fools." ---- 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/burden-wise-fools/d/130373 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