The Advent Of Universal Wisdom

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 19 October 2024 Mr Geoff Barker naively asked, "Do you think there’s a coming convergence of all the major faiths into a universal Wisdom?" While it's an exalted thought and a lofty idea if the convergence of all the major faiths into a universal wisdom happens, it’s almost impossible because religions, like gods, are man-made, and so far, we've hardly seen two sets of religious groups agreeing to some other groups on who, what and how their gods/God are/is. Further, there is division in each religion with different sects and even further, there are differences from individual to individual. Religion is a political and diplomatic tool to fool people into doing what the authorities want. It has everything to do with gullibility and blindness, nothing to do with truth, science, logic, evidence, or reality. As the Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics at Oxford, Dr Radhakrishnan also envisaged that one day, all man-made faiths would blossom into some sort of universal wisdom but he soon realized his naivete and the impracticality of his dream. It's akin to thinking that a day will come when all the nations in the world will come together and form a world government! Needless to say, it's an unpragmatic notion. Religions are the identities of humans and they don't want to lose or forfeit their egoistic identities. When we still have 'educated' people asserting that their faiths are better and superior than the faiths of others, how can the dream of universal wisdom or a world religion come to fruition? This will remain a pipedream till the end. Will a devout Muslim or a Hindu, however 'evolved' he or she may be, let his/her faith merge into the ocean of universal wisdom? Though Ghalib said, "Ishrat-e-Qatrah Hai Dariya Mein Fana Ho Jaana" (the relevance of a drop is to merge into a river), it's easier said than done. We may have a template for universal wisdom, but we still don't have the vision and collective nous to implement it. This might sound like a spiel from an apatheist (which I'm) and it might produce anger in those who fervently believe in god but, the reality is, you cannot halt progress and it’s that progress which will be the death of religion. Our species is constantly moving forward and becoming more and more enlightened with each successive generation. At this moment, we are still on the cusp of the technological age - a mere stones throw from the alleged time of Jesus and Mohammed. In that short space of time however, we have gone from people who were utterly fearful of gods and religion to being ambivalent or finding the whole notion completely ridiculous. The fact that we're still learning new knowledge and making new discoveries means that religion has become an irrelevance to many - even to those born into it. So, imagine where humanity will be in another thousand years… My guess is, before the end of this millennium, I'd go as far as to say that religion will be virtually wiped out because people will no longer accept it as credible. And that very realization will be the cornerstone, nay the kernel, of universal wisdom, when humans will no longer be fearful of god/s and silly diktats of all faiths. They'll love each other unconditionally and try to convert this world into a heaven without bothering about an imaginary heaven, concocted by our prehistoric ancestors and dishonest priests and clerics and also without converting their fellow humans. The realization that man is the measure of all things and there's no Biblical or Quranic god hovering over the heads of frightened humans and no 'holy' book to regulate our lives will usher in a new dawn. It'll be the advent of universal wisdom whether or not you agree with me at this point in time. Be full of love, gratitude, compassion and empathy, universal wisdom will pervade and permeate. Remember, the spirit of universality is far greater and loftier than the spirit of religiosity. ------ 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://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/advent-universal-wisdom/d/133478 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