Why does God want us to take the fall?

There are two types of places in this world. The one where you are happy. The one where they are.

Our places are yet to be conquered. Even the ones who, among us, claim to have, are still in the process. Because happiness also, is just another step cousin of perfection - always a work in progress.

The places that are theirs are coveted, well-respected, and the holiest. In any way, I am not talking about run of the mill temples, mosques, monasteries and other mundane places of worship. I am picking a bone with the Woodstock of the Meccas and Medinas.

Very recently, the headlines from this year's Haj pilgrimage grabbed the balls of our Amygdala - the rag-picker who hopelessly and endlessly rummages through the colossal garbage of fear-evoking data dumped by media corporations across the world to see which one specific news item increases our heart rate and decreases our chances of escaping, were we to encounter "something" like that.

First of all, these are the holier than thou places, right? Which means Satan will have his rear kicked by the bouncers here. So does any form of evil. These places have the greatest form of insulation, from the bad things and blah blah.

However, what happens when the one you are going to take the purest form of blessings from, considering the place, is actually the bad boy in disguise? How can you verify the authenticity of the God in that region? Or the miracle one is to receive from visiting such a spot at such a time (read:sacred) of the year.

Take for example, the very recent Haj (1,000 dead), Amarnath 1996 (256 dead), Kumbh Mela 1954 (800 dead), 1990 Mina Disaster (1,426 dead). We, somehow, have come to believe that taking a dip, touching the stone, kissing the Pope's ring is going to glorify the virility of our wishes and therefore, a better reality for us. It is a beautifully civilised shortcut. No doubt there.

The hard truth is that these places are so little in their land size radius, it makes it impossible and very inconvenient for the prodigal numbers of people trying to live their moment of pious obligation in the G-spots (God Spots) set out in their mythological records that is deemed very legit and appropriate even to this date.

When we were kids, our fathers and mothers would tell us don't do this and don't do that. Back then, we were kids. We had to listen to them. If we didn't, we were grounded or spanked. Then as we grow, we listen to them less and less. Eventually, we listen to them to nothing at all.

Our Gods have never been shy in asking for blood offering. Be it from Abhraham. Be it from Muhammed. Be it from Jesus. I feel bad for Jesus though. Because in his case, he was the offering.

God, as we have come to see, is no less than a bloody dictator. He wants this. He wants that. He tells us that if we didn't give him what he demands of us, shit will fall on our heads. Or we will fall into shit. Either way, we are shit out of luck. See the obligation that the Gods put us through. Yet somehow we still want to bloody please him, even if we are grown, old and haggard. Where is the dignity man is supposed to have? He is after all, a form of the God, right? We are made in his image. We may not be as broad, and magical and mystical as him, because for one thing we are here and bloody bleed. Whereas, he is hiding somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and simply follows the Rockefeller PR and exhibits that he is just planting his good seed for the human feed and that's him doing his good deed without a shred of greed.

I think God is dead. Really. If those big stars up there have a shelf life, so do the Gods. They may be eternal. Again, eternity has a validity too. Ask your mobile service provider, he will tell you. They know what lifetime means. Even Hancock's people died. I say - God's live up to a maximum of 1000 years and that's it. They get bored of life too. Whether like the Egyptians they had their own personal, eccentric and artistic 'book of the dead' or not, eternity does also have a coffin.

Remember the 40 days and 40 nights? That's what is happening here. The wars, the pilgrimages, the natural calamities, the deadly viral infections - all of these are established protocols of cleansing. In one way or another, we end up being a casualty in their headlines.

The new technological superlatives which we spit and rhyme every other morning is only as strong as the last prayer we just made. I think as long as we have blood flowing through our veins, we will be superstitious. Because praying is believing that you may be, and you will be looked after by him.

Image credit: Gonzalo Malpartida