Once there was a sailor named Bartolomeu, during The Age of Exploration who set out to find a new land. A land unknown to any kingdom, under no banners of any king. An island remained undiscovered by many a sailor over many a moon, until he does. He ventured into the vast open ocean, with a vessel manned by 25 men and food supplies. Bart had a strong belief system on the compass and his ability to read a map correctly.
He found a map from an old cartographer, with a compelling story about an island in the Great Western Ocean. Filled with gold and silver and jewels of all kinds, the land so spirited, you could yield all kinds of grains and crops. The old cartographer also told him that it is the last of the land there, for it is at the edge of the world and there is nothing after it: no more sea, no more land, not even Earth.
Unfazed, excited, and with stars in his eyes, he set sail to find this heavenly abode to find the said island and to claim his name to be one of the great explorers. nothing in the first hour, nothing on day one. The day turned to a week, two weeks. However, at the end of the third week, he did find something right ahead of his ship. he was there.
The whole crew screamed with joy and excitement. They started singing songs and praised the captain for his quick sailing and discovery. They reached the place and started looking around, finding no one to inhabit the land yet, only trees, some animals, and birds. Happily, they put up their flag and started to claim and call that island Letztes-Land, the last land.
A few days later, Bartolomeu started thinking about what is on the other side of this island, and how far this island even goes. He quickly made up a plan, called 10 of his best men, and started the expedition on foot, to trace the end of this island and, if the old cartographer was right, the edge of the world.
Walk they did, for 30 days and nights, before they started hearing waves again. confused and disoriented by looking at the sea again, they first thought the maritime compass is not working right or might have been mistaken. They traced their steps back to the ship in the next 30 days and decided to walk only during the night, getting directions from the stars this time.
30 days turned into 40 nights this time around, and they reached the same spot they did the last time. Bartolomeu`s heart sank in the pit of his stomach. He started to believe that the story told by the cartographer was wrong, the old man was just a dream seller and took them for a fool.
Moreover, Bartolomeu started to think what else the old man told him was false. is this even an island untouched and unexplored? Or is it another one of the islands where other explorers have set foot and claimed these lands? They certainly didn't find any gold, silver, or jewels laying around.
His whole belief system broke, the crew revolted and thought Bartolomeu was a fool, an idiot who took the words of an old wōdaz who was well after his years to even make maps for a living. Bartolomeu decided that he was wrong, apologized to the men, and set sail back home, after taking an oath never to set sail in that general direction ever again. He also took a solemn oath to make sure he will help the old man to meet his maker when he returns as well.
What happens when our belief system is broken? We lose our sense of right and wrong. we forget what is up, and what is down. We lose our sense of checks and balances and start to question everything. Bartolomeu is just an example, but humans today, in general, are wandering lost at sea, unknown which way is right, their moral compass broken, questioning and requestioning all the thoughts and beliefs.
Science, especially exploratory sciences, has quickly taken away any and all veils we had in from of our eyes, no more rosy-colored glasses. Science is out to prove that God is indeed dead. Yes, God is dead and everything else can be explained by a certain causality, including human emotions, and can be replicated as well.
What happens to the Atheists then, who will they fight against? Whom will they disprove? Will they cease to exist too? Where will our moral compass point once science rules out any metaphysical presence? I, for one, am certain that once that happens, once that line is crossed by the scientific community, we will lose our hope, for that's what God, Religion, and the sense of Belonging to them give us. Goodbye, belief system.
We don't see it, but we are traveling at speeds unfathomable to a normal mind, hurling into space, endless and void. What happens when the Sun goes out? Will the earth not shoot out like a bullet through space? Won't we lose our compass and moral ground? Will we not lose our warmth from Sun, almost as if a parent's hand is taken away from the head of the child? What about the sense of right or wrong, up or down? Will we be falling endlessly, or will we elevate to a different height, which still means nothing as of now to any of us? Scientists spent billions of dollars to make James Webb Space Telescope to look into space and find out what was there before nothing was.
My two cents: why do we need to know? Believe what is and find out what will be, for that is what matters and nothing else. Losing the sense of God and religion seems like a certain inevitability, but I'd rather live like a horse with blinders on, rather than know a certain loss, and death, of morality. I'd rather have my belief system intact rather than move blindly into the unknown.
By the way, are we not there yet?
Thanks for sharing sir, was able to comprehend better in writeup form. And yes, I agree to ur 2 cents, believe what is and find out what will be. A horse with blinders is more likely to find the destination, God.
At this stage, I think, we r not mature enough to accept the nirvikaar form of Him.
Let's believe in our belief system as it really gives hope and faith which is important for survival of our soul