The
conference was of a very high level. Gods of all religions gathered together.
There was a sense of expectancy among the Gods. Of late it had been seen that
earth which God (The First God) intended to be in his image was not actually
panning out as he had desired . There was widespread despondency among the
humans. People were killing people, there was a lot of backstabbing, betrayal
and greed were the norm of the day. Humans were teaching their children to be
cunning right from childhood. A child who was born with nothing on his mind at
birth – except for the fact that he had to look for the first teat to suck on –
was being taught the nuances of religion right from the start. Hospitals run by
a particular religion were giving admission only to pregnant mothers of their
following. Instances of mothers whose water broke being turned away from the
hospitals were many.
Children were
being groomed for hatred instead of brotherhood and love. The essence of
divinity was secondary to the importance given to man-made structures and the
bitter fights over such materialism. Survival of humanity was being threatened by
religious beliefs. Humankind was no longer reflecting God and his good works. It
was now all about cruelty, avarice and adultery. Time had come for God to
intervene and set things right again. It was in this context that God had
called this conference. Over the eons many new Gods had been added to the
pantheon. On the Earth many new religions had sprung up. Interpretation of
teachings of God had become very complex and elaborate and complex – leading people
to explore newer avenues for gaining Moksha.
God was
himself not displeased. In fact he encouraged this fresh interpretation of his
ideas and thoughts. In the end all paths led to him. None of the newer
religions propagated hate. But man being a devious creature by nature had
become very arrogant and started using religion to his own profit. The time had
come for God to step in to bring in a semblance of order on the Earth. And
hence this conference .
The
proceedings started off sedately enough with God’s spokesperson(there was
gender equality in Heaven) laying down the terms of reference for the
meeting. Each of the lesser Gods was to be given a chance to review his religion since inception , the progress
thereafter and the present status of the humans following that particular religion on Earth.
The next term of reference was how the religion was faring on earth and what
steps would be initiated to get rid of the shortcomings - if any. The third
Term of reference was of course co – existence and how it would be implemented
on the Earth.
The Aim was
of course to clear the path for a peaceful atmosphere on the Earth making it
possible for more and more people to attain Moksha.
Somehow the virus of hate had spread to the Heavens . This was evident from the fact that the Gods
were loath to admit any shortcomings in
their religion and started insinuating that the shortcomings were in other
Religions and not in their own, thus vitiating the serene surroundings of the
heavens. Soon the conference turned into a verbal slanging match with each God shouting
louder than the other as to the merits
of his/her religion. God was initially at loss as to this sudden turn of
events. But soon his indignation boiled over and in his thundering voice told
everyone to keep quite , before he lost his patience and banished them from
heaven . In his rumbling voice he said “ You have all come to Heaven because of
the Good things that you did on earth; Somehow the serene surroundings of
heaven and the easy life here have made you very arrogant and stupid; There is
no pleasure in resting on your laurels if you cannot keep your flock together
and ensure peaceful Co- Existence”. “Since you are all bereft of Ideas I have
no option but to turn to the newest entrants to the Heaven.
“ In spite of the
existing state of anarchy on the Earth,
these people have through their innate goodness have reached the Heavens; I am
amenable to new ideas shall ask them for solutions to improve conditions of
existence on the Earth”. Saying this God turned to the latest arrivals from Earth
– who were there as observers – and said kindly – “ All of you through your
good works have attained your place in the exalted Heaven”. “You people are
also the latest and greatest minds from the Earth and are cognizant of the
happenings on Earth; I am sure that it would be worthwhile to gain knowledge
from your insights.” God then threw the house open to all members of Heaven to
provide workable solutions.
Initially
there was a hush in the heavens. The observers were hesitant in expressing
their opinions. But then , one of them – who was a God Man on earth stood up
and addressed God saying “ Sir I was your representative on Earth. I had a huge
following from all religious denominations. I propagated love and peace in my
congregations. My lot of people are doing good works on Earth. I say we
propagate love”. Someone from the rear snidely said that the God man propagated
too much love and that he had spent time in the jail for his misdemeanours.
Thereafter the noise level increased
with everyone being encouraged to speak – now that the ice had been broken.
Through all the noise God heard one voice saying –“ why don’t we rewire the
humans for better understanding among themselves. God immediately raised his
hand for silence. He pointed to the
individual and asked him to explain what he meant by ‘Rewiring the Humans’. The
individual got up and said “ Sir I am a computer expert; For many thousands of
years there has been no major upgrade in the humans – in fact ever since man
started walking on two legs , there has been no major upgrade – only patches
have been put on the human brain for better adaptation for life on earth. Time
has come for overhauling the human brain.” God asked “ and how do you propose
to do that?” The computer expert who attained Moksha said “ Sir in addition to maintaining
the fine brain that a human has we should give him the behavioural aspects of a
dog”. There was a huge silence before everyone burst out laughing – Every one
except God – The more God thought about it the more he liked the Idea. It was
already late and God decided to continue the discussion the next day. He asked
the computer expert to prepare a presentation on his idea.....
