Tuesday, December 21, 2004
//a life of finding God
"To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."
- excerpt from The Life of Pi, a book by Yann Martel
The past few nights, I've abandoned my Xbox for this book. The preface itself was enough to capture my attention. It says that the story promises to make you believe in God.
How odd, I thought to myself. Up until two days ago, I'd say flat out that my favorite book in the world is one that was written by Douglas Coupland, a collection of stories under a title, Life After God.
Pi, an Indian zoologist who was named after a swimming pool, was an odd child. His hobby was that of religion. Raised as a Hindu, he eventually found himself wanting to become a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian all at the same time. When confronted by his parents about it, this was his response:
"Because I want to love God."
Now there are two words from that statement that struck me.
Love.
God.
How many of us can truly say that we are happy because we Love? How many of us can say that we are in a state of Love, that we are experiencing it in it's purest, truest form, that which is different from something we mistake for Love? It's not as simple as saying "I love basketball" or "I love the way you look tonight" or "I love my girlfriend."
How many of us can say that God is truly the ruler of our lives? That God is the every reason for our choices, the voice within us that drives us to Love One Another?
Once upon a time, I was a student trying to save the world one oppressed soul at a time, and at one particular evening, I got to hold the hand of a farmer who was deprived of a land to cultivate. And as we sang the Lord's Prayer, tears flowed because for one fleeting moment, I understood. For one moment in my life, I heard the voice of God. It felt like meeting Jesus Christ for the first time in my life.
It's probably true, what the Muslims say. Take two steps towards God, and God runs to you.
- excerpt from The Life of Pi, a book by Yann Martel
The past few nights, I've abandoned my Xbox for this book. The preface itself was enough to capture my attention. It says that the story promises to make you believe in God.
How odd, I thought to myself. Up until two days ago, I'd say flat out that my favorite book in the world is one that was written by Douglas Coupland, a collection of stories under a title, Life After God.
Pi, an Indian zoologist who was named after a swimming pool, was an odd child. His hobby was that of religion. Raised as a Hindu, he eventually found himself wanting to become a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian all at the same time. When confronted by his parents about it, this was his response:
"Because I want to love God."
Now there are two words from that statement that struck me.
Love.
God.
How many of us can truly say that we are happy because we Love? How many of us can say that we are in a state of Love, that we are experiencing it in it's purest, truest form, that which is different from something we mistake for Love? It's not as simple as saying "I love basketball" or "I love the way you look tonight" or "I love my girlfriend."
How many of us can say that God is truly the ruler of our lives? That God is the every reason for our choices, the voice within us that drives us to Love One Another?
Once upon a time, I was a student trying to save the world one oppressed soul at a time, and at one particular evening, I got to hold the hand of a farmer who was deprived of a land to cultivate. And as we sang the Lord's Prayer, tears flowed because for one fleeting moment, I understood. For one moment in my life, I heard the voice of God. It felt like meeting Jesus Christ for the first time in my life.
It's probably true, what the Muslims say. Take two steps towards God, and God runs to you.
Comments:
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
//refinery geeks at work
donna and volt took these photos of us refinery geeks last week, hoping to come up with an FHM-type calendar. too bad we can't wear our tiger-stripe skimpy trunks at the office. =D
