Before you read on, can you guess the answer to this riddle?
What did the Atheist tell the Theist when the latter proclaimed
"I Believe in Nothing more than God"
Overview:
1. The God debate is far from over. We have Theists and Atheists and then we have those in between- The quantum believers- They are Theists and A-Theists at the same time !
2. Mainstream science, tries to steer clear of the 'God' debate. They prefer to place their painstaking work, years of research and understanding on a foundation that is made from 'Nothing'. The big bang, they say started from Nothing. Nothing existed before the big bang.
The so called superstitious religious people on the other hand, say that the entire creation manifested from GOD.
3. Regardless of which side you are on, we are all in the same boat!
Religious people might call God by various names, Scientists on the other hand prefer to call their God 'Nothing'. Since neither parties have proofs, but are based on beliefs, they are actually one and the same.
Given below is the Riddle and its answer :
What did the Atheist tell the Theist when the latter proclaimed
"I Believe in Nothing more than God"
The Atheist said " Me too" " I too Believe in Nothing, more than God"
( Surprisingly though they both said the same thing, it was just a Comma that separated them!!!)
A few ideas, worth rethinking about.
1. If a religious person cannot prove the existence of God, is this lack of proof, a proof of Gods nonexistence?
Can a lack of proof, be a proof good enough to disprove something?
2. The reason as to why we respect, believe in and protect Copyrights, Patent, Ideas and discoveries is because we all believe that someone is responsible for its creation.
If an individual who has never worked in his life and lived as a criminal were to be arrested, would he sound sane, if he were to say that his Car, his phone, his income and everything that he owned came out of Nothing?
Would someone from the scientific community extend their support and say that Thief could be right. If the entire Universe could come out of Nothing, wouldn’t there be a high probability that this persons Car, Mobile and everything else that he owned also came out of Nothing!
3. Some of the greatest scientists have had a very open outlook towards life and have contributed a lot to science as well as to the society. Two traits that every aspiring scientist should avoid: Being an opinionist and being rigid. Both these will limit the possibilities of exploration and research.
4. Openness will also help us look for clues and secrets in areas that seem to be a taboo for the scientific community. For e.g. when you hear a quantum physicist give a lecture, it sounds a lot like a discourse given by a spiritual master. Since many of the greatest discoveries of modern science have come from simple ‘Thought Experiments’ why not explore the possibility that someone before us was smart enough to do a thought experiment and put them down in the form of religious texts, parables, and stories.
( Especially when they had no other option back then, and the best way to convey the understanding to others was as a story or as a religious truth so as to ensure that this information would be passed on for generations to come)
5. A belief is based on Trust, faith and confidence and need not be backed up by tons and tons of supporting data. It is not fair to judge people by their beliefs. Many a times a belief is just a personal opinion and does not even impact the behaviour of a person in society. Beliefs help us lead sane lives.
Here are a few examples:
(A). You sit in an Uber, if the driver were to not have belief in the fact that you would pay for the ride or belief in the legal system… Would he not be highly stressed every time he gets a customer. He prefers to be rooted in a belief that you will pay him and that belief keeps him away from toxic stress.
(B) How many times do you worry about handing cash to a cashier in a food stall? When you hand him a Rs 500 currency note for a Rs 150 bill, you believe that he is going to return the balance amount to you. Isn't it blind belief? You don’t even know the person, yet you are trusting him with your precious hard earned money. Isn't it blind belief when you think that the legal system is going to protect you if at all the person does flee with your money?
Whether you are a scientist or a religious person, your ability to believe and hold on to beliefs helps lead a normal life. Is it fair for someone who uses the belief system himself to point fingers at someone else just because his belief’s contradict the other persons beliefs?
To sum it up we all are in the same boat. If only we can work as a team, set aside our differences and be open to the possibility that a housewife could be our next Einstein then we can make great strides as a community that is powered by science. If as a scientific community we decide to be rigid, vain, egotistical, sceptical, opinionated about every other idea that does not resonate with our beliefs and carry on as if it is only our opinion that counts, then sometime in the not so distant future, today's Science will be considered as a religion. A religion that did temporarily propel mankind on a path of progress, had a lot of potential, but was destroyed by fanatics who weren’t open to possibilities…..
Coming soon…..
In the next few blogs let us explore this beautiful world of science by being more open.
Every kid shows traits of being a scientist. They are very inquisitive, ask a lot of questions and are constantly searching for new things to do, try out and experience. Let our journey take us on this path of Anti-aging.
Did you know that by using Distributed computing model / Grid computing, you can connect many simple desktops and laptops over a network to create a unique kind of supercomputer?
By adopting a similar line of thought we need to understand that even if we are not highly trained and specialized ‘SCIENTISTS’, each of us is a mini scientist whose potential could be exploited by the Distributed Community Model. It is time ‘We the people’ connect as a network of mini scientists, by being open, sharing ideas and working towards a common goal- Progress.