Texas Faith: Who inspires you?

Published at Dallas Morning News and www.TheGhouseDiary.com

Pope Francis is my inspiration and my religious leader. Even though he is a Christian and I am a Muslim and observe different rituals, the essence of both the religions is same; to help develop an individual’s behavior to attain peace for oneself, and to live cohesively with what surrounds him; life and environment. - Mike Ghouse

Texas Faith column at Dallas Morning News, published by Rudolph Bush on February 10, 2015 6:09 pm

There are none of us who can walk alone very long. We need the hand and help of others to pick us up at times. And we need their thoughts to buttress us or to test our own. We need their company and their companionship to comfort us.

Last week, I had to scratch my head and admit to my friends who contribute to this blog that the well was dry. I had no questions that I thought were worth asking them. So I asked them to submit questions. And good friends that they are on our journey, several quickly chimed in.

I chose the first one over the transom, from Fr Joshua Whitfield at St. Rita Parish. It was an excellent question that I think gets to the heart of what we are trying to do here -to commune with one another over our beliefs and our common humanity.

Thanks Fr. Joshua. Here is your question.

“Who is someone from another faith tradition either another denomination or another faith altogether that has inspired you, shaped you, or formed you in your own faith? And why is it a good thing to read and study others outside your own faith tradition?”

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism and speaker on interfaith matters, Dallas

Pope Francis is my inspiration and my religious leader. Even though he is a Christian and I am a Muslim and observe different rituals, the essence of both the religions is same; to help develop an individual’s behavior to attain peace for oneself, and to live cohesively with what surrounds him; life and environment.

Studying other religions is critical, as it removes the arrogance and claims of superiority of one’s faith over the others. Arrogance is the mother of all conflicts and destroys the relationships between individuals, communities and nations. Humility on the other hand builds bridges and is a core value in every religion. Most people get that right and few don’t.

On March 13, 2013 within minutes of his appointment, I wrote, “I hope he heralds a new beginning for building a better world. In behalf of the people of faith or no faith, and my faith Islam, I welcome the Pope and make myself available to jump at his call for creating peace and harmony in the world, where no human has to live in fear of the others, let the world be the new kingdom of heaven where we all feel safe and secure with each other. Amen”

There are a few deeply rooted conflicts among the Muslim-Christian, and Jewish-Christian communities that are the root cause of much of the conflict in the world, they have been simmering within the hearts and minds of the Christians, Muslims and Jews, and flare up now and then in difficult expressions.

The world needs a powerful personality to urge Muslims, Jews and Christians to learn to respect the otherness of the other without the temptation to correct the other. It needs a strong personality that can absolve Jews from the myths ascribed to them. It needs a pope who is a blessed peacemaker and extends his embrace to the Pagans, Hindus and all others who do not worship or worship God in their own way. He has got to initiate a dialogue on same sex marriage, women priesthood, birth control, intrafaith, and interfaith relations. We are all children of God and honoring each other is honoring the creator.

Indeed Pope Frances is working on all that, and has earned my adoration and admiration. He is an ideal human being that Prophet Muhammad taught one to be. He is my Pope, the ideal Muslim Pope. I have written over 15 articles about him including an interview by a Catholic News Paper. It is all at http://mikeghouse.net/PopeFrancis.asp

Pope Francis is a mercy to mankind, and it simply means his thoughts; talks and acts bring hope, security and relief to women, minorities, children, oppressed, powerless, the poor and the weak.

Pope Francis is my hero and my inspiration. He represents the values of pluralism espoused by Jesus Christ. That is respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God-given uniqueness of each one of his creation. No one falls out of his ambit of love, none at all. It is my dream to go see the Pope and be his ambassador and a blessed peace maker.

We pray that Pope Francis ushers us into a new era of dialogue and respect for each other, Amen.

Studying other religions is critical to world peace and harmony; it removes the baseness in us, and elevates us from animalistic beings (dominance and annihilation of the other) to humanistic beings (dialogue and co-existence).

God in Qur’an says he has intentionally created us into many tribes, communities and nations, and by extrapolation religions, culture, races and languages from a single couple. Had he wanted, he would have created every one of us to be exactly the same, but he chose to give us unique thumb prints, DNA, taste buds and other uniqueness. Then he adds, the best ones among you are those who will take the time to know each other, he knows that knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance and appreciation of different points of view for a well functioning cohesive world.

Nine other Panelists have responded with their own favorites, to read them all please visit Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News - http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/texas-faith-who-inspires-you.html/#more-51113

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I have been writing for over 5 years now, and have written over 200 pieces.

Thank you
mike
Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916 text/talk
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Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is a staunch defender of human rights and his book standing up for others will be out soon, and a movie "Americans together" is in the making.  He is a frequent guest commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post. All about him is listed in 63 links atwww.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.  

HOW TO LIVE & DIE - KHUSHWANT SINGH

[This is a rare piece I have posted on my diary -www.TheGhousediary.com,  usually my own writings, are posted but this one and monday humor are others writing, the first part of this page is my writing]

HOW TO LIVE AND DIE - KHUSHWANT SINGH

Thanks to Dr. Pervaz Rahman for sharing the following piece by Khushwant Singh, one of my favorite writers from my college years. Shariff my friend and I waited for his magazine “the illustrated weekly” every Friday.  I talk about death fairly casually and my kids do not want to hear, nor my wife Yasmeeen wants to hear it. But die, I will some day. 

 One of the best ways to leave the world is to leave in peace. About ten years ago, my Mother passed away in one of the most beautiful manners one could embark on the eternal journey; a clean slate with no loose ends. The Jain tradition calls it Michami Dukadam.  That was one of the most beautiful lessons of my life, she tied every loose end in her last week, there was no anxiety, no wishes that had to be fulfilled, and she forgave and asked to be forgiven and had a clean slate to go on with her eternal journey. I was blessed to repeat that process with my late wife and she left the world with a smile on her face. There was peace to everyone in the process and there was an incredible release and freedom to the goers and the stayers.

Reading Khushwant Sing was refreshing; I do so much of it myself.  I have written my own obituary and it is in my bank box, my kids know what goes on the headstone that reminds me to tell that to Yasmeeen, “With prejudice towards none”. I have written the will, lists of everything that needs to be done, very few things float on my mind, everything is on paper. When I die, I hope it will be in peace, with no wishes that had to be fulfilled, no anxieties on my face. I want to go smiling and want my family and friends to smile for living a fulfilling life.  

There is a beautiful Indian song in Urdu/Hindi language that talks about living the life with contentment;

Live the life like everything is yours;

And when you die, die as if nothing is yours.

Jiyo to aise jiyo jaise sob  tumhara hai,

Maro to aise ke jaise tumhara kuch bhi nahin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVDHTeRr8LQ

Enjoy the article by Khushwant Singh

How To Live & Die

Death is rarely spoken about in our homes. I wonder why. Especially when each one of us knows that death has to come, has to strike. It’s inevitable. This line from Yas Yagana Changezi says it best: Khuda mein shak ho to ho, maut mein nahin koi shak (You may or may not doubt the existence of God, you can’t doubt the certainty of death). And one must prepare oneself to face it. 

At 95, I do think of death. I think of death very often but I don’t lose sleep over it. I think of those gone; keep wondering where they are. Where have they gone? Where will they be? I don’t know the answers: where you go, what happens next. To quote Omar Khayyam,  

“Into this Universe, and Why not knowing
Nor Whence, like Water willy-nilly flowing...”

and,

“There was a Door to which I found no Key
There was a Veil through which I could not see
Some little Talk awhile of Me and Thee
There seemed—and then no more of Thee and Me.” 

I once asked the Dalai Lama how one should face death and he had advised meditation. I’m not scared of death; I do not fear it. Death is inevitable. While I have thought about it a lot, I don’t brood about it. I’m prepared for it. As Asadullah Khan Ghalib has so aptly put it,  

“Rau mein hai raksh-e-umar kahaan dekhiye thhamey
Nai haath baag par hai na pa hai rakaab mein  

(Age travels at galloping pace; who knows where it will stop
We do not have the reins in our hands nor our feet in the stirrups).” 

All my contemporaries—whether here or in England or in Pakistan—they’re all gone. I don’t know where I’ll be in a year or two. I don’t fear death. What I dread is the day I go blind or am incapacitated because of old age—that’s what I fear—I’d rather die than live in that condition. I’m a burden enough on my daughter Mala and don’t want to be an extra burden on her. 

All that I hope for is that when death comes to me, it comes swiftly, without much pain, like fading away in sound slumber. Till then I’ll keep working and living each day as it comes. There’s so much left to do. I have to content myself by saying these lines of Iqbal:  

“Baagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyon?
Kaar-e-Jahaan daraaz hai, ab mera intezaar kar  

(Why did you order me out of the garden of paradise? I have a lot left to do; now you wait for me).” 

So I often tell Bade Mian, as I refer to him, from time to time, that he’s got to wait for me as I still have work to complete.

I believe in these lines of Tennyson:

“Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea...
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness or farewell,
When I embark.”

I believe in the Jain philosophy that death ought to be celebrated. Earlier, whenever I was upset or low, I used to go to the cremation grounds. It has a cleansing effect, and worked like a therapy for me. In fact, I’d written my own epitaph years ago:

"Here lies one who spared neither man nor God
Waste not your tears on him, he was a sod
Writing nasty things he regarded as great fun
Thank the Lord he is dead, this son of a gun.”

I hope that when death comes to me, it comes swiftly, without much pain, like fading away in sound slumber.

I had even written my own obit in 1943 when I was still in my twenties. It later appeared in a collection of short stories, titled ‘Posthumous’. In the piece, I had imagined The Tribune announcing the news of my death on its front page with a small photograph. The headline would read: ‘Sardar Khushwant Singh Dead’. And then, in somewhat smaller print:  

‘We regret to announce the sudden death of Sardar Khushwant Singh at 6 pm last evening. He leaves behind a young widow, two infant children and a large number of friends and admirers. Amongst those who called at the late sardar’s residence were the PA to the chief justice, several ministers, and judges of the high court.’ 

I had to cope with death when I lost my wife. Being an agnostic, I could not find solace in religious rituals. Being essentially a loner, I discouraged friends and relatives from coming to condole with me. I spent the first night alone sitting in my chair in the dark. At times, I broke down, but soon recovered my composure. A couple of days later, I resumed my usual routine, working from dawn to dusk. That took my mind off the stark reality of having to live alone in an empty home for the rest of my days. When friends persisted in calling and upsetting my equilibrium, I packed myself off to Goa to be by myself.

I used to be keen on a burial because with a burial you give back to the earth what you have taken. Now, it will be the electric crematorium. I had requested the management of the Bahai faith if I could be buried. Initially, they had agreed, but then they came up with all sorts of conditions and rules. I had wanted to be buried in one corner with just a peepal tree next to my grave. After okaying this, the management later said that that wouldn’t be possible and that my grave would be in the middle of a row and not in a corner. I wasn’t okay with that—even though I know that once you are dead it makes no difference. But I was keen to be buried in one corner. They also told me later that they would chant some prayers, which again I couldn’t agree with, because I don’t believe in religion or in religious rituals of any kind. 

Though I’m quite fit, I know I don’t have much time left. I’m coming to terms with death, preparing myself. And since I have no faith in God, nor in the day of judgement, nor in the theory of reincarnation, I have to come to terms with the complete full stop. I have been criticised for not sparing even the dead, but then death does not sanctify a person, and if I find the person had been corrupt, I write about it even when he’s gone.

I don’t believe in rebirth or in reincarnation, in the day of judgement or in heaven or hell. I accept the finality of death. We do not know what happens to us after we die but one should help a person go in peace—at peace with himself and with the world.

I’ve lived a reasonably contented life. I’ve often thought about what it is that makes people happy—what one has to do in order to achieve happiness. 

First and foremost is good health. If you do not enjoy good health, you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct something from your happiness.

Second, a healthy bank balance. It need not run into crores, but it should be enough to provide for comforts, and there should be something to spare for recreation—eating out, going to the movies, travel and holidays in the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be demoralising. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one’s own eyes. 

Third, your own home. Rented places can never give you the comfort or security of a home that is yours for keeps. If it has garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, and cultivate a sense of kinship with them.

Fourth, an understanding companion, be it your spouse or a friend. If you have too many misunderstandings, it robs you of your peace of mind. It is better to be divorced than to be quarrelling all the time. 

Fifth, stop envying those who have done better than you in life—risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others. 

Sixth, do not allow people to descend on you for gup-shup. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.

Since I have no faith in God, nor in the day of judgement, nor in reincarnation, I have to come to terms with the complete full stop.

Seventh, cultivate a hobby or two that will fulfil you—gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks, or to meet celebrities, is a criminal waste of time. It’s important to concentrate on something that keeps you occupied meaningfully. I have family members and friends who spend their entire day caring for stray dogs, giving them food and medicines. There are others who run mobile clinics, treating sick people and animals free of charge.  

Eighth, every morning and evening devote 15 minutes to introspection. In the mornings, 10 minutes should be spent in keeping the mind absolutely still, and five listing the things you have to do that day. In the evenings, five minutes should be set aside to keep the mind still and 10 to go over the tasks you had intended to do. 

Ninth, don’t lose your temper. Try not to be short-tempered, or vengeful. Even when a friend has been rude, just move on. 

Above all, when the time comes to go, one should go like a man without any regret or grievance against anyone. Iqbal said it beautifully in a couplet in Persian: “You ask me about the signs of a man of faith? When death comes to him, he has a smile on his lips.”
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(Excerpted from the forthcoming Absolute Khushwant: The Low-Down on Life, Death & Most Things In-Between (Penguin). The book will be launched on August 16.)