Documentaries Craze–Atheism Tapes

I’ve recently acquired a craze for watching documentaries. I’ve watched mostly economic and social issues and few scientific ones. It’s becoming a hobby of mine. The latest one is called “Atheism Tapes” by Jonathan Miller.

I started viewing these tapes because both belief and disbelief in religion has been in tandem for a large part in my life. When I was younger, my life was religiously intense with my grandfather being a central role as a very religious man with several rituals in everyday life. My grandfather has been a strong influence in all principles in my life and I have tremendous love and respect for him. Somewhere in college, I began to rethink my religious beliefs which were unquestioned till then. The defining moment was when my parents had taken me to Puttaparthi, as they were strong devotees of Sai Baba where I had this epiphany of disbelief (for background, Sai Baba is the self-proclaimed incarnation of Sathya Sai Baba, a spiritual teacher with a mix of Hindu and Muslim teachings). The place was intensely emotional and I think that really helped me jolt out of my ineptitude. I looked around me and just failed to understand why people were crying and falling to their knees. I saw the whole place as an exploitation of their desperation. Later on, as I travelled to and lived in different parts of the world, interacted with people from different religions, got married, had children, I had several phases when I questioned what I believed in.

But, the primary reason for watching these tapes was to understand why people in general are so keen on actively trying to convert people into a religion. Why is it so hard for people to acknowledge/understand non-belief? In contrary, I believe its very easy for folks to accept someone else believing in something different or even opposed to their own beliefs. They may not agree with the beliefs but they do acknowledge it. But, why are people so implicitly intolerant of others’ non-beliefs? The extreme case of this atheism. Tape 1 has a discussion about how this word is some sort of an accusation.

This is also a personal question for me because I find myself having to justify my non-beliefs with my parents and extended family on a frequent basis. My stand on religion is that god is a concept to explain the progressively shrinking realm of questions for which we have no answers. I don’t believe that we need to idolize this concept. I also do not believe we need to personify this concept and neither can I accept the reward/punishment model of most religions. I’m not an atheist. I do believe in some sort of universal life force/energy and for now, I’m comfortable in calling this energy/concept God.

Tape 1 – Colin McGinn

I liked several parts of Tape 1, especially the talk about post-theism which is loosely defined as the time after religion ceases to exist. This may not be in my lifetime, but I believe some of this exists in some pockets of our social life. A large part of life in America for me is reflective of this. Religion is not mentioned in the workplace or even among friends unless it’s a topic to be debated. Religion and its customs are made by choice. I go to the temple only with the intent of exposing my children to an informal education in religion. Life in India will not be so. Life in India in intrinsically tied up with religion. Everyday existence is filled with religious connotations.  Having decided to move to India, (more on this on a later post), I have to brace myself for this.

 

YouTube
– The Atheism Tapes – Colin McGinn – There Must Be Something

I also agree with the speaker, Colin McGinn, on how non-belief is disheartening. I almost view it as a burden. It is the primary reason why I do want my children exposed to organized faith. I don’t believe that all organized faith is bad. I wish I could believe. But, neither do I want my children to blindly follow a faith without questioning. It is definitely complicated.

Tape 2 – Steven Weinberg

Compared to Tape 1, Tape 2 was terrible. I know very little of Steven Weinberg. But, his knowledge of Hinduism is appalling. The fact that he thinks that Hinduism can be summarized with the rules of “You don’t eat cows and you can’t cross the seas” is downright ludicrous. The narrator’s summary of Christianity and Buddhism “of course” (lets just add that in to make us look we’re generalizing) as “intellectually intelligible” reminds me of the colonial British’s condescending views of superiority. Bullshit! Do they know that Buddhism was evolved from several aspects of Hinduism and Hinduism was also heavily influenced and got moderated by Buddhism? The essence of rebirth and karma are some of the core tenants of Hinduism and not just “Don’t eat cows”. Steven Weinberg goes on to say that these non-intellectual religions have no theories and thus he cannot engage.  The only thing I agreed with in this tape was the succinct statement at the end that “Science is a corrosive effect to religion and it’s a good thing too”.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2260129385438753065#

The Atheism Tapes 2 – Steven Weinberg

Don’t try to change me now

I occasionally watch “House” when I’m having lunch or cooking/cleaning by myself. I always watch on Hulu…..because when it comes on TV…I have my life going on in full speed. Anyway, I love the scores that it ends on. Like this week’s “Don’t try to change me now” by Fiona Apple. I’d never hear of it. And from the comments..its got a lot of House fans.

It got me thinking about how K and I noticed how S is growing up and showing more of her personality. Specifically, she seems to show my style of growing into new places and new people.

We also got to know her strengths from Gallup’s Strengthfinder this week and surprisingly 2 of her strengths “Achiever and Learner” overlap with mine. Kiddo looks just like dad and behaves more like mom..:)

S’s strengths:

 

• Positivity
• Learner
• Achiever
• Connectedness
• Empathy

Veggie Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

• Cheese – 1/4 cup grated (I used cheddar)
• Noodles – 1/2 cup (I used vermicelli for a softer texture to serve as comfort food)
• Veggies – 1/2 cup (I used a mix of finely-chopped onions and green peppers. You can use any combo your kid prefers)
• Bread crumbs – 2 tbsp (I toasted a bread – the top bread of the loaf that no one in my family touches for some reason (and is faithfully placed back in the pack?) and crushed the toast to get crumbs).
• Oil/Butter – 1/2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Time: 15 mins

Serving size: 1

Process:

• Cook the noodles as per instructions on the pack and set aside.
• On a pan, heat some oil/butter and saute the veggies. (I think this gives a little more flavor than boiling. You can add boiled veggies to this mix for a healthier version). As another trick, I add water after sauteing a little bit and let the veggies boil the rest of the way.
• When the veggies are cooked (my kid likes it really well-done), mix in the noodles. Add a little water if the mix looks too dry.
• Add salt and garnish with basil and parsely. (Alternatively, I used an off-the-shelf italian flavoring which worked just fine).
• Add the flour to the mix (mix should be moist or you’ll get lumps) and stir gently.
• Take out a microwaveable dish (I used a plain old lunch box) and grease the sides with oil/butter.
• Add the noodle mixture to the dish and spread even.
• Spread the grated cheese on top the noodle mix and top it off by sprinkling bread crumbs on top of the cheese.
• Microwave on medium (5 for me) for 5 minutes.

You can vary this recipe by substituting rice for noodles for a healthy Veggie Rice Casserole. I made this today without the breadcrumbs (ran out of time) and with broccoli, carrot and green beans (my daughter loves green beans – go figure!) and packed it for my daughter’s lunch.

Vegetarian Casserole - quick healthy lunch for my kid

My balancing act

Balancing Act by Vijaya Santhanam

A few years ago, my mom gifted me a beautiful embroidery called the “balancing act”. She told me it was to symbolize the delicate balancing act that women everywhere do everyday. Back then, I was married but had no kids (my pathetic excuse?)….and somehow I failed to appreciate the beauty of that artwork.
Now, several years later, when I juggle my life with a toddler amidst attempts to kickstart my career again, I look at this piece with renewed respect. I look at it to derive inspiration and also to be humbled by the countless women who have strived before me.

On a related note, I’m compiling a list of women biographies as a must-read-about list. It started as a futuristic list for my daughter when she grows up, but started getting personaly interested as well. More on that on a later post.