On the Road
We always seemed to fear the things we didn't understand!
Modern religions accepted by society might have their imperfections, but most of those came from human flaws.
Some people used religion as a cover to pursue power and wealth, while monks turned prayer wheels and sang verses to comfort helpless souls...
Faith taken too far became foolishness. It could even give rise to fanaticism and extreme emotions.
Worse still, some people were willing to kill to preserve the supposed "greatness" and "nobility," the "mystery" and "supernatural power" of their religion.
That was a human problem!
When some people couldn't find answers, when they couldn't find solutions in the words of the sages...
They tried to draw closer to God—or become God themselves—by the most extreme means...
It was pathological, and it revealed the "incompetence" and "ignorance" of those people.
Of course, if politics got involved, things became even worse...
That was why modern theocracies had to yield to the law!
But if everyone could look at truly devout people with an open and free mind, then beyond the walls of religious ritual, they would see a modern miracle!
They would see a group of imperfect yet sincere souls in this rapidly developing, out-of-control world...
Little Ginny didn't understand why that pregnant woman was "happy." Alvin didn't really understand it either, because he couldn't truly empathize...
But that didn't stop Alvin from seeing it as "a trial they had willingly chosen to endure in search of God within themselves, or of a beautiful vision"...
Calling them "ignorant" seemed rather narrow-minded. Who could guarantee that what they saw was the truth?
People should respect one another. Just as we would refrain from eating pork or drinking alcohol when we went to a proper halal restaurant...
The hardships of life