ASK MAULANA
Your Questions, Answered
Men apparently use logic to understand everything in life but are unable to use the same logic for the existence of God and life hereafter? Why is this so?
The British philosopher Bertrand Russell has rightly pointed out that knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge of things and knowledge of truth. In the area of “things”, empirical argument is workable. While, in the area of “truth”, only inferential argument is applicable. Scientifically, both these arguments are valid. People do not know the difference between these two subjects. They try to apply the logic that pertains to the first category to the second category. This wrong application leads to confusion.
Why is man so easily attracted to evil by justifying the same?
Evil is a phenomenon of uncontrolled behaviour. A person who knows that uncontrolled life leads to disaster will try to control his behaviour and save himself from indulging in evil. Man is a justification-seeking animal. This is interwoven in his nature, so he always tries to justify his actions in terms of reason, whether they are good or evil.
How does the jealous psychology of a person adversely affect the wellbeing of another person?
Jealousy always affects the jealous person himself. As a matter of fact, the other person is bound to not be affected, provided he is able to restrain himself from reacting negatively.
People often say that we are spiritual but not religious; some even consider themselves to be 'spiritual atheists'. What is your view about such statements?
A spiritual atheist is spiritual only in the partial sense. Because, spirituality needs a basis, and in atheism or the philosophy of atheism there is no basis for spirituality. Spiritual atheism is like a rootless tree. Religion gives us a basis for spirituality. For example, life is full of disadvantages. When an atheist faces these disadvantages, he may fall prey to frustration. However, a believer will not become frustrated, because his belief in God provides him unlimited conviction and trust, which an atheist does not possess.
Is being emotional or sensitive a sign of weak personality?
Emotions or sentiments are part of nature. These feelings themselves do not indicate that the person possesses a weak personality. A weak personality is that which succumbs to its emotions or desires. A strong personality is a non-yielding personality, while a weak personality is a yielding personality.
When someone takes his own life, is it due to God’s decision? Or, is it the shortening of the test, which is a decision of man?
Taking away one’s own life is not the decision of providence. Rather, it is the misuse of freedom. Everyone has total freedom in this world. A person is free to either misuse his freedom or make proper use of it.
It is not wise to judge two parties by listening to only one party, yet people make this mistake everyday. Why is it so?
This kind of judgement is completely wrong. No one has the right to issue judgements without taking into account the stand of both the parties. There is always an inherent bias in reporting, while ignoring concerns of the other party. Without listening to both the parties, it is not possible to make a right decision. Therefore, it is totally wrong to pass a judgement by listening to only one party. The reason why people pass judgments without taking into consideration both parties is because they don’t have the sense of responsibility due to their insincere nature.
How can you maintain peace when somebody is indirectly trying to harm your image or assassinate your character?
It is very easy to do so, because, when a person tries to distort your image, he is not inflicting any kind of physical harm on you. The best formula in this regard is that if it is physical harm, try to find a remedy for it. However, if the harm is non-physical in nature, then one should simply avoid even thinking about it. A problem is a problem if it is material or physical in nature. One must learn to differentiate between the two.
