JULIAN HUXLEY, (1887-1975) the well-known British
writer, did not believe in God. He believed that man
did not need God, a concept explained in his aptly
titled book: Man Stands Alone.
It is noteworthy that a reputed American scientist,
Cressy Morrison, countered Huxley’s thesis with a
book titled: Man Does Not Stand Alone.
Even more so today, many people express the view
that they do not need God; that success can be theirs
without their believing in the Almighty. But if you
conduct a survey, you will find that their views do
not reflect mature perception. In fact, such remarks
are spawned by immature minds mostly belonging
to the under forty age group. Psychological and
biological studies show that human beings attain
maturity only after reaching middle age. Prior to
this, they are not in a position to form any sound
opinions on the realities of life. Surveys show,
indeed, that superficial remarks about God are
made mostly by those who are as yet immature. But
with the transition from immaturity to maturity,
which comes with the acquisition of experience and
knowledge, a great number of people, including
atheists and apostates, become serious in their
approach to the subject of God.
A thinker has aptly said:
A smattering of knowledge turns
people away from God. Greater
knowledge brings them back to Him.
Here are a few examples to illustrate this point. Let
us take the case of a youth who, having grown up
with romantic ideas, enthusiastically enters upon
married life by opting for a “love marriage”. But
very soon this love turns to hate and the couple
ultimately separate. Then the husband realizes that
his acceptance of love as the “summum bonum”
was the result of his own immaturity. Consciously
or unconsciously, he begins to feel that his
perception has not been clear enough to understand
life in depth and that a superior guide is required to
compensate for his inexperience.
Then there is the example of an ambitious
businessman who starts a business. His business
goes on expanding until a time comes when it
becomes unmanageable. Now he realizes that
certain personal limitations bar his way to fulfilling
his desires and ambitions. He comes to feel that he
needs a vaster world in order to realize his dreams.
Similarly, yet another youth forms a political party
in order to fulfill his ambitions, and a time comes
when he finally contrives to secure an important
political niche for himself. But then he meets the
fate of Jawaharlal Nehru. Like Nehru after he was
elevated to the position of Prime Minister, he
suffers from second thoughts. He feels that there
exists a far greater power than himself and that,
without the cooperation of this power, he cannot
carry his plans into effect.
Most young people enter life with great ambitions.
But again and again they undergo such experiences
as remind them of their helplessness. Disease,
accidents, losses, disadvantages—all these
repeatedly remind them that their lot in life is one
of unfulfilled desires. Then they see that, however
great one’s material success, one inevitably dies
within the span of 100 years, leaving all one’s
wealth behind. Such bitter reflection shows that all
the sweet dreams of childhood and youth stemmed
from ignorance. For it is impossible to have
complete fulfillment in this present imperfect
world.
One’s goal in life—whether it be the making of
money, the acquisition of fame or power, or
anything else of this nature—proves less than ideal.
After the individual manages to achieve these
things, he again suffers from the feeling that
whatever he has achieved falls far below his
expectations. Thus he remains as unsatisfied as
ever. Finding success becomes as meaningless as
not finding it.
--Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
( Ref - In Search of God)
