definition of reason

Many of us believe that we are just actors in the play that is run by the almighty. The beliefs dictate what we do and what is going to happen. People call this by different names. They call it fate, something that is preordained, something that was written and so shall be done. They call it destiny; something that they are progressively working towards.

Along the same lines, I believe in reason. For me reason is the one thing that makes sense when nothing else does. It is what ruled what happened, it rules what is happening and it is going to cause what is going to happen tomorrow. Just as the believer says that tomorrow is controlled by fate or destiny, I believe that my tomorrow is controlled by reason.

When I state that reason controls whatever happens in my world, it becomes imperative that I define that reason, thereby enabling easier understanding of that term. Word Web, the dictionary that runs on my laptop, defines reason as

1. A rational motive or belief
2. An explanation of the cause of some event
3. The capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination
4. The state of having good sense and sound judgment
5. A justification for something that occurred

Of all the above, the closest that I am looking for when I talk about reason is the third one, “the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination”. Please make note of each word, for they carry enormous significance. The key word is rational. The word rational means using the mind. Therefore, in short, reason is the capacity to use the mind to come to conclusions, which are logical and reliable. I refrain from using the word consistent on purpose. The reason is that rigidity of thought can be mistaken to be consistency, which I do not want to seep into the fabric of thought. Therefore, reason is the ability to use the mind to arrive at logical and reliable conclusions.

I guess this is the start of all the fog, which has enveloped my mind, the desire to apply this reason to religion, as we know it and god, as we do not know him. It is only when I am able to understand rationally the presence or absence of a god and the purpose of religion, will I be able to come to terms with what I am. This desire to understand something that has remained so elusive to so many has created the fog in my head. There have been so many who have traversed the same path that I am treading on. They have searched for reasons and many have been termed heretics. Many have been crucified (I am not referring to Jesus Christ), burned at the stake, buried alive, exiled, driven to madness, just for asking the question “Why?”

I could have done two things from here. Firstly, I could have driven away all the fog by just ignoring it. This does not mean that the fog is gone. It just means that I do not wish to see it anymore. This act would have likened me to the child who closes his eyes and believes that the entire world has vanished, when the truth is that the child is not seeing the world anymore.

The second option was to run into the fog and light a fire in it. The fire will create smoke, which can intensify the fog. However, it will also create heat, which will lift the fog. This is what I plan to do. I plan to create the fire to reason the religion and god, so that at the end of the day I have better vision of what I am, who I am and if there is an answer to the eternal question, why I am.

I would like close this post with a Tamil song

Enge kaal pogum pogavidu (Where the leg wants to go, let it go)
Mudivai pathuvidu (Wait and watch the results)
Kaalam oru naal kaikodukum (Life will give a helping hand one day)
Adhuvarai poruthuvidu. (Wait for that to happen)