I just finished reading Erich Segal’s “Acts of Faith” a few days ago.  Unputdownable.  I recommended it to my son who finished it in one afternoon and pronounced it “Gripping!”

While on the subject of religion, I must confess that I am an inveterate fence sitter – an agnostic.  Though born into a Christian family, I’ve always questioned blind, religious doctrine (though not, admittedly always out loud) since about age 10, perhaps earlier.  I didn’t like what I saw of the Church – the hypocrisy, the politics, the worship of Mammon.  As a result I was never a practicing Christian and stopped attending in my teens.

I did read up on the various world religions and found Buddhist teachings most attractive.  Buddha never really talked of God per se but of striving for balance in the various aspects of life.  Very appealing to my tottering high-wire act!  But when the question of committment arose, I backed off.  Why?  Because I believe that groups, especially reigious and ethnic ones, are the cause of the majority of the conflict historically the world over – a direct result of the “us versus them syndrome”.  Man does absolutely horrendous things to his fellow human beings when part of a group (that’s “mob psychology” in psychiatric parlance for you) that he wouldn’t have the gumption to do alone.

And so I remain a fence sitter, or a high wire artist if you like – at times an uncomfortable position as you can imagine – but the view is great!

© Sosha Srinivasan