If you are Maldivian and planning on studying in the UK this year, you might have seen the high commissioner on TV talking about a changed student visa system a few weeks ago. Of course, anyone serious about studying in the UK in 2009 should have known this way before she decided it was the opportune moment. Regardless of when she told us this, there are a few things that she didn’t. I am gonna share all that I have learned after arriving here (in Colombo) on the 18th of June 2009, that’s 14 days ago!

The British government changed their student visa application system starting March 31, 2009 to something called Tier 4 which has two parts; general and child. I am only familiar with general so that’s what I’ll talk about. This Tier 4 falls under a system of validation called Points Based System (or PBS) where each applicant has to score a certain aggregate score in order to qualify. Thirty (30) points are allocated for the sponsor letter (which most of us refer to as “unconditional offer of acceptance”) and this institute or organization which is issuing the sponsor letter has to be included in a list of approved sponsors. This sponsor letter is very important so make sure your education provider (university or college) follows the guidelines to the dot. The remaining 10 (ten) points are allocated for the finances. I am too tired to list details of this requirement but unless you have an official financial sponsor (such as the government) you need to have a personal bank statement (this account should be in your name; no exceptions it seems) proving that you have had the required finances (that’s 800 pounds x each month of first year in London and 600 pounds x each month of first year elsewhere outside of London). This statement has to be at least 28 days old so hop to it. If you have figured all of that out, then you won’t have any problems filling the Personal details form and PBS Appendix 8 (which are the only two forms you’ll need).

Now its time to plan your trip to Colombo. If you ask friends about the duration of their stay in Colombo to have their British visas processed, they will be quick to tell you its 2-3 days, not more. As I mentioned before, student visas for the UK have changed and part of this change means that your visa WILL NOT be processed in Colombo but sent to Chennai, Madras, India which WILL TAKE AT LEAST 10 WORKING DAYS!!! (Refer to the latest processing times). I tried to convince my financier’s bank this but they sternly (and obliviously) told me that it’ll take only 3 days and sent me on my merry way and here I am suffering, with my funds dipping dangerously low. Note that you will be stuck in Colombo for the duration of this period as your passport is retained at the British High Commission in Colombo (only your supporting documents are sent to the embassy at Chennai, who scrutinize it and then relay a decision to Colombo).

So what do you do if you find yourself in the same predicament I am in? Well, you call the Maldivian High Commission there (+94 11 258 7827) and ask for a very helpful guy called Visham and explain the situation to him. He was kind enough to get me a temporary permit for travel (requiring you to go to the high commission in person and filling out a form. Bring a passport sized photograph) and it took them only 2 days. Incidentally, I just came back from the airport because I missed my flight back home. And no more flights are available until Sunday. Just my luck huh?

Anyway, I’ve spent the last two weeks here and the only thing I’ve done since is to blow up my money for rides and to read about the visa process. I’d be glad to help so if you need any, let me know. Oh, and don’t wait for the last minute. May 2009 alone saw 300+ applicants under Tier 4 at the Colombo High Commission and this is added to the Chennai load. I can only imagine this number is going to keep on growing as September approaches.

You’ll need to go to VFS Global to submit application forms and the required biometric data (and to re-collect your visa once a decision has been made). Their location is somewhere in this region. Their address is 367 R.A. Del Mel Rd (Duplication Rd), Colombo 03. Remember, these guys are just commissioned to collect, send and return your passports so its useless to ask them when your visa will be ready. Don’t forget to leave an authorization letter addressed to VFS Global requesting the handover of your passport(s) and supporting document to a trusted person (mention full name and passport number) if you don’t want to stay there forever.

For a more comprehensive guide, read this.
The all too important bits about the money are in pages 13 and 25. Also check out the neat video below which helpfully explains a lot. Thanks to David for the link. If only had I seen this before reading 300 pages of British immigration laws and guidelines. :P

Update on 23 August 2009

My initial visa application got refused and the reason given to me by the ECO was:
1) My sponsor letter does not mention my qualifications
2) I did not submit any financial documents
My college claimed that they issued a visa letter that was pre-approved by the UKBA and I did submit financial documents which somehow eluded the ECO who assessed my application. I came back to the Maldives completely distraught and thought about applying for what is called an “administrative review” which unfortunately does not accept any new documents other than what I initially submitted as supporting documents. So I was left with only one option and that was to return to Colombo and re-apply. I received my visa 3 weeks after I submitted the second application.

I cannot stress enough on how important the visa letter and the financial documents are to anyone who is planning on studying in the UK. As I have found out at great cost ($700 to be precise, thanks Mom and Dad) neither universities nor the UKBA can be trusted when it comes down to following the British immigration guidelines of entry clearance.

I was eagerly waiting for the release of Dutch Politician Geert Wilders’ anti-Koranic film titled “Fitna” (meaning chaos in Arabic) for sometime now and when I knew it had been finally released about two days ago, amidst a world full of turmoil, I initially searched for it all over the internet but in vain. Originally released on website LiveLeak.com, whose staff received death threats and as a result they had been forced to take it off the air. Eventually I found it here.

The lukewarm response it got, in stark contrast to the expectation of the world, was well deserved. The film, if you can hardly call it one, was merely a montage of low-grade internet videos of Islamic extremists preaching death and destruction upon the Western world (and especially Jews), stitched together with inserts of Koranic verses which seemed to (primarily) advocate violence against non-believers. I decided to promptly read independent translations of the quoted verses and was surprised that the meanings I found were relatively mild compared to what the film rendered. What conspired here probably relates to the nature of the Koranic text itself, which even without translation, is open to a staggering amount of self-interpretation.^[1] After watching it a few times, my conclusion is that this film is nothing more than a few minutes of nonsensical hate propaganda and should have never been made. Anybody with half a brain knows mainstream Islam (despite its many other shortcomings) does neither advocate nor permit the travesties implored within the film’s duration.

The Islamic world did not thankfully respond to this film with violent retribution as they did with the Jyllands-Posten controversy a few years back. Strictly in hindsight, I thought about the cause of such violence and realized that there are two primary reasons of which the first one deals with the very western attitude of protecting freedom of speech, even at the cost of denying others of their freedom of veneration and sanctity. Most religious folk are deeply distraught when their religion is lampooned mercilessly so it is understandable that they react by taking personal offense, just like any rational person would if his parents or loved ones were ridiculed publicly, especially on baseless grounds. If only religion (and its sacred icons) too can be protected under defamation laws in these countries, then they wouldn’t be helpless to act against hate-mongers such as Wilders. The other problem is that the collective Muslim psyche is too temperamental as it keenly takes offense in anything that contradicts, negates or criticizes its faith. They need to understand that critical analysis and commentary should not be deterred and perhaps also learn to tolerate (if not appreciate) satire instead of maniacally focusing their pent up rage on sabotaging foreign property and harming foreign individuals. A disagreement can easily easily be resolved by fighting back, but only verbally.

Respect, understanding and tolerance are the keys to the viability of a world full of imperfect beings who are inherently different, both in appearance and thought. Only then could we rid ourselves of this “fitna of the mind” and regress back to the relative serenity of our prehistoric past.

^[1]Sadly, this is not the first time the vagueness (or ambiguity) of both the original text and its dependent translations has been misused in this manner. Islamic fundamentalists do this all the time to inflict their own ideologies with regard to Islam.

I heard the news only yesterday and was reading it in detail with an unfathomable amount of fury and sadness sweeping over me. As fellow blogger Simon passionately puts it “…an amendment to the draft constitution that, in one stroke of the pen, completely eliminated the one article that should inspire us to be patriotic towards this bloody country of ours“.

A single barbaric act has made me loose all hope in this country’s political reform and the people who were entrusted to champion it. Not a single MP was bold enough to vote against this amendment (if you can keep a straight face and call it one) and only three politicians even dared to display the veneer of neutrality, no doubt, as a concealed act of defiance. Lawyer Husnu Suood showed tremendous courage by verbally expressing concerns for non-Muslim citizens who stood to lose their nationality and thus become nationless, even if they were abroad. You can only imagine the nightmares such an individual would have to face, besides the emotional distress of being robbed of his national identity.

A Haveeru article which reported the story had quite a few interesting comments attached to it, all of them mysteriously supporting and congratulating this abhorrent violation of universally accepted inalienable human rights. Several comments strongly vilified those few who showed the slightest hint of opposition (including Suood) while some alarmists went as far as to suggest that these individuals were somehow plotting a mass conversion. One extremely thoughtful individual sarcastically commented that “they [the apostates] could adopt foreign nationalities for themselves just like they did with religion”. [On a personal note, taking into account this particular episode and others, I’ve decided to singularly boycott Haveeru.This organization is systematically filtering out comments and ideas that negate the mainstream nonsense which the public believes and feeds on]

Just after reading the news I decided to do a little test on myself just to spite those parliamentary a**holes. I temporarily adopted the Wiccan faith yesterday and just a little while ago, I checked the nationality column on my passport and the demonym still reads “MALDIVIAN” when I half expected a series of question marks. In a way this proves that the religion I (as an individual) believe in and the god I pray to has absolutely nothing to do with the nation that I belong to. It is beyond the influence of the harebrained idiots working this country’s rusty legislative cogwheels. By condoning this atrociousness, my countrymen are only depriving themselves of their own (extremely limited) fundamental civil rights if they choose to smear us with this travesty of an amendment made to this supposedly grand constitution, which effectively from November 2007, has been transformed into a massive political joke. We claim that the “version” of Islam that we adhere to, preaches understanding and tolerance, while in reality, all we are doing (to ourselves nonetheless) here is shoving it down the collective throats of our people, completely disregarding the fact that some of our own are choking on it.

As an expression of personal support for those of us who are now legally alienated from their nation, I am hereby renouncing my own nationality and henceforth pledge to refrain from identifying myself as a Maldivian or ދިވެއްސެއް .Honestly, even the idea of continuing to do so has become downright embarrassing.

Friends, do not lament but rejoice, for you have been emancipated from this theocratic nation of intolerance, injustice, incompetence, selfishness, bigotry and mostly ignorance. For all you lost was a mere name… you still retain your dignity, your belief and your heritage which no constitution can deprive you of.

Note: For the sake of rationality I shall never (officially) attest my self-renunciation and will not acknowledge ever having said anything mentioned within the confines of this post. This statement does not affect my beliefs, which remains steadfast as ever. And neither does it alter my hopes which lie in MY generation when it takes over the helm of this country, where my father’s have failed.

In the frigid depths of Hades, an aging politician is secretly discussing the social aspect of his future ruling tactics with an international PR firm representative.

Leader: [Sighs] Gone are the days when I could rule my beloved country with a-not-so-metaphorical iron fist… when nobody had the audacity to question MY decisions… when the words “justice” and “democracy” were virtually unheard of… when I could charge conspirators and people who simply give me the evil eye with terrorism… and most of all, when my beloved subjects used to address me as “Mein führer” or whatever the hell its equivalent in Divehi is…

PR Guy: Sir, need I remind you that this is absolutely not the time for you to get nostalgic about the countless years you terrori… I mean you ruled the country as a shamelessly egomaniacal tyrant and inflicted draconian punishments on your opposition… surveys are indicating that your people no longer think very highly of you… they don’t even venerate you to the point of worship in the evening news like they used to.

Leader: Yeah, they treated me like a god, didn’t they? My granddaddy used to tell me that I was the reincarnation of the Egyptian god “Anubis” which destined me to rule… see the resemblance? My people recognized that quality in me.

PR Guy: Perhaps this is why your opposition calls you delusional, sir? Anyway, we need something to boost your rating at the polls… something spectacular that’ll effectively reignite the passion your country’s octogenarians and other people suffering from advanced senility has lost in you.

Leader: Hmm… what do you suggest? C’mon, quit sitting on your ass… I am paying you through the roof for this consultation here.

PR Guy: [Ahem] If I may point out… you aren’t. You are directing state funds to my firm, like you do with your groceries, bakeries, plumbings and exotic dancers.

Leader: Details, details, give me something already, you featherbrained PR freak.

PR Guy: Alright. Why don’t you spark controversy by having a group of children prostrate to you at the end of a strategically choreographed dance number? That oughta tell your people that you still maintain your divine ruling skills and launch you right back on the limelight.

Leader: No, no, I already tried that. A few bearded yahoos here and there protested it but it didn’t have the desired effect. I think I would be better off eating babies on national TV!

PR Guy: [getting uneasy] I’d rather you not, sir. How about something a little less demonic then…. The opposition seems to be getting on the news a lot… maybe you can divert the attention of your people by accusing an opposition leader of theft or some other petty crime?

Leader: Already tried that… twice. You should’ve seen the look on his face when I had him tried at the civil courts for theft… of my soiled underwear, which I had discarded mind you. And this other time, my personal security, commonly called the Police, secretly stashed drugs on his person during an interrogation session. The guy was raging so much while we dragged him to the gallows, he ought have been better off stoned on the stuff we hid on him. [Laughs out loud]

PR Guy: Jesus! Who represented you earlier… Satan!?! OK… this is my last idea. You are planning on campaigning throughout the country right? Why don’t you –

Leader: - hire some blithering idiot to act out my assassination, with a box cutter or kitchen knife no less. [Laughs maniacally] Those fools won’t know that such a puny weapon cannot hurt me; my hide is too tough for that… like a wrinkled up carrot.

PR Guy: Yes, sir. People will then magically forget that you are the personification of evil itself and start treating you like the attention-whore that you are… years of repressed rage will be forgotten and replaced by pity and 24-hour news coverage. Its a brilliant publicity stunt, sir. Dare shall I say, its even better than Britney Spears’ monumentally ‘ingenious’ idea of not wearing underwear in public. Can I please get back to my family now?

*This is a work of fiction, with obviously fictional characters (how can they be real?), though inspired by somewhat real events that may or may not have taken place, in a galaxy far far away where tyrants are revered like saints. Any resemblance to a certain someone living or (preferably) dead is purely coincidental and/or intentional. Reader discretion is advised.

A Tribute to the Slimy Bastard
For the inspiration

 

Ever since I got myself a tripod about 3 days ago I have been going out with a friend or two on nightly photo expeditions. Last night we chose the Republican Square as it provided a decent number of sights from nearly all angles and it was also in the proximity of the Islamic Center, which is apparently very suited for nighttime photography.

We had sat down and started photographing the giant National flag when we were approached by a bunch of guys, not older than us, in camouflage uniform who politely demanded to see our photos. They sternly informed us that they wanted to check if we had photographed their fort. My friend, who had the camera at this point, protestantly asked them why they did not check the camera of every tourist who came there to photograph the landmark, to which the soldiers did not offer a reply. After we showed them the pictures, satisfied, they left us alone for the rest of the night.

I have nothing against the soldiers who interrupted us, they were just following orders, no matter how inherently stupid they were. Why stupid? The fort is, incovenient it may be, behind one of the greatest symbols of our national identity and sovereignty. I keep wondering if they really expect photographers to somehow filter out an entire building or perhaps to avoid photographing the area just to protect our so-called national security. Its also amusing the way they seem to consider a bunch of ‘punk kids’ photoing their building (supposing that we were photoing that miserable fort) a security threat. If we were conspiring to bring down the mighty establishment with insurmountable miltary force, I would think that we would choose a less conspicuous place for surveillance work. I suppose the fat pompous generals who reside in this heavily armed establishment fails to equip themselves with a bit of common logic and rationality. These guys are seriously suffering from a chronic form of military paranoia.

MNDF, if you are really concerned about people photographing your mighty impenetrable fortress (which stood like the rock of Gibralatar during ‘89 attack), perhaps you will consider adopting one of the following suggestions (call them action plans) of mine. They are sure to deter even the boldest of amateur and professional photographers, the scum bag terrorists, right?
1) Shoot anyone wielding a camera within a mile radius of your fort
2) Blow up the Republic Square and replace it with an ominous war-torn burial ground (fill up the graveyards with the government’s opposition leaders - that would appease someone very dear to us all)
3) Build an additional fortress surrounding the existing structure, paint it black and mount the heads (on tall spikes) of any photographer who dares to point their infernal lenses anywhere near your walls.

Nice to know that we are spending billions of Rufiyaa arming these guys to the teeth and all they seem to do is shoo off local photographers (foreigners are okay, even missionaries, so long as they are white and wearing shorts and tank tops) and lets not forget, parading around as if they owned the roads from time to time. Yup, national security at its grandest.

Hello, I know I normally don’t post such trivial stuff but I couldn’t resist this when I unexpectedly stumbled upon it within the vastness of my hard disk. The following is a conversation I had with one of those MSN Bots during (circa) Christmas 2006. An attempt at self humor, I guess.

 

fɨʑɐɳ says:

Hi Santa!!!

Santa Claus says:

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, fɨʑɐɳ! I’m Santa Claus!

 

Tell me, are you a boy or a girl?

fɨʑɐɳ says:

Boy.

Santa Claus says:

And what do you want for Christmas, fɨʑɐɳ?

fɨʑɐɳ says:

A Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, 3 dozen boxes of condoms, about $ 25 billion and a Russian military grade nuclear armed submarine.

Santa Claus says:

 

My, that’s popular nowadays!

 

I’ll see what I can do!

 

Anything else, fɨʑɐɳ?

fɨʑɐɳ says:

Yeah, a PlayStation 3 would be nice too.

Santa Claus says:

 

That certainly is a popular item this Christmas!

 

I’ll see what I can do for you, fɨʑɐɳ!

fɨʑɐɳ says:

Hows North Pole?

Santa Claus says:

The North Pole is on top of the world!

 

Where are you?

fɨʑɐɳ says:

Retarded beard-o. I am in South Pole.  Thats near your ‘where the sun doesn’t shine’

Santa Claus says:

I’ve been there! Ho ho ho!

fɨʑɐɳ says:

Oh and a Blu-ray player too.

Santa Claus says:

Interesting!

fɨʑɐɳ says:

and one last thing, a BJ from Mrs. Claus. but she has to look at least 40 years younger, k?

Santa Claus says:

That’s a bit naughty.

fɨʑɐɳ says:

… but I can have it, right? Where’s your Christmas spirit, Santa?

Santa Claus says:

I live in the North Pole!

On a short walk home with a friend of mine, I asked, jokingly, if he would still consider me his friend if I were to confess my latent homosexuality to him. After a short pause to contemplate what I had just asked him, he sternly replied that he would not. Upon my insistence he could not justify why he would abandon our friendship, and only gave me lame reasons such as “you might start hitting off on me”. I sardonically challenged him by asking him to explain how he had female friends with such a dimwitted rationale.

I asked another friend what he would do if he woke up one fine morning to find himself attracted to members of the same sex. His quick reply was to commit suicide, God forbid, such a day ever comes. While I doubt if he could summon up enough courage to kill himself over such a (trifle?) matter, I keep wondering how many Maldivians of my generation (born after the mid 80s) would share my friends’ (narrow-minded and poorly thought) perspective on homosexuality and human sexual psyche in general. (Note that in the United States, research shows that a vast majority of Generation X-ers not only remain tolerant of, but also understands and respects human diversity, brought about by race, religion and sexuality. Also note that in the same country exists people like Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University who notoriously said “AIDS is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals; it is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates them”. I can imagine Maldivian fundamentalists giving this contemptible ignoramus a standing ovation).

Though I consider myself to be tolerant (to the extent where I am not sexually involved) of gays, I do not claim to understand homosexuality, not by a long shot. I cannot explain it, neither from a sexual point of view (how could men be attracted to men and women be attracted to women? They don’t even seem anatomically compatible!!) nor from a biological view (what’s the purpose of a relationship that does not allow for procreation?). But what I do understand (without a shell of a doubt) is that they did NOT choose to be the way they are, no more than a crocodile chooses to eat the buffalo (a spectacle someone related to me, absent-mindedly, described as ‘evil’ once) or I choose to be attracted to females for that matter.

When I pointed out to a friend that gays do not choose to be gay, being the redeemer of religion he is, he was quick to point out that they were being tested by God and their hardship was to conceal their ‘sinful tendencies’ (and lead a life of self-deceit). He equated this to the heterosexual temptation of lust saying we (meaning straight folk) were being similarly tested. To me this is like comparing the crossing of a vast canyon on a suspension bridge to crossing the same canyon on a suspended needle. Religion teaches us that this is apparently the will of God, the immaculately just!

For those of you, who are disbelievers of this fact, know that science has even shown genetic predisposition of homosexuality^[1][2][3][4] along with hormonal influences during the prenatal stages of life which plays a significant role in determining sexuality. It also exists in nature^[1][2] as testified by the (documented) queer behaviour of bonobo apes, dolphins, birds, spotted hyenas, sheep and even fruit flies. (So much for the claim that it is unnatural). Besides, only someone very delusional would think a person would ‘choose’ to break the biggest taboo that unfortunately exists (especially in simple communities such as the close-knit one that we live in) by professing love for individuals of the same sex. Think about the adversity that they have to face, the disappointment of kin, the hardship of being looked down upon and vilified by both religion and society for as long as attitudes remain this intolerant. To me, the overwhelming prospect of coming out of the closet (metaphorically speaking) inclines me to advice those who are in fact gay to remain hidden in their closet sanctuary. But time after time, they do come out, and face the world and assert their right to exist. I have nothing but admiration for such individuals. I also have nothing but contempt for those individuals who oppose them.

Let’s just hope that we all eventually realize that what two consenting and responsible adults do in the sanctity  and privacy of their domains is not (and should not be) a concern of neither society nor religion. We are all different from one another, in ways and regards that are too numerous to list. Therefore, we can only hope to coexist peacefully with tolerance and respect of our differences.

Normally, I don’t write about my travels but this trip I took to Trivandrum just 2 weeks ago (I came back on the 18th) warrants a mention here.  I went to New Delhi (and Rajasthan) the same time around last year and I was glad to come back home. What affected me there was the pollution and traffic (in New Delhi) and the decrepit human conditions in the towns and villages around and in Rajasthan. At one point of my journey on a 15-hour train trip, I caught myself thinking ”if there is a justifiable reason as any, we humans deserve to go extinct for the shit that we [as humans] haved pulled in this country alone”. That was new for me… every time before I had gone abroad, I felt a strange sense of melancholy at the prospect of leaving (newly made friends, numerous and various recreational facilities… you know, purpose to life)  despite the fact that I was more than eager to meet family and friends. New Delhi seemed inviting compared to what I call the “assualt on the senses” this strange and putrid city was to me. I say this because of the smell (which constantly disgusted me), the visuals (I can handle run down buildings but not people spitting phlegm everywhere as if they were camels) and lets not forget the sounds (I really hated this one sound of a high frequency sonic shriek coming from some vehicles). To be fair, I also note the brighter side of Trivandrum. Well, it had less traffic, if that is any consolation to the unfortunate commuters travelling on buses filled to the brim. Oh yes, and the cost of living is so cheap. I can understand why some people choose to trade the relatively serene (not to mention sanitary) life in Malé for this.  

So why did I go knowing well what I had to expect? Medical necessity… namely Grade C Esophagitis which cost me INR 1,000.00 and a very peculiar experience to diagnose. Gastroduodunoenteroscopy. There I was lying on my side with my mouth wide open and an inch think fiber-optic cable shoved deep down into the confines of my throat and stomach, gagging and ‘trying’ to vomit up nothing but bile. I emphasize the word ‘try’ to stress on this so-called ’minimally invasive procedure’ being the singularly most unpleasant experience in my memory. Within the matter of seconds, all the pretentious sophistication that I had attained throughout my two decades of existence melted away and was replaced with this daunting sense of infantile vulnerability and feebleness. Normally, I could’ve outbrawned the nurse who was holding my hand down without any effort but right then, I couldn’t even so much as lift a finger in protest, even though I desperately wanted to pull it out. The gastroenterologist tried to be comforting ”thats a good boy, just a few more seconds, be still” but I was in no position to understand her. All I wanted was for the accursed cable to come out but all I could do was wordless beg them to take to retreat, which I did a plenty, all the while, tears streamed down my face uncontrollaby for some weird reason. After which seemed like an eternity, they finally retracted the cable and I staggered out into the hallway full of people, with bile on my hospital gown and into the adjoining toilet where I cleaned myself and regained the rest of my waking consciousness. In hindsight, I am now annoyed at the doctor for assuring me that they’ll take care of my gag reflux with some sort of sedative. Obviously, it didn’t work. Hmm.

The doctors in this city are of a totally different breed from what you get here and elsewhere. They all walk around with an air of arrogance around them and act as if they were the literal God’s gift to mankind. One insolent urologist I met, actually asked me if he had to “explain the anatomical functions of the human body” when I questioned him on how he came to his medical conclusion. I had to remind him that this was in fact his job and not everybody is a physician. Subsequently, he explained to me, although I noticed a bit of hesitation over my defiance. Afterwards, I called him an “asshole” (to his face) and promptly left to speak with a hospital administrator who assures me that they’ll take disciplinary action, which remains to be seen. I can only hope this observation isn’t applicable to the broad generalization of doctorial attitude and behaviour as I’ve always perceived healers to be caring individuals.

As an interesting self experiment (as in me being the guinea pig), I subjected myself to internet and television deprivation throughout the entirety of my stay. The results? Not much, only now I realize that I can in deed live without them for an extended period of time, a feat that I had previously thought impossible. As a bonus advantage I was able to catch up on my reading. English evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ latest book “The God Delusion” has successfully convinced me that all religion is err… “bullcrap” to put it effective contemporary slang, though I don’t share his belief (or lack of) God. Maybe I am just kidding myself, like he pointed out in the later chapters of his book, maybe we are all dillusional, but at least for me, personally, I take refuge in knowing that there is some guy up in heaven who’ll deal out justice, when there is absolutely none here. Athiests, I admire you for your brave disbelief.

When every child asks his parents who created him, he is told that all people, living things, the earth, the celestial bodies, the universe and everything that there is and ever will be, is created by a very specific entity with infinitely vast supernatural powers who orchestrates every single occurrence in every corner of existence; God. Then follows years of religious indoctrination which paints an image of an immaculate being who is self-sufficient, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. This indoctrination coupled with fear of excommunication prevents us from asking the next logical question in a series of never-ending ventures into the unknown: who created God?

Most of us would angrily respond (after a short spell of damnation) by preaching that the very notion (of God having a creator) is simply ludicrous. We ignore the fact that these so-called fundamental beliefs (leading up to the image of a Creator god) were instilled in us by lifetimes of principles that can only best be described as religious dogmas, instead of even a shred of empirical proof. Questions relating to the nature of God are shunned by both parents and societies as they feel an overwhelming sense of sacrilege. This intentional elusion is perhaps attributed by our desire to preserve our faiths; or simply to avoid the inevitable conflict between religion and science.

When presented with this little personal dilemma, a friend suggested that by opening this particular situation to the scrutiny of science and logical reasoning, we would unleash an infinite queue of doubt and reckoning (as if the entire fabric of existence solely depended on it). After contemplating this for a while, I realized that the daunting sense of uncertainty is the essence and pioneering force of science; an undying sense of inquisitiveness followed almost always by discovery, innovation and understanding. Knowledge existed long before the creation of the universe and it shall continue to exist even after its possible cessation (à la the infiniteness of the mathematical numeral). So why do we still use God as a full-stop on all instances of the natural world (or otherwise) that eludes a conventional explanation? Is all this a mere frailty of the human mind brought about by some evolutionary blunder as one blogger suggested?

A few nights ago, an ongoing joke with a friend to disprove the existence of God led to a personal revelation of a sort. When asked to explain all the suffering on this earth (human and otherwise) despite God’s tenure of all His divine abilities and mercifulness, he presented the standard apologists’ response; God’s divine psyche does not have to be on par with that of the human or more specifically, God does not necessarily have the very human emotion of empathy. I rebuffed this by highlighting the various similarities (that I could draw) between the divine and human ‘minds’: jealousy (conditioning absolute belief in His unity), possessiveness (worshiping /reverence) and the most controversial, vengefulness (dreadful mechanisms of torture) just to name a few. So if God can have these idiosyncrasies which are reflected by our human nature, why not empathy? Would not a compassionate and omnipotent being do all that is in its power to salve mankind (or any other creature) from constant suffering and certain doom? My cornered friend (who is a fellow agnostic theist also sick of organized religion, who shares my belief that there is an individual path to God and eternal bliss) admitted that the face of God is irreparably stained by eons of corruptive religion which has been fabricated from its truest form to benefit just a few individuals who continue to exert their terror, power and influence on the masses. I, for one, totally concur with him.

So to answer myself, I think we created [the perception of] God. Individually, socially and even politically. What we have to ultimately decide is which perception to embrace and then to follow. As far as I am concerned, its an easy choice.