Little Billu was wide awake and was staring at the artificial stars and the moon on his ceiling. He could not sleep that night as the excitement over his grandpa's visit was still lingering in his little heart. His grandpa had got him lots of toys that day, but even before he could play with them,mummy had asked Billu to go to bed early. He loved his grandpa and wished he could spend more time with him. The voices outside the bedroom were so clear and Billu's heart ached to be a part of those voices. Just then, the voices grew louder and Billu realised that they were nearing the bedroom. As the lights were switched on, Billu jumped out of bed and hugged his grandpa. He knew that his grandpa would sleep with him.
Billu got onto the bed quickly and was waiting for his grandpa to finish his prayer. Grandpa winked at Billu after finishing his prayer and got into bed. "Story! Story! Story?" little Billu demanded and Grandpa read him a story from a book:
Once upon a time, there was a well-educated man who announced to his friends that he would not believe in the existence of God! He said that he would never believe anything,which he could not understand.
An old farmer overheard the remark,turned to the young man and said,"As I went into town today, I passed a field where some sheep were feeding. Do you believe that?"
"Yes", said the young man."Not far away from the sheep some cows were also grazing. Do you believe that?"
"Yes", was the reply! "Not far from the cows were some pigs eating grass. Do you believe that?"
"Yes", "All right, now you listen to this", said the farmer."The grass the sheep ate turned into hair. The grass the pigs ate turned into bristles. The grass seeds that the chickens eat turn into feathers. Do you believe that?"
"Yes", the young man said."Do you understand it?"
"No", admitted the young man. "Young man", said the farmer."if you live long, you will find that there are a good many things which you believe without understanding. God is one of them".
Billu smiled and slept peacefully in the cosy arms of his Grandpa.
Next day morning Billu could not spend time with Grandpa and left for school with a longing heart. But when he returned, he was in for a pleasant surprise. His Grandpa has arranged for a small picnic and away he went, along with his parents to a beach resort. After spending a lot of time in the beach the family sat together for dinner. Grandpa started talking about his next book: "On Belief and God!" But, daddy didn't seem too interested in it. Daddy quickly finished his dinner and commented, "I will not believe in the imaginary God. I believe only in things that I see, hear and understand". Grandpa just smiled, he did not answer. Instead he asked Billu to tell everyone a story. Billu got excited and narrated Grandpa's latest story without skipping a beat. Daddy stood up and said, "I don't understand how the same grass changes into hair, wool, bristles or feathers, but I do see it. I believe it because I see it. I can now understand it with science. So, it again comes back to my belief on things that I see and hear. What I see and hear is what I believe. I don't want to understand everything, but I need to see or hear to believe in something. So I don't believe in God! I have never seen him or heard his voice".
Grandpa was silent. He again had an 'all-knowing smile' on his lips. After helping mummy set all things right, Grandpa invited Daddy for a walk. Billu understood that his Daddy has won the argument, but he did not want his Grandpa to lose. He knew that Grandpa was taking Daddy out to talk more on this. Billu stayed back indoors for a minute, he knelt down and prayed. He then jumped up and ran out to catch up with Grandpa.
Grandpa walked slowly and was waiting for Daddy to complete his call on his mobile. After the call got over Grandpa asked Daddy, "Imagine if I gather a motley crowd and utter the word 'cell' and ask them what I was referring to, what do you think they would answer?" Daddy thought over it answered, "They would definitely tell that you were referring to a cell phone", Grandpa looked at Daddy in the eye and smiled. Daddy started thinking again and said, "Well, it could have also been a 'battery cell' or to 'sell a product'. Grandpa said, "It could have also been perceived as a 'bacterial cell' or as a 'prison cell', right?" Daddy nodded.
"But why were you so confident when you said I was referring to a cell phone?" Grandpa enquired. Daddy said, "That's because I thought that you were referring to the cell phone". Grandpa nodded. Daddy added, "The context in which the word was spoken also matters and in the current context I believe you spoke about the cell phone".
Daddy was sporting a victorious smile as he sat down on the shore of the beach. Grandpa sat next to him and said, "Son, have you ever wondered why two different people see an elephant and a mouse in the same shapeless cloud?" Daddy said, "It depends on their perception as to what they think the cloud looks like". "Exactly!" affirmed as he stood up. He continued, "See son, the act of seeing and hearing when understood deeply will reveal you the truth. You told me that you will believe only things that you hear, but did you know that you only hear what you believed you heard? The act of seeing is coordination between your eye and your mind. The eye presents the picture and the mind attributes a meaning to it. This attributed meaning is what you see. Your belief system pre-programs your mind and this directly is responsible for your perception and the context you are referring to. So, your belief is the base. If my mind is pre-programmed with 'fullness', I will see a half-filled water bottle; but if my mind is pre-programmed with 'emptiness', I will see the same water bottle as a half-empty bottle".
"When I asked you what will people perceive when I say 'cell', you were very sure that everyone will perceive it as a cell phone. You claim that in this context this was applicable. But if I had asked the same question in the same situation to a school goer, he would have heard it as a 'bacterial cell'. A shop-keeper would have heard it as 'sell' and a jail warden would have perceived it as a 'Prison cell'. So don't you realise that there is something deeper than a context or a situation?" the Grandpa enquired.
Daddy just blinked. Grandpa continued, "You need not accept my view now, but think over it. You will understand that beliefs drive you. So the fact is: What You Believe Is What You See and What You Believe Is What You Hear".
"Son, I believe God created everything and so I am able to see God's hand in everything. You believe that everything has a scientific tint to it and you are able to see it. On a larger scale, this is exactly what al religious doctrines tell us: Believe and you shall see".
Daddy looked up and smiled. His smile was his affirmation. Billu did not understand anything that was going on. But he understood that Grandpa has won the discussion. Billu believed his Grandpa would win, and he saw what he believed in.
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C.S. Chakravarthy
H. No. 12-13-302, St. No. 9,
Lane. No. 1, Flat. No. 203,
Satya Classic, Tarnaka,
Secunderabad- 500 017,
Telangana State.
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