Commentary by Melkote Ramaswamy
The focus of all religions is God or equivalent – one with superhuman powers, one who is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnipresent (all-pervasive).
Broadly speaking, based on our relationship with God, we fall into two types: believers and
non-believers. However, whether we believe in God or not, we have to admit that all of us sometime or other knowingly or unknowingly invoke God in our daily life.
Consider: If something unpleasant happens, we exclaim “Oh, God” or “OMG.” If something good happens, we say “Thank God.” If we get an unexpected boon, we call it a godsend. If we don’t want something bad to happen, we say “God forbid.” If we are seeking God’s approval on what we do, we say “God willing.” If we like someone to have good luck in their venture, we wish them “Godspeed.”
Nobody wants to be stuck in a godforsaken place. Quite a few wish they had rich godfathers. We elevate cleanliness as next to godliness.
There is no better way of showering our love or gratitude to people than by saying “God bless you.” The nice thing about this is that we can do this whether we are young or old.
It appears that we all have different sides to our personality: The good and the bad; the ugly and the beautiful; the hard and soft; the bitter and sweet. Likewise, we also display selfishness (call it high IQ) and godliness (by being kind, compassionate, forgiving and sharing). I believe it is the divine in us that prompts reference to God in our daily dialog – a sort of unconscious gratitude for all that we get.
