A Serious Discussion Amongst Friends

Two days ago Ram and I visited very close friends of ours, a couple, who live in the next town about 40 kilometers away from ours. They are slightly older than us, and being close, we regard them as our elder. We do refer to them at times when reference are required for second opinions as such. Their children, like ours, are all on their own, and they too look forward to time spent with their grandchildren. They are lucky though, unlike ours, their grandchildren are all close by and they get to see them once or twice in a month if not more often.

As usual we started with small talks about family, children and grand children. Then the discussion got more and more serious into general topics and such things as politics, religion, ethics and so on.

Current issues at home always attract attention of the masses especially those that affect their daily life. Our discussion touched on these subjects as well. One hot issue at the moment is the world price of oil and how it is affecting fuel price and subsequently prices of all goods and everything else. We discussed this. We wondered why, our country being a net exporter of oil, is not able to absorb part of the increase and had to withdraw and continue to withdraw more and more of the subsidy for diesel oil, which is the basic fuel for commerce and industry in the country. This causes a multiplying effect, a resultant increase in prices of goods and basic consumer supplies. At the same time cost of funds are increasing while returns in savings of any kind decrease. Inflation is creeping up and is worrying us more and more. Pensioners and retirees like us depend heavily on our savings for our daily needs and at the rate things are, it is depleting fast. We have to drastically cut back on our expenditures in order to preserve and survive.

Another issue we talked about is the current status of oil availability and distribution around the world. It is a major reason for war to be declared by one country against another. In spite of the oil producing countries having a common body to control and regulate, the effect is negated by rich countries, who are net importers of oil, trying to control the end distribution and overrule any set distribution processes by the oil producing countries. Other rich countries, either in alliance with this one rich country or in support of it does not help situations and does not augur well with the normal and commercial distribution of the oil. The net effect is the poorer countries and those developing countries having to struggle to survive. The balance of trade are affected, inflation increases and all that is bad for the country, as a result of it, happens.

Religion is another subject that is close to our hearts. We notice that religion is being politicized. It is being used to create dissention, and to create hate. We have seen that war can also result because of religion. It is also being used to advance ones ambitions, going against the basic principles of the religion itself. Verses from the holy book are interpreted to suit ones objectives, not the intended guidance that the verses were originally issued for. Hence there are a lot of misrepresentation. One of the resulting effect of this misrepresentation is in the followers breaking into or forming groups of their own such that there are groups being called the ‘deviant group’, the new thinkers, the simplifiers or those who simplify the religion further, refusing to follow the basic tenets and principles. This particular discussion brought me and my friend to discuss the need of bringing the followers back to the basic principles and thus call for the learned in religion to propagate it in intensive public missionary activities. We, the not so learned, on the other hand can perhaps do the same in our small groups of family and friends. The example of the visitors from Darul Mustafa of Tarim, Yemen, which I described in my previous write up, and who stick to the basic principles is one to take note of. This is called for by the religion on all its followers, and it is incumbent upon us to take up that call lest we fail as a disciple of the religion and miss out on all the goodness in the herein and in the hereafter. I am not a very religious man, not learned in religion and I am maybe just being religious and learning still. I try to practice religion the best I can with what little knowledge I gathered over the years in the process of life and living itself. I discuss, I argue and I refuse to deviate from the basic principles I learned and refuse to follow the new thinking in the religion.……..

MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya