Such people are not worth paying attention to. It is like a pig trying to push the Himalayas by striking against it by its head. Here the purpose was to attack you. The simplest is to tell such people that they have neither read enough nor reflected enough on the ultimate mysteries of existence. If you wish to say something you may say that many like him have come and gone but the names of Rama and Krishna continues to inspire millions all over the world and over number of millennium. While your anger is understandable it is best not to get caught up in their hostile vibrations. Reply to them firmly, calmly and smilingly and refuse to engage in animated discussion. If he insists politely refuse him saying that if he really wants to discuss then he should do so with those who know about these things. However remind him that it is not considered a sign of good culture to wilfully and deliberately try to malign someone’s faith. It is a sign of intolerance and arrogance and it is best that he stays focused on the work rather than take up subjects of which he has hardly any real knowledge.
I felt a numbing anger and heart burn and then.. felt “this person doesn’t deserve to know about my lord”.. but since he extended the conversation for 40 to 45 mins… my face looked flat, devoid of any pleasant emotion.. and I was just shaking my head in disagreement, I even said “no comments… & that the divine is omnipresent” when he asked where has the divine disappeared.
The heart burning with a fire of indignation is the psychic flame and it will surely have an action upon him, either humbling him or else giving him sleepless nights.
The next atrocity was when he slandered the name of 1 of the greatest devotees of the divine Lord.. “Hanuman”. I was in disbelief at this point and kept shaking my head all over again. He even made a remark that his comments wouldn’t let me sleep that night… which felt like a deliberate intentional attempt to mess with my faith in the divine… and he also went on to say it is better to serve the poor and so on.. while he doesn’t even know my way of worship.
You may tell him that it is not only the poor whom the Lord serves but also the rich who are not deprived of His Grace. Ramayana is in fact a perfect example of how Rama taught through personal example as to how to treat people with equality, including not just the poor but also the fallen, the outcaste and even the evil doers if they agree to change their ways.
Explain to him if you can, that poverty is a problem no doubt but not the only problem. One of the causes of poverty is greed in others. The Ramayana shows us the way by teaching us renouncing greed, even for a legitimate kingdom. It also shows that by making the poor rich, one doesn’t solve the problem as we see in the story of Ravana whose kingdom was full of outer riches but inner poverty.
The paradox of this thinking is that the leftist thought (to which he seems to subscribe) despises capitalism which in a way has eradicated poverty largely. Yet the riches have not made them necessarily a better people.
It is a very shallow and superficial thinking. Such human beings with a snall mind are not worth arguing. One doesn’t argue with a monkey about the joy of music since to him the world’s value hangs on the yield of bannanna. Nor does he understand the value of Ramayana even though it concerns the evolution of his own kind. It is like the proverbial ‘throwing pearls before a swine.’
His last remarks suggest that he became, at that moment, an instrument of the hostile forces attacking your growing psychic flame. During such moments intensify your calling of the Mother instead of engaging with him in discussion and, minimise your interactions with him keeping it to a professional minimum
He even had a smug smirk on his face as if he had opened my eyes to the reality.. which again was very irritating.
Smile at such people imagining that there is a pig in front of you speaking about himself comparing it with and denouncing the Himalayas.
I have been extremely disturbed since that incident… so here’s my 1st question… “how do I deal with these people”?
Don’t deal with fools is the dictum. Be indifferent to them and walk with your head held high inwardly laughing at their stupidity. To paraphrase Christ, ‘they know not what they are speaking
what is even more sad is this.. “why do I meet people who have a lot of nonsense to say about the divine.. and why do I come across them so often”?
They are being brought in contact with you to test your faith and aspiration. You passed the test very well.
And “why do they not understand that speaking ill of anyone without knowing or understanding them is madness”?
They are too arrogant and their little success in a little field makes them feel they are someone very special. Let me see if I can find and share a story I wrote about such people titled ‘The mole and the mountain.’
Affectionately,
Alok Da
