"Fanatics Have Their Dreams Wherewith They Weave A Paradise For A Sect"
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
27 October
2023
“Fanatics have their dreams wherewith they
weave
A paradise for a sect. The savage too
From forth (from then onwards) the loftiest
fashion of his sleep
Guesses at heaven.”
John Keats, The Fall of Hyperion
Just
imagine, a 21-yr-old young man writing the aforementioned lines more than 200
years ago!
When John
Keats wrote this poem, he was 21-yr-old. He died on February 23, 1821 at the
age of 26. The great Keats was born on October 31, 1795.
A young man
realised the futility of fanaticism, the outlandish dreams of believers and the
stupidity of all 'faithful' fanatics. Yet, in this age of internet and much
greater reach, devolved humans are dwelling upon religion, gods, heaven, hell,
soul, sects, sub-sects, mythologies and whatnots.
By the way,
all three greats Shelly, Keats and Byron were atheists and contemporaries.
Coming back to Keatsean wisdom, it must be noted that Keats, like Shelly,
understood at a very young age that the Bible, church and clergy were
absolutely useless. "The shrine of nature increases my joy double/ I leave
my prayers, Sunday sermons and the Bible," Keats wrote to Shelly. The latter
was already expelled from Oxford for writing 'Necessity of Atheism.' He
too died young; at the age of 27.
The point
is, when young minds can think so radically more than 200 years ago, why can't
people in this age understand it? Agreed, they were light years ahead of
today's fanatics of all followers, but they too were humans. If they could
think so logically and wisely, why can't we think like them?
Now you
come across maximum fanatics among the youngsters. They become suicide bombers
or volunteers in all religious charades like Ram Mandir, Gau Raksha, Sri Ram
Sena, to name but a few. Here, the point is not to compare or condemn faith/s.
We're
taking our Books, scriptures, tenets and faiths a trifle too seriously. But
read this line penned by Keats: 'I read the Bible to feel sleepy' (From 'Keats'
Letters to Byron). This is called righteous audacity! 'If sleep eludes you, you
had better read any scripture of any religion,' Sigmund Freud advised Alfred
Adler.
It's time
to show this kind of impudence to all religions, scriptures and their gods.
Instead of developing logical thinking and scientific temperament, we're
sliding more and more into the marshy land of faith and fanaticism.
All types
of superstitions have concussed our brains and we're unable to see and think
rationally. Writing on the atheism of Shelly and Keats, the great Victorian
poet and critic Dr Mathew Arnold wrote, "Their atheism wasn't schoolboy
atheism. It was a logical conclusion of two gifted minds who could see through
the evils and devils of not just Abrahamic faiths, but all the religions they
fortunately studied at a very young age."
When will
today's youngsters read (let alone, study) all the religions to understand and
finally discard them? Alas, today's Muslims and Hindus haven't even read their
books. And that's why they're full of rabid zealotry. Their elders are already
religiously fossilized zombies.
-------
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/fanatics-dreams-paradise-sect/d/130985
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