I remember in 2005 as I was flipping through the papers, when I encountered an article reporting the fall of a very strange cult.
The Sky Kingdom is a commune led by Ariffin Mohamad. Also known by the title of Ayah Pin, Ariffin preaches the gospel of love and the fusion of all major religions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. He is an illiterate man who claims to be a reincarnation of the Gods of all those stated Religions and claims to hav a following of thousands.
The Sky Kingdom is made up of 6 acres of land in Terengganu. Within it, there is a two storey high structure, shaped like a giant pink teapot(Lol), symbolising the showering of blessings of God on all of mankind. Next to it is an umbrella-shaped building and other other objects, such as a fishing boat and a vase. Oh yah, the vase has holy water within it. The Sky Kingdom has a population of 400 plus.
The Ayah Pin's followers do not follow any specific doctrine, and are free to follow any faith they choose, since all the prayers ultimately go to him, as a God of all religions.
Of course, this was all in 2004. As the popularity of the cult grew, the Islamic government of Malaysia and Terengganu started to get nervous. Jail sentences and prosecution on its followers failed to deter the cult from growing, which led to an outright eradication of the cult. The once-colourful land of the Sky Kingdom is replaced by a barren wasteland with the Ayah Pin fled to Thailand.
Here is the strange thing about religion and its rose-tinted glasses. How many of us thought this very strange? A man who claims he is god? A giant teapot? Yet, how is this different from your very own religion? A man who claims he is God must be wrong, yet many listen to the Gospel spoken through the Son of God? What if Jesus was just like the Ayah Pin, only that information has been distorted through history, erasing his faults and lifting him to Messiah status? The simple fact that Jesus died for his faith will only enhance his image, as compared to the Ayah Pin in the Sky Kingdom.
Lets compare the similarities in the Sky Kingdom and Christianity (since im familiar with it). They both preach the love and avoiding of sin in Mankind. Their followers have sworn that they are better off then before they were int he religion. Both also preach tolerance to religion, although one can say that the Ayah Pin cult was more of a union or fusion of the major religions, leading this point to be moot. In a way, this makes all the major religions in the world similar in this particular sense.
Now the differences. One can ask, if Christianity and the Ayah Pin cult are so similar, why did the Ayah Pin cult failed and Christianity fluorish to such an extent. Luck and timing would be the answer. The Ayah Pin cult's circumstances were not different than Christianity's. Both were prosecuted, with the Ayah Pin growing within a moderate Islamic administration and Christianity's esoteric beginnings facing Roman prosecution. The main difference was the fact that Constantine, the Roman Empire's first Christian Emperor came into power, leading to tolerance for Christianity as a cult and eventually to acceptance as a religion. The Ayah Pin cult did not have such fortune. If Constantine did not exist in power, would have Christianity dissipate into the many pages of history?
Another reason was how the central figure of the religion reacted to the prosecution. Jesus stood his ground against the powerful Roman Empire, which led to his death. Death of the central figure is a powerful message to unite the religion, allowing the religion to fluorish. Think about it: several thousand years after his death, followers are still using his death to preach and convert. On the other hand, Ariffin fled to Thailand, which leaves the following disorganised and without resolve.
The third reason was the fact that the religion was at different stages of time. A Malasian official once said that the fact that the Ayah Pin cult was able to gather such a large following and also stand the test of time was testament to the fact of a failure in the system and the lack of education to the people. I agree partially. I think that people who are ignorant will stay ignorant, educated or not. However, education also provides the analytical skills necessary for us to distinguish right or wrong, or the truth from the false. The simple fact that we are able to read about this and laugh at how ridiculous it is, is proof that as educated individuals we can determine the lack of common sense. Education and the evolving formulation of thought was far more sophisticated than, say, 2000 years ago.
For myself, the main failing of the reasoning of religion stems from the fact that it is a system born from faith. Faith in something that cannot be proven, nor disprove. Thus, many followers of religion adopt a circular form of reasoning such as, I believe in God because He exists. or I believe in Him because I have faith. This is equivalent to saying that I know a caterpillar is an insect because it simply is. Since religion is difficult or impossible to explain in terms of reasoning or logic, many followers fall back on the supposition that religion is about the heart, more than the head. Which is where the circular logic starts.
Religion is impossible to analyse without looking at personal morals or principles. Personally, the reason why I have not adopted a religion, even though i do believe in higher being, is the fact that not one religion is able to distinguish itself from the other that makes sense. What makes Catholicism so different from Islam? What makes Christianity doctrine so much more important than the fusion of religious beliefs in the Sky Kingdom? Followers can claim that you have to be in it to understand, in other words to use your heart more than your head, but the fact remains that you have not been able to distinguish or differentiate your religion from another, apart from the different doctrines and traditions.
I prefer to bring religion down to a more personal level, then raising it up on a higher pedestal of the O Great One form. To love someone, in a human relationship, I believe you require equal parts heart and head. Strong practical reasoning paired with powerful, passionate love. If I am to love, let alone worhship, a higher being, I require that much of a balance.
Let me digress. Of course, it isn't wrong to believe in a God of your choosing. However, I believe that such a choice is a deeply personal one, one that you share only with yourself and others of common interest. The act of preaching or conversion is, to me, an act of disrespect to the beliefs and principles of the person being preached to. Unless the person approaches another with the distinct intent to learn more about your religion, wouldnt it be disrespect to your personal believes and morality if you were asked to change it by another? Doesn't it speak of the sense of self-righteousness or arrogance?
To wrap it up, it is perfectly resonable to assume that the continued conundrum that is religion is going to be a source of human inspiration and ignorance all at the same time for years to come. It leads me to wonder if religion is more a product of human psychology and human nature than a product from a higher being. What do you think? Is what I type unreasonable?
Brilliant video below. A few things to note for those non-NBA fan readers out there.
- The NBA Finals consists of the best in 7 games.
- One team has to win 4 games to win the whole thing.
- Homecourt advantage goes like this: 2 games at Home for the Lakers followed by 3 games in Orlando and 2 final games back in LA.
- Game 1 was a blow out in the Lakers advantage, thrashing the Magic 100 to 75
- Game 2 was when the Magic fought back hard against the Lakers. However, Courtney Lee from the Magic missed a perfectly passed alley-oop, and the game went into overtime, where the Lakers pulled out a win, 101-96.
- Game 3: Orlando was smoking hot, seemingly hitting every shot they took. They shot a finals record in history of 63% overall and an amazing 75% in the first half. However, the Lakers somehow managed to keep it close. Kobe Bryant, the Lakers perennial All-Star however managed to miss 5 straight free throws as the Magic went on to win it 108-104.
- Game 4 saw Dwight Howard from the Magic becoming a monster, especially on the defensive end when he blocked 9 shots, a Finals record. The Magic rode his power to a 5 point lead. The Lakers went for a quick 2 points from a beautiful Bryant-to-Gasol pass. Fouling Howard, he shockingly missed both free throws, giving the Lakers a chance to catch up the 3 point lead. As the final second ran down, Derek Fisher hit the clutch 3, tying the game. He would later hit another clutch 3 pointer in overtime, helping the Lakers win 99-91
- Game 5 witnessed an emotionally drained Magic team fight an inspired Lakers force. It was hardly a fight. 99-86.
The year is 2004. It's offseason after which I've watched my Lakers get pummelled in Finals for the first time since I started as a fan. In 5 games, to Detroit. I cant really say it was painful, as I had spent most my time on last-minute studying for the small matter of my up-coming mid years during the J2 (To say that I wont be able to concentrate was an understatement).
There I was, slowly tortured as the days went by, watching as my favourite team got dismantled from within. First was the ultimate bombshell. Shaq got traded away for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, some loose change and a packet to twisties. Then, the rest slowly disappeared, as if in silent acknowledgement the Lakers could no longer win together. Why not! I silently scream back. Come back Fisher! Come back Horry! Rick Fox, where are you going?! Phil Jackson, oh god please, not you too...
And that was it, my beloved Lakers that was 3 consecutive Championships was no longer. All was left was an empty shell of its former self, a stark contrast in just one offseason. To say I struggled as a fan was to put it lightly. This is no longer my team, I would try to persuade myself, there is only Kobe, Luke Walton, Brian Cook and the packet of Twisties left. I should leave too.
The next season, I tried to forget all things Lakers. There wasn't much to see anyway, as the Lakers did not enter the playoffs the first time in a looong time. I considered supporting other teams. Houston Rockets with my favourite Chinese player in Yao Ming, Orlando Magic and Tracy McGrady, etc. However, the Lakers always remained in the back of my mind. I was unable to forget them, and when they won or lost, my heart, unwittingly, went along with them. Thats when I knew, I was a Laker Fan for life.
So when the following season came in 2006, i hopped back onto the bandwagon, knowing full well that being a fan of a team that loses more than it wins is going to be painful. Andrew Bynum arrived as a 17 year old, the 10th pick in the 2005 draft. I smiled as the Lakers looked to rebuild around Kobe Bryant. Then my smile turned to a frown when Caron Butler, one of my favourite Lakers players, was traded for Kwame Brown. This later turned out to be a HUGE mistake as Caron went on to become an all-star, and Kwame as a failure. Then my smile came back, when I heard the exciting news that Phil Jackson was coming back!
Phil Jackson immeadiately set things in order, as the Lakers managed to advance into the Playoffs once again, with Kwame Brown and Smush Parker in its starting lineup no less. Kobe Bryant shouldered much of the scoring load, including an incredible 81-point game (second most in NBA history) that completely blew my mind away. In the playoffs, the Lakers could not make a stand. Out in the first round, kicked around by a dominant Phoenix Suns.
2006-2007 came with a few surprises, as the Lakers brought in Radmonovic, with much potential as a three-point scorer to complement Kobe. The Lakers, despite Radmonovic not performing, outperformed any, incuding my, expecations by maintaining an impressive winning run. Wow, I thought, We are getting better as a team. Players were getting better, as they meshed better and shot better. Then, as if fate dictated it, a horrible avalaunche of injuries arrived in bunches. Lamar, Kwame, Radmonovic, and even Kobe had their share of injury woes in that cursed season, sending it downhill. They still managed to enter the Playoffs, and even pulling a 3-1 surprise on the Phonenix Suns before succumbing to mounting pressure, as any inexperienced team would. As a fan, i grew tired.
In that very offseason, in a kick-first reaction to the playoff loss, the ultra-competitive Kobe Bryant lashed out at his own team. He demanded to be traded then rescinded his demands right before reinforcing it again, with a condition that he will leave unless a fellow all-star calibre teammate is brought in to share his load. This Jerkyl-Hyde reaction was horrifying to witness from the Laker's best player. Should the Lakers trade him, their hopes for another championship will fly out with it. I didn't know how to react to it.
Kevin Garnett was on the trading block that year, and the Lakers officials tried their hardest to woo the future hall-of-fame player. Garnett considered, before joining the Boston Celtics, the Lakers eternal rival. Kobe was bound to get even more pissed.
Yet, the Laker management didn't yield to his demands. Instead, they brought in Derek Fisher, Kobe's old teammate from the Three-peat period. Unable to secure an all-star, many predicted the Lakers may not even reach the Playoffs as a reaction to Kobe's outburst. I, however, had a quiet confidence in this team. I felt that, many sports fans have short-term memories, and many forgot that if the injuries had not happaned in the previous season, they would have been pretty good. Not good enough to challenge for the trophy, but good enough at least to make a serious run in the playoffs. Furthermore, the team was young, and is bound to get even better.
As the Lakers played their first few games, I noticed a strange sort of confidence in the Laker players. That was not the look of a team panicking after an offseason of terror, nor was it a look of a team that was divided. In fact, it was a team looking to win and win it did. Andrew Bynum, blasted by Kobe through unofficial media, turned into a gigantic force as the Lakers won game after game, catapulting them to the top of the Western Conference. I was elated to say the least. Furthermore, the Lakers manage to secure Trevor Ariza from the Orlando Magic in a trade that sent Maurice Evans and Brian Cook over. I loved that trade, and knew that good things were on the way.
Then Andrew Bynum got a season-ending injury as my hopes fell with him. Without him, the Lakers would have to revert back to Kobe Bryant carrying the load, like in previous years. Doom was in the air.
~
The date is 2nd February 2008. The all-star game and the trade dateline was fast approaching. I entered my comp to check on my usual Laker news after a night out with the family. Then it appeared in front of me: ALL-STAR FORWARD PAU GASOL HAS BEEN TRADED TO THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS. I blinked, and re-read the headline, hands shivering. Nope, no hoax, my eyes weren't deceiving me. I yelled and ran to pound on the door of the toilet where my poor brother was trying to get some peace and quiet. "The Lakers got Gasol! THE LAKERS GOT GASOL!!" My brother shouted back, "What!! Who they give up?"
I had no idea. I ran back to the computer, this time to finish reading the article. The Lakers traded away Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol and Kwame Brown plus a first round pick. Oh my god! They didn't touch Fisher, Andrew Bynum or Lamar Odom. OH MY FREAKIN' GOD! That was like getting a gold bar in exchange for a packet of twinkies!
Buoyed by one of the most lop-sided trades in the history of the NBA, the Lakers went into a winning spree, with Pau Gasol fitting into the Lakers' complex Triangle Offense perfectly. Anf there they rolled as the Western-Conference Champions and inot the Finals for the first time since the horrible 2004 loss to Detroit.
In the Finals however, they had Garnett and the Celtics blocking the way. Armed with the best record in the league, and a hunger that the Lakers have not yet come to understand, they won the Lakers in 6 games, including 39 point whooping in the ass in Game 6. The Lakers left with green confetti pouring on their heads, humiliated and beaten. The Trophy seemed soooo close, yet so far. My heart cried for them.
To me, the Lakers needed that loss. That hunger I was talking about earlier, it grew to unmeasurable heights. They have tasted the finals, and were yearning for the Championship. It was in their eyes when the season started. It was in their faces when they won or lost. The 2008-2009 was going to be fun.
The time I am typing this 11.41 pm, 15 June, 2009. It has been 12 hours since then. 12 hours after time expired with the Lakers winning the Orlando Magic in 6 games in the Finals. 12 hours since the image of Kobe and Phil Jackson have lifted the Trophy. 12 hours since Kobe has won his 4th NBA title and his first Finals MVP trophy. 12 hours since Phil Jackson won his 10th Chmapionship ring, more than any other coach ever. 12 hours since I saw tears in the Lakers eyes. 12 hours since I saw champagne fall from the heavens.
1 year since they have been humiliated by the Celtics.
1 and a half years since they got Pau Gasol.
2 years since the series of injuries and the offseason of nightmares
3 years since Phil Jackson came back.
4 years since the Lakers were in unfamiliar ground at the bottom.
5 years since the 2004 loss to the Detroit pistons and the eventual dismantling of a young fan's dream team.
Congratulations, Los Angeles Lakers. You deserve it.
Human beings are exceptionally neat creature by nature. We enjoy clean streets and clean shores. We enjoy sorting and making it neat. Not many of us dare to get our hands dirty, figuratively or literally speaking. It is this compulsion to cleanliness which leads us to classify and compartmentalise every thing that we do. We are labelled immeadiately after we are born, wrapped in either a blue towel or a pink one. We created maths, an eternal realm of absolutes and accuracies. We hate, absolutely hate, messiness. In everything.
Unfortunately, when it comes to philosophy, moral issues or just life in general, things are seldom neat. They involve something that we avoid alot: The Grey Area. Yes, that grey area. Not balck, nor white, but freakin' grey.It sucks for us human beings, who enjoy the thoughts of rationalisation, and the neatness of compartmentalisation that requires us to think less. Questions start to form. Despicable questions such as How grey is grey? Closer to white or to black? What does this grey signify? So, with this grey, do we go with the white measure or the black measure in terms of action?
Therefore, we decide to choose a side, either white or black. Since the grey is still grey, we are divided: The Whites in one side, the Blacks on the other. So, with 2 divided sides, we humans do what we are so good at doing when there is an opposing party. We fight. One shouts "It has to White!!" The other screams back "No, you bloody @#$^ !! It has to be #$% Black!!" And there they fight, 2 opposing sides, perhaps for all eternity, all because neither side can simply agree that it is simply grey.
What exactly am I talking about? My answer to you is, pick something. The issue of abortion? Science vs Religion? Atheism vs Religion? Religion vs Religion? Communism vs Capitalism? Racism? Sex? So many complex issues, many of which have been fought about in wars. You see, humans love to rationalise, but do not enjoy thinking. They love to bring up reasons. Reasons on why god exists. Reasons why homosexuals ought to be prosecuted. Reasons to save the Earth. But when asked to think; to go beyond ourselves and consider the other side, many of us shudder in fear. Why? Because in or der for the Whites to consider the side of the Blacks, or vice versa, they have to cross the hated boundary of the Grey. In other words, they have to think, and we abhor it.
We will say, what for think? It is black because of this reason or that reason. Which of course the Whites will come up against with their own reasons.
In fact, this has trenscended complex issues and into our tastes. We dare not venture into the grey area to experiment with something that we are not used to. A friend of mine told me that she only listens to Chinese music. And asked her, "Only chinese? Nothing else? No English music? Or Tamil?" She looked back at me, with a face full of disgust, "What English? Tamil? No way lor. Only Chinese." By saying this satement, she is literally putting her foot down, psychologically that there are no good Tamil music, or any other music for that matter. We are the same. How many of us has listened to a genre of music, lets say heavy metal, and dismissed it right away after one song. Why? Perhaps that one song was the only lousy one? Perhaps you might enjoy part of the performance, i.e. the electric guitar, rather than the whole band? Why dismiss the grey area?
The lists goes on. We have to be right, or have to be wrong. It cannot be a little of both. It cannot be that we are neither right nor wrong. For example, stealing is wrong. A statement that condemns the people who steal to feed their family. Or murder is wrong. What if the man you are murdering is Hitler, and therefore save many many lives by doing so? Morality cannot be defined by the niceness of black and white. The way society is built, or the way human nature is, morality issues areprobably all different shades of grey.
It is also prevalent in politics. In the States, are you a democrat or a republican? Why cant it be both? For certain issues, im a democrat, for others, im a republican. By putting my vote into one party, will deny the other parties' good points.
This is the exact definition of thinking outside the box. The box is societies views that are force fed into us. Views that we have learnt to accept as the truth. Systems that we have to follow. Rules that we have to obey. To think outside the box is literally to dig deep and think beyond these contraints. To be extremely messy. Its no wonder why many great thinkers are untidy by nature, from their appearance to their handwriting.
Im not saying don't have an opinion. Far from it. In fact, I'm pleading with you to have an opinion, one that is thought over and weighed. And it doesnt have to be clearly cut decision that conforms to people's idea of classification. For example, for me personally, I believe God exists. But I do not believe in prayer. So why not? Give it a try. Think deep when asked abt issues. Do not be afraid to give your own opinion, radical as it may be. Look on both sides of an issue. Lets not be afraid of the Grey Area.
TwIsTeR's Lakers: More Kobe vs Lebron Muppet Commercials! (and the old one I posted)
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TwIsTeR's Lakers
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wj
Just when you thought one wasn't enough...
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