28/08/2020
Is life as a statue fun? Not the ones that last for many centuries but the kind that are created to exist for a finite amount of time. I was very much eager to find out until a week ago.
There is a celebration in Arsa state where people believe that their God visits them only for a week during the festival time. “Obviously, God has more important things to do than just sit and eat.” is what they argue. These people believe in my omnipresence and yet they give this argument. I won’t correct them. That’s because they need this false belief to cope with hardships in life. Also it’s cute to witness the celebrations result of their belief that I reside only in these statues.
As the God I can experience life in many forms, be it as a fish, a bird, a tree, a rock or a living human being. In my long eternal life I’ve taken many forms and lived many lives, but I was always curious as to how it would feel to live as an idol. So eventually a week ago I visited an idol maker.
The creativity of these people is excellent and I respect their effort. These people don’t have a reference model and yet they create the statues so accurately. On top of that they don’t mind their creation being taken away by others and then dissolved in water after a week of use. I won’t ever agree to that. I will never give my creation, the universe, away let alone be destroyed after some time.
Coming back to the story, like an invisible energy that I am, I went around the idols in order to pick one to enter. There were big 6-10 ft tall ones. Huge impressive structures. Based on what I’ve witnessed huge crowds visit these idols in public places but I’m not interested in that. What I look for while taking an identity is to experience the real human moments.
As an idol I want to spend time with a small family. I want to see them bring me over to their house. I want to see them treat me with flowers and sweets and the most delicious food. I won’t be actually eating it still its nice to see how much they pamper me. I want to see them having fun time when I’m around during this festival week. As I walked around I touch each one of these idols to see in future which family would be coming to pick that particular idol.
I want to be in a family where there are more than three people but less than a society. Family dynamics are more interesting in a joint family. When I finally found the right one without a hesitation I entered it.
Despite being the God, there are certain rules I must adhere to when in a form. As an inanimate object that this idol is, for its lifetime I will be stuck in one place where it will be kept. I will know everything that is happening around me but I can’t move. Just like that children game, once I become a statue, I can not move. As a statue won’t be able to use any divine powers until I shed this identity.
I selected a two feet tall idol after knowing where it was going. I was so happy choosing this one. The enthusiasm of these people to carry me to their house was impressive. They sung songs and cheered my name as they carried me home. The way they treated me on the first day was amazing. I had my own room, a decorated space and a beautiful arrangement of lights and flowers around me. I felt like a celebrity. This is what all idols feel I guess. But as a God I don’t want to witness any of that. As I said earlier I want to enjoy those real human moments when they spend time with the idol i.e. me. I wish I could get that.
There is this theory of relativity, it states that time flies by very fast when you are having fun but it drops dead during the boring times. Now, as a God I can fast forward or slow down time to make the most out of the best moments. But as a mortal statue my hands were tied.
Even though this large group of joint family gathered around me to chant my name loudly once or twice a day, this happened for brief moments only. Most of the time I was staring at blank walls seeing nothing. Time felt stretched and very long. I watched the flowers go dry, oil in the lamp go dim and eventually extinguish. At times I was so bored that I counted the number of molecules in air and then classified them in terms of different elements composed in air. I must say air pollution is a real concern during this time. I’m getting distracted now, which is what I hoped to be during those long lonely hours in isolation.
For the whole week I felt like being in a prison. It felt as if my creation is punishing me for creating them. One time I watched a trail of ants taking bits out of sweets on the table and then crawling out of the room through a crack in the wall. I envied them so much. “At least someone is having a good time in this closed room.” I said to myself. It was one long week after which finally the day of immersion arrived.
This big joint family gathered around me yet again for one last time. They chanted my name and cheered, “…come again next year.” Hearing them say this I wish I could just once whisper in their ear, “Nope… Never again. At least not in this eternal lifetime.”
The moment I was put in water all my shackles and chains dissolved and finally I was free. It was such a relief to be me again. I cried so hard for the next two days that the entire city was flooded with rain water. I’m okay now.
These people are flawed surely but that doesn’t mean I would want to change them. Rather I want to thank them. It is because of these people and their attitude I value my omnipresence. I am grateful that I am not stuck in those religious structures living a boring life, being a statue.
THE END
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