The Mind Creative
But I shouldn’t wonder. Like millions and billions of other faithful
of all religions, he would never connect the dots to see the larger
picture. He will see the trees but not the forest.
Faced by the uncertainties of life and confronted by adversities
and calamities, most people find comfort and solace, if not safety,
in praying to the one who they believe can save them. The reality,
however, belies any claims in support of a connection between a
prayer and a positive outcome.
Airline safety is no exception. According to one rating website,
Qantas, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines rank
among the world’s safest airlines (getting 7 stars out of 7), none
of which commence their flights with any prayer of any kind. One
flies Eritrean Airlines (2/7) and Nepal Airlines (1/7) at one’s own
peril. Both PIA and Air India don’t do badly in the safety rankings
(5/7), while Bangladesh Biman is a star below (4/7).
Pakistani
highways
are
littered with the wreckages
of vehicles with Islamic
prayers and incantations
dangling from their rearview mirrors and the blood
of the dead and injured
splattered around like a coat
of paint. It is the same on
highways in India, Thailand
and the Philippines, except
that hanging from their rear-view mirrors are, respectively,
statuettes of Hindu gods, Buddha or Jesus-on-the-cross.
Prayers in mosques, churches, synagogues, temples and shrines,
prayers in homes, for everything from better health, healing from
diseases, promotion at jobs, success in exams, business and court
cases, victory in battles, prayers for rains or to ward off cyclones
– you name it and someone or another, often large groups of
people, entire communities and whole countries have been praying
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