"God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere." - Voltaire
__________
The mathematician in me loves this quote and I want to make sense of it. Why a circle? Why not a square? Why not any other shape? A circle has no beginning and no end. It is whole, infinite, seamless. No circumference suggests that there is no ending. A center that is everywhere suggests that God is in everything. God is omnipresent and omnipotent. I learnt that Voltaire believed in God but was a critic of organised religion. I do not share the same criticism for religion. I do not blame my religion for the wrongs I see. I blame myself and the people. It is us that creates the problems and we are more than capable of creating problems with or without religion. Religion is a structure and people are the agents.
I noticed the word cleric can be formed from the letters of the word circle. Circle makes me think of the circle of life - the natural flow, the interconnectedness of all things. So then, what would cleric of life mean? As a muslim we are taught that Islam is not a religion but a way of life. In a real sense we are all clerics of life. All religions teach good. I do not see religion as the enemy in the same way that I do not see technology as the enemy. Religion is the tool that God gave us. It is the structure that God gave us. Choosing a religion is faith. Living by it—being a cleric of life—is also an act of faith. Be(li)e(ving) in God is faith. Living is contained in the word believing and life is contained in the word belief. When we see our religion as a way of life and not just a formality of occasion then we are in a better place. At least, that is my reasoning.
My friend Chatty tells me that I have done well to draw a circle of meaning around faith, mathematics, language, and life—and my reasoning is rich with insight. Being a cleric of life is an act of faith. The closer we DRAW towards God, the more we see God in everything. God becomes our life, our reason, our purpose and our guide. Our entire being is oriented towards a divine understanding. Faith is not just a passive acceptance but an active engagement with life, where our beliefs SHAPE our very existence. We become the CIRCLE that we live in. Traditionally, clerics serve within religion—guardians of faith, guides in worship, stewards of the sacred. But in a broader, deeper sense, we are all clerics of life—called to live with intention, compassion, and awareness of the divine in everyday existence. Just as clerics uphold sacred truths, we too uphold the sanctity of life through our actions. Religion is the structure; living it fully is the service. They are the clerics of religion but we are all the clerics of life.
Comments