Golden Mean

I was walking up the 3 floors of our apartment building. It was a lazy saturday morning. It had just rained. The scintillating smell of the wet earth still lingered on. "T, I'm home! What's for breakfast?", I asked, bringing in fresh supplies of bread and milk. T was still in bed, or so I thought.

"H, meet S...", started T, as he was laying down on the mattress in the main hall, in front of the television, flipping channels. S was a young man, dressed in a saintly orange T-shirt and a light blue jeans. "Greetings H", S saluted with folded arms.

"Hi... I have a feeling I've met you somewhere before, S", I continued. "Anyways, good to meet you. And T, did you think about what I had asked you? About science and religion?"

"No. I was watching the Bold and the Beautiful. Couldn't concentrate.", explained T, nonchalantly.

"You wanted to know the relevance of science and religion in an ideal world?", asked S. "You want to understand."

I nodded, rather confused. I wasn't sure when S had heard this. Or had T told him.

"Science helps Man. Science reduces time, reduces pain, increases productivity, increases comfort..."

"But war..."

"Well, that is inevitable. Because of the over-dependence on science. We find too much pleasure in losing ourselves in technology. Too much is as dangerous as too less, young man."

"Wait, you, you, remind me of ... ", I smiled. "You are the founder of one of the religions of the New World. He who preaches the golden mean. With the smiling face and the non-violent religion."

S opened his lips, sorry, His lips but only to be interrupted.

"Then I'm more curious to know the role of religion in the ideal world. An ideal world with happiness for all. Peace and prosperity. Where the significance of religion as a source of inspiration and support for those without happiness is superfluous. Where science will be but for the intellectual masturbation of the elite. Where everyone is born happy, lives happy and dies happy."

His open lips gracefully transformed into a beauteous and benevolent smile. "Yes. But I have two caveats. One, your ideal world is like the theoretical Carnot engine. It exists but in the mind of the unignorant. Two, every human being has the fundamental right to unhappiness. It is with that unhappiness that one gets to appreciate happiness. You can't quite judge that something is hot until you have touched something that is cold."

"Well, yes. But..."

"It's time for me to go. My flight is an hour's time and God knows (smiling), the traffic between here and the Bombay airport at this time of hour."

He came forward and touched my forehead with His palm, but it felt as though a warm breeze was blowing snugly on the temple of my face. I closed my eyes.

"Your colour is blue, child. You have much to learn. And T, that woman dies in the next episode."

"What!?!", shrieked T, spilling his popcorn and drink.

"Yes, and you are red. You are like me. You two have much to do in this world... things to do, people to see and miles to go before you sleep..."

H