Gods of Convenience — A Dialogue on Religion, Fear & True Faith

He wandered from shrine to shrine, clinging to rituals, mantras, and promises, hoping to buy peace through offerings and obedience. But true stillness came not from the gods of convenience, nor from bargaining with the unknown, but in surrendering the fear that had disguised itself as devotion. In the quiet of the earth and the honesty of a conversation, he discovered that real faith does not demand bribes, rituals, or guarantees — it begins when fear is no longer driving the prayer.

Setting: A quiet afternoon outside Madhukar’s mud home. A breeze carries the scent of tulsi and ash gourd vines. Birds flit through the trees. A middle-aged man walks in, dressed in a crisp white kurta, red tilak on his forehead, and a bag full of prayer books and talismans.

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[Scene Begins]

Madhukar (smiling, seated on a log bench):

Welcome, traveler. What brings you here — the wind or the weight?

The Man (sits heavily, sighs):

The weight, Baba. I’ve done everything they told me — fasted on Mondays, walked barefoot to temples, donated cows, changed gemstones five times. Still no peace.

Madhukar:

So much effort. All to outrun what?

The Man (looks down):

Bad luck… curses maybe. My business collapsed. My wife left. And now… now I’m just tired. Someone said you don’t charge money, and you speak the truth.

Madhukar:

The truth doesn’t charge either. But it does take something from you.

The Man:

Take what?

Madhukar:

Your favorite lies.

(The man is silent. A dog barks softly and curls up near Madhukar’s feet.)

Madhukar:

Tell me — all these rituals… did they bring you peace? Even for a moment?

The Man:

Sometimes, yes. A kind of temporary hope. Like… putting a wet cloth on a fever. It didn’t cure it, but it felt better.

Madhukar:

So you used God like a painkiller?

The Man:

I… maybe.

Madhukar:

And when the pain came back, you changed the doctor?

The Man (embarrassed):

I changed temples. Gurus. Even mantras. Spent lakhs.

Madhukar:

Were you seeking God… or safety?

The Man (quiet):

Safety. I just didn’t want more pain.

Madhukar:

That’s the thing. Most people don’t seek the Divine. They seek protection. Convenience. Insurance.

The Man:

But isn’t fear natural? I feared losses, curses, death.

Madhukar:

Yes. But fear is not the doorway to faith. It's the lock.

The Man:

Then what is faith?

Madhukar:

Faith is standing naked in the storm — without talismans, without guarantees — and trusting the wind won’t break you.

The Man:

That sounds terrifying.

Madhukar:

It is. At first. Because we’ve been raised on bargain-based devotion.

The Man:

Bargain?

Madhukar:

“Yes God, I’ll offer coconuts if you fix my child’s exam results.”

“Please God, remove my enemy, and I’ll feed the poor.”

This is not worship. This is negotiation.

The Man (ashamed):

But what else do we have?

Madhukar:

Silence. Sincerity. A life lived rightly, without bribes.

The Man:

But the world is cruel! How can one survive without divine support?

Madhukar:

The Divine is not your bodyguard. It is your mirror. When you live with integrity, you are already under its shelter.

The Man:

So no rituals?

Madhukar:

Rituals done with awareness become poetry. Done in fear, they become prisons.

The Man (long pause):

What about astrology? Surely the stars guide us?

Madhukar:

The stars shine. They do not whisper threats into your ears. Fear does that. Greedy men do that.

The Man:

Then why do people keep falling into this?

Madhukar:

Because selling fear is profitable. And because we are lazy. It's easier to chant than to change.

The Man (softly):

You’re right. I’ve prayed more than I’ve apologized. Lit lamps instead of listening to my wife.

Madhukar (gently):

And now you’re here. Without incense. Without script.

The Man:

Yes. Just me. Empty.

Madhukar:

Good. God finally has space to enter.

(A quiet breeze passes. The dog sniffs the man’s feet and yawns.)

The Man (smiling for the first time):

You know, I haven’t felt this quiet in years.

Madhukar:

Peace doesn’t come when your wishes are granted. It comes when your fears are released.

The Man:

And faith?

Madhukar:

Faith begins where fear ends.

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[Scene Ends]