I wrote this poem after walking through the temple of Karnak in Egypt recently and then visiting the glorious technicoloured tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
I was standing among the dead Gods and faith of the past.
This is another poem from my 8th book of poetry which will be appearing in print shortly.
Gods, Men and When
Dead gods and decaying pharaohs
Amid heaps of rock
Under a searing sun
Where it hardly ever rains.
Lost beliefs and faith
Strong enough to build empires,
Now buried in sand,
Slipping between the grains.
Such colossal majesty and splendour,
Built on sand
Without foundation.
Such fantastic effort and sacrifice,
Based on hope,
Binding a nation.
Such is the way of gods and men
They come and go,
Leave their mark
And vanish in the when.
Opher 21.4.2017
Gods, Men and When
It always seems to me that we never learn from the mistakes of the past or see ourselves in people who have gone before.
The mighty Egyptian empire was based around a philosophy that bound them together – that there was a god who had to be worshipped and sacrificed to, that the priests and pharaohs were special and had divine powers and had to be obeyed.
The religion unified the nation. The monuments, temples and tombs are testament to the power of that religion and the pharaohs. Huge enterprises, trade and war were undertaken merely in order to satisfy the gods. Massive expenditures of time, effort, manpower and resources were placed into building those tombs, statues, obelisks, pyramids, sphinxes and temples. Thousands, maybe millions died to complete them. Did the pharaohs really believe the lavish arrangements were the key to the afterlife? Or did they serve to denote power, solidify the status, impress enemies, and subjugate the people?
Who knows?
What we do know is that those gods and beliefs no longer hold sway. All that sacrifice, energy and effort was hollow. They were not real gods and that was not the way to the afterlife. Thousands of years, lives and sacrifice down the drain.
Yet we still appoint Kings and Bishops, Imams and Emperors, Popes and Dictators and create new gods to worship. Gods that are the real ones this time. Gods that will last for ever. Gods that demand sacrifice, worship and ever bigger temples, cathedrals, mosques and churches.
I cannot help thinking that a lot more could be achieved if we were to work out that the kings, bishops, imams, emperors, dictators, popes and the rest are just ordinary people, just like us, with inflated egos and a heap of psychological problems, that there is no god demanding that we dress in a certain way, pray five times a day and worship in peculiar manner, neither is there any afterlife. Then perhaps we could put our energies into a more equal society and do away with poverty, ignorance and the superrich and overly powerful.
We never seem to learn from the past.
It’s sad that people don’t learn from the past and put so much effort into useless things when that effort could be used for something else which could change the world.
You are right Pooj. Just think how great the world could be for everyone and all other creatures if there was fairness, equality, caring and thoughtfulness.
That’s what we have to work to put right. We can make it better.
The most glorious temple and sacred space we have is NATURE. No human infrastructue, rules and hierarchies needed 🙂
Absolutely true. The only trouble is that the 8 billion of us on this planet are busy trashing it. That is so obvious the more you travel. I feel a spirituality for the rocks, trees, stars, moon and creatures. I wish we as a race could learn to value it more.
Right there with you, as you know, Opher. I do think the tide is starting to turn.
I wish I shared your optimism. Travelling through India, the Philippines, Java, Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam and Thailand one is confronted with a sea of humanity, huge families, heaps of rubbish and the wanton destruction of all creatures and wilderness. It can make one depressed.
Here! Here!
So we have to do what we can when we can.
Hey – I hope your plans are nearing to fruition. I must come visit your place. Been kinda busy – with life. It gets in the way!
Thanks for visiting!! We’re getting there, but the process has been quite hectic.
I got that impression – lots to do.
Do plans ever reach fruition?
Seems not!
Especially if they are based on government promises!
i think the god never lives in any temple , he don’t need any special place to live . actually the god is nothing but our positive attitude and our soul which thinks and talk behind everything . many people never learned from their past because they blame god for their mistakes and not themselves.
I can concur with that. There is no such thing as God to me. There is nature and the spirituality of being part of it. That is wondrous enough for me.
i agree with you . god is just an other name of that spiritual power.
Quite. All religions have been created by men.
i had mentioned quite about a reality in our life when we failed to do some thing. and stopped our self to grow in my last post.
I’ll check that out. Cheers Ashwi.
They did leave us some stupendous structures and art. Ditto the exploitation of the Holy Ronan empire. It is depressing to see how ancient knowledge and skills are so quickly forgotten and lost under the sands.
It is salutary to see how huge civilisations and religions die away. Yet we still seem to think that our civilisation and beliefs are eternal. They’ll be relics too.
But those old relics were amazing.
They were. Salutary is a correct word for it. Thanks.
Cheers Bumba.
This reminds me of the song Old Time Religion.
Track art
Old Time Religion
Pete Seeger
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Lyrics
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It’s good enough for me.
We will pray with Aphrodite,
We will pray with Aphrodite,
She wears that see-through nightie,
And it’s good enough for me.
We will pray with Zarathustra,
We’ll pray just like we use ta,
I’m a Zarathustra booster,
And it’s good enough for me.
We will pray with those Egyptians,
Build pyramids to put our crypts in,
Cover subways with inscriptions,
And it’s good enough for me.
We will pray with those old druids,
They drink fermented fluids,
Waltzing naked though the woo-ids,
And it’s good enough for me.
We do dances to bring water,
Prepare animals for slaughter,
Sacrifice our sons and daughters,
And it’s good enough for me.
I’ll arise at early morning,
When my Lord gives me the warning,
That the solar age is dawning,
And it’s good enough for me
This reminds me of the song Old Time Religion.
Lyrics
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It’s good enough for me.
We will pray with Aphrodite,
We will pray with Aphrodite,
She wears that see-through nightie,
And it’s good enough for me.
We will pray with Zarathustra,
We’ll pray just like we use ta,
I’m a Zarathustra booster,
And it’s good enough for me.
We will pray with those Egyptians,
Build pyramids to put our crypts in,
Cover subways with inscriptions,
And it’s good enough for me.
We will pray with those old druids,
They drink fermented fluids,
Waltzing naked though the woo-ids,
And it’s good enough for me.
We do dances to bring water,
Prepare animals for slaughter,
Sacrifice our sons and daughters,
And it’s good enough for me.
I’ll arise at early morning,
When my Lord gives me the warning,
That the solar age is dawning,
And it’s good enough for me
Thanks for that. I haven’t heard of that version before. Nice one.
This is an old post but let me comment anyway. God exists there is no denying it. You didn’t create yourself and put yourself on the path you are on. Separating yourself from God is what makes you feel lost and dissatisfied with life which you probably are most of the time when this blog which you hold close to your heart or some other things which meant so much to you once does not give you so much joy anymore. God is what keeps us who pray five times a day at peace within ourselves. God heals our traumas and keeps us hopeful and feeling alive- you know, that feeling which you stopped feeling a long time ago but couldn’t explain why. Welcome God into your life and see how much your life changes for the better. Denying God is denying the divinity within yourself. You are a divine being first, then second this fragile ego self which doesn’t know any better.
Hi Kenyan Arab. Welcome. No I am far from lost and dissatisfied with life. I have a great life full of wonder, awe, beauty and love. I have much to be grateful for. I certainly do not need faith in an imaginary, invisible spirit to give my life purpose.
I’m sure that praying brings you peace. There are many reasons for that.
I certainly haven’t noticed god doing a lot for people around the world. All I see is war, death, starvation, suffering and misery. Prayer doesn’t seem to do a lot for the billions of believers who are living in terrible circumstances.
As for me…… I live very well. I’m creative, happy and fulfilled and need no god.
Can you explain that?