BELIEF IN GOD
True Fulfilment
A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY is a book by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell published in 1945. In this 800- page book, Russell raises the question as to why humans exert their minds to resolving complex issues of philosophy, for instance, what is the purpose of life, how can one arrive at an explanation of the universe and so on. Humans have been trying to understand these matters since thousands of years, then what is the reason behind still engaging oneself in these subjects that have proved to be so inexplicable and unfathomable? Russell answers that it is actually the “terror of cosmic loneliness” that makes a person yearn to go on the philosophical path of quest and search for the truth.
If a boulder or a piece of rock remains lying on the surface of the earth for millions of years, it would never experience loneliness. However, a human being will surely suffer from the feeling of loneliness. The explanation for this phenomenon is that a human being by his very nature has interwoven in him the desire to submit to God.
A human being by his very nature has interwoven in him the desire to submit to God.
Psychologically, every human being finds himself incomplete. He feels fulfilled only when he finds something outside of him to fill in the psychological vacuum that he certainly experiences. From this perspective, people can be seen to fall into three broad categories: first is the philosopher who is continually in search of something that would fulfil him, however, he dies without finding that very thing in pursuit of which he spends his entire life; second is the person who accords the position of God to something or someone other than God, and thus gains artificial fulfilment from association with such a person or thing; third is the true believer in God who is able to find the right fulfilment to the requirement of his nature. His feeling of loneliness or the sense of vacuum in his life is fulfilled by his discovery of and belief in God. Such a person is the one who is truly successful.