Ravi Dass - Faithfully Yours

Copyright 2020 by Ravi Dass

Paperback: 978-1-951505-96-7

eBook: 978-1-951505-93-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020918954

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of nonfiction.

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In Loving Memory of My Darling Wife Shashi

As God is my witness, I love you more than I can say I want to be your companion for eternity and a day My life with you has been full of joy and happiness Without you I am in the dark, empty wilderness The emptiness that has been created by your leaving Will be impossible to fill with any real meaning I pray to God that I will be worthy of a place in heaven Where I know you will be So that I can spend all of eternity and a day With you my darling Shashi.

Dedication

In loving memory of my dear beloved wife, Shashi, who passed away on 22 May 2011, after a prolonged illness. I loved her more than I can ever express and more than life itself. She always wanted me to finish this book, which I had started writing in 2005. This book has been completed and dedicated to you, my darling, under circumstances that are painful. I wish I had finished it while you were still alive and had the opportunity to read it. It would have made you so happy and proud. I will always love you and cherish your loving memory. Thank you for making my life so wonderful. I love you, darling, and always will. May your soul rest in peace.

Dedication from Authors Son Anoop Dass

I dedicate the republication of this book to my loving Dad Ravi Dass. Your wisdom and teachings have made me become the person that I am today. Thank you for loving us and loving Mum unconditionally.

Preface

I had always wanted to write a book of a serious and meaningful nature. Thoughts of God, His teachings and what He wanted from us had always been a part of my contemplation and I wanted to write about the reflections of my conscience and soul.

One day I felt the urge to put my thoughts down on paper. The feeling was so overwhelming that I started to write, and kept on writing for about an hour, almost nonstop. Thoughts from where they came I did not know started flowing of their own free will, and gave me the basis of what I wanted to write.

At that first time of writing, I wanted an opinion from someone I respected, about whether my subject had any merit in order for me to continue or would it be just a waste of my time. I needed this assurance as this was the first time I had endeavoured to put pen to paper in such a manner, to write a book.

I wrote a short introduction about the contents and general direction I wanted my book to take and then gave the pages to Sally Kirby, a friend and colleague, to let me know what she thought about the subject I had chosen and my chances of writing a readable and interesting book. Sally was very supportive and encouraged me to continue writing.

This book is a work of fiction, written in story form. It represents my ideas of what God wants from us and how the world can be made a better place for all to live in. Whether you agree with my ideas and thoughts expressed in this book is entirely up to you. I will respect your views as I hope you will mine.

Ravi Dass

Acknowledgments

I am thankful to Sally Kirby, a colleague and a good friend, for her support. She has been a sounding board for my thoughts on the subject of the book, and has encouraged me at every stage. Sally was the first person from whom I sought an opinion regarding the subject matter and desire to write the book.

When I told my family about what I was intending to write, they were very supportive and thrilled. At times when I was rather lethargic, they pushed me to continue and finish the book.

Without the encouragement of Sally and my family, I would not have persevered and finished the book. In fact it has made me think about writing other materials, perhaps short stories, related to things that I feel strongly about.

I had stopped writing, midway, for a long time. Tragically, it took the passing away of my dear wife, Shashi, to compel me to finish the book in her loving memory.

Contents

Book 1

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

L et me state from the outset that the thoughts and statements in this book are my own. They are not based on any fact, but my personal thinking on the matters I have decided to write about. Some people may not agree with my views, but all I ask of them is to think about my underlying thoughts; to reflect on them, because I believe they have a valid point to make.

The story that unfolds later in this book, again, is my impression of the meaning of God to mankind and what He would want from us, if we accept that He really exists. I believe that there can only be one God and therefore all religions incorporate His teachings. To deny any one belief is to deny God.

It is a difficult topic to write on, as any definite conclusion is next to impossible. The belief in God is faith, and faith is individual and unique to each person. I am not trying to belittle anybodys faith or belief in God, but trying to put my own perspective regarding His existence and meaning. I am certain of one thing: all that is preached, stated or done in the name of God, He would not approve of. We humans tend to do things in His name to justify our actions, even if they are wrong. These are my feelings for which I make no apologies.

Who or what is God? When we are infants we are told that God, who is goodness personified, lives somewhere up in the sky in a place called heaven. The opposite of God is known as Satan, who is evil, residing in a place called hell which is somewhere down below, though we are not told where, as nobody is quite sure. I have used the Christian belief in this statement although these basic thoughts and teachings are religiously universal.

When we get older and begin to ask searching questions about what we had been told in our youth, we are then told that God is in spirit form, not human. God created the world and is in fact our Father in Heaven. God is the good and decent side of our existence, whereas Satan is the bad and evil side of ourselves. If we submit to the bad and evil side of ourselves we will go to hell where we will suffer, in damnation, throughout our life after death; whereas if we live according to the laws and the will of God we will go to heaven where we will live with God in eternal bliss.