Voids Fill Up Differently by Students of IACT (books to read for teens .TXT) 📖

free pass at all. They will be judged equally because, at the end of the day, the mark you leave here on Earth will be carried forward into the afterlife. Even if I were to step in your shoes, I’d think religion is just a product of people's fear of death, you know, the comfort that there will still be life after death contrasted with the fear of knowing nothing. The difference between you and me is that I’ve solidified my belief that since I don't know where it all came from, then maybe there's a powerful being who made all of it possible. I know you do too, deep inside, you really really do. I can tell.”

This time around, even though Patrick was challenging his lack of belief in God, Aden didn’t feel irked at all. He felt as if he was sitting down having a conversation with his younger self and it felt good.

Patrick closed his bible and looked at Aden intensely and asked, “How did your parents feel about you leaving the Catholic church?”

Aden gave a heavy sigh and muttered his way through the heavy topic at hand. “They never understood why I left the Catholic faith behind. What baffled me the most was how they were offended by it. As an atheist, I look at all religions the same, unlike religious people. They were so upset that I stopped believing in the same God as them but what is the actual reason behind it? People sit around and argue about whose God is the true God and whose God is the greatest but isn’t it funny that coincidentally everyone was born into the right religion? What about the Muslim man across the room or the Jewish lady sitting by the counter? They both swear that their religion is the true religion and to me, it is only because they were told to believe so. If I tell you from a young age that fire burns you and snakes are dangerous, wouldn’t me instilling fear into you by telling you, if you don’t pray to a certain God then you would end up in the fires of hell for eternity, scare you? My family never understood that and I wish they would because I never meant to lose my family in the process. I loved them and I still do but it is what it is but I hope someday that will change.”

Aden raised his right wrist and glanced over at his wristwatch. Seeing that it was past 10 in the morning, he realized that he was late for work. “I really have to run but we should do this again sometime. It opened a lot of doors for me, made me step in my parents' shoes for a change, see what they see in me. Again, I apologize for the altercation the other day. I hope this small talk we had here today would help you understand why I reacted in such a way,” said Aden.

Patrick got up to shake his hand and replied in a joking manner, “We’ve been here for hours! Calling it a small talk would be outright lying to ourselves.”

“But, you’re right, we really should do this again sometime. Trust me, you questioning my faith here today has left me desperate to receive answers that will make my faith stronger,” he added and bid farewell to Aden. “I’ll see you around!”

 …………………..

Now, we go back to Aden’s trip back to the bus stop.

We last saw him at the bus stop reflecting on what he had learned from Patrick. He finds that although Christianity can have great effects on people, he still believes in Atheism as he still prefers evidence more than just faith or belief. He also does not believe that fate is to be decided by a being of a higher power. Although he was conflicted with what was said towards him, he now understands that Christianity helps people in their lives. In times of need, people turn to God to have a sense of hope in their lives as a means of faith to ask for healing.

He reflects on this while looking into the posters for the candidates of the elections. The poster, both with colours schemes that oppose each other, shows the divide among them. The more liberal-minded politician’s poster was blue in colour and had a drawing of people holding hands together as it coincides with his mission to bring people together. On the contrary, the other poster was one of reds which had a fist with the rosary beads wrapped around the fist with the cross standing out at the tip of the thumb. The font was a very urgent type, bolded with a black outline. Both supporters were so different that it was like comparing the dirt to sand. They seem different but in truth, they all behave the same. Feeling lighter than he’d felt in a long time, he decided to skip work and opted for a bus ride home instead of his usual chauffeured ride home.

On the other hand, Patrick, while on his lunch break, contemplated on the reasoning Aden gave during their informal debate. He feels as if Aden was an individual who was lost and deep down he blames it to the fact that the prayers he gave during his younger days didn't do anything to him. Patrick wanted to show him that Christianity was more than that. That religion was more than that. He whispered a small prayer in Aden’s name so that hopefully Aden’s life would be better.

He then set off for lunch at a local Kopitiam nearby. The Kopitiam was filled with different sounds - sounds of chatter, the clanging of pots and pans and more. Although there was no sight of an empty seat in the entire store, Patrick waited patiently and continued to look for one. Eventually, he found one and ordered his food without any time to waste. As he waited, the thought of Aden’s words kept popping up in his head. He couldn’t forget Aden’s words even if he tried. Patrick then consciously decided to try and understand what he said. His face began to look more studious and to others, he looked stressed. Patrick, remembering Aden’s words, had mixed feelings towards his words. Although he didn’t believe it, he understood some of the statements that he made. Patrick felt that some of his words were true and that his faith was challenged. Patrick knew deep down that throughout time, humans have used religion to their own selfish needs. Even the pope at one point was the most corrupt figure during the Dark Ages. Pope Benedict, for example, was known for the attempt of selling the papacy to the highest bidder. With all this, Patrick felt his faith starting to waver but a wave of tranquillity beheld Patrick soon after and all these thoughts were silenced. He took a deep breath and told to himself, “These were the actions of men and not God’s will. I will not follow the word of man but of the words of God”.

He realized that God would be with him and that was all it ever mattered. Patrick knew many people that had their lives changed through God. With his faith stronger than ever, Patrick finally eats his warm noodles.

20 Years Later

Aden, slightly older and now a married man, lived with his two wonderful sons aged 10 and 12. His hair was now slightly grey, faded in with black. His face was slightly wrinkled and his voice deeper. He wore black, thick-framed glasses due to his slowly deteriorating eyesight. After all those years of being by himself, he decided to settle down and have a family. His law firm turned out to be the most successful in the city and earned a reputation with the most cases won in the country ever.

He had never seen Patrick for a long time until one day, he decided to head to church. The same church back in his childhood days. As he went in, he felt much more different than before. He felt more welcomed and at peace. He saw many people there as the liturgical service was about to begin. The congregation was filled with people of diverse ages and races, singing in harmony with the choir. Aden took a seat at the pew slowly as he tried to take it all in. He struggled to sing along with the others but oddly enough did not feel out of place. Towards the end of the service, he heard a name that had not heard for a long time.

It was Patrick. He was an Evangelist and his mission was to help people who were lost; to guide atheists that want to know more about Christianity. Patrick then got onto the podium and made his speech about his experience and how he saw many other views as well. He then spoke about why he set off on this mission. He said while smiling that he met a young man who turned away religion because of his past. Aden felt those words stab him right through his chest as if a needle was piercing through his veins. But then, Patrick explained how this boy was successful and that he saw many things differently. He respected the opinion of others and knew when to act and when to not.

As Patrick was preaching at the front, Aden felt slightly sorrowful and wished that he had chosen a different life for himself. He wished that if his life had taken a different turn, he would have been great friends with Patrick. He wanted to have the feeling of a community being around him in contrast to his lonely early years.

Overwhelmed with emotion, he looked up to see the beautiful architecture - the art in stained glass and the overall gothic architecture of the church. He saw the beauty of religion and how it provided much of the culture known in the world today. He then looked calmly at the crucifix that hung above the altar. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made sure he was living in the present. He felt every fibre in his body lighten as he muttered to himself, “Although it is not my life, I hope my next would be with you.”

 

3.2 Roses To Myself

Roses To Myself 

Twinkle Lau, Yew Shi Jing, Liew En Kei, Abigail

 

 

“It’s best if you can come now, Miss Nina,” a candid voice seeped through the telephone.

 

The bony hands of the wall clock struck 11 as those words echoed through my ears. Just then, a familiar faint click of the wooden front door halted my ticking train of thoughts.

 

“I’ve already had a few drinks with them. I don’t want dinner,” a tall sculpted figure standing by the entrance announced monotonously, messily leaving his Burberry Leather Oxford Brogues on the shoe rack.

 

Laced with gloom, my heavy eyes could only stare at the man I once loved while his egoistical gaze loomed over mine. “Scott, my father had a fall and he’s just been admitted into the hospital with a concussion. Please come with me to see him.”

 

“Damn it, Nina. I work hard all day but you obviously don’t know how tiring