I am talking about pages 56-57 in Swami and Friends in which Swami prays over two pebbles that the Gods will turn them into three-paise coins.
I think is a cute story that illustrates the fallacies of the idea of convenience in religion. I think Christianity especially is often portrayed in a way that is easy to mold to your needs... "pray and God will forgive you". What makes someone not do horrible things, and then pray afterwards? I think sinning and forgiveness are so highlighted in the portrayal of Christianity that this is often the message taken, when it really isn't the point at all.
Still I think it's human nature to pray or seek out religion when we need or want something. Here we see the extreme of that... Swami praying for fortune. This scene reminds me of when I was little and prayed to God that our Lotto ticket was the winning ticket. I see how ridiculous that was now of course, but I also understand that sometimes God as well as gods of other religions are portrayed as go-to people, almost a Santa Claus-like figure that if you are good too, will give you things you want.
Swami is getting the same mixed signal of religion in his school; "He also remembered Ebenezar's saying in the class that God would readily help those that prayed to him".
I think this idea is misinterpreted either by Swami who is seeing an easy way to his desires, or Ebenezar who is unaware of the limited knowledge he is putting forwards.
And so wether it is Swami's own fault or not, he ends up with the idea of the god as his own personal 7-eleven store which he can visit whenever he needs something.
He finds a rude awakening when he finds his pebbles untransformed.
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In a way, you’ve hit onto how children processes these figures that are part of their social environment. At least for me when it came to Christmas time, the 1 or 2 weeks leading up to Christmas Eve I would put on my “halo”, not fight with my annoying little sister, actually do my homework the night before, feed my guinea pig, and help out my parents when they needed it. Those were all the expectations from my family and myself. Be good = awesome presents. This was the way my brain made the connection of these expectations and the end result. For Swami and the influence of religion from school has come to that moment where you realize Santa Claus is not real (sorry if I busted anyone’s bubble). The simple cause and effect is now factoring in that sometimes this process will hit an error and there will be no clear result if there is any at all. He can no longer make a pit stop at a 7/11 to get the things he wants. When it comes to the untransformed pebbles, I think this moment foreshadows events in Swami’s life that what he wants may not be as important as what he needs. Even when he needs something, life throws a curveball and the needed thing is never given. Its just another life lesson, which Swami has to become acclimated with otherwise he will be left behind.
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