Good triumphs over evil
Editor’s note: In this article (edited) first published in the turingchurch.com website ànd the India Future Society website, Nupur Munshi writes about Durga, Goddess of victory of good over evil, and the Durga Puja celebrations as “an inspiration to work with conviction, to learn and conquer the evil and succeed.”
Mother Durga, the epitome of Shakti and spiritual power is worshipped in India as a symbol of good over evil. Goddess Durga fought and defeated the demon Mahisasura in a battle signifying that good will always prevail over evil. We seek Her blessings to guide us in our venture to uphold this idea that of “durgotinasini” implying to destroy all evil.
I quote Swami Paramananda of the Ramakrishna Order of Monks, “In this world we are so busy trying to eliminate evil.We seek to make people better, to bring greater happiness into their lives. But what will bring them greater happiness?What will give them power to counteract evil ? It is life which overcomes death” (“Reincarnation and Immortality”).
The above mentioned quote answers my good friend Robert Geraci’s interaction with the audience trying to understand what I meant by “evil” at the Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Apocalypse in Bredford, London, where he quoted me from this article. I also recommend to read Prof. Geraci’ s book “Temples of Modernity: Nationalism, Hinduism, and Transhumanism in South Indian Science.”
I almost stumbled upon Turing Church, an online working group on modern cosmic vision, spirituality, Artificial Intelligence, space technology, way back in 2014. I immediately enrolled myself as a working member.
Ours is an attempt to win over death and hope of (technologically) resurrected life by re-creating the past through a scientific process called ancestor simulation or quantum archaeology to bring back the dead to life. Death and decay by all means is evil and to fight it out in a battle is our duty.
Turing Church founder Giulio Prisco in an interview to the Humanity+ magazine said that this is not an attempt to substitute God but rather an effort to actually build one to fulfill all the promises of religion. Space time engineering and future magic will permit achieving, by scientific means, many amazing things. Eventually we will be able to resurrect all dead sentient beings by copying them to the future.
Prisco is quite enthusiastic to work in India. “Science and technology are key parts of the Turing Church vision. On the contrary (apparently), Eastern thinking emphasizes a whole range of spiritual concepts, from Yoga to reincarnation through the power of special enlightened non-ordinary states of consciousness over matter, which seem difficult to reconcile with the scientific framework of Western thinking… future science may reveal deep connections between Western and Eastern modes of thought about reality.” (Turing Church Intro for India Awakens).
I was also inspired to write a short essay to commemorate this bonding; I compiled some of Tagore’s songs and poetry in support of his Cosmist beliefs. (Turing Church and its Eastern Connection) .
Autumn (the month of “Sarat” in the Indian calendar) is the time for us to welcome Goddess Durga. Ma Durga, as we fondly call her, is the female embodiment of creation, power and peace. We are at awe to witness the Devi’s majestic fight with the Demon Mahissasura with her ten power packed arms each carrying a weapon of positive moral and spiritual energy. Hence, Durga Puja serves as an inspiration to work with conviction, to learn and conquer the evil and succeed.
I, a woman myself, bow to the Mother, that resides in all beings in the form of wisdom, power and compassion, to bless me with courage and strength as I move on with my colleagues in Turing Church in our endeavor to bring back all those who have left us… for an eternal life together.
II Yaa Devi Sarvavuteshu II
“Namastashy namastshayee namastshayee”
Cover picture: Courtesy Shivmandir Puja, Kolkata, 2019.
