I grew up in a hyper-religious Catholic family in Scotland. My brother, my uncle, my grand-uncle all were priests or wished to be. My parents were extremely conscious of their Catholicism both as a form of identity and a religious practice. And I was too, until I came to India. The pluralism I encountered here had me question the tradition I grew up into. But if you grew up in some form of orthodoxy, even if you distance yourself from it, it creeps up in another manifestation --- and for me it is through my writings. I keep studying religion and my way of looking at spirituality has been to research it, looking at it intellectually rather than from a devotional point of view.
Do you believe you are guided and protected by a superior force?
Throughout my life, I have had amazing runs of luck, and I have always felt incredibly protected. But as soon as I try to intellectualize it, I find myself unable to take this further step that would imply full faith in a deity. In fact, I feel less sure today about the existence of a deity than I ever had before. In my childhood, I would interpret countless events and experiences as the work of some divine agency. I no longer do.
Do you believe you have a special mission or purpose in this life?
At the age of eighteen, I would have enthusiastically agreed. Today I wouldn’t subscribe to the idea of a special purpose. As a child, I wished to be an author and an archaeologist, and I ended up not too far, as an author and historian. But in fact, I have very few abilities --- I am hopelessly bad in anything to do with maths, I have no head for business, so I am lucky that at least I can write, because otherwise what would have I become?
What is spirituality for you in your day to day life?
It is important for children to grow up in some religious environment, so we do have rituals at home. For instance, my wife Olive takes the children to Church every Sunday. And I occasionally join, though reluctantly, as I find myself less and less able to believe in any form...
