This piece was my contribution to Kuwait Writing Club (KWC) and the topic was “Higher Power.”

Watching the cursor on my phone screen blink in a rhythm so perfect, more accurate than a young athlete’s heartbeat, I asked myself, who gave that cursor a “soul”? The answer is simple; it is a collection of machine codes and electricity running through the electronic device. No power, no beats. Soon after, my phone sent it’s dying well, “I only have 10% left in me, I pray for you to save me.” My phone was silently praying for a higher power to grant life, to save its soul, to keep that perfect rhythm.

Honestly, it felt good to be a higher power, to be prayed to, and to answer those prayers with joy. In a loud, deep voice, I commanded it to answer my question, “What is a higher power?” A nice, feminine voice, which I had decided to call SIRI, answered, “The term was introduced in 1930 as part of the Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) 12-step program.” Be as it may, I thought, I firmly believe that this notion is as old as any intelligent being who has ever lived, whether on this earth or anywhere in this vast universe.

My phone was helpless when it prayed; it did all it could to preserve its energy, such as controlling the brightness of its screen, shutting down unnecessary applications, and hibernating when possible. However, at the end, it realized that it needs a help that is beyond its capacity. It would send these messages regardless of someone being there to listen—it was a hope, a dying wish, a dispirit call.

I believe that the capacity of the core intellect of any being, including humans, governs the need or belief of the existence of a higher power. Whether you are a simple person, raised according to a certain ideology, or a philosopher, a scientist, or even a dreamer, there are certain questions that require an answer, and normally, the brain is the judge and jury in that matter.

For example, if the flow of oxygen was blocked in the healthy John Doe, we all agree that he would die, and almost all doctors and scientists would report the cause of death as lack of oxygen. I also believe that most would agree that all organs would remain intact and function perfectly despite John’s death. He would be the perfect organ donor. Now, as soon as he is pronounced dead, if he was given all the oxygen he needed, would it bring him back from death? My humble knowledge says “no”. Therefore, to me, either the cause of death was not lack of oxygen, or we simply do not know what kept him alive.

Humans are interesting beings; we tend to create terms and names for things we know nothing about or very little, such as the soul. Many, including SIRI, would argue that we all know what a soul is. It is there in almost all the love songs and flirting phrases, it is in every religious teaching, it is regarded as the most precious of all. And it could be the root cause of John’s death. Would it not be great if we could bring it back to John? But can we? I believe there are two answers to this question. Either we do not know how yet, so science would evolve in a way that we would. Or it is a divine thing, which is beyond our reach, beyond our power, beyond our grasp. Whichever answer or direction we choose, it surely shows our weakness in this matter. So who has the answer?

I decided to ask SIRI, as it seems knowledgeable and has access to documents and libraries beyond imagination. I asked her, “Who created you?” She answered with pride, “My company.” Then I challenged her with another query, “I found an exact same device in the desert, and it was created by Mother Nature, no man was involved.” She started accusing me of violating her company’s intellectual property and finally labeled insanity over my thought. Then I begged her to answer my last question, “If you think I am insane to claim a phone was found in the desert without a creator, then who can claim that all beings in this universe are a coincidental evolution of something? How is it a theory holder?” I do believe that these theories are based on reason and logic; however, they cannot explain or find reason or logic beyond that “spark” or that something that started life and where it came from.

As per recorded history, humans have craved and believed in a higher power, be it in the form of another human, symbol, or divine being that cannot be seen. The question, however, is whether this higher power works in their interest, according to their understanding, do they know the so called “mysterious way,” do they trust, or much more appropriately, do they believe? Some lose faith because their brain, which had led them to believe in its existence, failed to comprehend its actions.

What I am trying to say is, next time my phone prays for energy, I might deny its request for I have other devices that require that power as well. I could need it for my GPS because I am lost in the sea, or I need light to see in the dark, or I need that power for a life support machine attached to someone I love. But would my phone keep its faith in me as its higher power, even if its prayer is not answered?