If you meet the Messiah on the Road . . .

There is a Buddhist proverb that goes, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." This harsh statement points out the truth that one who really is the Buddha would not make such claims for himself. There is not a comparable statement that I know of in any other religion, but I am certain the sentiment held by adherents in other religions would be similar. No true Messiah would so announce herself or himself to the world.

But, what do you do if you are not making that claim for yourself, but others are saying it about you? Such is the fate for a man named Raj Patel. In a February 5 story in the NY Times, Scott James tells the strange tale of what Mr. Patel's life has become. Writes Mr. Scott, "A native of London now living on Potrero Hill in San Francisco, Mr. Patel suddenly finds himself an unlikely object of worship, proclaimed the messiah Maitreya by followers of the New Age religious sect Share International."

It seems that Benjamin Creme, the leader of Share International prophesied on January 14 that the Maitreya had come. Mr. Creme did not name a name, but gave clues such as: born in India in 1972, travelled to London in 1977, dark-skinned, and a stutterer. All of this hit as Mr. Patel was making the rounds of the media outlets publicising his new book. With the details of his life available to anyone with a computer and the ability to use google, the faithful followers of Share International soon found that Mr. Patel fit all of the criteria defined by Mr. Creme.

The flood of e-mails from the faithful asking "Are you the One?" soon caused Mr. Patel to try to keep his personal contact information private. Unfortunately that has not deterred the true believers. Even Mr. Patel's denials that he is the Maitreya have worked against him, for, of course, the real Maitreya will not confirm that he is the real Maitreya.

Mr. Scott's story ends with this observation: “It’s incredibly flattering, just for an instant,” Mr. Patel said of his unwanted status. “And then you realize what it means. People are looking for better times. Almost anything now will qualify as a portent of different times.”

How would you respond to such claims made about you? What do you think this phenomenon says about the world?