Month: October 2015

Acceptable Adjustments: Reflections on Pet Ownership and Human Nature

When my daughter found a stray cat, she called the humane society and decided to keep him. We took care of everything necessary, and now he is called Ben. Very soon, Ben went into the washroom, grabbed hold of the toilet paper, and you can guess what happened. Now, the toilet paper goes in a basket, and my towel, which keeps getting dropped on the floor, is placed on a door hook instead of a hanger.

Blind strings were pulled, picture frames from tables were broken, some ornaments were thrown out because they were damaged, and we had to adjust to the need to become nose-blind. Despite these many acceptable adjustments, we still have a cat named Ben.

Ever wonder why we make these acceptable adjustments? Why do we get a cat or a dog and take the responsibility to walk it every day, regardless of the weather? And the kicker is that we have to pick up the poop as well. Why is it so important for humans to take care of their pets? Why do we sometimes care more for our pets than for other human beings? What is the driving force behind all this? These questions made me think about acceptable adjustments.

I was surprised that it took a cat to inspire me to understand acceptable adjustments. When you think about flexibility, we all have it inside us to make acceptable adjustments. It’s just that some of us can’t adjust and accommodate changes, thus can’t see the potential and power of love. Naturally and directly, it is ingrained and connected to our core, where we are raw animals. (Read “Love Triangle”)

As social creatures, we can’t live our lives relying solely on intellect. The power of our nature can rob us of happiness and contentment. Ignoring our emotions and the chemical-related satisfactions of life leads to substandard living. As intellectual beings, we also can’t live without intellect, so it’s up to each individual to create balance.

I personally believe in zigzagging through intellect and nature because emotional intellect holds very powerful cards, especially in a mortal life.

Love is a core element, not just installed by our education but brought along from before birth. Our education can change people and turn them into beasts. By nature, we are actually ripened and dressed with potential human jewelry before the fear-based education of prejudice. Just look at us interacting as babies.

There is another reason we can’t ignore the importance of love: it affects our emotions and can bring extreme happiness, sadness, and mental health problems. If a child loses love, it can have a permanent impact on their life.

Watch out for the loss of love or robbing others of love in the name of God or your belonging group. In my view, robbing someone of love is a spiritual crime because if it hurts you, you shouldn’t inflict the same pain on others.

Ask yourself why it hurts to lose love, and you will open up a different book you haven’t read yet. Emotional intellect is needed to solve our modern-day problems. Our wars, individual animosities, and related tolls on humanity are all related to the loss of love. (Read “Love Triangle”)

Your life is your project, and you are the CEO. If you have a problem, recognize it, acknowledge it, accept it, own it, and then do something about it. If we all start doing something about it, we will go places we’ve never been.

If you have extreme beliefs, always remember your mortality and your jewelry of compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love. That is what makes you human. Wear your jewelry not only for your belonging group but for yourself and all humanity, because you are the thread of that fabric. The stronger you are, the stronger the fabric.

If you have prejudice in you, still acknowledge your mortality because a temporary journey should not be accompanied by inner demons of judgment. They don’t only harm others; they also have the potential to rob you of your happiness. In a temporary life, there is nothing more important than your inner happiness and contentment.

Thinking you are superior to others can erode your happiness because, in the end, you know deep inside that you will live and die like everyone else. You have been fed the wrong information to believe you are better. If you are better, why do you share the same fate? You get hungry, sick, old, and die the same way. What makes you special is that you are a spiritual part of the same body of God or humanity. Genetically, you have passed the same test as others, so own it to be a human being. Wear your jewelry with pride, even if your parents have the disorder of prejudice. You don’t have to be exactly like your parents.

Our problems are related to our education, so accepting that we are evolving organisms would help acknowledge that our knowledge has never been complete. Straying from ancestral education is actually addressing the foundational problem.

If an individual’s family instills prejudice, he or she has to work against it as they become adults. A logical look at prejudice involves understanding its source: the misunderstanding of our sense of belonging, which is the culprit in the foundation of our wars and collective disputes. So, start making some acceptable adjustments.

I saw the Blue Jays’ excited fans on the news, screaming and literally out of breath with emotions. I couldn’t help but think about the sense of belonging and the mixed blend of fans and even the team. Looking at the athletes, they are all mixed: Black, White, Latinos, or from other parts of the world, but they play for the Blue Jays, a Canadian team. The fans were from all races but proud of being Canadian.

The teams are composed of players from all over the world, but they play for certain nations. Nations can be proud or upset about winning or losing, so what is at play? It is the sense of belonging to the nation, which has changed significantly in the last fifty years. The teams are created by players to compete for a prize. You could be a Canadian playing for the Americans, or vice versa. What is blending all the differences? Is this the evolution people are afraid of? If it is harmless in sports, it is harmless in countries and religions as well. We just have to overcome our prejudice. We need to keep evolving to spread tolerance. This can only happen if we all learn to make some acceptable adjustments.

If we are all given total freedom and equal rights, we should be able to live in melting pot societies. This is only possible with the education of the sense of belonging to humanity as a whole instead of a group. Israel can only solve its problems with equality. By force, there is a lot of love lost, leading to perpetual killings and more love lost. Behaviors can’t change. The conflicts can continue for thousands of years if we don’t acknowledge the ramifications of love lost.

The majority of societies, especially the developed ones, have changed. Just look at the populations. There are not only people from all over the world, but also mixed and biracial new generations. These factors compel societies to accommodate changes and adapt to the changing times.

Conservatives lost badly in the elections because they are not changing according to the population. Equal individual human rights should be a must in every political party. Conservatives shamelessly, unethically, and unlawfully chose Christians from the Syrian refugees because they want the country to be religious. Canada is a secular democracy with laws that protect individual human rights.

Fighting change is conservative and rooted in old group or religious ideologies. Make sure not to stand on the wrong side because time will judge you in the future. Make some acceptable adjustments now, or time will leave you behind, just like the Bloc Quebecois. Language policing in this day and age is a joke and is related to extreme prejudice, which is against human rights. We all need acceptable adjustments to help us cross the lines of prejudice and become part of humanity.

I learned at an early age about the power of being a social creature. I always went to the movies with friends. Once, I wanted to go, but my friend did not have money, which made me realize that I was willing to pay his way regardless of not having much money myself.

Sometimes we need to understand the purpose of money. It is there for us to use during our living years, and whatever makes us happy, we need to buy that. If we look deeper, we willingly spend money on others: family, friends, community, nation, and religions all get their share.

Mates have an even bigger share because, as men or women, we go to school to get a job, buy a home, find a mate, and make a family. It’s almost like we are hypnotized. There was a term called “twitterpated” that I heard in a cartoon program while watching TV with my kids.

By the power of nature, we dance to the rhythm of life yet believe we are using our free will. The orders of nature have so much power that we can’t control them, regardless of our education and evolution. Babies keep coming.

We work hard to get a mate, yet we don’t respect and trust their contributions. We look at them as enemies and react strongly with hate because of our potential love loss. We care more about pets, pick up their poop, and do whatever is needed, but not for our mates. If everyone put the same effort into their relationships with their mates as they do with their pets, we would have a very different divorce rate. It is the love loss that makes people hate each other and unable to make acceptable adjustments.

I did not want to go to the movies by myself. Why? There is a big why. Why do we gladly spend our money on our social needs? Why do we invite friends? Why do we get together? What makes us want to have pets? Why does a dog get special treatment, taking it for a walk and picking up its poop? What is so powerful behind all that, making us make acceptable adjustments?

We go far for a dog or a cat but not for a mate. Is it really the mate or our ego? It is our self-pleasing, pleasure-seeking nature, with hormones running the show. Once we lose the chemistry, we start thinking with our mind and how much it hurts to lose the love we had. The pain is related to self, not the mate. What we lose is love; hence, it is love that gives happiness and contentment, not the mate. We have to continue to change and adjust if we want to stay happy.

There is another culprit that I found in my young life: the dependency on our partners. We change partners and hate them once the partnership becomes dependent. Love changes to dependency; hence, we start hating. We only lose love when we become dependent, but if we share our lives equally, without burdening each other with all the responsibilities, love does not change to dependency. This is another important acceptable adjustment in our personal life.

There is another area of prejudice: a child born out of wedlock. I recently met someone who had this problem in his life. He went through major grief because of this. People need to understand that we are not created by the couple alone but are part of nature’s will. Nobody should be treated as though they don’t belong or are not welcome. We must remember that we don’t own this world; we are only passing through.

When you look at human history, there are many prejudices related to class, caste, and economic situations. Those born into poor families are considered worthless, yet there is nothing wrong with being born into a poor family. We are not here by choice but by nature’s will. When you think about this, it’s easier to understand the logical necessity of acceptable adjustments.

We must accept that people need equal opportunities and a sense of belonging in the overall fabric of society. The internet revolution can serve this purpose by eliminating misinformation and showing the richness of diversity. Acceptable adjustments are necessary to become a part of humanity. We must extend the same courtesies to each other as we do to our pets because we all belong to the same social network.

If we start acknowledging the reality of our interconnectedness and our mutual need for love and support, we can make the necessary acceptable adjustments to create a more tolerant, loving, and inclusive world.

I want to start this with a story I heard from Dr. Wayne Dyer on TV. I don’t remember his exact words, but the idea remains.

“A man was walking along and noticed a butterfly trying to get out of its cocoon. He watched it struggle for a while and decided to help. He ripped open the cocoon, but instead of flying away, the butterfly just hobbled around. Its wings weren’t strong enough to lift its body. The body was still too heavy for the little wings to fly. The man’s help was not what the butterfly needed. Sometimes, the wisdom of nature needs to be understood before we act.”

The man made a mistake out of compassion. As human beings, we can make mistakes and learn from them, but our intentions should be for the betterment of humanity. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that clipping someone’s wings is a mistake. From parents to politicians, and society to religions, this mistake is often repeated with or without good intentions. Many social, religious, and governing systems are designed to control individuals. They shamelessly use the politics of belonging to undermine individuality.

I believe in interdependence, but with a balance of reciprocation to achieve full potential. If an individual has potential but is controlled, they can’t reciprocate, which I view as non-spiritual. An evolved human strengthens humanity and God more than one who is controlled. Our traditions and customs often overprotect, ripping the cocoon or clipping the wings of even our offspring.

Each of us, if we have five dollars, is potentially a CEO and destined to contribute to humanity and God while benefiting ourselves. Gender is not a limitation unless imposed by some entity, society, or oneself. Stigmatizing even one individual through stereotyping removes many potential contributors from the equation. For instance, if women don’t work and are limited to just bearing and caring for children, they become dependent. This removes a significant portion of the potential workforce that could help society progress. Consequently, it keeps the individual and society at a substandard level. This can be seen globally; it just requires the ability to think, see, and judge.

My focus is on equal human rights and the spiritual reciprocation of all individuals, so we can collectively evolve to reach our potential as intended by God. Every cell in our bodies has a job, receiving nutrients and oxygen to survive, function, and reciprocate. We, like our body cells, must function to help humanity and God.

If any political practice, tradition, custom, or rule—even from religions—prevents individuals from reciprocating, it is against God, humanity, and spirituality. Even a functioning God is meaningless without human reciprocation. If you are a female and believe you can contribute more than just bearing children, you see yourself as the CEO of your life. Reproduction is essential, but life is not complete without reciprocation.

Reaching our potential individually and collectively is the purpose of our lives. The destination is not what religions preach; it’s about living years where you benefit and help humanity and God move forward. The belief in life after death gives hope and courage to push through life’s difficulties. However, life after death is unknown and based on assumptions. Living for the afterlife without reciprocation is misguided, especially when beliefs are imposed by force. Forced beliefs are political, not spiritual, because they block individuals from reaching their potential to serve humanity.

Religions often impose rules to control individuals, which is fear-driven, showing a lack of trust and optimism. This lack of belief contradicts the trust in God’s will. If you truly believe in God, why control outcomes according to personal choices? Either you believe in God’s will or you don’t. The main reason God and religions have endured is that belief systems help individuals.

To reduce life’s stresses, you must genuinely believe. Only then can God and religion remove deep-seated fears. Yet, popular religions often instill rather than remove fears. This reflects the politics of belonging, existing so individuals give up their potential for a promised spot in heaven. This political manipulation undermines the individual.

As a religious leader, you are first a human being and the CEO of your life. If you preach to suppress others, you follow outdated rules, not your personal spirituality. Questioning, thinking, and creating is a PhD; following a book without personal thought is a master’s degree. Help as a whole individual, not as an ideology’s extension. Everyone has similar abilities, so choose to be a CEO.

Believing in something is one thing, but the harm of those beliefs to others is your responsibility. Teach and preach for the benefit of humanity and God, not to suppress others. If education robs self-esteem, it hinders contributions to humanity and God. Dependents can’t help God’s work due to a lack of reciprocation.

You can’t just pray for change; God has given you the potential, and you must know its value. Humanity has achieved so much with our intellect; it should not be undermined by religious stigmatization. Our justice systems are separate from religions, but religious political control persists. Conflicts like the niqab case in North America highlight this struggle. Individual rights protect such practices, even against popular opinion.

Conservatives need to recognize societal changes. Refugee selection based on religion, not individual suffering, is divisive politics. Belonging to one group should be outdated; we need governing systems protecting equal human rights.

We must first recognize our humanity before learned identities. The niqab debate is exaggerated by fear-based politics. If we dictate appearances, we infringe on personal freedoms. Polygamy exists due to individual rights, despite societal opposition. We must allow personal choices without harm to others.

The politics of security is prevalent, but real identity lies in being human. Peace comes from individual understanding, not group politics. War and conflict often stem from the loss of love, leading to revenge. This perpetuates violence and emotional turmoil.

Our intellect must guide our actions, not just emotions. Political decisions, like the Iraq war, have far-reaching, uncontrollable consequences, causing suffering and conflict. The true damage is the loss of love, fueling hatred and prejudice.

Human conflicts often disregard emotional and love loss. Our emotions drive us, sometimes overpowering intellect. To solve conflicts, we must embrace our humanity and reject divisive group politics. Each person can be a CEO, solving personal and collective issues by belonging to humanity, not just groups. Understanding ourselves and our potential can extinguish conflict and promote peace.

Say no to innocent killings and suffering. Support systems that consider individual emotions and love. Conflicts arise from the politics of belonging, but peace comes from balancing belonging with freedom. More CEOs lead to better outcomes.

We need to create a balance within the individual so that their group’s politics cannot corrupt them. This individual is my ideal chief executive officer (CEO). If we let ourselves be treated like cattle, we cannot realize the potential that God has in store for us.

A sense of belonging is a legitimate and powerful aspect of our lives. Each of us has duties and responsibilities as we grow up, serving while receiving from the society we belong to, or, as I should say, the group we belong to. Just as a newborn’s umbilical cord is cut—a natural, undeniably logical fact and a real sign of independence—our physical umbilical cord is severed, but the invisible cord belonging to our groups is hard to separate from. As individuals, we grow to become part of the working machine, especially concerning the politics of group belonging.

As I said, cutting the umbilical cord is a natural, undeniably logical fact, so each of us should be able to be an independent CEO. How many of us are the real CEOs of our lives? Are you a CEO who chooses to belong to humanity as a whole instead of exclusively to a group? Would you change your way of thinking if I make sense to you?

Since we are all produced and built the same way, we are all mirrors. If you look at me with prejudice, racism, and hate, you are looking at yourself in the mirror, seeing the same thing. There is counter-prejudice related to racism present all over the world as well.

Turning the other cheek is a mythical reality. In the real and practical world, it is hard to find people who would turn the other cheek for you. Most of the time, you get what you see in the mirror. If you are full of hate, prejudice, and racism, you can’t possibly see the opposite in other people.

I talk about human jewelry: wear your compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love so we all start to see humans adorned with what separates us from other animals. Wearing these jewels would make you see your personal reflection in others, not because they don’t have the jewelry, but because of what you feel inside, you see in others. For instance, you may carry anger because of the circumstances or the story of your life, and you see anger in all people. If you carry love, you may see love in all. It is not what others carry that matters; it is about what you carry inside.

If you don’t trust yourself and feel insecure, you will not be able to trust others, and your lack of trust and personal insecurities will only harm you. It is not what goes on outside; it is all about what goes on inside of you. There is a lot more in your hands than you have been led to believe.

Personally, I think some people feel better about themselves by joining a group of like-minded people, a sports team, a religion, or a nation. Some people feel better by following and taking on a cause, while others feel better by opposing it all. Whether it’s related to the sense of belonging, ego, or deeply seated inferiority complexes and self-esteem issues, one has to understand self-related issues and take charge to balance the sense of belonging with the sense of freedom because the natural umbilical cord has been cut.

The strength of the belief system, the amount of passion, and the desire to be right are simply measured by the sense of belonging. Lack of or disregard for a sense of freedom is a sign of self-disregard and inner imbalance of the individual. As evolving organisms, being imbalanced can influence individuals to rob themselves of happiness, even if they are aware of being mortal. The collection of these individuals in one place can be downright destructive and dangerous. If we all individually learn to deal with our inner demons, we can potentially and actually solve our collective problems. That is why I believe in strengthening the individual so we all can become the CEOs of our lives.

My logic against prejudice and its origin is to work against the politics of the sense of belonging, which gets the best of us. Yes, it even got our Prophets. Regardless of our level of spirituality and evolution, we as nations, races, religions, and even genders can’t get around prejudice because, right from the start, leaders of our families, communities, and even our religious leaders sowed the seeds of prejudice. For instance, they taught that if you join us, you somehow become better than others and will go to heaven.

By joining a larger group, an individual may get some temporary false self-esteem, security, and hope but become entrenched in believing they are better than others. To me, this is the foundational flaw of the education system, which has been and still is costing us dearly. As humanity, we are still paying the price of prejudice with blood and can’t come out of it.

I blame our past leadership styles and politics for today’s problems. I may not blame the Prophets because of their spiritual education but I blame our past and present religious leaders who let their group politics override spirituality. To cause for yesterday’s, today’s, and hopefully not for future killings because I have expectations, at least from the holy and the wise, to foresee the future implications of their teachings. Our religions talk about humanity but most of the time under their umbrella. Personally, I think it’s highly political, yet religion should be strictly spiritual and just. We should leave politics and logic to our governing systems.

Humans came together because of their social nature and the need for security, but in the process, they gave up many crucial elements of their individuality. In return for their contribution to society, society protected and provided for them. As populations grew, the need drove groups to move towards regions with more comfort and resources. This need for resources and security has existed as long as societies have, and migration still goes on. Yet, people still mark their territory just like less evolved beings or other animals. We have nearly two hundred countries with conflicting factions within the same countries, races, religions, and nations. Nowadays, conflicts are even found between genders. It may appear that we have improved and evolved from our past, but the death toll is an ongoing and consistent process.

Today, if one looks at societies, the people in them seem molded and brainwashed to follow ancient customs and traditions. Every society judges others and finds them inferior just because previous generations thought so. One set of extremists thinks that since they pray to God and make sacrifices, they will go to heaven, and others who do not will go to hell. The other set of extremists thinks it is regressive even to think about the existence of God. Both sides try to mold their young ones to follow the same way of living they have followed for thousands of years, even if it has been destructive, barbaric, and against the evolutionary nature of human beings.

An individual is not able to judge whether something is right or wrong because of their society’s commonly accepted views and their personal strength of the sense of belonging. That is the fundamental cause of prejudice in an individual’s life. This flawed education system of societies has haunted people for thousands of years, yet we still want to follow the path our ancestors have carved for us. We follow it not because it is right or wrong, but because of our strong sense of belonging.

If one has to live in a society, its rules have to be followed. Here, a person does not even value their own views. For instance, the liberated women of the West would never want to be like the women in the East because of their way of living. Similarly, women from the East would think being wild and liberated is against their values. Both sides look down upon each other because of their upbringing, education, and the sense of belonging influenced by their respective societies.

Social influences have the potential to dictate personal values, so there is little focus on personal happiness and contentment. This makes it dangerous for an individual, especially if the individual is mortal to begin with.

Who is right or wrong has always been the cause of our problems, which is why we have been fighting and killing each other. If you look at it logically, we have been fighting each other and killing innocents because of our ego. Since ego is not limited to the individual, it has its tentacles collectively in all societies as well. It is a proven fact that humans are evolving entities, and our knowledge is constantly evolving. Thus, claiming present knowledge is complete and ultimate is egotistic, especially when it comes to religion.

Once, I picked up a Christian magazine, ‘Awake,’ dated April 22, 1993, to read about religion’s role in wars. The article began with this quotation: “There have never been a people that did not have some form of religion.” The line was from ‘The World Book of Encyclopedia,’ 1970. Yet historians Will and Ariel Durant wrote: “War is one constant of history.” So, are the two constants, war and religion, related? Indeed, throughout history, they have been inseparable. On the next page was a quotation by Anne Fremantle from her book, Age of Faith: “Of all the wars men have waged, none have been more zealously undertaken than those on behalf of a faith. And of these holy wars, none have been bloodier and more protracted than the Christian Crusades of the Middle Ages.”

Recently, I was reading Time magazine and found a quote I feel is important. In the issue of April 25, 2011, Jon Meacham has an article headlined “Is Hell Dead?” He quotes Rob Bell, a pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church: “When we get to what happens when we die, we don’t have any video footage. So let’s at least be honest that we are speculating, because we are.”

The individual has been domesticated by their belonging society. The individual has suffered. They have been made to feel inadequate and dependent. They have been taught that God, religion, politics, and society are more important than themselves. When one becomes part of a group, one automatically becomes inferior and leaves behind what God has created them to be, robbing themselves of the privilege God has given them.

One must understand that the Creator created things universally, like oxygen, water and food as the necessity for all living beings. Especially when it comes to being a human being, we all know that not only do we need oxygen, water and food we also know our aging and mortal nature as well. Therefore, we all may look different but we need everything the same way to live. So, regardless of our looks, we have been given the same rights and freedom to live according to our capabilities. Since the umbilical cord of the individual has been cut at birth, an individual can’t be limited to a group, so we have developed societies and nations. If we belong to any particular religion or race, we are taking away our right to belong to humanity and the right to live our individual life freely.

An individual has to recognize their importance in the larger scheme of life, they have to know that they are the one who convert spirituality into physical actions to be meaningful..

I read a poem while growing up, although I don’t recall the author. It goes something like this:

“Na khudaa he milla na visaal-e-sanam Na idher kay rahay na udher kay rahay.”

The author says:

“Neither I could find God nor I got to my love, I lost from both sides.”

Religions often claim that everything written in their holy books is the word of God and, therefore, unchangeable. They assert that God is in control and that humans are insignificant. Religions have used this belief for political purposes to control people.

Today, this is backfiring as moderates and extremists within each religion are at war. Religious leaders find it hard to remain relevant if they cannot make necessary changes.

Spirituality, on the other hand, remains consistent. Humanity helping each other to evolve elevates the concept of God to an even higher level. I believe in God’s existence and almightiness, but not without humanity. The two are like positive and negative wires needed to light up a bulb; separated, they are worthless.

When you stray from spirituality and delve into the politics of belonging, you inevitably end up in predicaments like the Pope recently found himself in.

Ideally, the Pope should not be caught in controversy because either you are accepting equality, or you are religiously promoting prejudice. I would like to see some media investigate the claims of the lady who said the Pope thanked her for sticking with her religious convictions, even when they were against the law and spirituality. It is against spirituality because all people are created equal for the same purpose. Whether you are a brain cell, heart cell, skin cell, liver cell, lung cell, or colon cell, your purpose is to make the body live. In return, the body provides you with life, so no cells are superior or inferior in the survival of both. If you believe you become better or superior by believing in a particular religion, think again. Even the colon cell has its importance; if it fails, the whole body comes crashing down because no life-giving food comes in. A religion, race, gender, or nation does not make a person better or superior; personal character makes the difference.

The sense of belonging is a powerful phenomenon, so it is naturally hard for an ordinary individual to overcome. That is why even the Pope can’t stay away from politics. Not too long ago, he said not to judge homosexuals or women who have had abortions. Now, he meets and encourages a lady who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The sense of belonging to religion is the ultimate goal for a large segment of the population, so politics cannot be separated from religion.

That is why I believe spirituality is pure and free from politics. If a religion can’t stay away from politics, it is no longer spiritual. They will lose compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love. Without these jewels, there is nothing left but politics. Can you find these jewels today? Just look around and see the killings in the name of God—pure and simple politics of belonging and nothing more.

There is nothing wrong with politics in running a community or country, but when mixed with religion, it can be deadly. This has been proven repeatedly, and the ongoing wars, individual sufferings, and refugee crises are living proof that politics and religion should not mix. Religions should remain spiritual, respecting and valuing individuals above even God because, without individuals, God loses His miracle workhorse. Without individuals, nothing can be materialized, prayers can’t be fulfilled, and the poor can’t be helped. The whole notion of God comes crashing down because there is no one left to believe in God.

Religions, spirituality, and other governing systems should benefit human beings both individually and collectively. Look around and go through history—does this happen? Religious and political killings continue, regardless of our evolution. The main reason is the politics of belonging to one particular group instead of humanity.

We have worked hard to remove ourselves from the food chain, but the only predator we can’t get rid of is ourselves. We commit suicide, kill, and get killed individually and collectively by our own kind. What will it take for us to evolve from this level? Our religions have failed us miserably, nationalism causes grief, and racism and prejudice remain prevalent despite the popularity of equal human rights.

The necessity of the time calls for all of us to become CEOs of our own lives, harnessing our out-of-control sense of belonging to our groups and dealing with present-day problems by joining humanity as a whole.

As a CEO, you can see the problems behind the problems. Our sense of belonging to our respective groups causes many unresolved issues. When someone commits suicide because of what others think of them, it is a sign of an out-of-control sense of belonging because you want to belong, fit in, impress, or be admired by those around you. If you balance your sense of belonging with a sense of freedom, you can achieve the status God intended for you.

A CEO understands the role of brain chemistry, overrides personal insecurities and learned social knowledge with spiritual knowledge.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: it is time to take the next leap of faith with spirituality to overcome all kinds of prejudice. The process has already started with the emergence of melting pot societies and individual human rights becoming the new religion.

If the Pope can’t discourage prejudice, he should at least not encourage it. In melting pot societies, if you don’t have human rights above all else, it can’t be a melting pot. Humanity should be above all groups, whether a gang, community, nation, religion, or sect.

A while back, I saw a gay man promoting Quebec’s charter. I thought it was odd and contradictory because if you support individual rights, you can’t promote one particular group’s interests over humanity. In Quebec, the promotion of equality and strong opposition to the niqab coexist with a so-called language police. It is a jumbled mix of politics and belonging. You can’t promote something for one group if you want a prejudice-free society. Homosexuals and extremely religious people with polygamy or niqab are protected by the same supreme court laws. It is twisted but clear: to live in a melting pot society, you must respect individual rights. We can’t solve the bigger issue of polygamy, which no one discusses as a political and women’s rights issue, but the niqab has taken the front seat in politics. Polygamy has been a religious issue for a long time, protected by human rights laws. Some may say it is against women’s liberation and a sign of oppression, but it persists in North America. I believe it is a bigger issue than the niqab.

We are going through changing times and will flip-flop for a while to get it right. Until then, we must bear our contradictions collectively.

When extreme religious beliefs rob individuals of love by killing their loved ones, I must stand against all kinds of extremism and bigotry because healing from love loss wounds is not easy.

The longer the killings continue, the more people suffer from love loss, leading to more passionate revenge killings. This perpetual emotional war could lead to self-destruction. Ironically, this destruction is predicted in most holy books. My question to humanity is: are we going to follow religions because of these predictions, or do we have a say in changing them? I believe each of us is blessed with the CEO status, so it is up to us to decide and change the predictions. Can we do it? Yes, if we can shift our sense of belonging from a group to humanity as a whole.