Month: December 2017

The disposal of human bodies has always been closely linked to our religious rituals, traditions, and customs. Some cultures bury their dead in cloth or caskets, while others practice cremation, and some even take their deceased to the mountains to be consumed by wildlife. Why is there such a variety of practices when we are all human beings made of the same carbon, genetics, and connections to humanity and God?

From birth, we are universally given a name, but when we die, that name is no longer used to refer to us. The body is then called a corpse or a dead body because the soul is no longer present. The question of what happens to the soul after death is not our focus here; instead, we are concerned with what happens to the body.

Unlike any other creature on Earth, human beings are not recycled in nature. Not only do we fail to recycle, but we also claim a piece of land long after death, while living humans remain homeless. This points to a significant disconnect in our societal systems.

I believe we need to evolve to address our modern problems. Regardless of traditions, customs, or rituals, we must adapt to changing times. If we were to bury bodies deep in farmland or forests, nature would recycle them. Cremation might be an easier and faster solution, but recycling could benefit future generations and the Earth, similar to how fossil fuels, derived from the oil of plants and dead creatures, have sustained us.

Having a grave to visit a loved one or adhering to religious rituals is one thing, but the rapidly changing realities of the world are another. Emotional satisfaction for immediate loved ones is important, but a tombstone dating back hundreds or thousands of years is a different matter. Should we continue practices unchanged for thousands of years, or should we evolve with the times?

I believe in respecting our past but in evolving with changing times even more. Discussing dead loved ones is a sensitive and emotional topic. However, if we have living homeless people while the dead who died hundreds of years ago still occupy land, it is not ethical for society. What about our dead religious leaders and their tombs? Should we change and destroy all that?

The world evolves at varying speeds. For some, it is too fast, and for others, too slow. It is neither; we must continue evolving respectfully. When something no longer makes sense or causes problems in modern life, it is time to move forward.

We see people fighting over past monuments, changing street names, or even team names because they have become offensive. We witness inappropriate sexual behaviors out in the open, reflecting societal changes rapidly enough to spin one’s head. Living homelessness is a worse problem than any burial system. I am not against respecting the dead, but I would rather remember my loved one by giving money to the poor or feeding the hungry in their name instead of visiting a graveyard.

If you argue that dead bodies should not be buried in farmland due to disease fears, consider where our sewer systems end up. Our waste, and who knows what else, is in our fertilizers. People used to live an average of thirty-eight years, but today, despite wars and drug interactions, average life expectancy has more than doubled. Our food is grown over our waste, yet we are still evolving. Scientists predict that life expectancy will rise even further in the near future.

This evolution is not happening on its own; without human intervention, we would still be living in caves and bushes. Ideas of age extension are related to human imagination. While God’s will is with humanity, religions alone cannot change mortality, provide oxygen, or stop natural disasters.

From throwing virgins off cliffs to opposing life-saving blood transfusions and sending young people to kill and be killed in the name of God, these actions do not add years to our lives. While their teachings have elevated us from savages to human beings, the political aspects of religion have also caused setbacks. The damage caused by religious politics often outweighs the good they have done by hindering human evolution or opposing it. The scientific community has a similar history; drugs save lives but have also caused harm.

We must not prioritize the knowledge of humanity over the importance of living individuals. All religions are based on human knowledge, but none is as important as a living individual, who embodies the physicality of spirituality. Why do our traditions, customs, and religious rituals matter more than living beings? The hypocritical policies of religions and scientific communities often undermine the existence of God from both sides.

Religious people play the role of God, punishing and killing others in His name. When you believe in God, you need to understand His will, your personal free will, and the politically tainted will of your belonging groups. Only then can you appreciate the importance of loving humanity and other individuals as yourself.

All human knowledge, whether scientific or religious, guides us to be good human beings. However, our sense of belonging often leads us astray. Data can never become a computer, and a human being is not data. Personal justice, equal human rights, love, compassion, forgiveness, and the desire and ability to help the needy are the hard facts of humanity. These are your personal jewels to wear. If your guidelines strip you of these jewels, you must learn more about the politics of belonging. Even if promised the world or heaven, without your jewels, you may end up in a living hell.

I believe our evolution with time is imperative. Any group that hinders, blocks, or stands against it is opposing God’s will, regardless of their belief system. Your personal spirituality should guide you to be a good person, regardless of your belonging groups. Whether a scientist or a religious fanatic, you must understand that your jewels are tied to your spiritual side. At the end of the day, the politics of belonging tells you that your good is bad and their bad is good.

A scientist may kill millions for political reasons, or a religious extremist may kill or be killed, both having nothing to do with spirituality. The politics of belonging is the main culprit of war-related killings, going against personal justice and ethics. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

We all have a built-in personal free will and sense of justice, but we are often influenced by the politically discriminatory data of our belonging groups. By using your God-given free will and sense of justice, you will naturally learn to belong to humanity as a whole. Otherwise, you may sell your soul to the devil in the name of God.

If you don’t follow what is natural for you, it’s not intellectual. As human beings, we are intertwined with physical nature, like other creatures, and at the same time, we are blessed with God-like spirituality. The ability to bring spirituality into physical form sets humans apart. Doing good comes naturally to humans because of the spiritual entity within. However, the awareness of mortality can throw us off balance. Some find wisdom and happiness despite their mortality, while others ignore it and live as if they are permanent. When the time comes to face aging or death, anxiety sets in. Learning to embrace aging before it happens can help accumulate happiness regardless of mortality. Both natural urges and wisdom can pull us in different directions, but we can create balance.

If you follow only intellect, you may lose more than you should as a mortal. It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow if you follow today’s trends, friends, or causes, knowing you have limited time.

Today’s news is filled with stories of sexual abuse. A bad apple is a bad apple, regardless of gender, and should be addressed as a human rights issue. The desire to curb aggressive male behavior might compel Western cultures to reconsider the old Eastern arranged marriage system. I’m not advocating for one system over another; I embrace human evolution and change rather than sticking to the past. Religious values with prejudice and discrimination are in the past.

If a male feels he must suppress his natural behavior, what role does he take? Should females become the aggressors? The population will adapt to changes. Historically, strong alpha males had multiple partners, while beta males went without. As we evolved intellectually, we adopted monogamous family structures, considered civilized worldwide. Some religions allow multiple partners, but these exceptions are not exclusive to any one religion. A Christian sect leader is currently in jail for having multiple wives and children. We will always change as we experiment with our species’ evolution. The question is, are these changes right, and what are their side effects?

I support spirituality and evolution, but I am also one hundred percent in favor of equal human rights, regardless of the cost.

Humans have a body and brain. But who or what runs the brain? I believe it is “You,” the entity that runs both the body and brain. Since the brain is full of data installed by society, our social group expects it to follow societal rules. This entity is not male or female but makes decisions based on installed knowledge. Gender is data, not the being itself, and identity depends on societal stereotypes. Weaker individuals who rely on society to make rules may face confusion. This entity, the chief executive officer of one’s life, may have a male, female, or gender-neutral name.

A stroke survivor or an elderly person can tell you about living with all three entities: the body, brain, and self. When the brain and body are out of sync, the individual entity must create balance to be happy. Without this balance, life becomes difficult and increasingly unhappy.

Being labeled male or female is due to genetics and hormones, not the entity within. These hormones dictate natural inclinations. It’s said that males are aggressive pursuers, while females like to be pursued. Changing this natural order can cause inner turmoil, regardless of gender.

I see the side effects in males returning from war, who may come back with mental health issues that affect anxiety and depression in females.

If you are a beta male or female and expected to drive your life, you might need alpha help to avoid stress. As social creatures, humans live together, and societal trends can cause harmful side effects for individuals and the group. Societies should care about these issues and provide positive solutions.

These are interesting times. I wonder what the future holds with the gender rift. Abstinence promoted by religions has not improved social settings. Some priests have abused boys and hidden their crimes. These changes will affect society with many side effects, and only time will tell who pays the price. Both sexes are already paying by suppressing nature in favor of evolving times. We need to understand both our nature and how we evolve. Mortality places great responsibility on individuals. As temporary beings, it’s not wise to go against nature. Adopting social changes has always been optional for individuals, which is why some still follow old religious rules. Governments sometimes struggle to balance evolving social needs with religious freedom, making it difficult to navigate these issues. Despite increased attention to sexual abuse, the impact on religious abusers has waned over time. Will this trend continue? If so, both sexes will pay the price. A lack of trust among genders is not good for society.

Unlike individuals, society as an entity lives beyond individual lifetimes, so human rights must be respected. Forcing rules on mortals leads to deviance and disobedience when they have nothing to lose, which is why no society is crime-free. Blindly following social trends can cost you personally. Remember, you are the chief executive officer of your life, responsible for your mortal experience.

Eastern cultures arrange marriages for young couples, while Western cultures look down on this practice. Which is right for individuals and society? In the West, you search for a mate, risking failure in meeting the right person. Would you prefer your family to choose your mate? What if everyone, including yourself, is emotionally injured? Is anyone honest and trustworthy? Is this healthy? Despite potential issues, I am an eternal optimist. We must navigate social trends and make decisions with mortality in mind. Social trends, friends, and causes should not ruin your mortal life experience.

Exercise routines and religions share many commonalities. We follow them in similar ways. For instance, we seek structure to believe in and follow, allowing us to experience a sense of belonging. This means someone has to be a guide and provide that structure, because we often feel inadequate—not only due to our belonging groups but also because of our own self-doubt. We don’t believe we can be directly connected to the source. We’ve been told that we’re not worthy to approach God directly, yet we are the ones with free will, who decide and choose our paths.

Belonging groups typically don’t have a say in the decisions of the individual who is the chief executive officer of their life, unless that person has fully bought into the politics of the group. It is up to you to decide whether to change according to the times. Belonging groups often follow the agendas set by political powers.

If you believe your exercise routine is the best, you might automatically think that others’ routines are inferior, regardless of their progress. This bias is connected to the politics of belonging, which is tied to personal loyalties, ego, pride, and honor. You wouldn’t even know this if you weren’t taught by your belonging groups. I prefer to keep my eyes open to observe others’ progress, recognizing the politics of my sense of belonging. If I notice unfairness within myself, I remain open to learning, regardless of my accumulation of logical knowledge. Logic tells us that we only evolve if we seek growth; otherwise, we get stuck in a mindset where we believe our way of living is better than others’, breeding prejudice and discrimination.

There’s nothing wrong with following a set of rules to reach your goals. For example, all sports have coaches who create routines for individuals to follow and progress. These coaches often believe that what worked for them will work for everyone. They start to believe they can help others by making them follow the same methods. Regardless of the routine, people or athletes develop, compete, and win all over the world. When you look at the fundamentals of development, some basics apply. It always comes down to desire, drive, and genetics.

While achieving excellence requires further details like repeated and exhausting practice sessions, proper nutrition, and adequate recuperation, I won’t delve into those details because this blog is about spirituality. But even metaphorically, the connection is clear.

Let’s consider religions, ideologies, democracy, and all forms of governance—they all require people, and my logic says that any group of people will inevitably involve politics. When you mix politics with governance, anything goes. From character assassination to physical assassination and everything in between, it’s all fair game in the quest for political power. Whether ethical or not, false promises and manipulating people’s emotions are all acceptable in politics. An educated but emotional individual can often be persuaded to vote against their personal beliefs.

Do you really think this should be acceptable in the spiritual world of God or even in your personal sense of justice?

Personally, I believe all religions should be free from politics, even when it relates to a sense of belonging. Since religions are, and should be, connected to our spirituality, they should focus solely on spirituality and leave political issues to the politicians. As times change, we need to evolve to meet the challenges of an evolving world. Clinging to the glories of the past can disconnect us from the realities of the present.

When you bring politics into religion, you harm both. You may gain power, but it comes at a price. Injustice, prejudice, and discrimination are prevalent in most, if not all, religions. How can these imperfections and insecurities infiltrate our spiritual world?

It all depends on individual strength. If we are weak, we will not only allow it to happen but willingly participate. Any system that tramples on equal human rights is based on these three flaws. Religion or not, a spiritually aware individual with a personal sense of justice will always advocate for equal human rights. A religious system—or any justice system, for that matter—that lacks equal justice is impotent, especially if we start to think our routine is better than others, yet others can still outperform us. This ignorance cannot be addressed collectively because we all have a politics of belonging to our groups, making it an issue tied to individual justice.

Since every human being—regardless of color, gender, nationality, or religion—is equal in the eyes of God, I believe in standing up for equal human rights. I believe in the spiritual rule number one: “Don’t do to anyone what you wouldn’t want done to you.” This spiritual rule should apply not only at the personal level but should also be fundamental to all religions, ideologies, democracies, and any other governing systems. It should rise above the personal politics of belonging to specific groups. If you keep this principle in mind, both personally and collectively, you will be blessed with internal and external peace.

A sense of justice for all depends on how you feel inside or how you were taught to feel. If you were taught to feel superior to others, you need to consider your mortality as a mortal being. That realization should automatically humble you. If you still feel superior, you need to find a spirituality that aligns with a personal sense of justice. If you can’t achieve that, you are a victim of out-of-control politics tied to your belonging group, to the point where you have lost the meaning of having God-given free will and a personal sense of justice. Not only are you unable to use your free will, but you are also denying your direct connection to God. It is time for you to seek belonging in humanity as a whole.

We are all equally blessed with free will directly from God. If you follow the politics of your belonging group without examining it through your personal sense of justice, you are undermining God himself. You have surrendered your powers to your belonging group instead.

Always remember, we are human beings, not worker bees or warrior ants; they are genetically programmed. We are more advanced than cats and dogs because we can self-regulate without the carrot-and-stick approach. Human beings have free will and always have a choice. If you choose to follow a particular routine, do so—you may benefit from it. However, remember that there are many routines to follow. Believing that your routine is the best and that you are the best may give you a politically inflated sense of self-esteem, but spiritually, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re achieving anything.

If you harm others by adhering to your routine or set of rules, you’re missing the point. Worshiping and harming the same entity makes no sense to me—it would be akin to a Hindu killing a cow. Most, if not all, religions emphasize that helping the needy is crucial to being a good person in God’s eyes. Yet, we see that religions often create needs rather than addressing them. Seeking spirituality in today’s politically driven religions is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Nowadays, many still try to control you by threatening hell and judgment, using fear to maintain power.

A mortal should never fear mortality, as it doesn’t change the facts of life and death. Fear-based politics have been and continue to be used to control the general population. Politics, whether from religions or other governing systems, often resorts to terror tactics and heavy-handed responses, which haven’t changed and likely won’t change in the future. Spiritual and social crimes are present in all societies, regardless of their governing systems. Religious societies are not exempt from crime either, so what should we do? Education helps individuals self-regulate—perhaps not perfectly, but it’s better than fear-based control.

If you feel superior because you follow or belong to a certain race, nation, religion, or strictly adhere to religious texts, ask yourself why you still live like everyone else. You need oxygen, water, and food, you get sick, age, and die just like everyone else. What makes you superior? Is it your worship of God? God values your spiritual intentions and actions to fulfill the needs of others, not mere worship without deeds. If you harm others who are helping God’s work, what is your real contribution? Should God reserve a spot in heaven for you?

You must think for yourself with a personal sense of justice because your belonging group has a political agenda aimed at gaining power in this world, not the next. Unfortunately, it is often you, as an individual, who either robs someone of life or sacrifices your own life for the political power of your religious group.

Political religions are devoid of true spirituality because our ongoing conflicts over who is right demonstrate our ignorance and rejection of God’s will. A spiritual being believes in God’s will, yet many religious people support harsh punishments, the death penalty, and killing those who disagree with their belief system. Where does God’s will fit in? We readily accept natural disasters as God’s will but question it when it comes to human actions. Remember, it was religious people who threw virgins off cliffs during natural disasters.

On a personal level, with your free will and sense of justice, where you are directly connected to God, you should be aware of the politics within your belonging groups. Understanding this will reveal that your path to God requires some fundamental elements: desire, drive, and genetics.

1. Desire: Help others because it fulfills the reciprocal meaning of a human life. It’s not about praying to God, but about helping God fulfill the prayers of other people.
2. Drive: Use your free will with a sense of justice, even if it means standing against your own group when they commit spiritual crimes.
3. Genetics: Recognize that you are not a worker bee, a warrior ant, or a creature controlled by a carrot-and-stick philosophy.

This approach has contributed to the declining popularity of religious institutions because humans are not like other creatures. Training an animal is one thing; dealing with a problem-solving brain is another. If you continue to treat humans like animals, you will eventually face a reaction. Religious authority is waning worldwide, and democracy with equal human rights is becoming the preferred form of governance today.