Brewing change.

Every progress, especially regarding social changes, comes with a price. Conservatives, who are comfortable with the status quo, resist change. We see every group, from race to sexual identity, having to fight for humanity to reach a point where human rights override and prevail over all our traditions and customs to become common-sense law.

Humanity has been, is, and will be going through changes as we evolve. Some people still don’t believe that humans are evolving entities. Sure, we don’t grow horns or wings, but we’ve been changing and evolving in every department of human knowledge you can think of, except for religion, of course.

Religious people are typically against change because they desire us to be frozen in the era of the prophets. If you look at countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, populations in villages live and dress as they did in ancient times. I don’t believe poverty is a legitimate excuse; they have honor, pride, and ego ingrained by their respective religions. Religious education does not allow them to adapt with the times, so they still fight over even the simplest things, like food. One group worships the cow while the other kills and eats it. These differences are deeply ingrained and fiercely defended by the populations, yet they share the same society.

Interestingly, here in the midst of Western civilizations, we have religious communities who are similar to those people. While there may not be news of fighting, the differences persist. A few years ago, there was significant news when about four hundred children were apprehended by authorities, only to be returned to their religious communities. Some still believe in having multiple wives and dozens of children right in the heart of North America. Why?

After all the progress of civilization, why do we still have such vast differences in our belief systems? If you look deeper, it’s all about following religious rules and the sense of belonging. Another commonality in these communities is the attempt to block modern education; some even prohibit children from watching television. Despite this, I believe we must remove and grow out of the real culprit behind all this: prejudice.

I believe in individual liberties. Since we are all mortal, we can’t claim that what we believe is right should be imposed on others. It’s fine as long as it’s based on the principle of not doing to others what you wouldn’t want done to you. If you have multiple wives and dozens of children and can provide for them happily, it’s your human right to live however and wherever you please. However, when you start feeling superior to others, that’s where the problem arises.

For example, Native children were taken away from their communities to be indoctrinated by religious people, leaving a mark so deep that the Prime Minister had to apologize for the mistreatment of natives. Now, people want the Pope to apologize as well. Again, the principle applies: don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you. Your incomplete knowledge is not necessarily superior, so don’t enforce your belief system; it becomes a political system and loses its spiritual aspect.

A democratic society calls for the majority to create rules and control, but I believe this is a flaw of the democratic system as well. If someone is happily living their way of life, we should not have the power to strip them of their human rights. Prejudice isn’t just about not liking each other; it’s believing that you are better than others.

*Regardless of my criticism of religious rules, I still believe that if you are going to offer people a system of living like democracy, you have a duty to give them something better than what they have. I won’t delve into statistics because I don’t have them, but I firmly believe that if we are promoting something to sell to people, it should be an improvement over their current situation. For example, if you want to promote monogamous marriage to people accustomed to polygamy, you must demonstrate the net benefit to individuals who adopt the one spouse per person system.

If you have a system riddled with problems and a high divorce rate, and you try to impose it on people who have lower divorce rates and fewer problems, you can’t argue that your system is superior. The same goes for exporting democracy to countries with lower education levels; they may struggle to sustain a democratic system when easily swayed by political rhetoric.

Governing a nation with a less educated populace, unaware of their rights, is a dirty business. It not only tarnishes democracy but can also incite chaos, as seen worldwide. The best way to address this issue is to spread knowledge among individuals so they can make better-informed voting decisions. The stronger the individual, the better they can discern the politics hidden behind religious authority.

The purpose of religious education or knowledge of God is to help humans evolve from animalistic behavior, promoting values like love, compassion, sacrifice, and forgiveness. However, I see prejudice being promoted by every religion, and even democracies, so I speak out against it.

One cannot claim superiority simply by belonging to a certain organization; personal character determines one’s worth. If you believe you’ll go to heaven just because you’re Muslim, Christian, or belong to any religion, and everyone else will go to hell, you need to evolve as an individual to grasp the true spiritual aspect of religion.

Just look at history and even today, how religious people incite violence and killing over religious differences. They disregard individual suffering, using the hope of an afterlife to further their political agendas. Spirituality has been trampled by a sense of belonging, whether to religions or empires.

Fortunately, in North America, individuals can leave their religious communities to join modern lifestyles due to human rights and individual freedom. In other places, it’s not that simple; leaving could result in ostracism or even death by conservative societies. Consider the staggering number of people who died trying to flee war-torn countries for Europe; all they seek is a normal life and peace for their children.

Today, human rights, equality, and freedom of speech are spreading like a new religion. Just like every religion or governing system faces challenges initially, we’re going through a tumultuous period. Like other changes, this will take its toll. We’ll overcome this rough time, but it might worsen before improving. I don’t make predictions like religious books, but I believe in humanity. I believe, as individuals, we all have common decency and will overcome our animalistic behaviors.

Ironically, individual freedom, feared by all groups, will connect humanity and dissolve the “us vs. them” concept, eroding group politics, religions, and nationalism. The formation of the European Zone and common currency is a modern-day phase of the changes humanity is undergoing. Countries like Greece may face tough times, but eventually, things will stabilize.

The major problem is our wars, which drain our economies. Wars cost lives and cannot be sustained without consequences. Look at the price tag of the Iraq war. Between the insecurity of war and individuals stashing money away for security, little is left to circulate, leading to lasting side effects that harm humanity.

Regardless, I believe we must stand on the right side of change. Objecting to unstoppable changes always leads to opposition to human rights, as seen in religions and governments overseas. I believe they are gradually becoming obsolete.

Conservatives will resist until the vast majority turns against them. Just as democracy, gender equality, human rights, and freedom of speech triumphed over imperialism, racism, and prejudice, religious prejudice and national superiority will be engulfed by individual awakening.

For now, individuals are confused due to their sense of belonging to their respective groups, but not for long. Eventually, we’ll realize that real security lies in standing together as humanity. Regional, provincial, or federal governing systems will still play a role, but there’s a change uniting people worldwide as humanity.

Our problems point to the solidarity of humanity: climate change, the internet, space exploration, and open education. These are ingredients for bringing humanity together. Will I witness this in my lifetime? Maybe, maybe not, but I can hope. For now, nationalism and religions resist individual freedom, but they also oppose each other, fermenting change.

Once, there were tribes; then nationalism arose, followed by religions spilling over national borders. Now, the same awareness crosses race, religion, and nationalism, uniting people of all colors under the banner of humanity.

Authoritarianism is being challenged by democratic schools of thought globally, indicating humanity’s desire to empower individuals and seek justice for all, which are human rights.

All wars, past and present, have underlying causes, and one of them is individual freedom. Personal insecurities keep individuals confused and fearful, feeding into a sense of belonging to certain groups.

As time evolves us, we’ll learn that we all bleed if cut, hunger when hungry, get sick physically, hurt emotionally, and seek revenge for loved ones killed. We’re all human, still evolving, far from being finished products.

As we learn more about the politics of our groups, we’ll stand together as humanity. Look at education today; Western societies promote individual strength for success in all areas of life, worldwide. Yet, we haven’t solved our democracy-related problems.

Sooner or later, we’ll realize the problems and their side effects. One side effect is strained relationships everywhere, but as a society, we won’t collapse. We’re creating universal healthcare systems and support for the elderly.

As basic education levels rise, we’ll see when we’re being used or exploited by our political leaders, making governance increasingly challenging. This awareness will lead us to belong to humanity, changing the concept of “us vs. them.”

How will we deal with all the changes? Just as we’ve done before. We’re not perfect where we are today; it’s not the destination yet, so we must embrace change. Change has always been part of human societies; we can’t hide from it. The trick is knowing which side to stand on. If you’re educated, it won’t be hard to decide; if you’re not, you might be swayed by popular trends, even if they’re based on prejudice.