General

   

NUTS AND BOLTS OF PERSONAL HAPPINESS. Last one for 2018.

Wishing everyone the very best in health, happiness, and success of all kinds. Not just a happy new year, but new and spiritually fulfilling years ahead. Let’s aim to confine our politics to governance and remove it from our religions and sciences.

Happiness, contentment, and fulfillment in mortal life are as crucial as oxygen itself. Experiencing unhappiness can help us appreciate the true value of happiness when we contemplate our mortality. I have previously discussed my concept of the triangle: health, happiness, and success. Without good health—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—it’s simply illogical to expect happiness. Without both health and happiness, personal success holds no real value regardless of others’ opinions. It’s vital for every mortal to grasp that this journey is exclusively theirs, and interestingly, they are solely responsible for cultivating their personal happiness.

If we neglect this understanding and become consumed with continually striving for higher levels of existence at the expense of happiness, inevitably we will leave everything behind. Our imperfect way of living may serve as a lesson for others. Success isn’t about impressing others, fitting in, or gaining admiration; it’s about personal fulfillment. If you spend your entire life unfulfilled, your efforts may benefit others, but they will be wasted on you. Steve Jobs comes to mind as an example. Despite his contributions to humanity, few now speak of him just a few years after his passing. My mention of him isn’t due to his impact on humanity, but rather his unfulfilled personal legacy.

If you find fulfillment in work and achievement, remember to keep your focus on your mortal nature as well, as it’s an inevitable part of life. It’s a bitter truth that we often fail to acknowledge.

Spirituality is the practical wisdom of mortality. When religious individuals act collectively to influence and enforce virtuous living, they inadvertently surrender to politics rooted in prejudice and discrimination, whether towards outsiders or even their own who don’t strictly adhere to extreme religious doctrines. This renders their actions and teachings politically tainted. If they advocate for good deeds, that’s commendable, because spirituality is about practical wisdom concerning mortality. Remember, your good deeds lead you towards God’s path; otherwise, you risk straying from spirituality and becoming a mute follower of a cult-like group. You lose your voice as a godly CEO, becoming insignificant, and even viewing yourself as a designated sinner.

The wrongs begin when religions claim exclusive access to the path to God. God, spirituality, and the good deeds of individuals are not political or exclusive to any particular group. These are universal concepts. Therefore, any group attempting to monopolize them through exclusive rights is simply engaging in politics. As individuals, we must break free from such politically tainted belief systems, speak out against them, and advocate for equal human rights in matters of spirituality. Respect each other as cells of the Almighty.

No one, and I repeat, no one, has exclusive rights to good deeds, spirituality, or God. These are matters between God and the individual. The introduction of intermediaries results in three immediate wrongs. Firstly, it politicizes the sense of belonging, placing power above all, even if it means compromising belief systems. Secondly, it diminishes the individual’s significance and their worthiness of a direct connection with God. Thirdly, it distorts the definition of goodness, making actions virtuous for some while condemning others, thereby portraying their God as discriminatory and prejudiced. Do you believe God to be discriminatory or prejudiced? If so, you must understand that spirituality, not politics, paves the path to God, and it’s time to cleanse your belief system if you seek true spiritual fulfillment. Attaining godliness isn’t about ritualistic acts or specific prayers; it’s about understanding and practicing genuine prayers—serving humanity and aiding the weak and needy to the best of your abilities are endeavors cherished by a spiritual God. Removing politics from your belief system and embracing service to humanity as a whole is an individual endeavor to achieve spirituality. God does not belong exclusively to any one group; otherwise, we would have a clear winner by now. Therefore, believe in universality, not in the politics surrounding spirituality and God.

If you were to ask a parent to favor one child over another or to exhibit prejudice or discrimination towards their own children, even as humans, bundles of emotions, we would deem such behavior wrong. How then, can we expect a spiritual entity like God to discriminate and exhibit prejudice towards certain groups and not others?

A human individual remains a human being, regardless of their affiliations with specific groups. Claiming that even God is discriminatory and prejudiced implies that we as individuals must overcome these unjust traits. There is only one way to achieve this: by acknowledging our worthiness to connect directly with God. Are you prepared to recognize your worth and implement this in your personal, individual, and mortal journey? Ask yourself why not. You’ll likely discover that the middleman or your group’s influence seeks political control over you, brainwashing you into believing that you are weak, insignificant, unclean, and unworthy of a direct connection with God. Ask a mother who nurtures her child whether she considers her child a sinner unworthy of love.

If you believe yourself unworthy, ask why. Is it due to the influence of the middleman?

When you recognize the political motives behind your religious rules, customs, and traditions, you’ll achieve the status of CEO of your life, as you were created or evolved to be. The topics of creation and evolution provoke passionate debates based on our limited and constantly evolving knowledge. I fail to comprehend why we invest so much passion in being right when these discussions rely solely on assumptions. Whether you believe in God or evolution, remember that we are all created or evolved beings. If you’re continually learning, discovering new things every day, and exploring, why do you assume to possess all knowledge? Why do you make claims akin to those of our ancestors? They waged wars over their sense of belonging, and we continue to do so. Why haven’t we evolved beyond this? It’s an indisputable fact that we are always learning and evolving. This area demands our evolution because, as individuals, we possess free will and a personal sense of justice.

Your ability to choose has always existed and always will, aiding you in making choices. Yet, by surrendering your power to the politics of belonging, you become subservient to your group. You conform to their rules, traditions, and customs, failing to look beyond obedience. By self-regulating, you neglect your individual responsibilities. If you don’t take charge and prioritize spirituality over religious politics, you become complicit in transforming religion into a political entity. Since God, spirituality, and humanity are devoid of politics, your actions, or even your intentions, tainted by the politics of belonging, reflect poorly on you.

Politics plays a role in humanity, but spirituality fosters peace of mind, contentment, happiness, and fulfillment on a personal level, particularly for mortals. This is especially crucial as we are all aware of our mortality, whether we accept it or not. In mortal life, spirituality awakens individuals to their true purpose. Conversely, political groups exploit individual lives for their gain, sacrificing them in power struggles against opposing factions. If you allow yourself to be used for political ends, that’s your prerogative, but remember, causing harm to others, particularly the innocent, carries a personal price. You possess free will and are accountable for your actions, regardless of your group’s politics.

When religious-based spiritual crimes are committed in the name of God, take a moment to reflect. Even CEOs experience personal guilt and turmoil. Such burdens are especially heavy for mortals. It’s akin to living in a personal hell. Consider a war veteran contemplating suicide. The damage wrought by nationalist and religious political affiliations remains incurable, as these very groups are responsible for the harm inflicted. Imagine the consequences of losing hope and faith, of forsaking spirituality entirely. Blindly following a politically-driven religion exacts a higher price for mortals.

Becoming depressed, anxious, or losing hope and faith during your temporary stay on earth is too great a cost to bear for the approval of any group. You have the choice: opt for spirituality, follow God directly, and prioritize your actions over prescribed prayers and fasts in the hope of gaining entry into heaven during your earthly tenure. Remember, God needs you alive to uphold divine justice. Spirituality isn’t about mere ritual; it’s about practical prayers—serving humanity, aiding the weak and needy, and striving for spiritual fulfillment.

Maintain your earthly years by embracing action-based spirituality. Find comfort in your existence by believing that your practical deeds have merit. This perspective renders mortal life heavenly, erasing the fear of hell. True happiness isn’t found in group approval but in leading a reciprocally beneficial life. If emotional wounds afflict you, incorporate practical prayers into your life; they nurture fulfillment. The purpose of mortal life is to live it fully.

God relies on the physical actions of human individuals to remain relevant. Your personal actions toward God aren’t political; they form the bedrock of spirituality and the divine itself. Prefer spirituality over group affiliations; doing so guides you towards embracing humanity as a whole. It bolsters your personal sense of justice, vital for cultivating holistic well-being. Embrace your free will and personal sense of justice, qualities inherent from birth but suppressed by education and the politics of belonging.

Recognizing and valuing the importance of the human individual becomes simpler when we witness spiritual actions manifest through individual deeds. Dare to remove the human individual and contemplate whether spirituality can endure. Understanding God necessitates comprehending the significance of the human individual; anything else is merely politics. Even in Hinduism, a cow is revered more than a living, breathing human being. Misunderstanding breeds prejudice and discrimination, empowering some at the expense of others. These misunderstood individuals fail to comprehend both the health and of his. are moving individuals.

The importance of the human individual becomes easy to recognize and understand when we see spiritual actions take physical form through individuals. I challenge you to remove the human individual and see if spirituality can function. Understanding God—what God is, why God is, and how God is—becomes crucial. Without grasping the significance of the human individual, nothing is possible; all that remains is politics. In Hindu religion, even a cow is often esteemed more than a living, breathing human being. Lack of understanding can breed prejudice and discrimination, granting power to some at the expense of others. Those who fail to understand themselves often become unquestioning followers of preached doctrines.

Equal justice for all stands as a pillar of spirituality. Most of our politically-tainted religions fail this spiritual test by asserting exclusive pathways to heaven, suggesting that others are destined for hell. This renders their conception of God as discriminatory and prejudiced, akin to flawed human attributes. Human individuals must recognize that true spirituality is based on understanding, not political manipulation. A religion used for political ends ceases to be a spiritual system. While politics is necessary in daily life, spirituality also holds its place. Mixing the two proves hazardous; historically, it has harmed individuals as both victims and perpetrators of spiritual crimes. In today’s world, where mass destruction weapons have replaced swords, this mixing threatens dire consequences unless addressed.

The spiritual realm is inherently personal and private. There’s no room for mixing politics with spirituality. Individuals possess the ability to exercise free will and empower God’s relevance. They can opt to segregate politics and spirituality distinctly. Consider: if God cannot translate spiritual actions into physical reality, how vital is the living, breathing human individual? Yet, we’ve historically waged conflicts over trivialities like dietary choices or religious practices—illustrating the urgent need for governments to separate religion from politics, science, and justice.

Realizing this importance, assume personal and individual responsibilities. Value yourself; otherwise, you risk being used or manipulated by others. Even worse, you may descend into collective mob mentality, disregarding personal responsibility, let alone a godly one.

If your actions threaten your happiness, contentment, or install personal guilt, wouldn’t you want to safeguard yourself from yourself? Our life wisdom stems from grasping mortality; acknowledging vulnerabilities should humble us. It’s our individual duty to weigh everything before acting, yet our deep-seated belonging to political groups often obscures our true selves.

Free will and personal justice have accompanied us from our earliest awareness, albeit often suppressed. Today’s world sees a stronger, empowered individual who enhances, rather than hinders, group dynamics. Democracy and equal human rights have become the norm, challenging conservative factions reliant on religious politics for control. In today’s interconnected world, via the internet, global awareness fosters the survival of spirituality, albeit imperfectly.

The era of equal human rights draws humanity closer, aided by the internet. The next leap forward necessitates transcending group affiliations to embrace humanity as a whole. Embrace the personal responsibility to question your own group’s wrongdoings, especially when contrary to its professed values.

These responsibilities form the foundation of future governance systems. Law and order should extend beyond individuals to encompass corporations, political entities, and governing bodies—curbing spiritual crimes by all entities, whether individual or collective, in the name of nationalism, religion, or God.

The United Nations, while existing, remains impotent without enforcement mechanisms, hindered by veto systems that denote discrimination and prejudice. It must evolve into a genuine global authority, imperfect yet striving for improvement, much like all human endeavors.

Honesty remains a universal truth, once linked to Godly virtues, now aligned with scientific proof. However, our diverse perspectives often blur these truths, leading to unnecessary conflict driven by ego and pride. Businesses disparage competitors to boost their own products, yet such cutthroat tactics have no place in governance, which should prioritize justice, equal human rights, and spirituality.

For millennia, politically and commercially driven religions have exploited God for personal gain, even waging wars in God’s name—tragically costing innocent lives. If we remove the politics of belonging and focus on spirituality, our world could improve. We’d no longer need to barter for heaven or fear hell. Even in today’s scientifically savvy era, spiritual pursuits—providing personal peace, satisfaction, contentment, and happiness—naturally appeal to humanity’s innate hopes and aspirations.

Why are we wired this way? What does it reveal? Start asking these questions to uncover truth, whether spiritual or scientific. While imperfections persist, we can evolve, transcending politically tainted truths to foster a better world.

Fighting over divinity or the unknown remains one thing; disputing scientifically validated concepts like global warming borders on absurdity. Our susceptibility to such debates stems from emotional vulnerabilities like ego and pride—fueled by our ingrained sense of belonging. Understanding these dynamics can open doors to consolidating humanity and nurturing spirituality, uniting us under one shared humanity.

Eradicating prejudiced and discriminatory politics from religion would foster global peace and inner contentment, enabling individuals to lead emotionally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually fulfilling lives as mortals.

If you are taught to believe in virtue, honesty, compassion, sacrifice, justice, kindness, and, above all, love for all people around you while you are growing up, I call these the spiritual jewels of the human individual. If you are raised with all these values but restrict them to your own group of people, it becomes wasted effort, because exclusivity reeks of prejudice and discrimination—two things that have no place in humanity as a whole, which depends on a system of equal human rights. Politically, you can identify as both a human being and a member of a specific group, but ultimately, it takes individual effort to be the CEO of your own life. Belonging to a group—whether it’s nationality (Canadian, American, Pakistani), religious affiliation (Muslim, Christian), racial identity (Black, White), gender identity (Male, Female), sexual orientation (Gay), or occupation (store manager, doctor, plumber)—is merely an aspect of identity bestowed upon us. These identities do not define us as individuals; they are part of our acquired knowledge. Being born into a human family is what truly makes us human and defines our real identity. So why can’t we look beyond our acquired identities to see and embrace our true selves?

We raise our children with the knowledge of spiritual jewels, yet we often hand them guns or bombs to harm innocent beings. If you wear your spiritual jewels, they should be for the benefit of all humanity. Therefore, if you conform solely to the politics of your own group without taking personal responsibility as an adult, your own group has stripped you of the human jewels you were adorned with. If the value of these jewels is confined to your group alone, then they are not truly yours; they should belong to you as a human being. Since these jewels are not tangible objects, their value is only realized when a living, breathing human individual wears them.

It may seem so, but I believe our thoughts do not originate in our brains; rather, our brains are simply the organs that process these thoughts. This is why we can learn new things from our teachers and societies. To me, our thoughts are brought forth by the entity residing within our functioning body and brain. The “you” part of your triangle (your body and brain) brings these thoughts to life or gives physical form to our ideas, thereby creating our realities. Regardless of what we have been taught, it is ultimately our choice whether we act upon these teachings—whether for good or ill.

This underscores the importance of individuals discovering their inner selves so that we can put an end to the injustices we inflict upon each other as a mass of people. If everyone were to make decisions independently, free from group affiliations, we could challenge the right and wrong actions of our group’s political agendas. This is especially pertinent when it comes to the politics of belonging. You cannot simply give everything to your group or allow them to rob you of your spiritual and personal jewels in the name of security.

Your spiritual jewels are what elevate you to the status of an evolved human individual. Functionally, we are no different from other creatures; we eat, drink, live, fall ill, grow old, and die like every other living being. However, it is our spiritual jewels alone that distinguish us as human beings. You cannot truly be proud of being born a human unless you display these jewels throughout your life. As creatures clad in clothing, capable of driving, flying, swimming, creating weapons of mass destruction, and bringing destruction upon each other, it is our spiritual jewels that imbue us with virtues such as honesty, compassion, sacrifice, justice, kindness, and, above all, the ability to love all.

Worldly and political knowledge is not—repeat, not—spiritual knowledge. Our spiritual jewels are the knowledge we can truly be proud of. While all forms of knowledge are necessary for societal functioning, we must never allow anyone to rob us of our personal values or spiritual jewels. Above all, we should never let our own groups strip us of the very knowledge they imparted to us from the outset. One might argue that they taught us about our spiritual jewels—indeed, most religions teach spirituality—but throughout history, and even today, our conflicts are often bloodier because of politicized religions and the misuse of religious doctrines to justify violence.

If you think Saudi Arabia and Iran are fighting over oil-rich fields, you may be overlooking the fact that even seemingly noble entities like religion can have a dark side. The underlying motive behind all religious conflicts is political control and power; spirituality plays no part in it. Always remember, once knowledge—especially spiritual knowledge—is imparted to you, it becomes yours to use at your discretion. Therefore, be responsible and do not allow the politics of belonging to rob you of your own values.

Today, if everyone were to wear their personal jewels, value other human beings, and question the political agendas of belonging, it could potentially create a war-free environment. Our groups have had their responsibilities, but they have failed us as individuals. Therefore, we must take charge and refuse to kill each other in the name of our groups, nations, religions, and, especially, in the name of God. Even God has been an innocent victim of our politics; let us start with rectifying our relationship with God.

Cease killing in the name of God and learn to treat others as you wish to be treated. No one is inherently superior to others by virtue of clothing, technology, race, gender, appearance, nationality, or religious beliefs. Our differences would lose their meaning if everyone began valuing and proudly wearing their spiritual jewels. As individuals, we have the right to defend ourselves, so why do we willingly allow our groups to take advantage of us?

Since our “you” part is composed of the same substance as God, it is God who holds us together and gives our existence meaning. When discussing religion, it is inevitable to discuss God. If you speak of God with complete conviction and devotion, the opinions of others should not disturb you. A belief system that genuinely represents God’s will cannot logically endorse the killing of innocents. From capital punishment to barbaric practices, these are all human creations designed to control and dominate individuals.

I can confidently state that countless innocents have lost their lives, not just physically but also emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, due to extreme interpretations of religious doctrines. Extremism in any form of human knowledge is illogical because human beings are constantly evolving. Our knowledge today may be proven wrong tomorrow—a phenomenon that has occurred throughout history. Extreme views are typically held by those comfortable with the status quo, often conservatives who resist change until there is no alternative.

If, in the dead of night, you seek answers about yourself—just to satisfy your personal curiosity—you may find yourself losing faith in religions. We are evolving beings with unlimited potential, but religions impose significant restrictions on this evolution. Insecure individuals often submit to these restrictions out of fear for their personal security, regardless of how politics seep into spiritual belief systems. At the end of the day, if you do justice to your thought process, it can lead you beyond the boundaries of your religious beliefs. If you refuse to explore because you fear labels, rejection, or even death, you are being political—remember, politics has no place in truth or spirituality.

The realm of religion is fraught with politics, from religious wars to rules, traditions, and customs—each speaks for itself. To truly follow your God-given potential, you must examine these from an external perspective. If you remain within the boundaries set by others, you are not fulfilling your God-given potential. You can spend your mortal life in subservience or find liberation within yourself. The real “you” belongs to God, who created human beings as evolving entities meant to reach the heights intended for us—a spiritual journey. By purging politics from our lives, we can achieve inner security because we often seek security from our own kind, rather than from humanity as a whole. If we can transcend the politics of group belonging and uphold personal and spiritual responsibilities, we can overcome even the genetic predisposition to group behavior, prioritizing humanity as a whole.

Every action you take stems from your God-given free will, accompanied by the blessings of God. Since God has granted you free will, you are responsible for your actions. Naturally, you require the gift of life—oxygen and a living, breathing body—for your actions to manifest. Now, ask yourself: where do you stand personally? Do you control everything you do, or are your decisions influenced by your religious beliefs? Are you willing to kill in the name of your religious beliefs, and if so, why? When you honestly seek answers, you will uncover political affiliations and the powerful sense of belonging that drive your actions. You may find ego, pride, and honor—all products of group politics, aimed at gaining acceptance from the group to which you belong.

Why settle for mere acceptance from one group when, as an individual, you were born into humanity? You can ask a national champion in any sport what their next goal is, and they will tell you unequivocally: a world championship. Why can’t we view humanity in the same light? Because each of us wants our nation, religion, or clan to dominate the world. But what does that truly mean? It means we seek to unite humanity under our own banner—yet, group politics still prevails. Our attitudes must change individually. This change begins when we learn to respect each other spiritually, recognizing the divine in every living human being. After all, God’s spiritual work is carried out by human individuals—interestingly, even the negative actions we attribute to the Devil are perpetrated by human beings. Thus, despite millions of years of evolution, our groups have failed us spiritually. Understanding the value of our spiritual jewels can enable us, as individuals, to evolve to the next level and achieve the peace humanity has longed for.

Someone has claimed that pornography is the root cause of sexual problems in our societies, negatively impacting younger generations. I am curious about the reasons and facts behind this assertion. To find answers, I searched for reported sexual crime rates in different societies. It’s important to note that these rates only reflect reported cases.

An intriguing observation caught my attention: Oman, a Muslim country, and Denmark, a Christian but secular nation, have similar population sizes and reported sexual crime rates. In 2016, Oman’s population was 4.425 million, with a reported rape rate of 6.6 per one hundred thousand. Denmark, with a slightly larger population of 5.731 million, had a lower rape rate at 6.4, despite its larger population. This raises the question: why is Denmark’s reported rape rate lower than Oman’s?

How can sexual crime rates differ among populations? This issue likely involves governance systems or traditional customs and educational influences within societies, rather than simply population size. Could the variance in reported rape rates between countries be influenced by religious rights or secular freedoms?

Let’s explore these connections.

Every society operates under different ideologies, each with its own perspective on governance and lifestyle. Traditional governance often aligns with religious principles, which historically employ a “carrot and stick” approach—reward and punishment—to enforce societal norms, such as strict penalties for social crimes.

However, such harsh punishments have proven ineffective in controlling social crimes today. This leads me to consider contemporary causes for these issues. Since pornography did not exist when religious doctrines were established, there’s no direct evidence linking pornography to sexual crimes, which have existed throughout history. The advent of films is a relatively recent development.

If someone claims that pornographic films cause social problems like rape, I would request evidence. The existence of sexual crimes predates pornography, so it’s difficult to prove that they didn’t occur before its invention. The real question is whether sexual crime rates have increased or decreased, and why.

As civilized beings, we must understand the underlying reasons for all behaviors. Denmark, with its open secular education system, has fewer sexual restrictions compared to Oman, a strict Muslim country where access to pornography is likely restricted. Why then does Oman have a higher reported sexual crime rate than Denmark, which allows sexual freedom?

Consider the scandals involving Roman Catholic priests, celebrities, and politicians. Why do they risk so much? Understanding the root causes of these issues is crucial. While celibacy rules may contribute, there’s a deeper problem that predates pornography.

Personally, I believe that attempts to control sexual behavior often backfire, potentially increasing the incidence of sex crimes. Education is key. Denmark’s secular education system may offer a more effective approach to reducing social crimes compared to Oman’s punitive measures.

Sexual issues are akin to smoking and drinking: acceptable in private, but harmful when imposed on others. Society rightly regulates behaviors that endanger others, such as drunk driving or public smoking. Similarly, while private consumption of pornography and masturbation may be personal choices, actions that harm others—like rape—are unacceptable.

I condemn sexual crimes, but I advocate identifying their true causes. While certain behaviors may correlate with social problems, any solution offered is subjective and evolving. In a diverse world, clashes of opinion are inevitable. Our evolving understanding should focus on current facts and solutions, rather than clinging to outdated beliefs.

Looking to past rules for present solutions is misguided. We lack clear answers for modern cybercrimes; relying on ancient religious texts for guidance on contemporary issues like internet crime is impractical. Similarly, attributing today’s sexual crimes solely to pornography ignores historical context and societal evolution.

Modern societies have changed significantly, driven by population growth, technological advancements, and a shift towards individual freedoms and equal rights. Everything is different now. Rather than glorifying the past, we should seek modern solutions for modern problems.

To achieve peace within ourselves and society, we must understand and accept our dual nature—animal and spiritual. Attempts to suppress our “animal side” throughout history have failed. Instead, we should acknowledge and manage this inherent aspect of humanity to foster inner and outer peace.

As individuals, we possess conflicting impulses. Understanding and resolving these conflicts is crucial to achieving personal and societal balance. Education is vital in this process. By educating individuals about the consequences of their actions, we empower them to self-regulate and make informed choices.

First and foremost, the reason for our conflicts is that we don’t want our ancestors to be proven wrong. We egotistically defend and even go to war with each other to prove who is right. Yet, you can pick any group of people and delve into their past; you will find problematic behaviors, not because of their fault, but due to their level of evolution. So, don’t blame each other’s ancestors and cross the line by giving them a break. They did their best according to their level of evolution.

If an adult sexually abuses a child, that child learns from an action-based education that it’s okay to abuse children when they become adults. This type of action-based education has nothing to do with porn movies but everything to do with the education taught by people who have been abused in the past. I wish I could claim it’s a modern-day phenomenon, but it’s not. Most people repeat behaviors that they have learned. For example, a young person raised by alcoholic parents will often marry someone like their alcoholic parents. If society wants to fix the problems of rape, then banning porn movies is like barking up the wrong tree. Blame and punish the right source. Don’t use band-aid solutions to fix age-old problems by blaming them on new situations. Sexual abuse has been around for thousands, if not millions, of years, and pornography has just been invented. If you go after the known causes of the problems, you may find some solutions. Education, education, and more education. Harsh punishments have not done it, are not doing it, and I don’t believe they will do it. Self-regulation is the key, and that is done only by the individual with education.

Beautiful and spiritual, yet still a beast.

Priests, mullahs, politicians, and celebrities are willing to risk everything just because they have given in to their powerful animal side. They are not aware of the powerful monster living within themselves. Since we have been cleverly taught to blame God or the Devil for our actions, we cleverly blame the entities who don’t talk back to us. Sexual abuse is a bigger sin spiritually than masturbation, so we should put things in perspective. Religion or not, it is a personal problem, so individuals have to be educated about the long-term consequences of their actions.

You can blame your passionate nature, or you can believe the Devil made you do it. Either way, you don’t or are unable to respect the one who resides within you to create balance in how you become good or bad as an individual.

If I were God, I would know which one is a bigger sin or actually a spiritual crime. If mullahs or priests would not allow themselves to watch porn, masturbate, and not sexually abuse children, then the world would be a much better place. Abusing children is a greater evil than watching porn or masturbating. The problem is that one chooses their inner demons. Sexual abuse is not known to be related to porn; otherwise, sexual crime rates would be higher in Denmark than in Oman. Don’t blame porn! Find the proven causes of the problems. A larger or more powerful animal side would be mainly responsible for most of our social problems. For instance, if you are raised or are used to getting things the easy way, you are not going to find a job to get things. From stealing to robbing to prostitution to corruption, they can be connected to the voice coming from within you. If you have a human side that is stronger than reasons and is compassionate towards others, you will not take the easy way out. So ask yourself about your animal size to create peace with education.

When you start to dig into yourself individually, you will find conflicting powers at work within you. But if you don’t even try to look for the solutions, you are trying to mask or trying to sweep everything under the rug. An unhealthy but religious way to look at social problems. If you don’t educate your people with the right knowledge and force them to comply with the rules, sooner or later you will find them breaking the rules. But if you educate them, the numbers of crime rates would drop. Human societies can’t be controlled by having a police officer for each individual; it is just not practical. So the best way to deal with our social problems is to educate and encourage the individual to self-regulate.

I would say deep inside, most of us as individuals have some kind of personal conflicts. They can and should be resolved by the individual by understanding what it means to be a human being. For instance, animal side versus human side or sense of belonging versus sense of freedom. It can only be resolved by understanding what kind of entity we are. We are not only the body, nor are we only the brain; we are an entity that lives in a living body with the brain. We are the one entity who can create balance and act accordingly. In order to do so, first of all, we have to recognize that we are separate from our body and brain.

Say I ask you to move your finger; you would have no problem doing that because the brain and body are functioning. But if you ask a stroke patient, they would have a big problem because their connection between muscles and brain has been disrupted. If you are deaf, you would not hear me, so that would be another kind of problem but a physical one. Now, if everything is perfectly in order but you are dead, you are not going to be able to perform what I have asked you. That is an even bigger problem. Now, if you are alive and everything is working, you will be able to move your finger without any problem, but you have to understand the process you have gone through. See, our body is like a computer; we have all the abilities and data in it, but someone has to use it, and that user is you who lives in your body. And yes, it’s not your brain because the brain depends on data to be provided by you.

If you want to understand it, it can be understandable; otherwise, you can be stuck in either living as an animal or as a spiritual entity. You are a human being who is a combination of both sides. An example I can give is angels; we are taught that being angels is a good thing so we should want and act like angels. Remember, according to our religions, angels have no free will to make choices, so they will only do good but without choice. Human beings do good by choice, so that is what makes human beings supersede angels. Choosing to be good for strangers or even enemies is a characteristic of human beings. Not common, but still found in some human beings, it has been preached by our religions but our politics corrupts our way of believing in God so we choose to follow our animal side. Even if it is working against your animal side or desires, still it’s an ability possessed by human beings.

Back to our spiritual and physical sides. A human body simply can’t live without the animal side or a functioning body and brain; neither can an animal side live without the spirit living within. They are inseparable, so we have to live as a combination of both. This is the problem which we have been trying to fix for millions of years. We have gone through a whole lot of civilization with a whole lot of religious beliefs, isms, and even different types of democracies. Most of our religious beliefs, laws of our lands, and civilization in general preach and promote extreme measures to kill our animal side because we don’t want to be counted as other creatures. We have been taught that we are superior to all other creatures; this sense of superiority seeps into our being, and an individual becomes susceptible to prejudice and discrimination. Personally, I believe that is the foundational education which is mainly responsible for our prejudice and discrimination against each other among human beings. We are taught that if our behavior is similar to other animals, we are bad and inferior.

With all the civilization and evolution, our understanding should have changed by now, but we are still stuck in the old political systems with prejudice and discrimination in the foundation. Our best bet is to understand ourselves by educating and accepting our animal side, its legitimacy, and authenticity to achieve personal and inner peace from within.

Becoming the Chief Executive Officer of our life can help individuals to create inner balance; otherwise, an imbalanced individual can end up making extreme choices like being a slave of the animal side without any restrictions or inhibitions to be a human being or go to the other extreme by removing self-importance altogether and live or spend all their mortal life without any kind of enjoyment.

How can an individual stand against the status quo if the politics of a powerful sense of belonging is overwhelming while personal sense of freedom is non-existing? As a CEO, we can achieve all that by putting everything including other people, religious affiliations, sexual identities, racial differences, and nationalism as departments of our life. Instead of making them the ultimate powers and reducing the individual to a mere speck in the sand. Understanding free will can teach self-importance as an individual and all about the spiritual jewelry they wear. When you wear your spiritual jewelry, you can become aware of self-respect which can teach us all to evolve to the point that we can live as a mortal being who has the responsibility to enjoy a mortal journey as a human animal simultaneously but has the ability to counter our animal-driven desires so one can live and let live in peace.

We all should proudly wear what I call jewels of humanity like being compassionate, forgiving, sacrificing, and loving. Since mass murder or extermination of our own kind has been part of our history so regardless of our spiritual jewelry we are capable of horrific spiritual crimes. Remember we have dropped atomic bombs, we have used other weapons of mass destruction, and even nowadays, we are constantly at war with each other. We even put the other creatures to shame with our out-of-control animal side.

As we have been taught by our religions, controlling or killing our animal side has not worked with millions of years of evolution. If it did not work till now why do we still believe it will work for us by following the same political ways of living? Unless we as individuals create balance deep inside of us and achieve personal inner peace by assuming our duties of a CEO, things are not going to work or change.

In human societies, we have all been taught politically to belong to a group of people to be strong and secure. If you look at it critically, our past education has been pointing towards the sense of belonging to a group of people but not to humanity as a whole. Since it starts with the family and family’s connections to the others around it automatically are a group-oriented education but as a human individual we all potentially can step forward and take a leap of faith in thinking of being part of whole humanity.

Only an individually thinking human individual can surpass politics of sense of belonging to immediate family, community, race, gender, color, religions or nations otherwise we can feel overwhelmingly and over-ride our thinking ability. The evolution can teach us, we as an individual are the foundation for all the changes humanity has made thus far.

Creating inner and outer peace is only possible if we as an individual step forward to understand ourselves as a being who is totally free when it comes to make decisions. Since we all are free individuals we can choose to belong to humanity as a whole but we have been taught to form groups of people for security. Physically we belong to humanity yet spiritually to God. If you belong to nationalism, or a religion which does not believe in humanity as a whole, you demote yourself and follow the politics of groups instead of spirituality which is universal and directly connected to God. Crossing the lines of our traditional political knowledge of sense of belonging is in order, so we can evolve further into the next level and belong to humanity as a whole.

War against our animal side is a war which could not be won throughout the history of our civilization and the main reason is that it is an understanding not understood. Since you just can’t separate the two, there is only one option we have and that is to accept the legitimacy of our animal side being part of our make up and make deals with it instead of waging war against it. By doing that we can stop inner turmoil and bickering to create inner peace individually first then collectively because it takes a human individual to start or stop the wars whether its internal or external.

Since we have been misunderstanding an understanding we have been underestimating and denying the strength of our animal side. Our systems of law and order and rules of our religions have failed us miserably in controlling social crimes and our wars. If you want proof just look around and critically look at our religious wars and their reasons. War-related spiritual crimes against humanity and in general crime rate of the human societies are the prime examples of wrong path we have been on. This failed approach has not worked is not working and will not succeed if it had not succeeded in millions of years of evolution. We have to learn more about ourselves to understand who and what we really are? Why the animal is still alive and well regardless of our efforts to kill it? Even our mullahs, priests, politicians, and celebrities can attest that our animal side is just too powerful to deal with. It has evolved and has become sophisticated which makes it more dangerous and destructive for humanity. Our weapons like guns and to advanced level weapons of mass destruction on one side and on the other hand the popularity of political sense of belonging to our groups should be a warning for all of us to take a crash course in understanding what is and what does it take to be a human being in modern-day humanity. Regardless of our violent behavior with our smarts we are heading towards dangerous grounds of self-destruction.

Following explanation should be helpful in understanding the legitimacy and authenticity of our animal side.

The inception of evil doesn’t just begin with a mother loving her child. It has always been there, a matter of nurturing and allowing one side to dominate. For example, when a baby cries, the mother feeds, changes diapers, and comforts the baby. As babies, we quickly learn to adapt to new circumstances and discover our existing personal desires. We also learn how to gain the mother’s attention. If the mother or caregiver consistently responds to every need—or rather, desire—of the baby, she nurtures the baby’s animal side, which inherently suppresses, minimizes, or weakens the human or spiritual side.

If a mother were to think, “I’ve already fed, changed, and comforted; there’s no need to rush,” and let the baby cry for a while, what would happen?

The baby would cry for a bit, look around, and then realize nothing is happening. Personally, I believe the baby would take the first step toward becoming a healthy and balanced human being. Learning about restraint, self-soothing, delayed gratification, and patience distinguishes us from other creatures. You can’t teach a dog or cat about delayed gratification. I believe this is one of the root causes of many personal, emotional, and social problems, deeply linked to our imbalanced upbringing. Understanding and reconciling these two personal sides are crucial for every individual to live a happy, healthy, balanced, and successful life, as my first triangle suggests: health, happiness, and success. Remember, without health, you can’t be happy, and without health and happiness, personal success loses its meaning.

This fundamental education has been misunderstood or ignored by our personal and societal politics, overshadowed by our widely accepted, preached, and cherished loving emotions. Are these loving emotions beneficial for us? Do they align with our animal side or our spiritual side, or perhaps we haven’t evolved enough to fully comprehend and properly place them in our mortal lives?

As individuals, do we understand the traits of our spiritual or animal sides, and do we grasp that we are the ones who truly call the shots, regardless of our nationalism or religious beliefs?

Lines can easily blur for us as individuals when we wholeheartedly embrace the teachings of our belonging groups. We kill each other over the politics of belonging groups, neglecting our personal responsibility to first understand ourselves as individuals.

Returning to the baby analogy: after crying a bit, the baby looks around, sees no one responding, and starts to self-soothe, entertain itself, and learn to control its desires. This is the first step a human takes toward being a human—learning about delayed gratification and managing the inner animal to create a balance with the human side—all stemming from that initial step.

Imbalance has far-reaching consequences for both the individual and society. Everything from obesity to brushes with the law could be avoided if we were taught from the start about not just instant but also delayed gratification.

Growing up in Pakistan, I heard wise words that stuck with me, though I don’t know their origin, so I’ll quote them as “Author Unknown”:

“When the trunk of the tree is green, it can be bent, but after that, we should forget about molding and conforming because it will not bend; it will break.”

The animal side, having been nurtured, has grown to a point where even attempts to harness it through sheer willpower can backfire. In my role as a personal trainer, I see people fail in their weight loss efforts because they try to ignore the power of their animal side. Weight loss companies have existed for decades, yet our obesity rates continue to climb steeply, largely due to this powerful, untamed animal side. This is also a contributing factor to higher crime rates, as instant gratification is a hallmark of the human animal’s behavior. I don’t seek to diminish the animal side, as I believe we must acknowledge its legitimacy to achieve balance and live as human beings. We must do justice to both sides, for the animal side holds essential knowledge about our mortal existence and deserves respect. Our religious education often contradicts our animal side; we are taught about heaven and hell to control it, yet little is said about the injustices society inflicts upon the mortal individual. As mortal individuals, God has gifted us this life, and religious authorities should not strip us of our animal side. The animal side allows us to enjoy mortal life—food, sex, love, and temporary attachments.

A just legal system treats everyone equally, a concept I connect with spirituality. The political rules of our societies and even our religious doctrines should all be rooted in spirituality. Throughout history and into modern times, however, we are indoctrinated to live for the afterlife. The images of God and the Devil are magnified, overshadowing the human equation. Nationalism and religious politics push individuals not only to live lives of sacrifice and deprivation but also to carry out their nations’ and religions’ dirty work.

It’s falsely preached that group power provides security—a claim unfulfilled since the dawn of civilization. For a long time and continuing today, individuals suffer, die, and lose love for the sake of belonging groups. The struggle against the internal Devil is another issue individuals face, leading to constant internal conflict. Meanwhile, the animal side flourishes unchecked in societies close to home. We are taught that to be good in God’s eyes, we must vanquish the Devil within. How, then, can we justify and exercise our God-given free will? Would you sacrifice your entire life in pursuit of being good, all while battling constant inner turmoil? Why do you believe extreme measures will bring inner peace? Who benefits from your sacrifice? Does God have anything to do with internal and external conflict? And finally, why do you think you’ve been blessed with free will?

As human individuals, none of us truly knows God’s plan for us. We are not created as angels; our makeup denotes us as human, possessing a side that gets us into trouble yet also makes us superior to angels. This aspect is intended by God and thus legitimate. Even God does not eliminate the Devil, as humans must strive to overcome obstacles to evolve further.

Since human beings give physical form to God and the Devil, nurturing either side strengthens it. Parents and society should be mindful of this education; addressing it during childhood could lead to more balanced adults. Remember, it’s the human who acts, whether in a godly or devilish manner. Nurturing must be deliberate.

When taught that God and the Devil are external entities, humans become subordinate and insignificant, and belonging groups gain control over them. We’re taught hidden messages of subservience, obedience, and insignificance, aimed at political control.

Your individual actions are either godly or devilish because external influences shape you. People who claim to be God’s subcontractors often condemn those who stray from their path. Dissenters are branded as followers of the Devil, although both sides commit devilish acts. No war can be considered a spiritual war; all are political, fought over land, nationalism, or religion. Politics have a place in society, and identity politics are crucial, but they have caused human beings to lose their identity and remain trapped in an identity crisis. You’re either good or bad; there’s no in-between, as human beings tend toward extremism. You’re taught that you can’t be both or belong to both sides, yet an individual’s life can show otherwise. People may do wrong in their youth but grow and change with different education. Questioning these teachings brings clarity and reveals life’s purpose. Human identity is being human, not angelic; avoid living like an angel, as you’ll regret it in your mortal life’s end and blame others for your failures, but it will be too late.

A physical body gives form to God and the Devil, enabling individuals to enjoy their brief visit. Taking responsibility for your life is essential. We’re not here merely to worship; we bear the responsibilities of our mortal lives as well. Enjoying life’s pleasures isn’t godly or devilish; it’s human. Refusing these pleasures benefits only those preaching sacrifice.

Observe how religions lavishly spend on grand buildings as God’s houses while fostering extremism to incite conflict. Who are these contractors, and why can’t they eradicate poverty, hunger, and disease? Despite these monuments, humanity continues to suffer, contrary to the Quran’s teachings that state if your neighbor goes to bed hungry, your food isn’t righteous. Political motives have stripped religions of their spirituality, focusing instead on group belonging. If told that indulging and enjoying life is devilish, question this politics of sacrifice and examine the motives of those who benefit. If religions were truly spiritual, poverty, disease, and war would be nonexistent. Show me a time of peace in history; we’ve always fought over our animal instincts or defended ourselves.

Consider reality: if you live spiritually, you can’t perform physical actions. To give spirituality practical meaning, you must be alive and physically active. Here, the human individual plays a pivotal role, elevating to a third status.

To serve God effectively, you must be alive to enact spiritually. Deceased individuals become spirits unable to act physically, so God’s work is reliant on the living. Yet some preach that indulgence and life enjoyment are Devilish. These same people encourage others to kill, driven by political motives rather than spiritual understanding.

As I mentioned before, God’s spiritual work is done by living human beings, so ask yourself: Are these people really following God’s will? Why would God want to kill people if people are the ones making God meaningful?

The reality is that God is a spiritual understanding that only emerges when we start to transcend our insecurities and related boundaries. An empty mosque, church, or temple is merely a building created by other human beings—or rather, by living human beings. Beyond religious beliefs, God does not reside in any human-made structure. Understanding resides within living human beings, where God, as a concept, finds meaning in humanity’s struggles with poverty, disease, disability, hunger, thirst, old age, and belief systems. It is in the mutual aid of humans helping each other survive that God meaningfully exists.

Our mosques, churches, and temples often serve as places where we politically gather to curse and plan how to harm other human beings simply because we disagree on the pathway or road to God. Nothing but mass ego gets in the way of truth. The simple truth of humanity is that individual humans make God meaningful. Yet our politically active religious leaders seem hell-bent on inspiring us to harm each other, all in the name of God.

If you ask me, I envision a place where all religions, nations, races, and genders come together to plan how they can assist each other, rather than merely worshiping or competing to appease God. God needs assistance to fulfill divine work, and only living human beings—not the deceased—can aid in this task.

It is purely political to bring out the worst in us to serve the sense of belonging. No wonder humanity cannot catch a break from its wars. If we begin to believe that God resides in all of us as a life force, we cannot deny God in certain races, genders, nations, or religious groups. Otherwise, we perpetuate biased beliefs, prejudice, discrimination, conflicts, and wars. If you wonder how God can reside in someone who behaves devilishly, take charge to nurture their godly side. This responsibility falls not only on the individual but also on mothers, society, and humanity as a whole.

If God blesses you with an opportunity to live at a higher level, yet you choose to live at a substandard level due to childhood teachings or feelings of insecurity, it is interesting how opinionated and passionate people become about others’ lives. In reality, our nature grants us total freedom to choose our way of life—evidenced by our independent bodies, free-thinking brains, and free will. If we do not respect our individuality, thoughts of individual mortality fade away.

Disobeying religious rules or customs does not render someone godless. Politically, they may be labeled in various ways, but spiritually, such judgments hold no weight. Scientists may assert there is no God, a belief stemming from their acquired knowledge and limited use of their brains in one area. Nonetheless, their inventions and medical discoveries that save millions of lives serve humanity—a form of service to God. Those who believe in God and those who do not can both serve humanity; such differences should not fuel divisions.

Everyone blessed with a functioning body, free will, and oxygen owes gratitude to God, regardless of their belief system. Remember, every action is a shared action, a dance we perform with God. No one can claim, “I did it!” Everything we achieve comes after taking a breath, dependent on both internal and external universes functioning in perfect order—over which we have no control. As humans, we must remain humble and act with reverence for our mortality.

When we inflict upon others what we would abhor for ourselves or our loved ones, it constitutes a spiritual transgression. Unfortunately, in mass settings, we often fail to see injustices done to individuals. We have been indoctrinated by the politics of group identity. For evolving entities like humans, no perfect system of governance exists. However, systems based on equal human rights are most suitable, fostering spiritual contentment. In societies where individuals can challenge governments in court and prevail, we witness a spiritual governance system, indicating respect for individual life. Respect for each individual is where it all begins and ends. Until we respect individual lives, we cannot see God in others nor achieve inner and outer peace.

Watched a Movie Titled MUTE (2018, TV-MA)

It started with an Amish proverb:

“In order to mold His people, God often has to melt them.”

Imagine you are a cheetah running to catch a deer. The hunt is on, and you are running at full speed with all your effort, but the deer is running and turning faster than you, getting away. The thought comes to you that you have to feed your babies, and you start to pray to God. “God, please give me some more speed and let me catch this food.” Now, imagine you are the deer. You are running for your life with all you have, and the thought comes to you, “God, please give me some more speed and save me from this certain death; I have to stay alive to feed my baby.” Both sides are praying to the same God but for completely different reasons. This puts God in a pickle about what to do. If God lets the cheetah catch the deer, is this the same as letting Bambi starve to death? Is God mean and merciless to the deer and its Bambi? If the deer gets away, the cheetah’s babies might die of starvation. So, is God mean and merciless to the cheetah but merciful to the deer and Bambi?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

Everything is wrong when you bring this scenario into humanity with high expectations from God. Since we all have knowledge of our mortality, things are different. First, it’s not a life-threatening situation for us. Second, we are evolved enough to understand. This is why we can’t, or should not, shoot or drop a bomb on opposing groups and chant it in the name of God.

Our wars have always been, are, and will always be based on our group politics. To keep our group’s morale high, we all tell the group we belong to that we are good, and our opponent group is evil.

Regardless of who is guilty, both sides use politics to convince their group that the opposing group is evil, and ours is good, so God is on our side. Both sides fire or drop bombs with chants that, “God is great.” God has been put in by the cheetah and the deer. The cheetah and the deer don’t have the same comprehension as human beings, so when humans put God in that situation, they are responsible for their actions. They are individually or collectively responsible for their actions because they are not at the level of the cheetah or the deer.

Human beings usually are cunning enough to put the blame on their God or their Devil to deflect responsibilities for their political actions. We have been able to use our politics until now to kill each other, including innocents from both sides. It’s about time we came clean and accepted our responsibilities, whether these responsibilities are individual or collective.

Putting God and the Devil on the top and humans in the bottom corner is clever and political but not honest or truthful. Deep inside, we all individually and collectively know that as human individuals, we are responsible for our actions because we have been blessed with free will. If we justify politically and hide our guilt behind the politics of our groups, we, as individuals, would feel the power of guilt. That phenomenon has been seen in modern-day war veterans with invisible disorders. Many people who have returned to civilian life after serving their country in wars suffer trauma from their service. They live their lives in trauma, and some kill themselves or die because they cannot understand or get over their time serving in the war.

When it comes to the cheetah and the deer, it is a matter of life and death, so we need to seriously look at it. If the deer gets caught, then the cheetah will have food to feed her babies. If it does not, the cheetah will go hungry and may not be able to feed her babies. This dilemma will cause the cheetah to come up with new strategies to continue to evolve.

How much will, or should I say free will, is playing a role in this life-and-death drama? Is it sheer luck, and does God have everything to do with it, or is it personal will?

If you put God on that high pedestal and say everything is done by God, even a leaf on the tree can’t move without God’s will. That means you should believe in God 100% in everything else as well. For instance, if you believe in that, you should not or will not have a concept of revenge related to emotional reactions to punishment. The concept of the justice system itself falls apart if we start to believe God is doing everything and human individuals have no say in what may happen. If that is the case, where would you fit God-given free will and the ability to put personal efforts into the game of life to survive?

Let’s take ourselves out of the bush and caves and come into an urban jungle. During this evolution from cave dwellings to high-rise living, a lot has happened to us. This journey has been tough, but it has been a worthwhile process so far. If we destroy everything that we have built during this evolution, it would be a colossal mistake by a spiritual God or, I should say, humanity.

Just look at us. We can dig deep into the earth without claws. We can swim deep into the ocean without gills. We can fly without wings where no winged bird can fly. This all is done by using free will to evolve. If we were to listen to the people who thought the earth was flat, we would still be in caves fighting for survival. This evolution has not been done by our prayers and worshiping. It usually comes from those so-called “religious people.”

I respect religious beliefs and the fundamentals of mortal living. I also believe that free oxygen, free will, and all abilities a living and breathing body has, with a God or no God.

Now let’s look at how and where God fits into our mortal lives.

Our awareness of personal mortality automatically creates a new world beyond the present life, but it is all based on the assumptions of the groups we have chosen to belong to. Our present ability to think takes us beyond our living years, especially when one starts to think spiritually. We have an evolutionary and exploring nature, with broad imagination, so potentially we create our future with our present thinking. Most of us have the unrelenting need to know why, how, and what happens after we die, so there are several schools of thought giving their versions or scenarios of what will happen. Since no one has been known to return from death and been able to tell us what happened when they went to Heaven, there is no evidence about what happens when we die. So it has always been dependent on the belief system of groups to instill in their members what will happen when they die and go to the heaven they believe in. Now it comes down to the individual whether to benefit or harm one’s living experience and what they are willing to believe.

How much effort you put into your personal life is almost always relevant, so do you use God? Do you rely on God and have expectations from God to take care of your life’s everyday affairs? It is highly dependent on the knowledge you have been instilled with growing up as an individual.

Where do you fit in as an individual to take responsibility related to your everyday life? How much effort you put into your personal life is almost always relevant, so do you use God? Do you rely on God and have expectations from God to take care of your life’s everyday affairs? It is highly dependent on the knowledge you have been instilled with growing up as an individual.

If you are not taught to fend for yourself and evolve, then are you taught not to follow your evolutionary nature? You are taught to believe that if the cheetah catches the deer, it is God’s will. If the cheetah does not catch the deer, this is God’s will also. So logically, you are taught that the cheetah, the deer, and you have no personal free will.

Remember, you can’t believe halfway in free will. Either you believe that you have free will or you do not. You, as a spiritual entity, make a choice to create your physical actions. So if you are making things happen in your life, you are using free will.

Just like our thoughts have the power to create physical changes in our bodies like the healing process and even the creation of diseases, spirituality creates physicality, and physicality makes spirituality meaningful to complete a mortal circle of human individual life. Always remember, the purpose of humans and God is to make things happen physically. Good and bad is not an issue here; it is all about what is important for us as mortals with the gift of thinking, breathing, and a living body to experience this life. Should we mess it up or take charge to live this life on personal terms and responsibilities?

UNDERSTANDING IS REQUIRED.

If you don’t think, you don’t create. Say for security reasons, human beings created cities in the jungle to survive from the predators but forgot about the dangers within the social settings from their own kind.

Sure, we have removed ourselves from the food chain, and no longer can other animals eat us. Unfortunately, we are doing a pretty good job with our social crimes and wars to kill each other. Yet still, it’s so-called human progress, depending on how you look at it.

In favor of personal efforts versus prayers, one has to be fair as an individual. Sure, I believe in the God-given path or story of life because it is evident all around us. We all have different paths, but they all lead to the same destination. All jobs are helping humanity, so helping each other is our purpose in individual life. God does not need help, but needs help from us to turn spirituality into physical actions. So the importance of the human individual is beyond all the religious books and their narrations.

Society and God are made up of human individuals, making each person the most important link. Just as a chicken lays eggs to create more chickens, human beings form masses, societies, and humanity. It may seem less important to you as an individual, but without each individual thread, no fabric can be woven. Therefore, respect yourself as an individual. As a collective, we need to respect the individual so we can survive as a mass.

For instance, if you feel small and weak, you might want to build a bigger, more muscular body with higher levels of testosterone to become assertive and aggressive. Now, think about what you would do to achieve this. Would you go to a mosque or church to seek help from a priest or mullah and pray, or would you take charge, go to the gym, and work out with the help of a personal trainer instead?

This is a common-sense decision that we all make, even if we are very religious. God or not, religion or not, there are certain levels of understanding we all possess.

Free will, personal effort, and the use of our brains have been around since the dawn of civilization, just like our politics of control and power. If you take charge and put effort into your life, you will automatically be ahead of those who don’t. How do you justify poverty despite efforts? Well, this is where politics comes in. We have used our brainpower to achieve control and power over others, creating groups or belonging to groups. We have even passed other people as property, just like kingdoms. Yes, we still have kingdoms in the present world, and royal families have children to ensure their wealth stays in the family.

The modern internet has exposed everyone to democratic values, equal human rights, and a sense of belonging to humanity as a whole. This modern trend is growing rapidly, and the majority of educated individuals want to be part of it.

Authoritarianism, kingdoms, or ideologies like communism and socialism must modernize their way of governing. From South Africa to Russia and China, things are changing, but these changes are slow for some and too fast for others. A changing world is like an open can of worms—you just can’t put things back and close it, so there is no going back. You can claim to be a nationalist, but the world is changing right before your eyes. Especially with the internet and information highway, nothing can be kept secret.

Efforts to suppress freedom of expression, like flogging a blogger or dismembering a journalist, are attempts to put the worms back in the can. Americans are trying to return to the old days, and the British tried with Brexit, but the question is how long they can hold on until changing times sweep them away. Humanity is growing closer together. When UN leaders laughed at Trump, it wasn’t about the issues at hand; it was a reflection of the power of shifting times.

Problems like global warming and the awakening of politics related to equal human rights can’t be controlled by big guns or high walls. These problems can only be dealt with by the united efforts of all humanity. We have come full circle. If we don’t change according to the demands of changing times, our survival as humanity will be in question. There would not be a winning nation; everyone would be a loser. Remember, everything is valuable on the face of the earth because humanity puts a value on it. If the planet becomes uninhabitable, nothing will matter.

If a whole city goes underwater due to climate change, all human beings—rich, poor, or middle class—will lose. So, it is time to care about humanity as a whole. Our wars can destroy nations and their budgets, but global warming-related problems have the power to destroy beyond national borders. Refugees have to leave everything behind to survive, and the assets left behind can’t be valuable until they are rebuilt and repopulated. A ghost town is a ghost town, no matter how you look at it.

At the end of the day, it’s a game of survival. Whether you are a cheetah or a deer, you need to know that free will is there to make a choice to put in more effort to survive. God stays out of your affairs after you have been blessed with an able body, oxygen, and free will. So take charge and make decisions that create peace so humanity can evolve in all aspects of life, not just in war-related weaponry.

Sure, there are things beyond human control, but if we don’t acknowledge the value of our free will, we would end up going to a mosque or church to pray for bigger muscles or stronger bodies instead of going to the gym.

Don’t let anyone tell you that human efforts are not meaningful. Just look into history and even today—every single progress has been made by the efforts of human individuals. Acknowledge the importance of God by remembering that it is all done by able, living, and breathing bodies. Since we can’t live without oxygen or an able body, nothing is done without the blessings of God. So, back to square one. Did the cheetah catch the deer with personal effort and free will, or did the deer survive by personal effort and sheer will? Go figure, but don’t be egotistic and believe that there is no God.

The question is: Is God melting to mold human beings, or are human beings doing the molding by their evolutionary nature?

God has done a godly job by providing us with oxygen, able bodies, and free will. Now it’s up to us to catch our food or avoid becoming food.

I believe in a God who is merciful and has given me oxygen, an able body, and free will. Now, it’s up to me how I live with a belief system to do my job without questioning God’s existence. How I live my mortal life is up to me. I can’t blame, and I don’t want to blame, God for my actions. I have been blessed from the get-go, so my molding is done by me using God-given free will.

Adapting and evolving according to the demands of the time and era I am born into is my quest. We should not have to run from our own kind to survive, nor should we have to think twice about saving our planet. As physical components of God, human beings have far more responsibilities than religions have taught us. Since God’s work is done by us, we need to get our acts together and take charge of what we have been assigned to do.

 

Other than oxygen, the blessings of God come to us through other people who are like us all. All modern living and its facilities are provided to us by our brains of the past and present. We are planning to go to Mars. We have nuclear weapons, our genetic code has been broken—from stem cells to cloning to all the modern ways of living—and the ways of transportation and communication have changed. Nothing has stayed, or ever will stay, the same as we evolve.

Everything that people used to pray to God for, or to achieve and receive, has been provided to us by us. Since we are continuously evolving, we still want more and more, so we still pray to God and God is still relevant in our lives. This is clearly a logical explanation of our evolutionary nature. No matter what we achieve, we will still want more and explore further.

Sure, we are doing it all, but it is all done by living and breathing bodies. What does this really mean? If you honestly look at it, you will find spirituality, which has always been there and still keeps knocking at your door of understanding, but you reject it because of your lack of understanding. How simple can it be? Whatever you are doing with a living and breathing body and brain is not done exclusively by you. Is it hard to understand? No, not at all. Just look around and see how shamelessly we all claim our achievements as ours and ours exclusively. Where does this attitude come from? It belongs to ego-related half-knowledge. Our half-knowledge is related to our evolutionary nature. When we start to claim that whatever is happening, we are making it happen, there is some truth to it because we are doing it, but with the oxygen and a living body, and just to remind you, they are not in our control, period. So whatever we do, as individuals or collectively, is all dependent on the whole universe going in favor. Otherwise, what kind of ability can a dead body have?

Where did we learn all this from? It’s our society and parents who keep preaching to us that whatever you want to do, you can do it if you put your efforts into it. When we achieve whatever we want to, it sends a signal to our psyche that we are the ones who did it. If no one explains how things are done in reality, our own knowledge and belief systems become impotent of spirituality.

Sure, our present knowledge is important and a must. For instance, if a mother is breastfeeding the baby to keep it alive, or someone teaches us how to survive in all kinds of circumstances—like hunting and fishing in the past as well as modern-day jobs—these are the skills we have learned from our belonging humanity. They all come from the people we are born from or belong to, but there is always more to life to learn as an evolving entity. No matter how much we achieve, it will never be enough until we hit our potential, so we personally and individually should always keep our mortal nature in front to live a mortal life.

When you do something for the people you belong to—which I believe we belong to humanity as a whole, not just a group of people—you are not doing a favor to humanity. You are reciprocating to God for a living, breathing machine that survives with the fuel of oxygen and food, so you are returning the favor through your actions during your living years.

Learning to at least respect the people who have been helpful to you, like your parents and the humanity you live in, is not only a duty; it is common decency. Your reciprocation is a spirituality-related game we all need to play. If everyone plays fairly with a sense of responsibility, then humanity as a whole wins.

If you do good things out of greed for heaven, this works against your sense of personal responsibility. You may say that you will not work and live at the expense of others. You may be able to do that, but deep inside, you are not respecting the requirements of being alive—you, humanity, and God, who lives through humanity. Understanding this is important because if you do not respect God or the people around you, you are actually disrespecting yourself.

Disrespecting oneself stems from knowledge based on a disease. This disease is created by people who give all the glory to a spiritual God but disrespect the physical component of God. They glorify God and curse the Devil, taking the human individual out of the equation just to make you insignificant so they can control you politically. If you feel that you are not worthy, you may fall victim to that education and lose self-respect. You may let others take your share, which puts you down even further to the point that you think self-disrespecting behavior is normal. This behavior may show up in your life just because you have learned that you are not responsible for anything. If everything is done by God and the Devil, that makes you just a puppet ripped to be controlled. If the whole community or nation becomes victims of this politics, it is a path to destruction and the end of the evolutionary process of the human individual and community. Therefore, I do not believe a religion should be a political system. Religions are spiritual systems, and they should stick with spirituality and spirituality exclusively.

A parent would not be able to take care of their offspring and would not be able to teach them to fend for themselves if the social fabric is designed in such a way that no one is taking responsibility for their actions or themselves. It can lead to the point that, even as communities, we can’t take care of ourselves. But thank God, luckily, we are human individuals who come equipped with a personal sense of justice and emotions of compassion, so not everyone turns out the same way. Not only can we take care of ourselves, but we also automatically grow the responsibility to take care of others as well.

If parents or society help too much to be relevant or politically strong, it can hinder the process of our kids growing their metaphorical wings to fly solo.

If you talk openly about wanting them to fly without others’ help, they may put more effort into flying solo. We are like other creatures in nature. We can get used to receiving help and learn to like living as dependents. Whether it’s a policy for the controlling authorities to keep you weak or your desire not to put effort into flying higher, these desires do not match with human nature because we are designed to evolve, and evolution requires constant struggle to push and pursue to the next level.

That is where the conservatives or religious people get spooked because if everyone learns to fly solo and higher, they would not be able to answer the questions asked by the higher-flying individuals. They would not be able to create a fear of God or blame the Devil for your actions, so they would not be able to control you politically. It’s not natural for human beings to stay put and feel good about it. We have a natural duty, and we are programmed to reciprocate to feel good about ourselves. We all have a need to be useful; otherwise, we become self-destructive, depressed, and lose our zest for a happy life. By nature, we find deeper happiness when we are able to help those who need help.

Whether it’s socialism, communism, or religions, they all promote ideas that clearly leave room for spiritual injustice to the individual. As human individuals, we all come into life as mortals, so the awareness of mortality automatically makes us insecure. Our insecurities show up in our actions of daily living. If these insecurities seep into the masses, which usually is the case, everybody wants to secure their personal and collective lives. Either way, it does not and cannot stop at life preservation; it leads to hoarding of all sorts. From beliefs to take along material things into the spiritual world to having fear of hell and greed for heaven, all are related to the knowledge of mortality and related insecurities.

This hoarding removes wealth from circulation, which in the long run can be harmful to a society full of mortals. It is not about the life of a mortal; it is the business of living, so we start to remove the wealth away. From the terms mattress savings to property, to the stock market, to bank savings, to retirement savings, and on and on, even insurance in every aspect of life, yet being mortal.

Interestingly, we have systems set up that allow us to leave everything for our offspring, family members, or other loved ones. If we don’t have this, then governments are eager to take over. So far, that is how things work, and that is the best humanity can offer. We can help those who can’t fend for themselves, like the disabled and the sick.

As an evolving entity, humanity is doing the best it can, but individually and collectively, our insecurities can take us to our three major problems.

As Said-i Nursi said, and I quote:

“Mankind has three problems: Discrimination, Poverty, and Ignorance. Discrimination can be solved with love and compassion, Poverty can be solved with sharing, and Ignorance can only be resolved by education.”

My question is, how do we share if we are bombarded by the education of insecurities? If everyone, rich or poor, is addicted to hoarding, then no charity system can be evergreen. You can say survival of the fittest is a success, but I would say, what kind of fitness and success? Health, happiness, and success are the keys. If you are not healthy or lacking oxygen, you can’t be happy, and success without health and happiness is useless. We are social creatures. It matters to us that we are useful to the people around us, and a dog-eat-dog philosophy does not fit into spiritual human living. Physically, you can feed your body and satisfy your brain by impressing others, but if you are still unhappy or depressed, remember that being mortal has taken a toll on you.

In spiritual worlds, reality is a reality, so I am putting forward ten things to remember.

Educate yourself about yourself.

Learn to live a moral life.

Don’t do to anyone what you don’t like done to you or your loved ones.

Make it a duty to reciprocate and be thankful for the functioning body and oxygen provided to you.

Look at the taxes you are paying as a spiritual reciprocation because you are actually helping others. Sure, you should ask how that money is used.

Remember, it’s not what you have accumulated in your mortal life; it’s what you have consumed and used for yourself and the needy. In the end of the day, that is what counts for you.

There cannot be a human book that holds evolving knowledge that is holy or otherwise. Only an evolving entity can gain more knowledge and find solutions for present, evolving problems. Locking, freezing, or putting ceilings on evolving knowledge is not only impossible, it’s non-spiritual to suppress human evolution. We are heading towards our potential, and it’s our responsibility to evolve to make God even more majestic, significant, and relevant in our lives.

The politics of nationalism, religion, or any other “ism” is related to our individual and collective insecurities. As mortals, we all have one destiny. Security is not part of it.

No gender, race, nation, or religious identity is from God. There is nothing more spiritual than equal human rights because the physical identity of God is humanity itself.

Killing each other in the name of race, nation, or religion is not only a sign of lack of evolution, it walks it down and makes it against God’s very existence. God’s meaningfulness comes into existence when human beings put their backs and shoulders together to bring physicality to spirituality and make it meaningful.

As a mass or a society, we should have respect for the individual’s life because they come and go, but as a society or as a group, we carry on.

Our traditions and customs, whether they are religious or social rules, are all designed to have peace and order in society. However, they should not be at the expense of the individual. For instance, Sati was a custom or tradition in India for widows, where they were burned alive with the dead body of their husbands. Muslims and the English both tried to remove this law but with very little success. Practices like this should never be the rules of human societies because they disrespect the individual’s God-given free will and mortal nature.

When God blesses you with whatever it is, it is yours to consume and use. For instance, you come into this life with a functioning and living body and brain. It’s yours to live however and whichever way you want, but when it comes to the people you come to, it’s a different story. They are like parents; they feel that they own you and your loyalties should be with them. Otherwise, you should be shunned.

Since everyone knows they are mortal, they try to secure or take security to the extreme. That extreme creates a set of problems for the individual and society simultaneously. From parents to Big Brother, everybody lays a claim on you, and you naturally want to practice your individuality. Yet regardless of everything and every effort from you, your fact of mortality never changes.

Big Brother-related government and religion both are in a different kind of mortality. They are like empires or communism; they exist beyond the length of a human individual’s life, but they are mortal as well. Our history shows that with human evolution, we have a graveyard full of empires and dynasties.

Ironically, a parent does not want to lose a child because of the pain of love lost, yet they send them to rob someone of love in the name of nation and religion. Our groups don’t want to lose the individual, yet they build walls to keep others away. Why these contradictions? Security-related political control.

A bigger population from all and different schools of thought can be intimidating for the conservative governing authority. Yet the reality is that, at the end of the day, we are all able bodies and useful to the societies wherever we choose to live. The real problem is the politics of a sense of belonging. If we choose to belong to humanity as a whole, these political problems vanish. If a society treats everyone with equal human rights, people flock to those countries.

Sure, there are different motivating factors and reasons, but a house with four walls does not make a home. Home is made with love, and love can’t be forced; all parents know that, all lovers know that. But for some of us, life with love politics is a way of life. Governments, religions, and Big Brother-related authorities always have political agendas. I believe they should learn that a brain drain has been, is, and will be a fact of life regardless of what era we live in, so respecting the individual with equal human rights is not and should not be based on politics. It should be the law.

Equal human rights and a sense of belonging to humanity as a whole is the spiritual answer we all should be looking for to sustain communities. Humanity has been and is full of ghost towns for different reasons. Look around, or as I said, look at the graveyard of the empires. The main character of all the glorious days has been, is, and always will be the human individual.

You can have every facility, such as houses, roads, electricity, water and sewer systems, cinema halls, theaters, playgrounds, schools, churches, or mosques, but nothing is valuable until a human individual gives value to them.

I know of a poem in Pakistan, and it goes like this:

“A lily in the forest cries for thousands of years; it is very hard to find an appreciating eye in the garden in the forest.”

Personally, I believe God is like that lily, and human beings are or have an appreciating eye. God is a spiritual entity, and God’s actions require human physicality; otherwise, it’s all useless. This is one of the most motivational reasons why religions promise their followers an important spot in heaven if they recruit another human being for their belonging religion.

A while back, I wrote a blog titled “God’s House for Sale for One Dollar.” It was triggered by the news from a town in northern Ontario. Lack of attendance was the reason given by the sellers. Anyway, God is meaningful and valuable only if humanity exists, one individual at a time. Killing each other’s belonging individuals can’t belong to God, nor can it be spiritual. I would go so far as to say it’s a spiritual crime, and don’t you dare let anyone tell you or convince you otherwise. You cannot kill in the name of your belonging groups, especially in the name of your religion, because you are actually told if you kill for your religion, you are killing for God, and you would be rewarded a spot in heaven. This can’t be further from the truth because of this example.

Imagine pulling one thread out of a piece of fabric at a time. It may not make any difference in the beginning, but in the long run, it will weaken and eventually make the fabric vanish. Now imagine that fabric is God, and you are the thread. Now ask yourself, would you kill each other or pull the thread from that fabric?

Remember I said when life is given to you, it’s yours to live the way you want to. Are you strengthening God or weakening God by following your religious orders to kill each other?

Ask this question to yourself without the political pressure of your sense of belonging to your groups. It is to make you honest with yourself. If you still come up with the same feelings of a sense of belonging to your group regarding this, you have been brainwashed and have no personal sense of being.

Being an independent individual is what God had meant for you. That is the reason why your umbilical cord has been cut, and you have been blessed with an independent and functioning body and brain, so you can make your own independent decisions. If you are not making use of it, you are disrespecting yourself as a spiritual physical entity with Godly powers.

Whether you are a nuclear scientist and don’t believe in God, or you are a religious scholar and believe in God with all your heart, either one of you logically just can’t be pulling one thread at a time or burning the whole fabric just because of what you believe in.

Humanity and God have been put in a vulnerable situation because of your political affiliations, so snap out of it and take responsibility for being a human being. Remember, we are creatures who have evolved from bush and cave residencies, so we should evolve from our bush and cave behaviors as well. Politics and belief systems aside, your personal sense of justice should be able to overrule your desires to kill to feed your political sense of belonging to a group.

Conservatism is important, but one must be cautious when explaining its significance. It is not a natural trait, nor is it a God-given quality. Conservatism is rooted in an insecurity-based politics, which makes it naturally at odds with the evolving nature of human beings. As a species, we are constantly evolving, and while conservatism is necessary to set the rhythm of this evolutionary process, clinging to it means adhering to outdated religious or political rules that govern our societies.

Humanity must continue to evolve and adapt until we reach our full potential. To pursue this potential, we need to break free from all boundaries. The belief that living in the past is the safest and best course of action is simply wrong. During evolution, there is no ultimate human knowledge—whether it be religious beliefs, national constitutions, or governing systems—nothing can be perfect because we must adapt and evolve according to the needs of the times we live in. If we keep living in the past, it is like looking backward and not paying attention to what lies ahead. If you don’t pay attention, sooner or later, you will collide with something. This is what is happening worldwide today. Conservatism is colliding not only with new generations but also with scientific and technological evolution. From abortion to euthanasia to blood transfusions to stem cell research to advancing genetic knowledge, these developments confuse the conservative population, yet time does not stop.

Contrary to popular belief, loyalties are not usually for sale, nor is it a clap with one hand; they require commitment from both sides to make a noise. When it comes from both sides, it can lead to a thundering success. A belief system cannot be forced or enforced because our awareness is constantly evolving and changing.

This adaptation to evolving knowledge is rare—some have it, most do not, because of our individual level of understanding. Our personal and individual loyalties should naturally be towards both God and humanity as a whole, but we have been stuck in the past because of conservatism.

Race, gender, color, nation, or religion are all related to our installed knowledge. Dissecting our identity to the core can bring clarity to the individual. As living, breathing human beings, we are all a bundle of physical and spiritual combinations. I was watching an Indian movie, Delhi 6, and I would like to quote a fitting passage:

“In every speck shines his divine light
Look within yourself, he is not far from you,
If you have love for yourself then embrace everyone
Because we are all in his form. That is worship.”

In plain and simple words, any system that brings glory to some but destroys others in the process is not from God, nor is it spiritual or natural. It is influenced by human insecurity and related politics, individually and collectively. Humanity has been a victim of identity confusion because of our politically tainted beliefs and governing security systems.

Since the beginning of our awareness, our politics have revolved around family, clan, community, nation, or belief systems. But these days, with the internet and our individual evolution, we are slowly but surely creating a global village. Some of us like the idea of venturing out, but branching out is very difficult for the vast majority to process. Change is in the air; you just have to look at humanity’s reaction to conditions such as the spread of Ebola, AIDS, and global warming. Our space stations and satellites have been at work for a long time, but what we don’t realize is that they are joint ventures of humanity as well.

When groups preach and promise superiority over others to their followers, it clearly teaches that other groups are inferior. Whether it is related to race, gender, nation, or religion, it is all connected to the politics of prejudice and discrimination. You can say to yourself that you are not prejudiced, but if you still consider your group better than others, you are influenced by prejudice and discrimination. When it comes to equal human rights, there is no middle ground—it is either all or nothing. In a court of law, you cannot claim you are not responsible for a crime because you belong to a certain group; no one will listen to you. It is time to own our actions because we all have the same free will and sense of justice.

Equal human rights mean that there are no differences based on color, gender, race, nation, or religion. You cannot just claim that you are going to heaven and everyone else is going to hell. No one can or should claim they are a little bit right or wrong. If a justice system is blind and treats everyone equally, you cannot and should not be conservative or liberal when it comes to being a judge. It is all about the law, and the law should always be based on a solid foundation of equal human rights for all.

Interestingly, when it comes to religions, we are taught to conform and believe blindly. If you question the authenticity of the rules or disobey, you are looked down upon by the leaders and other believers for not having faith in their teachings. Group mentality often leads to the prevalence of discrimination and prejudice, regardless of the group. This discrimination is not only directed at outsiders but also at insiders, leading to the formation of subdivisions or sects within groups. Such divisions are not beneficial for humanity as a whole. Intolerance, violence, and even wars can be stopped if we start taking individual responsibility. However, we are often insecure due to our lack of political knowledge, and groups create external enemies to manipulate us, while most people get hurt by their own kind.

Religious beliefs that attempt to divide people are not rooted in the texts or holy books. They stem from discrimination and prejudice-driven politics, born from an out-of-control, non-spiritual sense of belonging to the groups we choose to follow. Loyalty to family, clan, community, nation, or religion is considered the right thing to do in a group setting, but this can lead to spiritual crimes in other contexts. This is why humanity is divided into hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces.

The solution is not in looking for a savior, dynasty, empire, or superpower to control and overpower every race, gender, nation, or religion. Loyalties are not for sale, nor can they be forced or enforced. The problems are related to our violent nature, and we need to come to terms with it from within as individuals. No one should let anyone use them for political purposes.

The individual is the most important aspect of this picture, so educating individuals holds the key. Helping people to evolve further will enable them to see that the Earth is round and has no physical boundaries or walls. Human beings, along with other creatures, are residents, and there is nowhere else to go, at least not yet.

Passing on to another dimension after death is another story. For now, we need the knowledge of evolution so we can learn to live with each other. Western societies, as melting pots, are clear examples of our ability to live together and trust other human beings, even if they do not belong to any particular group. Genetically, we are all matched. Scientifically, we are all made of the same stuff. Spiritually, we may be alive as part of the same entity, like human bodies with God as cells, because we live, age, and die the same way as our cells and bodies provide living conditions.

All our differences are caused by our taught and installed knowledge from our ancestors, who survived and climbed to the top of the food chain. Their main pursuit was security, not only from predators but also from their own kind. Since then, security has been the primary focus of our societies, compromising our trust through ancestral knowledge. They lived and survived like other creatures, and by connecting to our conservative knowledge, we continue following the same path. It’s time to forge ahead and embrace changes, even if it is not easy to take chances. We have no choice but to evolve.

We mark our territories and fight over them just like our ancestors did. But now we have sophisticated chemical and nuclear weapons that do not respect the boundaries of communities, other creatures, and innocent beings. This human dilemma is strongly related to group politics. We consider our belonging group as the main authority, influenced by long-held beliefs of prejudice and discrimination. It’s time for a change because humanity needs to evolve to the next level and overcome the shortcomings of our ancestral knowledge.

Can we solve our social problems? Certainly not as groups, because we have been trying for millions of years to dominate humanity, and it has never worked. As groups, we have always been political, and unless we change our path, there will always be prejudice and discrimination against others. As individuals, we can hope to be educated enough to learn to belong to humanity as a whole. This goes against everything we have been taught and believed as a group, so it will be an uphill battle for humanity to overcome the old ways of doing things. Judging by what is happening in the external world, each of us has a constant internal battle.

Changes are needed from within individuals. We all evolve differently and at different paces. Most of our societies suffer from conservatism and are politically divided, so they swing back and forth as the hands of power change. Iran is a good example. Like other nations, they want scientific advancements, but they try to control their population through conservatism. Before the revolution, that society was quite advanced, but things changed when conservatism took hold of power. Now, Turkey and America are going backward, and Britain voted to leave the European Union, forming Brexit. These actions are similar to how animals mark their territory out of fear. I don’t play political games; I view everything through a spiritual lens. For me, equal human rights and justice for all with a boundary-less Earth for one humanity is the goal. I may be an idealist, but that is what I believe in.

As individuals, it is time for us to wake up and evolve with changing times. In my opinion, spirituality is love for humanity and all its aspects. Peaceful coexistence is possible, but it requires effort and courage to break free from the shackles of conservatism and group politics. We need to nurture an environment that promotes individual growth, understanding, and acceptance, fostering a world where everyone has an equal chance to thrive.

It is mind-boggling to me that many religious people, who should embody spirituality in their interactions with society, do not demonstrate this spirituality when choosing political parties. They often oppose helping the needy in their time of need and then have the audacity to call liberals godless people. Spiritual initiatives like equal human rights or universal healthcare are openly opposed by conservatives, and most religious people vote for conservatism.

My issue is that people attend a mosque or church with the desire to become godly, yet they act against helping the weaker, elderly, or vulnerable in need. This is quite contradictory. Social services are also opposed by these so-called godly people.

On the other hand, leftists who believe in socialist agendas often neglect justice for the individual. They always prioritize the masses, causing individuals to lose their value in that system. In spirituality, there is no injustice, so equal human rights is the best spiritual system for governing. We must balance individual rights and collective human rights as societies, but sacrificing individual human rights is not spiritual. Therefore, individuals should have the ability to take the state to court to fight for their rights.

Evolutionary nature tells me that we are not perfect. Will we become perfect when we reach our potential? That question can’t be answered without assumptions, but I believe in doing the best we can with the best of our knowledge. What the future holds is not relevant to the present, so I wouldn’t bet on it. To address present problems, we need present-related solutions. If we keep looking to the past for solutions, we will never change and will never be able to bring humanity together because we have been taught prejudice and discrimination as ancestral knowledge or wisdom. Even today, our schools teach religion and nationalism before anything else. Historically and presently, we follow group-related politics—whether related to race, gender, nation, or religious beliefs—all of which eventually breed prejudice and discrimination. No individual likes to be treated with prejudice and discrimination, yet those who treat others that way are people too. It comes down to the spiritual rule 101: “Don’t do to anyone what you don’t like done to you or your loved ones.” To me, it’s a personal and individual problem, always related to personal security. If everyone feels secure, we would naturally support equal human rights.

If we eliminate discrimination and prejudice-based politics as groups, we can educate individuals to connect with humanity as a whole. However, a group would never do that because it would lose political power. So, change must come from the bottom up, led by educated individuals.

Imagine a world where no one does to others what they don’t like done to themselves. What would happen to humanity? I can just imagine wars disappearing, and we would find internal and external peace. However, this is a stretch for now, and I may not see that much human progress in spiritual sections. Creating peace, whether internal or external, is within our grasp, but do we really want it? This is the question we should all individually ask ourselves in the dead of night when we are alone with ourselves.

Our sense of belonging has three offspring: Ego, Pride, and Honor. They always make us weak individually, thanks to our out-of-control sense of belonging to our groups. We can’t stand up against our groups even when they are doing wrong. Emotions are powerful, but ego is a power that can cut both ways—it can be a weakness as well. When you think about what others will think of you when you take any action, you become a victim of one of the three offspring. If we dig into the causes of our actions, these children of belonging will show up, letting you know that you have been put at the bottom of the triangle by politics when you should be at the top. This is what I mean by “who flipped my triangle.”

I believe in individual strength, which makes people question socially accepted truths and related rules. If we don’t have people questioning what we do, our societies will never change or evolve. Conservatives constantly question the whole nature of evolution. If no one had proven it to them, they would still believe in a flat Earth. They can’t see that all human progress has been gifted to them by evolutionary people. They shamelessly use all technology but still can’t accept enough to give credit where it’s due. They use drugs to live with diseases but oppose medical advancements. Some people are against blood transfusions, yet they still want to live in the past, even though transfusions save lives. All progress in science, technology, medicine, and social sciences has come from people who broke away from the confines of conservatism. Most scientists don’t even believe in God. To me, it’s a matter of how you look at God and what it means to you.

Conservatives use all the facilities provided by boundary breakers but stubbornly reject accepting evolutionary nature. I believe we are designed to break our own rules. Our rules are there to slow the rhythm of social control so we can adapt and evolve rhythmically without tearing ourselves apart. Conservatism is necessary but shouldn’t be something to get stuck on. Getting comfortable in those boundaries is unnatural for humans; it’s influenced by fear-related politics. No power has ever been able to stop this human phenomenon. Evolution is in our genes and can’t be harnessed, so we need to follow our nature instead of resisting it in the name of conservatism.

Religions have enjoyed popularity and still do to some extent, but they were not and still are not able to stop changing humanity. Where we were, they wanted us to stay, but we are compelled by our nature to evolve. We can’t stay where we are. Things like honor killings are progressively becoming questionable. Wars are unacceptable to certain segments of populations across all groups, nations, and religions.

By looking broadly into history and even present days, we are becoming aware of our behaviors. We now know that conservative politics compels individuals to commit spiritual crimes against opposing groups in the name of a sense of belonging. A person may not want to kill their loved one but feels compelled to do so because society points fingers at them. This compels them to commit spiritual crimes against their own loved ones. So, yes, even as societies, we need to change this kind of out-of-control sense of belonging.

The real war is going on inside the modern, changing human being: to stay within boundaries or change with the times. I believe our evolving nature is powerful enough to bring about change. It may take time, but we have been, are, and will always be evolving. Can we change conservatism? Well, it has already changed. No political system in the world has a purely conservative party anymore. They have to become liberal or progressive conservative parties to survive. If you look at the agendas of conservatives, they have moved to the middle to win. Otherwise, in Western nations, there is no room left for them. Humanity has moved on to changing times, so no one wants to be left behind.

Since this is a continuation from my previous writing titled “YOU, BODY, AND BRAIN,” I will begin with a quote from Jiddu Krishnamurti. I watched a movie called “The Last Shaman” in 2016, which is rated TV-MA. Here’s a passage from the film:

“In oneself lies the whole world, and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there, and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open except yourself.”

I believe that knowledge is humanity’s treasure to pass on to future generations. It is not a material thing but possesses the power to benefit or harm individuals. As such, it should be regarded as an asset. Knowledge is passed down to us from known and unknown sources, and there is no one particular way to own it. You can go to school, read books, think, explore, adapt to evolutionary changes, or you can lock yourself into the conservative, rule-oriented ways of living and let others pass you by, or you can break all boundaries.

Rules are created by the groups we choose to belong to, and while they can be patented or copyrighted, it is impossible to hold onto them forever due to our mortality. Since the internet entered our lives, there has been a significant shift in everything from music to books to movies. Some people have succeeded, others have not, and many have become wealthy, but humanity continues to expand and adapt to new ways.

One thing is for sure: we should respect and credit those who teach us, regardless of where they are from or which group they belong to. Humanity should respect the source, whether it makes them billionaires or helps them explore and take humanity to the next level.

Our knowledge-related discoveries can help or hurt us, depending on how we look at them. This applies to everything from weapons of war to the side effects of medicine, scientific discoveries, and the way we govern our societies. This constantly evolving human knowledge is proof of our imperfections. We have always claimed that our home group has the best knowledge, and we go to wars to test our lethal weapons on others, just as lab animals are used to determine the effects of chemicals and gases.

As a child, I learned that you don’t become poor by sharing one special thing: knowledge. Today, in a world of patents and copyrights, things have changed. I respect anyone’s knowledge if it benefits humanity as a whole, but not if it is used by a group of people who just want to rule the world by force. As groups, we have been trying to patent and copyright every field of knowledge, from war weaponry to spyware, internet hacking, satellites, space stations, and everything in between. We have authenticated these along with our exclusive holy books for thousands of years. You may find the same knowledge with individual and political twists in every field.

One of my goals is to burst the bubbles of politics-related group identities. I believe we should all see what lies beneath these layers. Regardless of political hype, we are all human beings. Logically, all individuals are born into humanity, so we all belong to humanity first.

Group politics stems from old survival-related problems. This can be seen in other primates fighting for territory and killing each other to keep control. The difference between us and them is our sophisticated war weaponry and political rhetoric. Politicizing and following group politics may seem natural, but our realities are real. We need to evolve to overcome these urges.

Today, we have the capability to extinct ourselves and other species if we don’t evolve beyond our hormone-driven emotional reactions. I’ve learned that a single thinker can save a ship full of feelers. We need to act on more than just emotions because politicians can use us as puppets for their hidden agendas with just a fiery speech to stop us from thinking as individuals.

As individuals, we don’t grow horns or wings; our evolution happens before our eyes. Unfortunately, we kill each other for different reasons, but our emotions, whether individual or collective, are the biggest culprits. Imagine if we stopped and worked together as one entity. We would reach further and faster to achieve our goals. Group politics may have helped us survive and evolve, but humanity needs to take the next step and abandon barbaric practices to prove we are an evolved species that does not believe in group politics. We are one humanity.

There will always be problems with some evolving faster than others, individually or collectively. We may believe differently, but if we accept that we are all human beings and belong to one humanity, we can overcome politics-related wars. The United Nations exists, but it is meaningless without consensus due to political powers of veto, which are not based on population.

We should live honestly, both individually and as groups. We should reciprocate as individuals and groups to collectively improve humanity’s quality of life. God does not need your help, but when you help each other and the less fortunate, you reciprocate with God for your free oxygen and healthy body. This should not stop at the individual level. If you believe you belong to humanity and God as a whole, it doesn’t matter your identity; you automatically become a human being. No one should feel bad about their identity or feel inferior or superior to others if they wholeheartedly understand their real identity: a mortal being.

I would rather be useful to all of humanity during my living years. Worshipping for status, power, control, or material things is self-defeating. Wanting these things after death is futile because they are for a living body and brain, not a soul. You can only enjoy the taste of food, sex, or material possessions while you have a functioning body. Without a living body, these desires are meaningless. If you fear the heat of fire or the torture of the grave, remember these affect only the physical body. A soul cannot be burned unless it is burdened with crimes.

I have no idea and have not met anyone who came back from the dead. There is no video evidence of what happens after we die. I cannot tell you for certain about dying and coming back to life. If someone claims certainty, they are lying because an evolving entity can’t be certain about anything. For now, I know that the pain of love loss hurts deeply and might be the pain of the soul. Committing a crime that causes such pain is a spiritual crime.

Robbing someone of their loved ones, especially if they are innocent, should be recognized as a spiritual crime. When done in the name of holy wars, it is politically justified, but to me, it is the biggest lie. It cannot be justified, regardless of political twists, because even one innocent’s blood should be pricier than all religious beliefs combined. If you believe you will go to heaven by robbing someone of love, it is highly unlikely, even if done in the name of religion. God has given us free will, which comes with personal responsibilities. Blindly following your group’s political views can lead to spiritual crimes.

When people pray, sacrifice, and worship for good things in their living years, it makes sense. When they pray for the same things in heaven, they must first make honest efforts to achieve these in life and understand what is needed after death. Life after death surely does not need material things. Knowing the difference between the needs of the living and the dead is essential. Without a physical body, you cannot enjoy honey, milk, or virgins. It doesn’t make sense. Religion starts where logic fails, highlighting the difference between the needs of the living and the dead. Why put God through the task of giving you a new, permanently young physical body?

After someone dies, their material possessions are divided among their loved ones because these things no longer mean anything to the dead or their soul. If you want in heaven what you lack in life, it is impossible because those things change in value after you lose your body. You would need heaven to be like Earth, with a physical body to enjoy material things. If you don’t believe in reincarnation, how would God please you after death? These tough questions should be asked to oneself and their groups. Group leaders will point to holy books as proof, but killing each other over beliefs has to stop. Our holy knowledge should have resolved this in the past two thousand years if it were capable.

Our problems are related to our evolving nature, so knowledge can never be frozen or encased. We can’t have ultimate knowledge until we reach our full potential. If science has debunked the minimal brain power theory, why are we still learning new things every day? We may be using our brain power, but what about evolutionary nature?

We still don’t understand what happens before birth and after death, other than religious scenarios. We can’t comprehend how we pass our intelligence to our babies, who are smarter these days even as newborns. It’s not good to argue or kill each other over evolving knowledge. Egyptians and Chinese believed they needed material possessions in life after death, but tomb robbing proves otherwise. There should be a movie about the mummy’s revenge for tomb robbing, but the point is that a soul’s needs differ from a physical body’s.

As living beings, we need to feed our body, brain, and soul. If you feed the wrong things, you need to judge and clearly define what is for what. Feeding your soul can’t be achieved by feeding your body and brain. Knowing the differences and understanding the YOU part in the equation helps.

My main goal is to advocate for not killing each other over belief systems. Do not doubt anyone’s religious beliefs. We all come into life with free will and responsibilities. Our actions have consequences, so by treating others as we want to be treated, we can create peace. This peace helps us evolve socially to respect each other. If you are told to commit a spiritual crime in the name of your group, judge it individually.

Your sense of justice and the knowledge of personal responsibility should guide you. If you are told you will be rewarded in the afterlife by committing atrocities, remember that you are human first, belonging to humanity, and your final judgment should be made by YOU, not the group. If you believe in God, know that He has given you a brain and body to use in this life. Treat yourself with respect and responsibility. Humanity should follow this in these times of rapid technological advancements.

One of my clients had been married to his wife for a long time. Unfortunately, she became ill and passed away. He went to spread her ashes at her favorite spot, a place she loved to visit when she was alive. A year later, he returned to that spot to keep her memory alive.

During our conversations, he respected my opinions and suggestions. I suggested that instead of visiting her favorite spot every year, he could give some money to feed the hungry in her name or memory. This way, the living could benefit from his contributions. He agreed that this was a good idea and decided to make donations annually instead of visiting the spot. While visiting the grave might bring comfort, helping someone in need in the name of a loved one is far more meaningful.

Exploring Love

Love is something we need to explore and understand. I came up with the idea of a love triangle, representing the different facets of love that encase us from all angles of our being. Love can profoundly impact us, whether we lose it or gain it. Our passionate love is with our life partner or a temporary partner. If we have children or family, our love evolves into instinctive love. Beyond this, we also love humanity, which I call universal love. By dividing love into these equal parts, we can better solve our love-related problems as individuals.

The Foundation of Love

You can’t comprehend the word “love” if you don’t have trust. Understanding human relationships depends on the meaning of love. You can learn about love from parents, society, and lovers, but you will only experience your own version within yourself. Without trust, love can be meaningless.

True love enlightenment is within you, if you ever get a chance to reach it. You can hear stories, read books, watch movies, or search the internet about love, but by the time you reach the age to truly understand love, you have already learned about the other social ills that can affect or dictate your ability to love. Parents teach you not to trust strangers, society exposes you to life’s ugliness, and money issues introduce class, race, and gender inequalities, as well as religious extremism and national conflicts. These factors can erode your trust in each other and even in God.

Everyone preaches that love is good and godly, yet people are punished for straying from family values, religious boundaries, and class differences. This hypocritical preaching teaches love without trust and God without security. How can you love unconditionally or believe in God blindly?

The Hypocrisy of Perfection

Most people expect others to live like perfect beings while personally accepting their own imperfections. This hypocrisy is not just a moral failing; it’s a mental health issue. If you are taught love and trust simultaneously, that’s fine. But if you are taught otherwise, you might struggle with trust, making it difficult to love or even have faith in God, because blind trust and love go hand in hand. We can’t understand God without trust, yet we are taught to believe in God blindly.

If you can’t understand yourself or your place in life, your ability to reciprocate with God or even understand God can be questionable. Regardless of the faith system you were born into, you must understand the purpose of your life. Everyone has a life story, some good, some bad, and some a mix of both. If you think beyond your day-to-day life, you will see personal and individual importance.

Connection to Humanity

You are taught and may feel that you are only connected to a group of people you belong to, but in reality, you are an independent entity directly connected to God. We all come into life, yet we don’t know how we end up alive or feel alive. The line between life and death is so thin that you are alive one moment and dead the next, yet humanity still carries on with or without you. When we reciprocate with God, we help each other, but we also kill each other. We help raise our children and feel great about doing it. Ever wonder why we feel good helping others? Understanding that is the first step to understanding love and the purpose of your life.

Balancing the Love Triangle

If your love triangle is intact, you can love, trust, and believe in God. Otherwise, it is hard to understand God, the personal and individual meanings of life, and love. It’s everyone’s responsibility to understand the meanings of our lives, yet we have been bombarded with conflicting teachings about love. The “dog-eat-dog” philosophy is preached subtly. We are taught to love without being given love, to distrust fellow human beings but believe in God. As if God is a foreign entity who can solve all our problems by mere belief. If you seek God out there, up in the sky or space, without digging into yourself or trusting your fellow human beings, you will never solve this riddle. If you put God on a pedestal and believe in a perfect God, just look at our history—how many innocents have been killed in the name of God. Religious wars have taken a toll on humanity far more than we can imagine. We also kill in the name of nationalism, so place the blame where it belongs. I don’t blame God for being imperfect because I believe God is evolving with us. Perfection of God will come with our evolution. If we understand ourselves, we will create a God no one can complain about.

Using Knowledge for Betterment

I believe all human knowledge should be used for the betterment of humanity. We should enhance even our religious knowledge. There should be no caps, ceilings, or freezes on human knowledge, especially regarding constitutions and religions. It may not be possible in my lifetime, but that is where humanity should evolve. We are evolving, but not with balance. History draws a grim picture of God, but it is a picture of humanity in evolution. That is why I believe in no caps, ceilings, or freezes on any kind of human knowledge, so we can rise to challenges as they arise.

Valuing the Individual

Throughout history, individuals have been made to feel inferior, valueless, and unimportant. They have been labeled as sinners, seeking external authority to feel valuable. They have been brainwashed to the point of accepting puppet-like control, feeling meaningless as individuals. They will commit spiritual crimes in the name of their groups, lacking self-identity because that is all they know.

If you give individuals value, respect their intelligence, and help them understand their importance, they will take responsibility for their actions. Otherwise, they will remain like other creatures, marking territories in different ways. We are supposed to be an evolving entity, even as God. Look at what we have been and are doing to each other. Lack of trust within you is a problem created by authorities for political reasons. You are to believe yet can’t trust—this is conflicting knowledge. Only you can fix your inner problems by reaching within, knowing, and trusting yourself.

Politics and Spirituality

Any group of people, unless it is humanity as a whole, is a political entity regardless of what they call themselves. Naturally, they all want political power and control. It may be a state or religion, but it’s all about controlling the population politically. Whether it’s race, color, gender, nation, or religion, they can’t be free of prejudice or discrimination because of political power. The question is, why are we so hung up on our group politics and identities? Why can’t human beings evolve beyond this hurdle? Is it individual insecurity? If so, we need to empower individuals by educating them about their real identity.

We all want to worship the same God differently, yet our practical prayers are the same—we serve others to please God and feel good about ourselves. Universal language is spirituality; it has no religious patent or superiority issues. It’s not about how you say your prayers or in what language; it’s your spiritual actions that make prayers meaningful, not bowing down in obedience to God. From personal satisfaction to benefiting other human beings to pleasing God, it is all related to you as an individual, beyond group politics.

Intellectualizing Love

Many people try to intellectualize life by connecting problems to certain behaviors, events, or circumstances and offering solutions to societies. But they never cross the lines of their sense of belonging to their groups. History is full of books, even holy books, but personal mortality-related common sense has been hijacked by the politics of our belonging groups.

All human knowledge, individual or collective, should be used for the improvement and enhancement of individuals and humanity. From roads and bridges to every scientific, technological, medical, social, and spiritual knowledge, it should all accommodate changes to our evolution. Our advancements in science, technology, or medicine are based on pursuing our evolution. Unfortunately, we seem to use our knowledge to construct some things and destruct other human beings, just because of our out-of-control group politics. Even if we cross these lines to join humanity as a whole, we will still have to deal with individual greed and power. Understanding personal mortality can help, but as young individuals, we are often not taught or we ignore the facts of life, feeling that we will live forever. We step on others to climb up, only to disappear.

Before conception and after death may seem vivid by religious explanations, but it’s not worth putting all our eggs in that basket and killing each other over it. We need to spiritually evolve to get out of our group politics and join humanity as a whole. Is it possible? Absolutely. Just look beyond our religious differences and wars. When Ebola was spreading, the whole world came together to stop it because it was going to spread beyond borders. Humanity comes together, but our political leaders want to stay in power, so personal interests override the interests of humanity. Our space station is not run by one nation, nor is our internet. The problems humanity faces can’t be stopped by building walls. Global warming can’t be fenced in or blocked at borders. Political lines only serve the purpose of keeping politicians in power; otherwise, the whole world is your nation.

There is much to be done, yet we must keep fighting and climbing our individual stairways to heaven, as only you can be your own savior. God is within you if you seek and search yourself.

Love is a thin line between life and death, so value it, cherish it, and understand it for your own benefit. Then help someone else understand it. Help humanity, love your fellow human beings, and don’t get lost in political lines of gender, race, religion, or nationality. Be free of prejudice and discrimination; treat others the way you want to be treated. If we can follow this one golden rule of life, we can change the world and make it a better place. Peace and love to you all.

If your life does not align with the norms of your social groups, it does not automatically mean you are wrong, bad, or worthless. You are the one who perceives everything about your life, especially if you let social standards dictate your self-worth. Over time, societies change and evolve; if you are ahead of the curve and feel your social group is not keeping up, it makes you right, not wrong.

Believing that your life is a direct gift from God, with free will as a bonus, automatically makes you the person in charge. As the CEO of your life, you will find your worth without struggles and achieve personal happiness and contentment simultaneously because you take pride in being directly connected to God. If you miss the feeling of being fulfilled or think you are merely an extension of your social group, your self-worth is highly dictated by others’ opinions. You should wake up from the dream of belonging to a group and see yourself as a mortal individual responsible for every action, gain, or loss in your temporary life.

Inspiration from a Baby’s Determination

A video of a baby wanting to get off the bed inspired this blog and reminded me of another one I wrote, titled “Five Bucks.” In the video, the baby tries to get off the bed but finds the floor too far. He throws a pillow on the ground, looks around, throws another pillow and his soother, then a third pillow. With no more pillows left, he breaks his fall and prevents getting hurt, achieving a soft landing.

Can we use this much reasoning, planning, and brainpower to achieve our goals even as a baby? How did he come up with the plan, achieving it, and even remembering to take the soother along? At what age do we start to think and plan to achieve our goals? I am no expert in that area, so I will leave that to experts. I am just starting this blog from what I have observed. Even as babies, we are reasonably smart, yet as adults, we willingly let others pull our strings for their political purposes.

The Power of Independent Thought

We passionately want to be right yet fail to see the political motives of those who use us, committing spiritual crimes against innocents. We are told that religion is an area that cannot be questioned, yet are encouraged to harm those with different beliefs. Where is the individual created as an independent entity with free will and personal sense of justice?

This baby’s video is inspiring because even at an age with no awareness of religion, nationality, color, or gender, he is still able to think independently to achieve his task. In my previous blog, “Five Bucks,” I described this ability differently. If you are standing on a riverbank needing to get to the other side, you must think, plan, and then act on your plan. You can gather branches, make a raft, get a big stick, and row yourself to the other side. Metaphorically, each of us has this “five bucks” – the smarts, strength, and ability to live for ourselves and help others around us.

Collective Strength and Individual Worth

If the wisdom, power, energy, and ability to achieve is in all of us, then a community contributing their “five bucks” can build a bridge so everyone can cross the river. It’s a logical fact that a single individual is weaker than a group of people working as a unit. Our smarts still come from that “five bucks” we brought along before birth. In today’s world, humanity must work together against group politics and join as a whole. Our problems, like infectious disease outbreaks or global warming, need evolved solutions.

A human body is a good example of the functioning of humanity as a whole. A human cell is meaningless yet meaningful on its own, with the potential to create a whole, functioning human body. Our politics of belonging to groups has served its purpose by holding us back, helping us adapt to our growing knowledge rhythmically. Sudden knowledge influx can be useless or destructive. The new paradigm is nature forcing us to think beyond group politics, become aware of equal human rights, and fight together against present-day threats.

The Importance of Personal Identity

With passed-on knowledge and belief systems, we often put our real identity at the end of assumed and political identities. If you look at today’s world, you should see this as an opportunity to adapt to evolutionary processes rather than a downfall of humanity. The simple logic is if you can’t understand God, don’t kill each other over God or evolving knowledge. Instead, try to understand yourself and dig into your potential.

Learning your potential starts from examining our history and present-day placement. The answers are all around you; you just have to be open-minded. We all have the potential to use our knowledge for right and wrong reasons, so the need to understand the forces behind our actions is greater than ever. If we can’t absorb our evolutionary knowledge or if we blindly follow our group’s passed-on knowledge, we hinder our evolution.

The Role of Spirituality

I believe religions have a place, but spirituality is the real deal. Following the spiritual path allows us to evolve and find our individual rhythm. Worship and prayer based solely on taught knowledge miss the essence of personal effort and understanding. The purpose of your life is to bring God’s spirituality to life through your physical actions. You make God meaningful to yourself and others around you; you are the physical component of the spiritual God.

Much of worshiping is tied to the desire for more physical things in life to secure an uncertain future. Yet, logically, the future with security is not for mortals, and you are, in fact, mortal. This raises questions about God’s existence. I point to humans as evolving entities with incomplete knowledge, so making strong assertions or claiming assumptions as facts is not right. Our knowledge is constantly evolving, and scientific discoveries often challenge religious theories.

Balancing Passion and Compassion

Understanding mortality can make us compassionate individually. It is imperative to assume responsibility for learning. Each of us comes with knowledge from our known and unknown resources from birth. If you can reason even as a baby, you have the foundation for independent thought.

Passion, if harnessed correctly, should be rooted in love and compassion. It should be foundational knowledge in all human planning, governing, and individual actions. The world and humanity would be further ahead if we all used compassion generously. We must understand the driving forces behind our actions and use compassion to guide our passions.

Evolving Beyond Group Politics

We are evolving, yet our religious beliefs often remain static because we are taught they are God’s words, not to be questioned. Yet, human advancement in science, technology, medicine, and other fields has been possible because someone pushed the boundaries of knowledge. If we are not allowed to explore, we cannot excel or advance.

Belief systems need spirituality, not politics. Politics mixed with belief systems is wrong. We must harness our passion for compassion and understand the influences of group politics before every personal action. The individual is often driven by personal insecurities, wanting to fit in and be admired. This individual problem seeps into our social groups, which are made up of individuals.

Our evolution is only possible if we push and adopt to our rhythm, continuously pursuing progress, even if it is left for future generations. If you don’t poke, you can’t evolve. Disregarding spirituality is concerning because it’s the only thing that brings calm to our passion. We must understand that our knowledge is incomplete and constantly evolving. Belief systems must evolve with time, just like human beings.

We must value human individuals over group politics and not kill each other over evolving knowledge. Individually digging for the truth about God without assumptions is a journey with limited brain power and evolving understanding. We must put God on a higher pedestal and see science as a part of God’s will, pushing human potential. Our evolution in every department of life must be in harmony with spiritual growth.

Believing in God and keeping an open mind to changes and evolution will bring happiness in all circumstances. Our ultimate treasure is happiness, and we must strive to find it by embracing evolution and understanding our role as evolving entities.

Since group politics entered the picture, we as individuals have relinquished our security responsibilities to governing authorities, necessitating the establishment of police forces and justice systems in our communities. When I observe conservatives or Republicans, they advocate for gun rights for personal protection akin to the Wild West era. Simultaneously, they advocate arming the police force like a military entity. I find this paradoxical, but our societies are rife with such contradictions, which we continue to coexist with. It doesn’t seem logical because one cannot advocate for both widespread firearm ownership and a heavily armed police force. If citizens delegate their security to the police, it’s unreasonable for them to possess firearms capable of potentially harming law enforcement officers at any moment.

Certainly, it’s impractical to assign a police officer to each individual, necessitating self-regulation among individuals for peaceful coexistence. Law and order form a fundamental pillar that attracts people to our communities. While self-protection is a right, how do we progress to adapt to changing times? The debate over owning guns for protection persists because police cannot always arrive in time to ensure safety, similar to situations in more remote areas. Although we’ve evolved beyond the cowboy era of the Wild West, our development raises a crucial question: why do we still require firearms and police forces? Shouldn’t our evolution enable us to respect each other more than animals in the wild do? Why do we claim to be evolved human beings, yet still perpetrate crimes against each other?

Our evolution has positioned us in a state of constant contradiction. Today, individuals willingly surrender security and pay for police protection, even compromising privacy by allowing law enforcement into their lives. By today’s standards, it’s inconceivable to envision a society without law and order.

Consider the contradictions within belief systems; religious doctrines prescribe severe punishments. Theft might result in limb amputation, while adultery could warrant stoning to death. Yet, simultaneously, these systems advocate for an ultimate belief in divine authority. These stringent and archaic rules aim to deter individuals from committing crimes and obeying rulers, often invoking the name of God. However, when a crime victim prays to God for protection and their prayer remains unanswered, it has two potential consequences: they lose faith in God, or the criminal perceives impunity, eroding their fear of divine retribution. This cycle leads to a diminishing practical fear of God, where religious beliefs intermingle with political authority, causing spiritual and individual turmoil. When a belief system falls into disarray, the entire construct becomes a casualty of politics.

Mixing the fear of God with social punishments into a belief system is problematic because these punishments, like everything else, are administered by fellow humans, constituting a governance and hence, a political system. This blends the accountability of God and individual faith while absolving the governing authority of blame.

Believing that every action aligns with God’s will, yet punishing a child born out of wedlock, contradicts spiritual principles and amounts to a spiritual crime. Such contradictions often remain unexamined because they defy logic. Blindly adhering to a religious leader’s dictates without critical analysis precludes personal responsibility—a fundamental aspect of spirituality. Every individual is accountable for their actions. Whether blaming a child born out of wedlock or condemning an abortion doctor, such actions compromise genuine faith. One cannot both wield a gun for protection while advocating for societal adherence to law and order.

Observing leaves rustling on a tree provides an insightful experience. A sentient individual can appreciate and comprehend this phenomenon. If oxygen sustains our lives as per divine will, it follows that God’s will must also encompass the birth of a human child. Given today’s realities, from artificial insemination to cloning, labeling a child born out of wedlock as illegitimate signifies not just ignorance but spiritual transgression, unfairly faulting an innocent party.

For a social creature like humans, even name-calling can be a form of punishment. Therefore, individuals and societies alike must grasp the implications of their traditions, customs, social trends, religious edicts, and constitutional laws. The condemnation of an innocent being should provoke collective shame. Although one might assert that not a leaf stirs without divine will, assigning blame to an innocent being and attributing it to God’s will remains nonsensical. Such assertions, stemming from religious doctrines, often justify beliefs under the guise of divine sanction.

In today’s context, with planned parenthood being commonplace, understanding God’s role in our lives becomes paramount. Failing to grasp this leaves innocent beings at the mercy of societal whims. Humanity thrives when individuals prioritize equal human rights over religious or communal convictions.

If one insists that nothing occurs without divine will, consistency demands acknowledging God’s role in all human actions. Accusing an innocent child of moral failings merely due to their birth status represents both a lack of education and spiritual misconduct. Similarly, associating spiritual beliefs with prejudices leads to mental health challenges. A pursuit of perfection from others, including God, while neglecting one’s own shortcomings, begets dissatisfaction. Blaming a child for its birth status mirrors a denial of reality.

The Roman Catholic sex scandal frequently reemerges, a historical issue persisting within the institution. Enforcing celibacy among priests and expecting universal compliance is unrealistic. Human nature varies; thus, not everyone adheres to the same norms. Society’s evolving perspectives on religious leaders necessitate reevaluation.

History abounds with contradictory viewpoints. Muslims, having recognized the impracticality of celibacy, permit men to marry up to four wives. This practice, however, entails seeking each wife’s consent sequentially, reflecting contemporary sensibilities. Nonetheless, adapting this tradition to modern standards poses significant challenges.

Religious beliefs often bridge the gap where intellectual capacities falter. As information spreads via the internet, so do discussions, conflicts, and, regrettably, wars. Simultaneously, the internet fosters knowledge sharing, heralding progress. Embracing common sense and spirituality aligned with evolution remains my steadfast stance. While personal beliefs are valid, they must not compromise justice for the innocent.

Allegories about stars forming from deceased individuals resonate poetically. Similarly, our societies feature myriad narratives and conjectures. While stories enrich cultural customs, living, breathing individuals shape genuine narratives. Spiritual knowledge transcends mere theory when translated into personal actions, thus grounding spirituality in reality. For spirituality to thrive, human involvement is indispensable.

Human evolution offers vast potential, underscored by genetic diversity. Resisting change or adhering to antiquated notions akin to believing in a flat earth stifles progress. Crossing a street or jumping rope demands timely action, relying on natural instincts to evade mishaps. Humanity stands at a crossroads; unfounded fears may paralyze us. Evolution demands bold strides forward, transcending outdated customs.

Have you personally evolved since childhood? If so, why? Assess your chosen group’s alignment with modern values. Are they adapting to current realities? As the foundation of humanity, personal responsibility necessitates informed decisions. Remember, the golden rule—treat others as you wish to be treated—should guide all actions, regardless of national or religious affiliations.

Society faces individual and collective challenges when spiritual principles clash with political maneuvers. Consider the mental health implications of spiritual connections. If seeking perfection from others while neglecting personal growth, expect discontent. Balancing mortality sheds light on life’s purpose, dissolving chains of materialism and political subjugation.

Spiritual entities, including God, necessitate human intervention to manifest change. Humanity thrives when individuals reciprocate divine blessings through meaningful actions. Reevaluating one’s self-worth and contributions is essential. Engaging in practical prayers, supporting others, and maintaining physical and spiritual balance sustain meaningful connections with divinity.

Don’t succumb to notions of worthlessness or sinfulness. Each individual possesses inherent value, integral to divine plans. Recognize your pivotal role in fulfilling spiritual endeavors. Embrace personal and collective evolution, transcending group politics. Refrain from attributing blame to innocents in the name of spirituality. Uphold common sense in spiritual practices, distinguishing between divine guidance and political manipulation.

Cybercrimes are today’s realities. Our elections can be rigged, and we have not been prepared for this. Justice systems worldwide are affected by this problem. Clinging to old ways of justice has been swept away by the winds of evolution. If we fail to evolve beyond the chains of group identity, we are heading towards political and spiritual justice disasters.

Our traditional ways are rooted in prejudice and discrimination, regardless of our racial, ethnic, or religious affiliations—whether white, black, brown, yellow, red, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, or related to sexuality. These groups all seek humanity within their boundaries.

This evolution persists despite the restrictions imposed by nations, religions, dynasties, and empires. I firmly believe that humanity will eventually eradicate prejudice and discrimination fueled by group politics.

We must broaden our perspective and recognize that we, like animals in the wild, still mark territories. Although we have evolved to embrace religion, we have yet to tame our primal instincts fully. Our potential for evolution is immense. Consider the genetic diversity among us—can anyone still claim genetic purity? Whether you are white, yellow, black, or Mongol, science illuminates the truth. Refusing to embrace change is akin to believing the Earth is flat.

Crossing the street or jumping rope illustrates timing—jump when the rope nears your feet, relying on instinct to leap higher than the rope. Failure to jump risks stumbling or becoming entangled and falling.

Humanity stands at a crossroads, some frozen in fear of oncoming traffic. As evolving beings, we must take calculated risks, transcending the confines of outdated rules—whether based on race, nationality, or belief systems. We have no alternative. History reveals that resistance to evolution contradicts God’s will and is fear-driven. Despite our spirituality, we align ourselves with group politics, often becoming victims of prejudice and discrimination.

Individually and collectively, we face choices, dictated by timing. Fear of the oncoming traffic can paralyze us—individually or collectively. Humans are not meant to live frozen lives; our mortal nature demands evolution.

Consider your personal evolution since childhood. If you have evolved, why?

Now evaluate your chosen group. Is it attuned to today’s world? If it lags, what are you doing or contemplating?

As the foundation of humanity, you cannot remain frozen due to group politics. Follow your natural inclination to lead, making informed decisions irrespective of group allegiance. Always remember Rule One: “Treat others as you wish to be treated,” even in the name of nation or faith.

We grapple with personal and collective challenges, especially when separating belonging from spirituality. Consider the spiritual link to mental health—expecting perfection from others, even God, while neglecting personal flaws or efforts, invites troubles.

If you are not giving 100%, refrain from expecting it from others or even God. Overindulgence in fear and control risks personal paralysis, jeopardizing happiness and contentment, particularly acknowledging mortality.

Happiness and contentment are paramount in mortal life. Failing to achieve them, despite religious devotion, is personal failure. I endorse personal accountability. If you squander life pursuing acceptance or admiration, yet remain unhappy, you forfeit happiness and contentment. Material success gauges others’ validation, breeding discontent and mental health issues.

All spiritual beings, even God, require human intervention to manifest physically. Humans transform spiritual thoughts into action, rendering spirituality meaningful. Thus, is God ineffective without human intervention? This symbiotic relationship underscores physical and spiritual collaboration, bypassing politics and uplifting spirituality.

Imagine yourself as God, obligated to fulfill prayers. Would you prefer obedient worship—bowing, sacrificing, fasting—or would you seek mutual help?

Consider practically, logically, and honestly. Personally, I favor reciprocal assistance.

Evaluate today’s scenario—how many pray practically versus wishfully? Who physically aids others? To discern life’s purpose, reciprocation proves pivotal. While personal physical experience enriches, practical prayer satisfaction hinges on direct reciprocation. God requires able-bodied humans, reliant on oxygen, to perform tasks, showcasing strength.

Reflect on history—we kill in God’s name. What values does religion teach? Though prayer and worship acknowledge divinity’s greatness, self-worth diminishes.

Adhering blindly to religious or social norms chains you, subject to manipulation by others. I argue prayers necessitate physicality in our physical world. Solely worshiping and fasting, expecting divine physical work, hampers spirituality’s efficacy—hinging on human contribution.

Do you still deem humans insignificant? Do you feel worthless, brainwashed, or overwhelmed by unattainable divine power? Understanding mortality offers balance and clarity.

Practice enhances understanding. If God’s work depends on you, embrace worthiness. Connecting the dots frees from materialistic and political enslavement, driven by group acceptance or admiration. Contributing directly to God, reciprocating, holds utmost significance. Remember, working—paid or otherwise—means mutual aid, fostering divine and human worlds alike. Your contribution surpasses mere worship—it’s practical prayer, resonating with God beyond mere ritual.

Reject anyone deeming you worthless or a sinner. You matter, not just to yourself but to God. Your existence, even passing knowledge for others’ benefit, fulfills prayers, affirming your worth. Proclaiming love entails action—helping. Love devoid of action is futile.