Security, law, and order are crucial to us both individually and collectively. Even observing other creatures reveals they too have established systems for safety. In our early days in the bush and caves, survival relied on strength, bravery, and numbers, emphasizing the advantages of social cohesion. Today, our inclination toward belonging groups has evolved into nationalism, religions, and governmental bodies. Over time, we’ve moved away from individual strength systems, racial superiority, kingdoms, and imperialism, yet tribalism remains deeply rooted, fostering distrust and pervasive stress.
This distrust impedes global collaboration, critical amidst today’s challenges—climate-related extremes, pandemics, and cybercrimes—which transcend national borders. Our world has shrunk with technological advances, rendering physical walls ineffective for security. Embracing unity as one entity is imperative. Crime rates within societies pose a significant challenge; notably, crimes are often committed by members against one another. Our tendency to trust our own groups over others stems from historical experiences, ingrained deeply within us. As a result, we prioritize our groups over humanity as a whole.
Humanity must evolve beyond historical conflicts and adopt new approaches suited to our technological era. Persisting with outdated divisions risks self-imposed catastrophe, hindering progress. Maintaining awareness of our mortality provides courage, enhancing our journey with fulfillment and contentment. Denying or hiding from our realities undermines our quality of life and contributes to various health issues, highlighting the futility of attempting to control mortality.
Recently, I came across a thought-provoking statement by Neil deGrasse Tyson, a prominent figure in astrophysics and an atheist. Despite his disbelief in God, his words resonated deeply with my spiritual beliefs. To me, spirituality transcends religious affiliation and personal beliefs; it encompasses reciprocity and selfless contribution to humanity:
“‘On my tombstone, I want it to say, ‘I would not want to live if humanity did not benefit from my existence.’ I think that’s a more interesting position than ‘Here lies so and so, who had such and such position and such and such wealth.’”
We receive and continue to receive from the universe without control over basic necessities like oxygen or our bodily functions. Aging and mortality remain beyond our command. Tyson’s reflection on mortality, altruism, and non-transactional living exemplifies spiritual enlightenment. His viewpoint challenges traditional religious frameworks, yet embodies spiritual depth and ethical integrity, illustrating the universal essence of spirituality.
Baba Bulay Shah, long ago, addressed character:
“All the religious preachers have aged saying God’s name,
Yet no one has found God clearly, despite prostrating and praying.
God resides within, the Quran states,
Bulay Shah found God by mastering his inner self.”
Spirituality transcends religious affiliations; every individual, regardless of creed or background, contributes to spiritual expression through noble actions. Good and bad deeds influence generations to come; even negative experiences can yield positive outcomes in the long run. The notion of godless individuals facing damnation while believers ascend to paradise fosters prejudice, discrimination, and judgment based on assumptions. Such viewpoints are often rooted in political and group biases, overshadowing the profound essence of spirituality.
Consider individuals who benefit from life-saving medications invented by atheists, or who enjoy modern technologies developed by those who deny God’s existence. True spirituality acknowledges and reciprocates such contributions, whereas political biases may disparage non-believers. Discrimination based on race, religion, or nationality reflects a false sense of superiority instilled by group affiliations, obscuring the moral debt owed to these innovators.
Determining one’s fate in the afterlife transcends human judgment—it’s a spiritual matter beyond our mortal realm. Assumptions about the afterlife breed conflicting opinions, leading to needless conflicts and strife. Instead of arguing or harming each other over spiritual beliefs, we should prioritize unity, empathy, and respect for all individuals’ contributions to humanity.
If people can confront personal prejudice and discrimination internally and embrace the unknown as a realm of assumptions, they would not only recognize God within themselves but also see God in others, even if they consider non-religious individuals as godless.
Logically, as entities, human beings are cells of humanity as a whole, functioning and existing physically as living, breathing beings. Therefore, dividing into “us” and “them” makes no spiritual sense. Physically, however, our politics of belonging has deeply divided us, even at our spiritual core. Ironically, as self-proclaimed stewards of God and spirituality, religions have zealously engaged in mutual destruction for millennia. If you perceive yourself merely as another creature or animal and deny your spiritual essence, you fail to grasp the full complexity of being human. A human being connects to humanity as a whole, both physically and spiritually, so favoring one over the other denies our complete humanity. Being human entails a unique amalgam of God and physicality, making us a crucial element in the spiritual equation. Besides miracles and natural disasters, every instance of good and bad hinges on our choices—each of us individually. Remove human agency, and all that remains is silence; no concepts of life, progress, or conflict. We alone are responsible for the political killings in the name of belonging, not God or the Devil. We must awaken to our responsibilities as humans, forsake our factions, and unite under the banner of humanity before we face utter silence.
Debates about God, the Devil, heaven, and hell can wait for the afterlife. In our present physical existence, let’s prioritize goodness and leave the concerns of the afterlife for later. Our real-life consequences stem largely from our politics of group identity, preventing us from seeing the goodness or God within ourselves and others.
If you fail to exercise your atom of autonomy, you forfeit your God-given free will and cannot truly claim spiritual status. Allowing others to dictate your choices denies your maturity and evolution as a human being. Unlike genetically programmed creatures like warrior ants or worker bees, we possess the capacity to decipher and manipulate our genetic code. This autonomy elevates us above even angels, who lack such choice. If you reduce yourself to a programmable entity, you defy God’s intent for you.
Your choices of good and bad impact not only others but also your own spiritual well-being. Acting virtuously can bring inner peace and fulfillment, while spiritual neglect can lead to internal turmoil—a living hell for mortals seeking happiness and contentment. Remember, if you believe in goodness and God, refrain from using your hands, back, or shoulders—gifts from God—to harm others. Adhere to the first spiritual rule: do not inflict upon others what you find injurious to yourself or your loved ones. Our downfall lies in blind allegiance to group doctrines, wherein religious agendas co-opt God to absolve guilt. By doing so, we relinquish our autonomy and deny both our free will and God. Above all, harming others in the name of God betrays not only our responsibilities but also God, who resides within us. Such actions stem from group loyalty and political indoctrination, not spiritual enlightenment.
My blog theme isn’t to denigrate any religion or viewpoint but to emphasize the significance of individual humans and their spiritually motivated actions. Regrettably, religions frequently exploit God and individuals to advance political objectives. Anyone asserting their religion as apolitical should reconsider and adopt a CEO mindset in their life decisions. Buddhist monks, until recently, claimed apolitical stances—yet, how could a monk become a political extremist? The true essence of a monk, as defined, contradicts such involvement. Our politics of group identity persistently corrupts and diminishes the spirituality inherent in devout individuals.
Ultimately, every human group operates politically. They ensure mutual security and exhibit unwavering loyalty, yet when forced to choose between politics and spirituality, they often favor the former due to their sense of belonging. Their faith becomes a security blanket, akin to a grub under a rock. However, should that rock shift, their purported security can become a deadly trap. Unlike grubs, humans possess the intellect to contemplate the realities of our “rocks” and their literal implications.
Since nothing is more important than life, happiness, and contentment as mortals, we need to maintain a crucial balance between our security and mortal nature. The burdens of our security rocks can lead us to harmful effects like mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health issues, and even premature death. Overthinking and living in a constant state of fear can continuously release harmful stress hormones. Scientifically proven, these chemicals can cause physical ailments. Being mortal, causing oneself these physical ailments is self-destructive. As you are on borrowed time, you cannot afford to live under your imaginary security rocks. It will kill you prematurely, and it would be by your own choices.
It may not be scientifically proven, but personally, I believe our diseases are not just connected to our genetics. Our lifestyle and clear imagination have the power to override an early death or bring it on. A religious individual may believe our time is fixed, and scientists may say they believe in genetics, but there are some factors we critically need to consider. If our imagination and our ways of thinking have the power to release physical chemicals, they have the power to dictate our health and quality of life as well.
How long we are going to live is in the same realm as judging who is going to hell or heaven, so if you do, it would be all assumptions. Personally, I don’t like making assumptions, but sometimes you have to carry on to string the beads of life. We can be proven wrong, but that is part of our evolution, as long as we don’t become extremists and become entrenched in our ancestral and present knowledge.
A joke comes to mind:
“Someone asked George Burns, ‘Hey George, do you smoke?’ ‘Yes, I have my cigar every day,’ said George. The next question was, ‘Do you drink?’ George replied, ‘Yes, I have my martini every day.’ The last question was, ‘What does your doctor say?’ George thinks for a while as if trying to remember. Then he says, ‘Well, he died a long time ago.’ So, no one, and I mean no one, can predict without resorting to assumptions how long one is going to live. The whole idea is to understand the importance of balance, even in our knowledge, whether it is related to science, religions, or anything else.
That is why, despite our scientific advances, we hold onto our exclusive belief systems, even if they were passed down to us thousands of years ago. We cling to our installed data and believe that it is our true identity. We ignore all signals of our spirituality, which keeps insisting that we are connected to something bigger—like humanity as a whole and God—not just with the people around us.
This organism-like entity has been and still is suffering from the politics of our sense of belonging to our groups. Our universal spiritual nature is still intact and functioning, but there has been and still is a constant battle for the individual to choose. Our security rock has always been and still is created and influenced by the politics of belonging to groups, so we can individually feel insecure and stay with them.
An individual’s overthinking of imaginary scenarios makes them not trust beyond the politics of belonging, even if our own group is responsible for our individual demise. Our individual insecurities not only cause us to stay in unacceptable circumstances, but they are also the foundational cause of committing spiritual crimes against each other. Since we don’t carry or have the concept of our personal identities, we believe killing each other in the name of our groups is fine, so there is no personal remorse or guilt. Interestingly, these days, we can’t easily fight off or disregard the strength of our spiritual side with the politics of belonging. There is a new phenomenon called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) emerging, and no one can deny its realities and connections to individual spirituality.
Regardless of religions, nationalism, race, gender, or even belief in God, logically, if you take down the workhorse of God, it is a loss for God. You, as an individual, are a computer of God, just as you have your body and brain as your personal computer. When humanity is strong, more computers are working, but our viruses, as our realities and malfunctions, are also present. Our main and biggest malfunction is virus-related; this virus is related to our politics of belonging to our groups. This virus can make the computer runner feel and think that they don’t exist themselves and they are just the data and memory. The problem with the sense of belonging is memory-related virus because real relation for the human individual is to belong to God and humanity, not to politically installed data and memory. Our politics of belonging to our groups always revolves around an individual’s state of mind. If the individual is weak and vulnerable, they would seek belonging and gladly give up their powers for the group. No political group would want to let that go, so they initiate politics to make the individual feel weak and vulnerable. A free-thinking individual who believes in belonging to humanity as a whole is politically harmful to group survival, so they are discouraged, sometimes even by force. That is why groups always preach mass over individual rights, even religions—the beacons of spirituality—become political when it comes to individual rights. Our politics of belonging make sure to suppress spiritual justice, even in our so-called spiritual religions. This has been discussed throughout our history, but individually, human beings would usually pick personal sufferings over belonging to a group because of spiritual and mortal nature.
Now the questions are: What do you personally believe, and why? Do you think you have the input of a CEO, or do you feel you are just an unimportant, meaningless, and irrelevant puppet?
One of my themes is that we are not all born sinners, nor are we irrelevant. We are born as CEOs of our lives, contrary to our religious beliefs, yet we depend on oxygen and functioning bodies to live. Without that help, our CEO powers dissolve, and we cease to exist physically. Our dependency on that external help should make us question everything we do, but unfortunately, not thinking about our mortal nature keeps us in a state of fear and insignificance. Our religions don’t help because they are there to make us feel insignificant, so they can easily control us politically. They don’t want us to gain self-respect and self-esteem, so they preach that everything is done by God and the Devil, and human beings are just meaningless. That is where our political belonging takes hold of us. Our groups preach that we should remain insignificant and irrelevant, so they can have total control over us.
Instead of being a workhorse for God, you become a workhorse for some of the smart and powerful people. You neglect spirituality, God, and your personal importance, becoming a puppet of people who have power over you. Unfortunately, regardless of religious beliefs, your realities don’t change, so you still suffer from fearful living, which can potentially harm you. Remember, your belonging groups can only pray for you; they can’t keep you from death and disease, so understand where you stand. Where does your group stand? Where does God and your personal relationship with God stand in your mortal life?
Where does this oxygen come from? Who provides it? Why are we able to think about it? Obviously, it is beyond the powers of your belonging groups, so what is keeping you from connecting to your real source? Scientifically, you may have people telling you all the facts about space and technology, but it’s all about your ability to imagine, think, envision, and achieve with your atom of autonomy. However, your mortality overrides everything. Shouldn’t your personal understanding be there to know that you and your belonging groups are alive from the help you have no control over? Shouldn’t you be reciprocating to that source instead of a group of people? Sure, your belonging groups would tell you about it all, but their political strings or chains would never let you be free from the politics of belonging.
Your ability to think and question has inherent potential, and that potential has the capacity to evolve. So, who is guiding this questioning mind? Obviously, it’s not just the brain itself, because from birth, a baby possesses more than just genetic predispositions. While groups may impart data, you also possess the ability to store memories and operate your mental processes at will. Your data and memories serve you, but they do not define your identity—though they are significant, they are not synonymous with you. Highly influential, they are also influenced by the politics of belonging to your groups. This explains why infants are not inherently prejudiced or discriminatory towards others. Ultimately, it is you who makes choices.
Thousands of fans may watch a game, yet when someone throws a beer can or other objects at players of the opposing team, they have succumbed to their data and memories, relinquishing their CEO status. If left unchecked individually, this can lead to prejudicial and discriminatory behavior, even to the point of committing spiritual offenses in the name of group belonging. It’s crucial to reclaim your CEO status now, so you don’t get swept up in violent acts against innocents in the name of group allegiance. Self-defense is one thing; targeting opposing teams is entirely another. Whether you identify as Canadian, Pakistani, Black, White, Muslim, Christian, or any gender, these are all aspects tied to data and memory, and only a CEO can see through the haze of political group identity. Personal justice is a virtue we should all uphold and take pride in because without individual action, no group can achieve it. Just as God, the Devil, ideologies, nations, or religions depend on individuals for their physical existence, group entities cannot enact justice without individual participation.
Personal ethics, morals, and a sense of justice are founded on simple, spiritual principles—you reap what you sow, treating others as you wish to be treated and protecting your loved ones. While pain and suffering are inevitable parts of life, the choices we make can alleviate or exacerbate them. Regardless of personal beliefs, whether in God or a greater purpose, these beliefs can provide comfort and even placebo benefits in mortal existence. If life is fleeting, we should not confine ourselves to the limitations of our learned behaviors but also nurture our compassionate nature, benefiting both ourselves and others. Just as a computer is essential and cannot function without it, every life lost impacts the greater whole, one individual at a time.
Our awareness of mortality naturally steers us towards acts of spiritual goodness, distinguishing us as beings capable of valuing quality of life over mere longevity, a perspective not shared by other creatures. While we may desire long lives or even immortality, our spiritual awareness reminds us of our physical limitations, fundamentally altering our outlook. Some interpret this spiritually, others pragmatically, but if your life is consumed by securing, hoarding, and fearing death, your spiritual health is likely imbalanced. Conversely, finding joy in moments and not fixating on death is living a fulfilling human life.
We often desire more than we need, accumulating for a rainy day, yet perpetual accumulation without end is futile and leads to inner conflict, undermining happiness and contentment. Ultimately, regardless of scientific or mathematical rationale, believing in reciprocity and practicing generosity enhances our well-being. Science and math may explain many phenomena, but they do not encompass spiritual virtues like love, compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, acceptance, equality, justice, or basic decency—essential aspects of our human experience. Embrace diverse knowledge, for only then can you effectively steward your life as its CEO. Despite advancements in science and technology, personal responsibility for ethical conduct remains paramount, especially for mortals. We carry more responsibilities than we are often taught; while religions may emphasize decency, scientific facts and figures alone cannot define our existence.
At day’s end, it’s not about being right or wrong but about managing your personal affairs, both inwardly and outwardly, within the context of your era. Have you achieved the most fundamental aspects of mortal life—happiness and contentment—or have you spent your days waiting on a platform that never bore your train, running out of time to gather all the scientifically correct answers?
Governments cannot operate like businesses, just as individual lives cannot be reduced to numbers and formulas, nor can existence hinge solely on the promise of afterlife scenarios. Our spiritual truths transcend personal satisfaction and success; while mortality is undeniable, our personal evolution and contributions to collective progress constitute our true reality. Serving others while enjoying the gift of life connects us to a deeper understanding where clarity prevails over assumption.
Remember, our spiritual journey begins with introspective questioning. The first questions—why and what—address our purpose and existence. Seeking these answers through science alone leads astray, as evolving knowledge cannot provide definitive answers. Persisting in this pursuit may leave one confused, neither fully animal nor fully spiritual.
Attempting to reconcile scientific knowledge with spirituality often results in identity confusion, exacerbated by the politics of group identity. If we aim to authentically uncover our purpose without succumbing to confusion, we must confront and transcend the politics of group belonging. Overcoming this allows us to reclaim our role as individual CEOs, possessing autonomy and free will, capable of discerning our true identity.
As human individuals, we embody autonomy, holding the reins of free will—essential attributes that affirm our status as CEOs. Yet societal narratives often reduce us to seeds, failing to recognize the majestic potential within each of us. Whether viewed as seeds or as fully realized beings, our perception dictates our vulnerability. The politics of group identity perpetuate a narrative of weakness and vulnerability, enforcing beliefs that perpetuate inner conflicts.
Constantly urged to pray for forgiveness as inherently flawed beings, we’re conditioned to remain as seeds, never blossoming into our full potential. Only through personal exploration can individuals uncover their purpose and meaning, challenging the notion that group identity supersedes personal quest. What do you believe is your purpose here? As autonomous beings, free from physical dependency, our sense of freedom should be as robust as our sense of belonging. Yet, our internal journey reveals a different truth.
Forces aim to keep you in seed form from the very beginning of your life, conditioning you to believe that the song of your belonging group is your own. This means you lack personal identity and are merely an extension of your group. You can’t delve within to discover your own potential; instead, you believe in the glory of your group, even over God Almighty. If you believe that God gives life and takes it, why is the group more important than God? Why can’t you have a direct connection to God? Why does your belief system make you feel irrelevant, unimportant, and insignificant?
Personally, I believe human individuals have always been, are, and will always be essential in converting spirituality into physical reality. This means even God depends on human individuals to get the job done. Our groups seek political power and, in their pursuit, not only use human individuals but also politically manipulate God. We owe it to ourselves to understand and recognize our importance in the true picture of spirituality.
Sure, we feel weak and vulnerable because of our mortal nature, but understanding spiritual realities can help us see how important a human individual is within the right-side-up triangle. It can boost our self-respect and self-esteem, but we must learn and understand the politics of our sense of belonging to our groups.
God provided us with things beyond our control: a functioning body and a supply of oxygen, symbolizing the direct connection between God and the human individual. Groups may pray for you, but they can’t assist in your direct connection to God. Your life and death clearly show that our belonging groups cannot help the individual.
Every physical action and thought depends on these two realities. If our physicality and imagination depend on being alive, you can’t say, “I am doing everything.” Sure, you are doing it, but you need help to do so. Remember, it’s not your group helping you; it is direct help. It doesn’t matter how you view life, whether you believe in God or not. It remains your responsibility to understand your why and what.
Don’t go nuts or bananas by digging in the wrong direction. Understand your mortal nature, your importance in the larger scheme of life, your dependencies, your ability to evolve, and what you owe to God for keeping you alive and functioning to evolve further.
Where do you feel you stand? If you still feel weak, vulnerable, unimportant, or irrelevant, break free from that sense of belonging and become what God intended for you. You owe it not only to God but also to yourself to understand your importance. You are the one doing things, not just for yourself. Those groups keeping you in seed form are not Godly; they are politicians exploiting your weakness.
Your realities transcend politics, discussed for centuries, yet the politics of belonging have always undermined individual importance due to insecurity. As long as the politics of belonging is your refuge for security, you remain a compromised spiritual entity.
A quote by Kabir fits here:
“THE DROP IN THE OCEAN, EVERYBODY KNOWS, THE OCEAN IN THE DROP, A RARE ONE DOES.” (End Quote).
Allama Iqbal says:
“Khudi ko kar buland itna kay her taqdeer say pehlay
Khuda banday say khud puchay bataa tari raza kyaa hay.”
Translation: “Raise your ego so high that when God writes your fate, God will come down to ask for the approval of the human individual.” (End Quote).
Niel deGrasse Tyson says:
“Many people look for meanings in life, and I think to myself, you have more power than that. You have the power to create meaning in your life rather than passively looking for it. For me, I create meaning. Meaning is, do I know more about the world today than I did yesterday? That enhances meaning for me.” (End Quote).
Regardless of their personal beliefs, they highlight the importance of the human individual. The politics of belonging keep us from realizing our potential, so even today, we suffer from the politics of insignificance. A simple way to see this is to identify who benefits from it, and I can bet it’s not God. God clearly shows us every day that the human individual creates miracles in all aspects of life. Every spiritual thought becomes a physical reality through the hands, backs, and shoulders of human individuals.
It’s not nuts or bananas; it’s simple and logical. As a human individual, your why is that without you, God loses significance, and even the Devil becomes irrelevant. Your presence gets the job done, good or bad, depending on your choices. Why are you here? To give life to good and bad. What is the purpose of your life? Reciprocation. You are blessed with the gift of life, so your purpose is to reciprocate. Since God needs nothing material, it’s all about serving humanity, not just a group that harms others.
What is your reciprocation? You must delve into yourself to find that CEO. If you meet that CEO, you will have the help to understand everything and open that door. Otherwise, you will remain one of the seeds, feeling secure in the jar of belonging, staying in that form until you die. You can’t blossom in the jar; you must break free from the political jar of belonging to become a CEO. Understand that your security is important, but not at the cost of staying a seed and never reaching your potential, torn apart by the desire to be secure. You are not a grub; know who resides within you because your spiritual, emotional, mental, and even physical health depends on it. As a mortal, happiness and contentment should be your goal. If you have lost them, you’re not in a good place because you can’t afford to lose the only treasure that should matter to a mortal. If the politics of your sense of belonging is your rock for security, remember it keeps you from becoming the CEO of your life, helping you achieve the potential God intended for you. Our mortality is a fact, so logically, there is no real security for us. Paying the price of our potential for security is fear-based and makes no sense.