I am going to start this one with a statement that:
The purpose of spirituality or God-related knowledge is to help individuals navigate mortal life with happiness and contentment. If these two elements are missing for you, stand up and ask questions about the politics of belonging, dominant religious belief systems.
Look at your own belief system and remember that you don’t have to change to another religion, nor do you have to become an atheist. All you have to do is understand and adopt spiritual messages while questioning political influences related to traditions, customs, rituals, and rules. This prevents one from becoming prejudiced and discriminatory. By doing only that, you will find real gems of spirituality within your own religion, provided you understand the politics of belonging and what religions are meant to be about.
If it says “believe in God,” do so wholeheartedly, meaning without doubt, so you can benefit from having a belief system. A belief system asks you to believe in God’s will; if you do so, you can potentially become not only fearless but also reduce the stresses of daily life—an essential asset for mortal beings. Religions help remove the fear of death when you have to take a leap of faith.
Learn the true meaning of compassion so you can see how politics of belonging to our groups robs us of “com” before “passion.” Then, learn to discern spiritual teachings so you can reap the real benefits of having unwavering faith.
To me, it’s not that God wants human obedience; it has been, is, and always will be other human beings who desire human obedience. Remember, in reality, obedience is a hindrance, not an asset, for an evolving entity like human beings. Our evolution isn’t simply knowledge passed down from ancestors; it’s ingrained in us from before birth, connecting us to who and what we really are. If evolution didn’t come from God, religions would have succeeded in halting our evolution. Being obedient and subservient is demanded by our mullahs and priests so that our religions continue as significant political authorities. In reality, obedience runs counter to our evolution, against our nature; thus, human beings were never meant to be contained within the political ponds of security. Since our struggles propel us to achieve higher levels in everything we do, we shouldn’t buy into everything our groups sell. Imagine where we would be today if we all obediently followed our ancestors. Our behaviors are an interesting thing to examine—why do some blindly believe what our groups preach, while others reject it all as religious nonsense, and still others attempt to make sense of everything with an open mind?
To me, it’s not the presence of faith but its absence that makes us defensive, political, and group-oriented to the point of being willing to kill each other. Personally, if you truly, deeply, and sincerely believe in God, why would you even fight over who is right? Where does accepting things as God’s will fit in, especially in political disputes?
Our individual and collective fears of being proven wrong have always been and are the foundation of our wars and disputatious psyche, regardless of our group affiliations. Since we are aware of our mortality, we’ve always been curious and focused on what happens in the afterlife, sometimes even more than what’s happening in our physical lives. Being mortal and insecure go hand in hand, so the more insecure you feel, the more susceptible you are to being brainwashed into believing scenarios about life after death. We not only believe in and follow our ancestral belief systems but also constantly seek security, whether in our living years or in the afterlife.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a scenario to believe in; personally, I believe that when we find ourselves on the cliff of faith, we must have the courage to jump without hesitation, and our belief systems take a prominent role in aiding us when we truly need it. As mortals, we don’t possess solid security, so belonging to humanity would be a better bet. Ask yourself, if you’re unwilling to think beyond your group interests, how will you champion equal human rights with your heart and soul?
Your first step toward eliminating human conflicts should be to examine your personal actions and those of your group. If they cross spiritual boundaries, you should personally stand for equal human rights. If you dislike being on the receiving end of your or your group’s actions, your personal sense of justice should kick in. Remember, your personal sense of justice is a sign of your strength and doesn’t come easily if you’re not the CEO of your life. If you become the CEO of your life, you can spiritually evolve and look at yourself in the mirror without guilt.
If you’re someone who always asks for God’s help with miracles, you have to find out why your desires and hard work aren’t aligning and where that disconnect originates. If it’s coming from people you blindly trust, you may need to scrutinize the motives behind their teachings, even if they’re presented as religious and sacred. Understanding this can help you comprehend causes and consequences.
For instance, if you live your entire life saving and living frugally in hopes of living lavishly in the afterlife, you need to make sense of your behavior because living this way not only makes you live poorly but also goes against what God has blessed you with. Having oxygen and a functioning body are blessings with which you have a say; living for the afterlife can be good to keep you in line. Ask yourself why you’re afraid to be a good person or why you need bribes to be a decent human being. Your actions should be reciprocal and duty-based, allowing you to proceed beyond the cliff of faith without fear. Living poorly is a choice some make, but we must all be aware of its consequences. If we take and take without giving, we potentially stall the circulation of money—an issue not exclusive to the rich; the poor are guilty as well. Life should be lived according to means, but our priorities are skewed by the politics of belonging; we try to fit in, to impress, and we die trying to be admired by our groups.
As the world’s wealth goes to 1% of the population, and 99% stay behind, I won’t specify who’s at fault, but I can logically conclude that a wealthy individual’s security depends only on a strong government with law and order, yet they desire a smaller, weaker government. It’s odd to see that; they can’t foresee the future. Conservatives and Republicans want less government and more freedom to make money without paying taxes. This could work against them; if wealth keeps going to the top 1%, the poor might starve. If the community reaches that point, the pendulum could swing not towards socialism, but towards communism, as Russia experienced. Democracy and equal human rights are the best things humanity has developed so far, so going back and forth should not be an option; we’re evolving entities and should strive to move forward. With equal human rights, all organizations—including governments and religions—become one entity with as many rights as any individual. You can’t eliminate prejudice and discrimination without this spiritually grounded knowledge, and no one with personal sense of justice can deny equal human rights.
If we don’t nurture our spiritual side, we end up believing that life is just about numbers and scientifically correct knowledge. Even if you live a scientifically correct life, you still have to believe in events that occurred billions of years ago. By becoming adamant about this, you remove a significant portion of human knowledge and experience from your life. When life lacks these real and meaningful aspects, individuals can suffer. If your community is not evolving or is evolving with imbalances, it becomes your personal duty to understand everything about your mortal nature and live accordingly. If you lack your spiritual jewelry, attain it, so you don’t have to feel insecure within your mortal skin, whether for your living years or afterlife. A spiritually bankrupt individual or group always feels insecure and hoards possessions, even habitually, which extends into thoughts of the afterlife, where heaven becomes a goal to achieve and hell something to avoid, shifting the focus from the importance of living years. In reality, however, God needs our physicality.
There’s a lot of promotion to seek help from God, but to me, God has been performing godly deeds by aiding us where we’re unable to help ourselves. For instance, we can’t live without oxygen and a functioning body. With these, we must use our atom of autonomy to pursue our potential. If seeking more help beyond these comforts brings comfort to individuals, it’s excellent, but unchecked, it can discourage personal effort in life’s evolution. Without individual effort, collective repercussions ensue.
Money is taken out of circulation, halting our progress. Issues arising from the 1% versus the 99% stem from accepting the status quo. Under closer scrutiny, it becomes apparent that most religious individuals align with the 1%. One might wonder why. What could be the reason? Why do they preach about God yet hoard and support non-spiritual practices? They often oppose socialism, although many spiritual concepts are intrinsic to socialism. Delving into the hidden causes of extreme poverty, one would find that belief systems are a major factor, followed closely by feelings of insecurity. Belief in God is meant to foster spirituality, yet without it, the duty of reciprocation during our lifetime vanishes. When you’re repeatedly told to seek help from God without personal effort, you may begin to believe that miracles will secure your happiness, be it in life or the afterlife. This mindset can lead to poverty, as the rich profit, aided by so-called religious people.
To derive meaning from spirituality, one must understand that one’s hard work is compromised by the teachings focused on the afterlife. You are meaningful to God during your living years because you are physically making things happen. If you swing your hand forcefully, without contact with another, there’s no spiritual resonance. It doesn’t make sense, especially concerning individual life. As a group, it’s a different story, influenced by politics. If some desire the wealth to remain with the 1%, they keep ordinary individuals believing in God and from hard work. I refer to this triangle as Luck, Opportunity, and Hard Work. If you’re fortunate, given the opportunity due to the oxygen and functioning body God provides, hard work can align circumstances. Without all three, success as planned is unlikely.
Interestingly, elders typically teach hoarding, security, and frugality—distrusting God, trying instead to impress others, even if it doesn’t bring personal happiness. For me, another triangle signifies Health, Happiness, and Success, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Without health, there’s no happiness; without health and happiness in life, success eludes us, regardless of our hoarding or perspectives. From every angle, this truth is evident, especially for those who comprehend their mortal nature.
Mortality-related spirituality should urge us to focus on real divine work, eliminating extreme poverty, offering universal healthcare to the sick, and aiding those facing hardships. A community that fails to care for its weak, sick, and vulnerable members is spiritually unhealthy. It’s intriguing that these actions, despite their spiritual value, are often opposed by both wealthy and religious communities. They prefer electing a government that runs on a business model. Business is profit-driven, whereas spiritual reciprocity is non-profit, focused on giving and receiving. Responsibility lies with both sides, but they strip human life of all spiritual aspects while discussing life after death and God as if they’re divine contractors. Personally, I believe the rich get richer and the poor get poorer not because of God, but due to human insecurities, akin to our animal nature. Involving God absolves us of personal responsibility for our actions. Always remember that it’s our physical hands, backs, and shoulders that make spiritual work, or God’s work, possible.
Any governing or political system naturally seeks power to control the populace. That’s why I think religious beliefs shouldn’t govern people, primarily for two reasons. Firstly, to rule, one must bend and twist the truth, so truth isn’t rooted in physical realities, making it prone to prejudice and discrimination. Secondly, religions are based on God’s belief systems, beyond the comprehension of evolving human entities. They lead to metaphorical belief systems, where adherents must trust the path they’ve followed. This approach often segregates those who don’t believe or follow religious tenets to the letter, fostering prejudice and discrimination. If we blindly follow religious beliefs, we risk infringing on equal human rights, which, to me, is inherently wrong. It turns even God into a prejudiced and discriminatory entity, compounding spiritual transgressions. Without a solid understanding of God, as evolving beings, we’ve lived with partial truths. Tomorrow’s knowledge may change, just as today’s human rights outweigh religious beliefs. We can’t legally prove or disprove God, yet we still swear oaths on the Quran or Bible in court. Should this continue? People frequently lie, despite swearing to tell the truth, suggesting religious customs and traditions are out of step with reality. Religions are part of our lives, but their relevance wanes due to vulnerability to group affiliations’ political dynamics, humanizing God, diminishing individual significance, and straying from spiritual truths. God is a body, and we are its cells, with no favorite cells. If you believe, do so, but don’t entangle God in politics. Belief might serve some, but it’s inherently political, and I staunchly believe God isn’t political.