A while back, I wrote a blog titled “Know Your Realities,” which discussed our physical, metaphoric, and virtual realities. Logically, any non-physical or unproven knowledge should take a back seat to our physical realities. Unfortunately, looking at both our history and current events, it is evident that we have been—and continue to be—killing each other over our metaphoric realities. We have sacrificed for the unknown, unseen, and unproven since the dawn of our awareness.
Consider this: you simply can’t close your eyes while driving. Whether you believe in God or not, doing so won’t help you reach your destination. Believing that humans have no say in life can become a risky business for us all, both individually and collectively. We need to navigate our mortal journey with simple common sense—nothing more, nothing less. Interestingly, today you can trust virtual realities more than metaphoric ones. Self-driven technologies are emerging and becoming available. In essence, you can’t leave everything up to God. If you want bigger muscles, you must go to the gym, not to the mosque or church. This is because you have been blessed with your own personal atom of autonomy to take charge of your life. If you don’t, someone else will dictate how you should live or think, and you will be left behind.
So, should we act like genetically programmed entities as our religions sometimes demand? No. Especially regarding our realities, we need to raise our awareness. Distinguishing our realities is essential for us all. While our belonging groups have a place in our lives, they fall short as a physical reality because their physicality starts with the individual. We, individually, are creatures holding a God-like particle and are more important than any installed data. This means no one should be able to rob someone of their physical reality in favor of metaphoric realities. You cannot justify killing even in the name of God, let alone in the name of political belonging. Even if your belonging groups teach that your metaphoric realities should surpass others’ belief systems and physical realities, it does not justify such actions.
To engage with your atom of autonomy, imagine yourself on the receiving end of your actions. You will quickly become spiritually aware of your wrongdoing. Not only can you overcome your animal urges, but you can also tame political influences. If you understand that God represents our metaphoric knowledge or reality, you will also understand the politics of belonging. By being pure in the politics of belonging, you will gain spiritual insight. Only then will you be able to envision yourself on the receiving end of your actions before committing them.
When you delve into the rabbit hole of political belonging, everything becomes murky and tainted. Even God may not appear as the reality He should be. There is no absolute right or wrong if you are under political influences; you will be inclined to please your belonging groups. With personal awareness of your atom of autonomy, disagreements with your belonging group are inevitable. Politically, we have been used by our groups, and intriguingly, they don’t shy away from using God because He doesn’t physically intervene. Using God and people politically to justify killing each other has been happening since the dawn of awareness. For thousands of years, we have been aware of our individual free will, yet we still serve, kill, and die for our belonging group’s interests. We continue to do this despite being labeled prejudiced and discriminatory. We serve our groups regardless of our individual education or evolution. Whether or not we have God, the politics of belonging have us in their grasp.
This doesn’t mean we don’t play a role in humanity’s daily existence. We simply haven’t evolved enough to question our belonging groups. If it were up to God, He would intervene physically to stop us from killing each other. Since God is not our physical reality, it is up to us to take charge. If we want anything—anything physical—it requires our personal and physical input. If that input is influenced by personal insecurities or political biases, we will never overcome our urges to harm each other. Since God does not physically guide us, we are individually responsible for our physical actions. As mentioned, we have used God and people politically without His physical intervention. Thus, we cannot base our justice systems on God. Similarly, no religion or belief system should serve as a political system, as this inevitably leads to justice-related problems. One can simply say, “I don’t believe in God,” or “I believe in a different religion.” So how can a system operate without becoming prejudiced or discriminatory? Since both sides stand on shifting and evolving grounds, you cannot use a metaphoric reality politically to undermine someone’s physical reality. History shows that whenever we attempt this, disputes and wars drag on, costing countless human lives. Both sides vigorously attempt to prove God’s physicality, often resulting in the loss of human life.
Interestingly, a third perspective is emerging: individuals who view God and religions with skepticism due to political nonsense. We are undermining and tarnishing our spiritual side because of our unproven metaphoric realities. When people are forced, they think outside the box and naturally respect physical reality over metaphoric reality. Personally, I believe extremists are responsible for this spiritual erosion. The lack of respect for our belief systems stems from being extreme in our religious beliefs while being spiritually bankrupt. Individually, we are responsible for our participation due to our makeup. We are not merely animals; we are spiritual entities. Thus, our actions are not just a reflection of belonging groups but also of our individual contributions. Remember, a group of people is not a physical reality; they cannot act on their own unless we individually provide our physicality, similar to God or the Devil.
The actual problem is that we have been brainwashed by political leaders and politically organized religions into believing that being human means nothing. Some still believe, even today, that human beings are irrelevant. Try picturing God and the Devil without human beings and see how physical they are. If you can do that, you will find your self-respect and self-esteem. Interestingly, when it comes to our religious beliefs, we are very defensive. Our reactions are often very emotional. Yet, as evolved creatures, we are demanded by the times we live in to become spiritually aware.
Remember, our problems may seem minuscule, but our reactions can have enormously consequential impacts. Be mindful of your reactions. I know it might be asking a lot, but don’t let your reactions consume you. Becoming upset with people or situations can lead to self-destructive behavior. While you might be physically harming others, you could also be spiritually damaging yourself. Both are powerless without your reaction. Even God and the Devil cannot be praised or cursed for their help or harm because the key to physicality is still held by human beings. Other creatures might claim, “God made me do it,” but as entities with free will, whether you are the giver or receiver of your actions, you are responsible. Your group is in the same position. Circumstances may be life-threatening for individuals living in oppressive settings, but we all know when we are wrong in the name of our belonging groups or even God. Just look at justice systems—they have different sets of rules for minors or special circumstances, much like other creatures.
In the circle of our individual lives, we all face times when we need help, such as during disability, and at the beginning and end of our lives. Beyond those times, we have many more responsibilities than we are taught to believe. Since our parents and societies follow their traditions, customs, rituals, and rules of belonging groups, we don’t have much choice as dependents. However, for most of our lives, we are not dependent, so our actions are generally by our own choice. If you are acting on behalf of your belonging group, you are still responsible for your actions. Acting as if you are a dependent is not due to some genetically influenced or Godly programmed force pushing you—it is entirely decided by you because you have been blessed with free will. If your parents and society are influenced by political belonging, they will train, preach, and even enforce you to be just like them. Look around, and you will see numerous nations and religions dividing humanity into thousands of pieces. They keep their individuals weak and vulnerable so they can be used politically. This runs down to the individual level, so our insecurities are the foundation of our political systems. Since understanding this is an individual responsibility, we must evolve to take our next step. Times have changed; today, humanity needs to work as a whole to address our current problems. Our habit of belonging to groups prevents us from thinking beyond politics. This habit will not disappear soon unless we individually evolve and learn to trust and help each other. For now, we are merely looking for excuses to differentiate ourselves from one another—whether by color, race, size, gender, or beliefs. Let’s make some human sense out of this nonsense and keep up with the times. Understand who you really are as an individual before you try to understand God or claim to know everything about God. Beneath all the wrapped-up and installed identities, you are a human individual who simply wants to live as a tool of God. Discovering your true identity only requires a flick of a logical switch, but you must unwrap yourself from all the layers of political belonging and personal insecurities. Dealing with these ingrained issues is not easy, but you have been helped by God because you have come with your own personal atom of autonomy. The problem is that most of us think and believe what we have been taught to believe. Personal exploration is necessary at an individual level. Since not everyone is capable of doing that, our political leaders and even politically organized religions take advantage of this and hide behind democratic governing systems and religions. They manipulate people by preaching and spreading outdated theories of human irrelevance. They succeed in creating even more insecurities in already insecure individuals to maintain their power and control, disregarding the needs and demands of the present time.
What is God to you?
God is like what you are to your own body cells—you became what you are because of your cells, and your cells live because of you. It’s a loop: God created human beings, and human beings became aware enough to understand and create God. This relationship is like two wires—negative and positive. If one is absent, there can’t be light. If you undermine the importance of the other, the relationship loses its partnership, which I call reciprocation. If you lose reciprocation, the whole spiritual picture collapses. There can’t be good or bad without human physicality. God or even the Devil become irrelevant if there is no human physicality. This is only if you remove your politics of belonging to groups and start to look at things logically. At a personal level, your physicality is impossible if your cells are not working or if your body is not functioning in harmony. Can God or even the Devil exist without humanity? You can’t answer that without resorting to assumptions. Give yourself a chance and logically examine your body and cells to see what answer you come up with. Honestly assess if your physical actions are absent—would God or the Devil work? For or against whom? Remember, God and the Devil can’t be praised or cursed for their actions because you hold the key to physicality. While you can’t breathe on your own and life-sustaining circumstances are necessary, nothing moves without human physicality. When good and bad take physical form, only then do they hurt, harm, or benefit someone. Otherwise, things don’t work very well. As human beings, we need to critically examine ourselves. Only by understanding ourselves can we truly understand God. Human cells don’t have the ability to understand the body or its existence as a whole, but as human beings, we have the sophistication to grasp the entire process of life and God’s place in it. The knowledge humanity has accumulated is based on accepted opinions. Some are solid and repeatable, like math and science, while others remain in the realm of metaphoric realities. Our feelings of love and hate, religious beliefs, nationalism, and even political senses of belonging to groups can’t produce repeatable results. They reside in our metaphoric realities along with God and the Devil. They are there for us to feel, just as cells can feel the body but don’t understand it completely. When you feel but don’t have clear knowledge, you can’t claim to know everything about it. It’s like walking in a dark room, stumbling upon something, and sensing it but not fully understanding it. As we are still evolving, not everything is proven or solid, so if everyone doesn’t react the same way, it should be respected. However, you can’t leave the room and claim to know everything about the object you stumbled upon. During our evolving period, truth has nothing to do with our accumulated knowledge because we don’t have ultimate knowledge until we reach our potential. Even our potential is evolving, so established truths can fall victim to new discoveries. One might question the authenticity of established scientific knowledge because we are not done evolving. Even if something is accepted by the majority, it can’t be guaranteed. This should open a discussion about the legitimacy of all our political disputes, wars, and related atrocities.
Today, there was news that the Pope is coming to Canada, possibly to apologize for the atrocities committed against Native children. It’s about time; the British government should also be doing this. The Canadian government has done so, even though they were not in power at the time of the atrocities. If humanity acknowledges that our past is riddled with less evolved actions, we may create a better world by taking an evolutionary step beyond political, religious, racial, and group affiliations.
Life is not what it is but how we respond to it. It’s like saying it’s not how you look but how you feel about your appearance that matters most. If you feel good about possessions yet don’t truly own anything—not your body, not even your breath—there are many illusions we have grown up with. If you start to look at your real realities, you will understand the true nature of ownership. I was watching an old movie, Crocodile Dundee, and two lines stuck in my mind. While they may not be exact quotes, in essence, he said, “Land has been around for 600 million years. They don’t own the land; they belong to it like a mother. The rock will still be there when we are gone.” The other line was, “It’s like two fleas arguing over who owns the dog they live on.”
We should understand that we own our actions—good or bad—because we have been blessed with free will. The concept of ownership has been created by our belonging groups to maintain peace in society. While it is an evolving step, observing environmental horrors may bring things home to roost. Americans are complaining, and Europe is stressed by the influx of refugees. Wait until environment-related migrations begin. The real test for humanity is yet to come. Individually and collectively, we are all responsible for the side we choose. Politically or spiritually, things will clash because this ownership concept has been and continues to be disastrous for humanity. If we don’t become spiritually aware and look beyond the numbers, we will not deserve to be called spiritual entities. Our real life is how we feel about all aspects of life, including material possessions. If you feel you are not good enough until you acquire property, undergo plastic surgery, or develop bigger muscles, critically examine the source of your desires. As you dig into yourself, you will encounter the cause, which is often your sense of political belonging. Be aware of it all before you spend your entire life sacrificing your happiness and contentment just to fit in, impress, or seek admiration from your belonging group. Unfortunately, we are bombarded by the politics of belonging to our groups. We are valued or threatened with exclusion, so most of us adopt our group’s identity and become irrelevant. Yet, God did not create human beings as extensions of groups or even God. Simply look at yourself: if you have your personal atom of autonomy and related free will, you can choose to believe or not believe in God. This means we are such unique entities that we don’t fit into any physical or political mold. If you look at human history, we have established nearly two hundred nations and subdivided humanity even further by creating groups within groups. Regardless of race, belief systems, or their sects, these all point to our independence and free will.
Our individual troubles begin when we are raised by parents and society without understanding our true identity and mortal nature. As young adults, we learn the hard way. Learning to deal with major life issues on our own can be taxing. By the time we become independent, we have often formed opinions related to positivity, usually under the influence of hormones. We may be too high to ignore or too busy to learn about our mortal nature. Then, when real life hits, it makes us feel vulnerable and out of control, robbing us of crucial aspects of our mortal existence. Losing happiness and contentment leads to anxiety and connected health issues. Since parents and society leave life to teach us about our mortality and related issues, confusion and hormone-based misconceptions arise. Not everyone is a Buddha, so we all respond to our mortality with great fears. Our insecurities, control issues, and related stresses start early, causing unnecessary anxiety and potentially forming habitual behaviors. What is robbed is often not acknowledged because of our political grooming. We learn to seek refuge within the boundaries of our belonging groups, living like robots or genetically programmed creatures, without realizing our spiritual responsibilities.
Our mortality can be best described by the beauty of blooming flowers. It doesn’t matter how long a flower lasts, but rather how beautiful it is. Beauty should be appreciated at face value, not judged by its duration. Since our existence is far more complex than that of flowers, keeping things simple allows us to live a life that reflects our true selves rather than focusing on what it lacks. Otherwise, we risk remaining in a state of insecurity, falling apart just like a flower. By fearing our own end, we rob ourselves of happiness and contentment, never giving ourselves a chance to appreciate our own beauty. As a result, we live and die without realizing the true purpose or potential of our beauty for ourselves or others. We can’t fully enjoy or appreciate being alive if we spend our lives trying to fit in or seeking the approval of those around us. This is a clear sign of losing control over our sense of belonging while having no real sense of freedom.
We were created as free entities with free will for a reason. But not only do we lose that freedom, we fail to appreciate our own beauty. If God intended something for us, we would be genetically programmed with no choice. Since that’s not the case, living and dying for the approval of others is a significant personal loss. I’m not advocating for extreme measures, as that would be an animalistic trait, and we are far more complex than mere physical creatures. Our spiritual fulfillment is a crucial aspect of our existence. True wisdom lies in living a life of service to humanity and to oneself. Since we gain spiritual and deep satisfaction from being useful, we cannot undermine this part of our lives.
Our trouble is that we often choose extremes. For instance, it’s not the primary purpose of our religions to preach about heaven and hell. The real intent is to guide us while we are alive. While the intentions behind these teachings can be good, individuals can take them too far. Remember, it’s not about what happens after we die, but how we live our lives and what we do during our journey. Concerns about how we can improve our afterlife should not overshadow our actions in this life. After all, we only act physically to help or harm while we are alive. What is the right way to live? History and the present show that no single prescription fits everyone. Therefore, it is our personal duty to live a spiritually just life, not only for others but for ourselves as well. “Supposed to” is a term for genetically programmed creatures, not for human beings. Unfortunately, our political leaders have led us to believe that our living years are merely a test and that the real life begins after death. A bit of deeper reflection will reveal that being productive and useful is the essence of life, and there is no proof that a dead person is useful to anyone. A spirit cannot perform physically, so God’s needs cannot be met, nor can anyone’s prayers be physically fulfilled if we do not act.
Look around and observe the cause of our divisions. From individuals to families, communities, nations, and even belief systems, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, find what suits you to become a spiritually just person. You will not only be satisfied during your lifetime but also free yourself from the fear of what comes after death, eliminating unnecessary stress. Remember, we all came into life with our personal “atom of autonomy” and related attributes like free will, a sense of justice, compassion, and love. Wear these proudly. No matter how much a politically charged religion may scare you, you won’t need to worry about the afterlife if you are embracing your spiritual attributes and reciprocating during your lifetime.
Interestingly, people who believe in God and those who do not spend a great deal of time bickering about life after death, yet no one knows the real truth. If you are honest with yourself and remove all assumptions, you will find yourself walking around with confusion yet gaining deep wisdom simultaneously. Many wars have been fought over things no one clearly understands. The politics of belonging is the common thread in these disputes; we put immense effort and even kill each other over what happens to us after we die. Yet, while we are alive, we often stray from the logical reasons behind these beliefs. Remember, it’s not about what happens on the other side but what is happening while you are alive. If you feel the need to fear the afterlife to be a good person, you are missing the point spiritually. As human beings, we choose to be good, but what value does that goodness have if it’s driven by fear or greed? This is a sign of learning but not exploring the reasons behind our behaviors.
We are taught to live as physical beings or animals, not as spiritual beings. Although there is much talk about spirituality, few walk the talk because people and even God have been used for political purposes. Don’t believe me? Just look at religions; they often treat human beings as animals or purely physical entities. I once saw a video where a Mullah was beating children to teach them the Quran. Learning out of fear does not foster respect—for the teacher or the subject. The problem is that human beings are easily brainwashed and conformed, so such methods have worked for religions, almost like hypnosis, treating humans as animals. The question is: what percentage of people are brainwashed versus those who resist being conformed? What do you think about yourself personally? Do you believe harsh punishments would make you a better person? If you believe you can self-regulate and control your animal instincts through spiritual awareness, would you support corporal punishment?
Interestingly, this is another aspect of change in the world. Today, you could be criminally charged for abusing even your own children. Things are evolving, and religious education must adapt. If you view yourself and others as spiritual beings, you would start to consider yourself as a higher being with better self-esteem and respect for others. When you recognize yourself as distinct from other creatures, you will no longer need to follow the carrot-and-stick approach with humans, including yourself. Spiritually, are you a just individual, or are you following the politics of belonging, committing spiritual crimes and believing you will go to heaven because your group says so? Reflect on this and see what answer you come up with. Remember, religious and political leaders often exploit human weaknesses. Most people willingly accept mass over individual philosophy and even God over the individual without questioning spiritual injustice. If a religion or justice system is based on this philosophy, it is political, not spiritual. Anything political cannot be connected to God. Would you believe in a God who is prejudiced and discriminatory? I would place God on a higher pedestal than a politically influenced human being. Especially when religions make us believe that it is God’s will. To me, that is beyond the bounds of spirituality because we cannot place God on a higher pedestal while attaching God to our insecurities and related injustices. If it is not just, it is not from God, plain and simple. God cannot be connected to our political insecurities because God is purely spiritual. Mixing politics with spirituality, even with good intentions, robs spirituality from a belief system because, sooner or later, it leads to prejudice. Whether through religion or not, God should not be involved in human politics. What God is to you is your prerogative, but you cannot connect spiritual injustice to God. Doing so removes the Godliness from God and installs politics of belonging into the very idea of God. This means you are using God for political purposes.
By keeping our mortality in view, we can put things into perspective, especially regarding God, spirituality, and our ability to love. The bottom line of our life’s purpose is reciprocation. If God has been unfair by not providing you with a properly functioning body and life-sustaining circumstances, you have the right to survive with or without the idea of God. If you are in a relationship that is not based on reciprocation or is unfairly one-sided, you have the right to leave, regardless of what your religion says. Now, what does love mean to you?
To me, whether it’s love or belief in God, without reciprocation, things don’t work very well. Being human is not as simple as ABC or as religions often make it seem. They may oversimplify life, making you believe that you are irrelevant. Just ask yourself: if I am not relevant, why do I have such an important role in translating spirituality into physical actions or making God and the Devil relevant? If I don’t feel productive, important, and relevant during my living years, it’s a major loss for me personally. My self-respect and self-esteem depend on my relevance. If some political party, religion, entity, or group is robbing me of my life essentials, I should have the right to speak up. If I can reciprocate but choose not to, thinking a good businessman takes but does not give to maximize profit, it may be acceptable in the physical world but not in the realm of personal autonomy. In spirituality, you need both positive and negative forces, like two wires to light up a bulb. If you don’t understand this concept, you might see God as the supplier of oxygen and a functioning body. Remember, you live in it but have no control over its functioning. Now that you are alive and healthy, what is the purpose of this help you receive, especially to you? If you don’t understand yourself, how would you know what to do for God in return? Perhaps you are a good worshiper and believer, but God does not need all your worship. God needs your physicality so you can fulfill the prayers of those asking for help. In reality, if God does not take on divine responsibilities, it won’t be long before people start denying the existence of God.
If you are with someone for life, you need to go beyond the physical aspects of the relationship to sustain it. Focusing solely on physical aspects can become problematic as time takes its toll on physical abilities. As you experience losses, your happiness may diminish, and you might become angry, driving people away. To truly nurture your relationship, you and your loved ones need to cultivate spiritual awareness. This awareness can help you appreciate the value of friendship and love, making life more fulfilling and easing the burdens on each other.
If you are physically fulfilled but spiritually starved, handling relationship demands becomes difficult. As children, we are not aware of animal traits nor spiritually evolved, so we are free from prejudice and discrimination. It is commonly believed that prejudice and discrimination are learned behaviors. However, I find this assumption shallow because it is more related to a lack of individual spirituality. As we grow, we start to observe and learn, but you cannot learn spiritual awareness from someone who is not spiritually aware themselves. You cannot feed your soul from someone who is spiritually starving.
By nature, people resist losing power and control, which perpetuates the cycle. People often complain about prejudice and discrimination but ignore the broader humanity issue. Prejudice is not limited to skin color; it exists within families, communities, nations, and religions because individuals are not aware of their spirituality, physical abilities, and their importance. If spirituality can be taught, it can also be reversed individually. Becoming aware of your spiritual side helps you understand not to do to others what you would not want done to yourself or your loved ones. You can also learn to consider yourself on the receiving end of your actions before committing them. If you can stop yourself, your spiritual side remains intact. If you feel spiritually starved, you will not find spirituality in a mosque, church, or temple. You must start from within and seek practical ways of praying rather than literal interpretations.
All organized religions are influenced by politics, which often includes preaching prejudice and discrimination.
Since all relationships are built on honest and trustworthy reciprocation, it is crucial to evaluate reciprocation critically to maintain a successful relationship. Whether in a life partnership or business, if one party does not fulfill their share, the relationship will become strained. People may prefer equal rights and reciprocation over mere affection because it makes spiritual sense. If I make your life easier, I would expect you to reciprocate and make my life easier as well. This may sound transactional, but spiritually, reciprocation is fundamental to human life. Keep it straightforward: contribute your share and have honest discussions about everyday living.
Regarding intimacy, it must be mutual. If you don’t believe in mutuality, you are not suited for each other. If you use your partner without reciprocation, you are spiritually bankrupt. Love claims may not hold weight after a disagreement if trust is lacking. A lack of trust is a personal issue, and bringing distrust into a relationship is unfair to your partner, including a relationship with God. The past is yours, not your partner’s, so the innocent should not be punished. If a partner endangers others’ respect, finances, or love, you have the right to protect yourself. A partner seeking control and domination has not evolved beyond animal traits. Spiritual evolution aids in reciprocation-based relationships by fostering self-regulation. Acting on animal instincts leads to selfishness, prejudice, and discrimination.
As our knowledge evolves, why do some resist change while others embrace it? The cause lies within us individually. Insecurity often drives resistance to change, even a lack of trust in God. Ironically, those who claim to be godly are often the most resistant to change. The reason is that they may not truly trust in God, which fuels their insecurities and behaviors. Genuine belief in God should help overcome insecurities. Those in power and control resist change to maintain their status; it is not about God or religion but politics. When people are insecure and lack deep trust in God, they resort to politics of belonging. Whether spiritually right or logically wrong, these issues are not defended by God, so people act on God’s behalf.
Today’s religious leaders benefit from all humanity’s progress but reject it while using it. From medicine and blood transfusions to cars, planes, and electronic gadgets, they enjoy these advancements yet complain about them. The problem is not God or religion but the politics of belonging. Loyalties may stem from being born into a conservative group. Politically brainwashed individuals may feel insecure when thinking beyond their preached knowledge.
Love can create not only good and euphoric feelings but also deep fears of hypothetical loss. If these feelings make you physically ill, you need to look at them with a broader perspective to harmonize spirituality and physicality. Fear of loss, often driven by a highly active imagination, can create extreme feelings, making you fear love’s potential loss rather than enjoying it. These fears can be exacerbated by hormones and a sense of belonging. A broader and critical perspective is essential for addressing these issues. Locking ourselves into insecurity-related boundaries is not a solution for evolving beings. We should explore our purpose individually to avoid being viewed solely as physical creatures.