The question is why every religion, ism, or other system of governing human society demands individuals to sacrifice for others or live in deprivation for the afterlife, despite the fact that each person has been given free will to choose their way of living. If everyone followed all societal rules blindly, as some do, we would expect a surplus exceeding humanity’s needs. However, the effects of our politics on individuals are so detrimental that I feel compelled to write against the politics of belonging groups. I advocate for reciprocation from both sides. When we look around, we see individuals suffering in the name of nation, race, and religion. The number of people killed and suffering due to these reasons is countless, and so I stand for the individual.
How and where did things go wrong? People talk about the widening gap between the one percent holding the wealth and the ninety-nine percent stuck in poverty. Does this mean that the one percent are the only ones following the teachings of religions, isms, and other governing systems? Or does it mean that the ninety-nine percent have been robbed by the politics of these systems?
If you feel that you’ve been coerced into living small, saving until the day you die, and yet feel pride in doing so, remember that living by the book, literally, is a personal choice. You are the CEO of your life. So, why do only one percent end up with all the money and power? Is it a flaw in our governing systems, or do the ninety-nine percent willingly follow the politics and give up their status as CEOs of their lives?
We are told to believe and obey all the rules. If we disobey, we are told we will be punished. If we break religious rules but not laws, we are told God will punish us. Life goes on with these beliefs. Hindus say you can come back in the next life as an inferior form, like a rat. Muslims and Christians say God will punish you in hell. But this punishment is believed to occur after death.
There is another concept that if something bad happens to someone, it’s because God punished them for their wrongdoings. These beliefs, whether right or wrong, are subjective and vary based on upbringing and society. Some people care deeply, while others don’t.
Where do you stand? Do you see God as a punisher with torture chambers or as a rewarder? This carrot-and-stick philosophy is human and political, not spiritual. When beliefs are enforced by force, it becomes politics, not spirituality. Our politics, rooted in our sense of belonging, is the cause of our differences, bad relationships, conflicts, and even wars.
We are now forced by nature to join together to save the planet from global warming. Terrorism, global warming, uneven wealth distribution, and infectious diseases like Ebola compel humanity to work together. Our leaders are starting to talk, but will this continue? Will we use the space station for humanity’s benefit or just for our own destruction?
Global warming is not the only issue. We need to educate individuals so they can make informed choices and not sacrifice their lives for the afterlife. The biggest problem may not be global warming because without education, we can’t even understand it. We’ll just blame each other or God.
If we’re talking about a fifty-year plan, we need to address our conflicts first because we might destroy ourselves with weapons of mass destruction before then. We must talk about our education systems. Our sense of belonging should be to humanity, not just our groups. When we discuss humanity, it should not be under the umbrella of our belonging groups. All empires, religions, and nations are in the business of promoting their groups.
The theme of my blog is education, education, education so we can understand spirituality over religion, humanity over nations, race, or prejudice of any kind. Planet before motherlands, moderation over extremism. If we’re going to talk about democracy, we must discard the veto system in our so-called United Nations. Democracy’s foundation is one person, one vote. No individual or nation should be above that. Just as religions can’t exist without the politics of belonging, democracy can’t function without the interruptions of veto powers. We need a legally binding justice system and police force for humanity. Advanced societies show that diverse people can live together with human rights as the foundation of their constitutions.
Absolute silence is not a melody for human beings. Extreme awareness is for the chosen few, and if everyone lived like a monk, it would harm society’s fabric. As individuals, we have responsibilities even if we’re told we’re going to heaven by following a certain lifestyle.
Moderate people understand that life cannot be lived in extremes. A CEO must juggle all aspects of life to be successful. Sometimes, religion and heaven should be secondary to present duties. God created humans to be CEOs, not sheep. Free will means nothing if we live like sheep. If you’re told to live like a sheep, know that there’s a sheepdog with a political agenda calling the shots. Make sense of things before denying your potential for the sense of belonging.
Religions and societies promote living for the afterlife. Logically, God wouldn’t put people in difficult situations if everything was predetermined. Free will exists to make us CEOs of our lives. A CEO can balance this life with beliefs in the afterlife. But first, the CEO must focus on this life.
God didn’t make humans sheep; free will is for understanding our potential. I’ve said that God put seven oceans into one drop and put that into a man or woman. We’re not here just to worship; we’re here to work as God’s workhorses, with self-respect, reciprocating. Finding a balance is our duty. The right music of our life is not in silence. Our responsibility is to create the right kind of noise for ourselves, our community, and humanity.
A good CEO takes responsibility for themselves and others, correcting others’ notes by educating. If you’re educated, spread the word; it’s your spiritual duty. Following the same old politics of your belonging group is not being a CEO; it’s demoting yourself to just an extension of an ideology.
Medical advances now allow us to extend the length and quality of our lives. Living a constructive or destructive life has a significant influence. With daily discoveries, we find ourselves in uncharted territory. Without taking charge as the CEO, we follow antiquated ideas and beliefs from thousands of years ago, when our ancestors didn’t have today’s knowledge, technology, and related problems. Evolution is necessary as time progresses.
A CEO can look beyond the boundaries of the politics of belonging. A CEO can believe in God yet evolve beyond religious boundaries. We have a higher identity than our religion, nation, race, or gender. Following a political path is still a choice.
A CEO can evolve beyond the sense of belonging, make sense of today’s issues, and prioritize accordingly. Our identity is that intelligent life within us, not tied to one race, color, gender, nation, or religion. It’s a spiritual entity that connects us beyond a particular group. We are part of this entity, not just a limited group of people like a gang, nation, or religion.
Knowledge determines an individual’s strength. Believing we’re worthless without belonging to a group undermines and underestimates the God within us.
As CEOs, we must use our free will to live life reciprocally, which is our purpose. We must pursue our potential. Our evolving nature calls for moderation because we are works in progress. Extreme decisions should be tempered with knowledge of evolution. I want this blog to speak to individuals spiritually, not politically, so we all become moderates by seeking the right knowledge one person at a time. Extremes are not solutions for a successful individual or society.
Just like we can’t judge a book by its cover, an incomplete building or artwork, we shouldn’t judge a human as perfect because they are also evolving. We will make mistakes and achieve perfection, but we must learn to improve, not worsen. A strong ego from belonging and extreme decisions can lead to extreme beliefs. Accepting imperfections means we still want to grow. Thinking our knowledge is complete and better than others leads to extreme beliefs.
There’s nothing wrong with being religious if one sticks to the spiritual side. But when religion becomes everything, it’s problematic. For instance, killing a loved one for not following your way of living doesn’t make sense.
Eating to live, loving, and caring for family is real. God resides in a different area of life. Believing in God or not doesn’t hurt, but losing a loved one or going without food does. Belief systems are thoughts that can change with new knowledge, making them unstable. The instability is evident with several religions and their sects. It means even God wrote different books because we all, including God, are evolving. Not long ago, we sacrificed virgins thinking God was angry. Today, we predict storms’ paths. This indicates God lives through us because we now save lives by predicting storms and tsunamis. You can believe whatever you want, but I believe God helps mankind evolve, and mankind reciprocates.
God can’t be blamed because we have free will. What could be the reason for fighting and killing each other? The reasonable explanation for different books is that we might not have been able to handle all the knowledge at once. Stubborn people with emotions and a strong sense of belonging can make even educated people stuck in their group’s politics, denying and dismissing other groups. Or maybe God has a role in bringing humans to themselves on the day of Qayamat (apocalypse) or saving them and continuing the human race with free will.
The concept of God in the human race is based on the importance of the individual cell of God’s body. If we all kill each other, it hurts mankind and God’s existence. Would God allow that? Since I’m optimistic, I think humans will come to their senses and cross the religious and political lines of belonging to join humanity. I hope it’s the start of something big. We’re starting to join humanity. Space stations, the internet, collective action against diseases like Ebola, and now global warming are bringing us together.
The many religious books mean God created a competitive environment, so we realize the path we’re on leads to destruction, and we can use free will to unite as humanity.
Armed with incomplete knowledge, we’ve killed each other for thousands of years to prove who’s right. This should teach us there’s more to understand. It’s time to change and climb higher on the ladder of potential. Following group politics has brought us to a crossroad of choice. We can stay in our pigeonholes and keep killing each other or come out of our insecurities and change our journey’s course and outcome. God will love to see his creation finally ‘get it’.
Human power individually and collectively is beyond imagination and understanding until we reach our potential.
Imagine a street bum with five dollars becoming a billionaire. We’re gaining power and understanding. Our knowledge is not complete.
God is writing a new book with human help. How it ends is a mystery. We can’t see everything as doom and gloom. We must be optimistic and hopeful. Understanding there’s more to learn makes us humble about existing knowledge.
Humility leads to tolerance, acceptance, and harmony. Then we can go beyond religious boundaries and into spirituality, where God isn’t a monster who punishes. There’s no carrot and stick in spirituality; no politics of right or wrong. There’s only the truth: a human being can make decisions with God-given free will to choose good or evil and change destiny.
Can we change the day of Qayamat? If we stop making and using weapons of mass destruction and get our act together, then yes.
Human emotions are not fully understood. We need to evolve in this area to understand more of the Godly man and put things in perspective. We love our loved ones, people around us, and God through our religions. The politics of belonging is out of control. Individuals feel trapped and helpless without freedom. We need to balance free will and belonging.
In conclusion, education is the key to understanding spirituality over religion, humanity over nation and race, and moderation over extremism. Democracy requires true equality, and a legally binding justice system and police force for humanity. Advanced societies show that diverse people can live together with human rights. It’s our responsibility to evolve and make sense of today’s issues, prioritizing them for the betterment of humanity. Let’s become CEOs of our lives, using free will to live reciprocally, seeking knowledge, and achieving a balance that honors both our individual and collective potential.