The central theme of my blog is to challenge prejudice and the sense of belonging to a group rather than embracing humanity as a whole. Today, we discuss truth and reconciliation in Canada, and there are calls for the Pope to apologize for the crimes committed by the Church. I remember a while back, the government of Canada apologized for the atrocities committed against the native population. Did that help? If it were that simple, it would have been resolved long ago.
There has always been a segment of the population that believes in religious extremism. If we can convince them that we are continuously learning and evolving, it proves that our knowledge is not yet complete. We still cannot use our full brain capacity, so human knowledge is unfinished. Even our holy books have not helped us become emotionally intelligent. In fact, we often act worse due to religious extremism, as evidenced by current events and history. The death toll from our belief systems is incalculable. Only when we convince people of this reality can we hope for peace on earth, stopping wars and spiritual crimes. Otherwise, history will keep repeating itself, as we are creatures who seek revenge when emotionally hurt by love lost.
We have been evolving, but there is a disconnect. Our weapons of mass destruction have advanced more than our emotional intelligence. We continue to kill in the name of our nations or religions, just as past generations did. We elect leaders who pursue wars, making us all responsible for our problems. This short-term thinking, especially regarding security, has made people like Trump popular and allowed Bush to be re-elected despite his blunders.
This relates to our emotional intelligence. If we strip ourselves down to naked apes, our jewelry means nothing. I ask religious people: what are the fundamentals of religious teachings? Do religions teach compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love? Of course, they do, but often only for their own believers. When it comes to others, we tend to revert to primal behavior. Where are the religious people advocating for peace? They are often in the trenches, fighting each other instead of talking peace.
Islam, for example, means peace, and Muslims greet each other with peace. Yet, internal conflicts persist due to the politics of group belonging. Just like the Shia-Sunni divide among Muslims, extremists in all religions have been killing each other for centuries. Nations have also been warring since the dawn of civilization. From slavery to burning witches to conquering lands, humanity has a history of disrespect, insult, and humiliation, much like baboons. Have we evolved from these nasty beasts? Maybe a little, as we have learned to live in harmony under the same law and order in some places. This can be achieved worldwide, but we have a long way to go. In Canada, we still face native issues and the French-English divide. Quebec, for example, has language police enforcing special rights, highlighting the politics of group belonging.
I recall a story from my childhood, author unknown, that relates to the Canadian political situation. It involves an old man and his sons, representing Canada’s provinces, territories, and native peoples. The old man, representing Canada, asked his sons to bring two sticks each. He then asked them to break the sticks individually, which they did easily. However, when asked to break a bundle of sticks, they could not. The moral is that unity makes us stronger.
All Canadians, regardless of background, are citizens of the same country. If you are taught that you are better than others, you have been taught wrong. As individuals, we have a duty to educate ourselves to be human beings first and then assume any other identity. We should be compassionate, forgiving, sacrificing, and loving human beings. Just as we welcome Syrian refugees, we should treat each other with the same kindness. If we embrace these qualities, we may never have to force children into religions through abuse.
Should we forgive and forget our past? Yes, especially if our problems stem from the politics of group belonging. Individuals who commit crimes against humanity often believe they are superior to others, influenced by their group’s teachings. These spiritual crimes are committed in the name of nation, race, or religion. Even today, prejudice persists in all nations and religions.
As long as our education systems are influenced by the politics of group belonging, we will have figures like ISIS, Putin, and Donald Trump. When our sense of belonging overpowers our sense of freedom, we cannot be the CEOs of our lives. We must change our mindset from group belonging to embracing humanity as a whole. Bombing and terror will continue unless we believe we belong to humanity and reject the politics of group identity.
Just as nations have signed agreements to combat global warming, we must unite to transcend group identities and work together for humanity. By examining our past mistakes, we can learn and evolve. Bombing and terrorism are driven by the politics of group belonging, with both sides justifying their actions. Individuals must rise and assume the responsibilities of their lives as CEOs, making spiritually right decisions.
Group politics historically hinder individual education and free decision-making. However, today, individuals are connected globally via the internet. If they choose, they can challenge nationalism and religious politics. The politics of group belonging fuels hate and prejudice, which individuals can choose to reject in favor of humanity.
Prejudice exists in every individual. It’s up to each person to decide how much they will let it influence them. When prejudice leads to spiritual crimes, the individual is responsible. You may justify your actions as defending your group, but future generations may have to apologize for those actions. Compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, and love are human qualities. Stripping them away results in a loss for all humanity.
We are higher beings connected to a spiritual side that does not act in anger. Contrary to common belief, I believe God does not punish; it is a human trait. Since God is our spiritual side, we all have the potential to act spiritually.