From racism, nationalism, to religious extremism, and the fervor of team sports and fan conflicts, prejudice in all its forms remains deeply rooted and is the root cause of many of our social and spiritual problems. The number of people entrenched or intoxicated by an uncontrollable sense of belonging is so vast that it feels like walking on freshly fallen snow. There are no footprints or tracks to follow; hidden sinkholes could be covered by the snow, yet one must continue walking without the fear of stumbling into a pitfall. There is common knowledge, knowledge implied between the lines, and then there is knowledge that requires understanding.
Our brains resemble oceans, with knowledge flowing in from all directions like rivers—data, junk mail, or whatever one may call it. It is an individual’s responsibility to pick and choose, mix and match, to make their mortal life a journey of reciprocity: taking and giving in equal measure.
I feel it is my duty to reciprocate by speaking my truth as I see it, even if it may not be universally accepted but makes sense to me. If someone disagrees with me—which is highly likely—we can agree to disagree like civilized human beings. Our challenge lies in being passionately attached to our knowledge due to an uncontrollable sense of belonging, yet every day we learn something new, demonstrating that our knowledge remains incomplete. Just observe history and contemporary events, where people often resort to violence simply because they disagree with each other’s beliefs. More often than not, these conflicts arise from political egos tied to group identity or disputes over territory and lost love.
Externally, we may wage wars in the name of God, but internally, our knowledge of God remains incomplete, fueling our conflicts with insecurity and a desire for control. A genuine belief in God should foster humility and a commitment to helping humanity as a whole. Unfortunately, politically charged religious teachings have twisted spirituality to the point where each religion claims superior knowledge of God over others. Followers, driven by passion, genuinely believe in their righteousness, making it challenging for humanity to unite.
Individuals are so indoctrinated that they not only passionately believe in their religion’s teachings but are also willing to kill and die for them. Allow me to share a verse of poetry by Baba Bulleh Shah, as I often find my thoughts aligning more with him than with others. Since he wrote in Punjabi, I will first present the original words and then attempt a translation:
“Rub rub karthay budhay ho gay mullah pundit saary
Rub thaa khoj khraa na labhya sajday kar kar haary.
Rub tay tary andar wastha vich Quraan ishaary
Buley Shah rub onhu milsy, jehra apaney naffus no maary.”
Translation: “All the Mullahs and pundits grew old chanting God’s name,
Yet none found the real God; weary from countless prostrations.
The Qur’an indicates God resides within you,
Bulleh Shah found God in controlling his worldly desires.”
Whether you consider yourself devout or secular, as long as you acknowledge your humanity and are alive, you embody a physical manifestation of God. Therefore, you bear personal responsibilities. First and foremost, you must learn about yourself as an individual—what and who you truly believe yourself to be. As I’ve stated before, when a baby is born, they are like a brand-new computer, equipped with all its apps and features. Then, everyone around them begins to install data—what constitutes human data?
Traditional attire, religious symbols such as turbans or crosses, religions themselves, nationalities, races, genders, methods of worship, and fasting practices—all of these are forms of data.
If you believe you are defined by this data or are akin to a computer, you are mistaken. By utilizing the free will bestowed upon you by God, you rise above both. If you consider yourself superior to others due to your accumulated data, you fail to see things clearly and do not delve deeply enough into understanding yourself. Contemplate God, genetics, carbon, humanity, spirituality, and practical prayers—only then will you uncover your true self.
There are no Muslim, Jewish, or Christian states; there are no United States or European Union states. We all pass the genetic test for humanity; we all possess free will and an intrinsic sense of justice, capable of overriding all pre-installed data. This is why the pursuit of equal human rights has become the new global religion and justice system, spreading like wildfire across the world.
So, whenever the politics of belonging confuses you, remember that you were born with more potential than you were led to believe.
You are born a CEO; your identity is that of a human being, and God Himself resides within you. Nationalism and religion seek to rob you of your humanity, which constitutes your true identity. It may seem daunting to stand against conventional wisdom, but your education—what I would call indoctrination through the installation of political data regarding a sense of belonging—is designed to confuse you, to make you believe that as an individual, you are insignificant. Yet, as a component of life with God-given free will, you are meant to stand alone and soar.
Your umbilical cord was severed the day you were born; you now breathe oxygen independently, not provided by your parents, community, nation, or religion. Reflect on who you are and what defines you. Your parents bring you into the world, but it is not without God’s will. Raising you is their reciprocation to God, and as you mature, it becomes your duty to reciprocate in kind. With free will, it is your responsibility to savor the journey. If you must walk a path no one has traversed, gain confidence in the same entity that provided you with oxygen. Remember, you are alive not by your will alone; were that the case, human beings would be immortal.