GIVING LIFE TO THOUGHTS PART ONE

I want to start this one with a word of advice. Understand that, no matter how absurd it seems to you, if someone is trying to follow their religious beliefs, they are genuinely trying to become a good person. This is because religious knowledge usually includes spirituality. Instead of putting down each other's belief systems, recognize their efforts to be good and decent individuals. Before you argue, fight, or kill each other over your religious beliefs, take two simple steps. First, honestly remove the politics of your sense of belonging to your group. Second, understand and remove what I call ignorance, because with our evolving knowledge, being entrenched in something is either politically or ignorantly related. When you learn to clear all that away, you will enter a spiritual zone where God can become a physical reality for you individually; otherwise, it's just political mumbo jumbo.

It's not an easy task, but hopefully, you will be able to separate politics from spirituality and truly understand the essence of having a religious belief. Not only will this help you understand spirituality, but also how to become the human being God truly intended for us. By critically examining our individual behaviors and actions, we can discover not only our personal insecurities and the powerful politics of the sense of belonging, but also our physical and spiritual realities.

Since you are an evolving organism, everything you do or think is in the process of evolution. So, claiming that "this is it" simply can’t be right and may lead you to a place where you end up putting your foot in your mouth. All our knowledge, physical systems, and even our collective systems of governing human populations should be subject to change as needed. From medicine to religion and everything in between, everything has been evolving, yet it has often been held back by the massive ego of populations.

Individually and even collectively, we tend to secure ourselves, yet unfortunately, most of the time, it’s from other human beings. It is unfortunate that we are still entangled in disputes with each other, yet we are a complex but single organism. We have the potential to overcome our differences if we can understand ourselves. Every individual and collective dispute is related to the way we think, from parents and grown-up children to between mates, socially, politically, physically, scientifically, and religiously, we are as divided as we were thousands of years ago. Today’s science is discovering and proving that genetically, human beings actually are a single organism. You may look different in color and size, but when you meet the present with your political arms open, you would be able to see—from blood transfusions to organ transplants to emotional responses—there is nothing you can find that points to us being different. Sure, our political lines on the globe are a sign of insecurity, but our insecurity still points toward our sameness.

A long time ago, I bought a magazine just because of the cover. Interestingly, the magazine is called The Economist, yet I did not buy it to learn about the economy. On the cover, it said, “Microbes maketh man.” That is what made me curious about it. Dated August 18th-24th, 2012, I read the article and learned, “People are not just people. They are an awful lot of microbes, too.”

I learned that each and every one of us has ten trillion cells with 23,000 genes, yet we have 100 trillion bacteria of several hundred species bearing 3 million non-human genes. If you look at the sophistication and complexities of us running around calling ourselves human beings in control of everything, I would not take our life as simply as we have been preached to believe. Sure, we are highly complex, but if we are constantly being discovered by ourselves, we are learning, adapting, and evolving. Yet there has always been and still is a segment of the population that resists believing in all that. We may think and believe in different ways to live, but we all are born, live, and die pretty much the same way. We can say that we are cleaner, better looking, or stronger than others, but that would exclusively be from the outside. Inside, however, we all carry the same genetics, and I should call it an organized mess, especially if we look at ourselves biologically. The trouble is that religious people would rather believe that following their way is the only way, which logically promotes prejudice and discrimination-related disputes. Since our religious beliefs are politically influenced, they would not want to go where they will have to literally see our invisible realities. Going there means cleaning up religions from the politics of belonging, meaning blind justice, equality, spirituality, God, and nothing else.

When I watched a documentary about creatures changing colors to blend in with their environment to be safe or to hunt on the Discovery Channel, it left me thinking about writing about it. I thought of putting this article together a long time ago, but it got lost in other subjects. Anyway, now I am working on it and hoping for it to become a good read. I don’t remember exactly what it was called or when it was shown because it was a long time ago, so I can’t really credit it. I don’t think there would be a whole lot of documentaries to choose from. It was about a small stingray fish being put in a swimming pool with a checkered floor. When water was splashed, it camouflaged itself into a checkered pattern exactly the same color as the swimming pool floor. It blended so well that it disappeared right before your eyes. That ability to camouflage is the subject of today. I saw that happening in the movies, but in reality, why are we not able to do that as human beings? I believe it's because our minds are full of a million things at a time, and we can’t have the focus and desire of animals. But we have an imagination that can allow us to come up with creative ways to even better what other creatures can do.

Today, if you look at our cars, planes, and space shuttles, observe our artificial intelligence and mega cities, and consider our advances in medicine, you might wonder: who are we? How are we learning to save lives with drugs and vaccinations, yet our populations still disagree? Belief in God versus disputes over who is right is a common human trait. Some believe wholeheartedly, while others dismiss it as religious mumbo jumbo. Interestingly, from either side, there's much we still don’t know.

If we simply agree that we learn something new every day, that alone should clarify matters. Unfortunately, we are not that straightforward. As human beings, we may need to learn and evolve further to better understand ourselves and stop killing each other over who is right.

Not only do we need to understand why we kill each other regardless of individual guilt, but also why we resist our advancing knowledge. Why do we find killing each other easier than evolving to the next level? It requires focused attention on learning more, which we often lack individually. This is due not only to our personal desires to follow group politics but also our groups' demands to adhere to their agendas. If religious groups allowed their followers to evolve, akin to how science encourages its adherents, we might have uncovered much more about the true meanings of compassion and love by now. Perhaps we would have overcome our desires to harm those who disagree with us. Despite the indiscriminate nature of the coronavirus killing us, our human propensity to kill each other over disputes in politics has not abated.

If not throwing virgins off cliffs or burning widows alive with their deceased husbands signifies progress, why do we persist in odd rituals for our groups' sake? We are capable of creating tangible things from the ethereal realm of our thoughts. As unique creatures, we should surpass others by evolving to a higher plane. While they may grow wings, fangs, claws, horns, spots, or change colors and patterns to blend in, we can excel beyond all that. We can fly higher than winged birds, delve deeper than creatures with claws, swim ocean depths without gills, level mountains, build mega cities, and devise defenses against invisible foes like the coronavirus. Yet, we struggle to evolve enough to transcend the politics of belonging. We must all reflect on our personal insecurities and the powerful grip of group politics.

All this sophistication has origins—some attribute it to God, others to the desire to evolve. Regardless, as human beings, we should respect it all. While we don't grow wings, fangs, claws, fur, or change colors like other creatures, we've used our thoughts to evolve to our current state. Consider our sports, where records are constantly broken, especially in bodybuilding. I won't delve into the process, but I will discuss its inception. When an individual thinks, desires, and makes efforts—along with visualizing growing larger muscles—that's the beginning of a process. This isn't limited to sports; it forms the foundation for transforming spiritual thoughts into physical realities. Our ability to evolve has been underestimated by group politics, which prefer individuals to feel irrelevant, insecure, and defeated so they can maintain power. This doesn't mean I disbelieve in God; it means we can only connect with a physical God through personal, strong desire. If desires are politically tainted or too numerous, concentration becomes impossible, preventing us from achieving our goals within our short physical existence.

Now, consider the human body, with 10 trillion cells and 23,000 genes, plus 100 trillion bacteria with millions of genes. This knowledge parallels the vastness and complexity of space. While we've made great strides, especially with the aid of computers and the internet, our understanding has been evolving since our awakening. The one constant amidst all this change is our individual mortality.

Blessed with an individual atom of autonomy and related free will, we can think and evolve to the extent that we can become the CEO of our lives. This means accountability rests solely with us; while some claim we lack choice, we are ultimately responsible for our actions. How we navigate our mortal lives may be influenced, but we each possess free will. One can spend their life following religious teachings, while another adheres to scientific principles. It's a personal prerogative, so whether you choose to live with or without a belief system, it's your decision.

Remember, your choices should enhance your mortal life, especially since comfort in our mortal skin is crucial. Choosing to lead a comfortable life is our individual responsibility, so whether you choose religion, science, or a combination, it's still a choice.

Now, let's examine where we've been and where we are today. Starting with space, some scientists claim there's no God out there, just a primordial explosion billions of years ago. To me, that's an assumption. We don't know where that primordial marble came from, why it exploded, or how. Since it predates us, we must accept it as Sari and Alexa tell us.

I appreciate that science adheres to standards, requiring reproducibility to confirm results. This brings me to our bodies; we find drugs scientifically effective, to a degree. Medicine can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, aid in urinary control, or treat various ailments—yet our body, like space, remains enigmatic. While you may fix one issue, the broader impact on your body remains unclear. Even years later, treatment may cause new issues or diseases. Let experts debate this, but my point is that while we may explore space and claim understanding, we're not entirely certain. The issue lies not with knowledge, but with our evolving nature. Our cars and planes today differ greatly from those of a decade ago, demonstrating our ever-evolving understanding. Intriguingly, amidst all this evolution, we still struggle to grasp the beginning and end.

If you believe in religion, you accept numerous narratives, yet ultimately face the cliff of faith. Should you seek scientific explanations, you'll grapple with theories of an expanding universe—but what caused, how, and why it exploded remain mysteries. Personally, I accept my mortality and prioritize my time. Should I spend it pursuing origins and outcomes? Should we accept these beliefs as fact? Then, what distinguishes belief in God from belief in an expanding universe? In both cases, faith in the unknown is required. My suggestion is to place these uncertainties in your basket of the unknown and live your life accordingly, with reciprocity forming the foundation of your strategy. Believing in the infallibility of your group's beliefs is not right; it's politically biased and discriminatory, so spiritually, it's wrong.

I lean toward believing in God, as we are making positive physical changes through our vision of God. I believe in the path leading me toward the cliff of faith, as it teaches me to treat others with decency. Should my religious journey lead me toward prejudice and discrimination, I'd prefer to jump off that cliff alone. If I can learn compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice, honesty, justice, and above all, love to live my mortal life with dignity, I embrace it. You can explore these spiritual treasures, but science won't teach you this side of human knowledge. No one should disparage different branches of human knowledge or belittle others. As individuals, we must become CEOs to balance our sense of belonging with our freedom, enhancing our mortal existence with quality. Even as a scientist, you can proudly wear your spiritual jewelry, as you are a human first and a scientist second. To find your true identity, delve deep. Your group affiliations provide numerous identities; peel them away one by one to understand them. Your gender, name, surname, tribal affiliation, skin color, nationality, and religion form a multitude; adding your degree buries your human identity deep.

Who wouldn't want to be a decent human being? If you understand the importance of comfort in your mortal skin, you'll learn it scientifically. Ask yourself why helping others brings joy, why love brings happiness, and why sacrifice, despite being a net loss, provides spiritual fulfillment. Consider these questions privately, keeping your mortal nature in focus, then decide your preference—science, religion, or both, in balance. You can achieve this because you are the CEO, enabling God to exist physically.