SPIRITUAL OR RELIGIOUS, IF IT’S PREJUDICIAL AND DISCRIMINATORY IT IS NOT FROM GOD

If prejudice and discrimination are at the core of education systems and are even taught by religious leaders, humanity has a long way to go in evolving beyond its animalistic behaviors. Remember, spirituality should be the foundation of our belief system, but unfortunately, we have replaced it with the politics of belonging. Since we are an evolving entity, we must learn and grow beyond the constraints of group politics. Have we done so? In the last two thousand years, we have at least become capable of advocating for equal individual human rights.

The trouble is that we are still struggling against those who refuse to change. As a result, humanity remains trapped in ideological disputes, even waging wars that fuel bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination.

If you are not the CEO of your own mind and your sense of belonging is dictated by others, it impairs your ability to truly learn. If you cannot explore and question freely because your politics of belonging demand surrender, you forfeit your rightful status as the CEO of your life. This influence not only prevents you from fully functioning as a leader of your own destiny but also inhibits you from tapping into your vast, ocean-like potential. Why would you settle for being confined to a mere stream of knowledge when your mind holds the capacity of an entire ocean? If you are designed to contain boundless wisdom, why allow yourself to be trapped in a pond?

Remember, as a human being, you are blessed with your own exclusive atom of autonomy. This gift not only grants you free will but also has no shore or boundary. You may be small, but within you exists an entire ocean and infinite space. You soar through the skies without wings, dive into the ocean’s depths without gills, and dig deeper into the earth than any clawed creature. So, what do you have? Ask yourself: Who am I, truly? Don’t accept an education that diminishes your relevance. Use your boundless, vast mind to honestly explore your potential. This will not only help you understand yourself but also propel you toward greater evolution.

Look behind you and see how far humanity has come—from caves and mud houses to high-rise buildings. And yet, our potential remains largely untapped. Politicians have always sought to control people, creating an atmosphere of insecurity so that we continue to buy into their narratives. However, God blessed us all with an individual atom of autonomy, enabling us to think, explore, and reach our own conclusions. If your communal or business interests overpower your sense of self, even if it appears different, you are still limiting yourself. If you were not designed to be confined, your spiritual self—your atom of autonomy—will resist you holding back your truth.

Remember, you are meant to pursue knowledge and follow it wherever it leads. The politics of belonging have no place in this journey; it is about endless possibilities. If you examine history and search for the reasons behind our current state, you will find that progress comes from those who dared to explore and evolve. I believe that each of us requires a unique rhythm and speed to grow. If there were no resistance to change, the very rhythm of our evolution might be disrupted.

In essence, progress happens through collective efforts and the necessary support systems. Believing that we alone control everything is an illusion. Ignoring external guidance may ultimately lead to spiritual decay. Just as music requires spaces between the notes to create harmony, our lives require balance. Obsessively striving for perfection can be exhausting and detrimental to our overall well-being. Many spend their entire lives in pursuit of perfection, only to die in deprivation and discontentment—an unfortunate way to live a mortal life.

If we are each blessed with an exclusive atom of autonomy, why do we sacrifice our happiness and contentment? Political influences often convince us to live for the afterlife, urging us to die as worker bees or warrior ants. But did God create us to be mere worker bees or warriors? No—He created us as human individuals, inherently designed to be the CEOs of our own lives.

Be mindful in everything you do. If you choose to follow the paths of your ancestors, do so—but do not inherit their prejudices and discriminations. Simply being born in a different era grants you the opportunity to evolve beyond their limitations.

Today, humanity seeks spirituality over religion, equal individual rights over group identity, and justice over politics. If you blindly follow ancestral footprints, you risk being misled by modern-day religious leaders who fail to fulfill their intended role. Religion was meant to teach spirituality and cultivate peace, yet it has fostered conflict, with countless lives lost in religious wars.

So, do not envy or be angered by those who do not follow your chosen path—because there are over 4,200 paths in existence. Throughout history, blindly adhering to ancestral traditions has perpetuated prejudice and discrimination, yet we continue to follow them despite their devastating consequences.

In today’s era of equal human rights, the world has changed. We no longer take pride in racism, prejudice, or discrimination. Following past traditions blindly does not align with modern-day values. Prejudice and discrimination meant something different even fifty years ago, and their meaning continues to evolve. If your sense of belonging is beyond your control and you justify violence in its name, you have lost sight of individual choice. Prejudice and discrimination are not only wrong against others—they are detrimental to yourself as well.

Understanding and overcoming our own ingrained biases is challenging, but necessary. The justifications that our ancestors lived by can now be challenged in courts worldwide. The outdated belief that “we are right and they are wrong” no longer holds in an evolving society. Our spiritual reality has nothing to do with such divisive politics.

If you are taught that right and wrong will only be revealed after death, consider this: First, you would have to die to find out. Second, if you do not know the truth, why wage war over it? If you do, then your actions are driven by hormones and the politics of belonging, not by true spirituality. As human beings, we have been blessed with free will and a personal sense of justice, placing great responsibility on our shoulders.

You could spend your life making a meaningful difference for yourself and others, but if you believe your path is the only right one, you are not only living with prejudice but also undermining your true human potential. Spiritually, that is not something to be proud of—it is a flaw passed down through generations, one we continue to uphold.

Remember, you cannot invoke God to justify politically influenced assumptions. Whether individual or collective injustice has shaped your opinion, it is no excuse for a being that is meant to learn and evolve. If it is spiritually wrong, how will you justify it when your atom of autonomy—the very essence of your being—constantly judges your actions? You cannot separate yourself from your inner truth.

Placing all the accumulated ancestral knowledge of right and wrong into the basket of life after death or the cliff of faith can be a gamble with your personal belief system. As I often say, what lies beyond the cliff of faith is not proven with absolute certainty for us as human beings—we simply believe in whatever we have been taught. Whether we learn from religion, science, technology, or medicine, all knowledge accumulates in our ever-expanding, ocean-like brains.

I am not trying to sow the seeds of doubt in anyone’s faith. Rather, I urge people to stop killing one another over differing beliefs about life after death. One of the most politically charged and successful tactics used by religions is instilling fear in the hearts of their followers—especially when politically inclined leaders recognize that their followers are terrified of mortality. Such leaders have always sought to make their followers feel fearful, weak, vulnerable, irrelevant, and even guilty of sins, whether they have committed them or not. A lack of self-esteem benefits politicians because insecure individuals are easier to control. Since this strategy has worked in the past, politically savvy individuals continue to exploit it.

If you personally believe in your own irrelevance, you are trapped in the past. You may be passionate about defending your ancestral way of life, but humanity has marched forward and left you behind. For political reasons, you may cling to ancestral knowledge because you are either unwilling or unable to fully utilize the vast intellect God has blessed you with. If you have been conditioned to feel insecure for political reasons, you will instinctively seek something greater and stronger than yourself to feel secure—whether it is a visible belonging group or an invisible force like God. Political brainwashing distorts our understanding of what it means to be human. Believing in your personal weaknesses only magnifies the power of your belonging group. Your unwavering loyalty to a group at the expense of your personal spiritual strength is a clear sign of internal conflict. You may choose to be politically prejudiced and discriminatory rather than at peace within yourself. However, true self-understanding can help you reconcile your political sense of belonging with your inner spirituality.

If you believe that God lives through you physically, you will see others as reflections of yourself and respect God in them. Politically, if you are taught that you and your group are good while others are bad, that belief inherently fosters prejudice and discrimination. Worse yet, you may be taught that God is just like you and your belonging group, reinforcing a dangerous sense of superiority. I place God on a spiritually higher plane than that. To me, prejudice and discrimination stem from politically tainted religious beliefs and have nothing to do with true spirituality.

Look at the physically manifest presence of God in the world. Look at the good people in opposing groups who help others—what do you see? If you cannot recognize God working in all human societies, you are blinded by the political side of your religion. To me, God and spirituality are actively present in all human communities. While paths may differ due to ancestral footprints, they all ultimately lead to the cliff of faith. When you put others down, proclaiming that your group is good and godly while others are bad and evil, you are infected by a political virus. True spirituality calls for self-reflection—not the blind acceptance of politically influenced doctrines.

You may cherry-pick beliefs and compare belonging groups, convinced that your ancestral way is the only correct path. You may assume that everything will be sorted out by God after you die while continuing to harbor politically influenced prejudice and discrimination in life. However, if you follow the politics of belonging to a specific group rather than embracing humanity as a whole, spiritually, you have it wrong.

For instance, if you mispronounce God’s name because it originates in a different language, your intention matters more than the pronunciation itself. God resides within you as your atom of autonomy, ensuring that such details are insignificant. What truly matters is avoiding spiritual crimes—like being prejudiced and discriminatory against God’s people. Even in your deepest private thoughts, your atom of autonomy serves as a witness to the divine. That is why it is said that God knows all.

You do not need to die to discern right from wrong—your atom of autonomy guides you in this life. Remember the fundamental rule of spirituality: “Do not do to others what you would not want done to you or your loved ones.” That is how your atom of autonomy helps you recognize right and wrong. This applies during your lifetime, especially if you do not want to be on the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination. Even if your belonging group endorses such behavior, ask yourself: How would my atom of autonomy perceive this?

Yet, many politically influenced individuals commit these spiritual crimes recklessly in the name of their belonging groups. As an individual, you lend your physical presence to both right and wrong. In the end, it is not about life after death—it is about how you live now.

Your atom of autonomy easily lets you know whether you are in tune with it or straying from it. If you question the invisible pain associated with guilt—IT IS REAL. JUST ASK A SUFFERING WAR VETERAN.

Pick any religion and follow its footprint-related path. Regardless of the details and differences, you will end up at the same metaphorical cliff of faith. How you have lived your life is what matters most when footprints vanish. YES, THAT IS REGARDLESS OF ANY RELIGIOUS FAITH.

It all boils down to spirituality, not what you have done for the politics of belonging. Logically, this is a matter exclusively between God and the individual. You will personally have to either leap over the cliff of faith with hope in what your religious leaders have preached or create your own footprints by making sense of it all.

Spiritually, if you are honestly reciprocating with God and are in sync with your atom of autonomy, you have nothing to fear beyond the cliff of faith. It is not about what lies beyond—it is about what you do in your living years. Even if you have doubts or suspicions about the education you received from your belonging group, you still have nothing to worry about if your reciprocation is sincere and not an act of appeasement or bribery to God. In your lifetime, you are responsible for converting spirituality into physical actions. If you have done that, your job is complete.

Remember, while converting spirituality into physical actions, you have been granted free will to live and enjoy life as well. If someone tells you otherwise, their motives are likely political. The main focus should be your duty of reciprocation—for the oxygen you breathe, the functioning body you have, and the favorable life circumstances you experience. If you have fulfilled what you were assigned to do, the concepts of heaven and hell lose their grip.

If reciprocation is the foundation, then understanding is key to dealing with fears and lack of faith. REMEMBER, IT IS NOT ABOUT BOWING DOWN TO GOD OR FASTING—IT IS ABOUT YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIONS THAT TRANSFORM SPIRITUALITY INTO REALITY.

Helping the needy fulfills God’s command because that needy individual may have prayed for help, and you are the one making it physically viable and meaningful. Instilling insecurity about what lies beyond the cliff of faith or diminishing your relevance in your living years is often politically motivated. Politically, your internal struggles are of no concern to your belonging group. However, by granting you an atom of autonomy, God placed the responsibility squarely on your shoulders to navigate your mortal life. If you are out of sync and unable to perform as the CEO of your own existence, you may face internal turmoil. It is essential to take charge and embrace your role as a CEO—the one you were designed and created to be.

When we dispute, disrespect, bicker, argue, fight, and even kill each other over differences, it often indicates that individual faith is either politically tainted or fundamentally flawed. Some blindly place everything in God’s hands while simultaneously rejecting coexistence with those who hold different beliefs. This is a great contradiction—blindly trusting in God while blaming, punishing, and even killing in His name. If you critically examine this, it challenges the very foundations of belief in God and free will.

Some people do not believe in anything yet continue using freely supplied oxygen, a functioning body, and favorable life circumstances without acknowledgment or gratitude. Living with the help of the unknown while disregarding or even disrespecting it should not be taken lightly. We must put things together logically to understand ourselves. We have a duty to acknowledge and give credit where it is due. As human individuals, we have no control over our coming and going, nor do we control what sustains us.

We function every day until the moment we die, yet we fail to respect the unseen forces that keep us alive. Have you ever wondered why? If you do not believe in God, how would you ever know the purpose of your life? Believe me, we are not like other creatures that simply breathe, eat, excrete, reproduce, age, and die. We lend our individual physicality to converting good and bad into physical actions—a major role for a major player. And yet, that major player remains entirely at the mercy of and within the control of unknown realities.

Logical proof is in the pudding—we can't simply will our way to live; otherwise, none of us would die. Some of us don’t even give a second thought to acknowledging the free oxygen we breathe, our functioning bodies, and the favorable life circumstances we experience. In other words, we often ignore the blessings of being alive or the life-giving oxygen without which we cannot survive.

Without spirituality, there can be no sense of responsibility for reciprocation. Yet, in all nations and religions, many believe that giving or paying taxes is not their responsibility. They assume that God will take care of the needy but fail to ask how God accomplishes these things. Everything we do is aided by the unknown, yet we still think we are doing everything ourselves—especially when it comes to answering fundamental questions about the origin and purpose of life. A non-faithful answer might suggest that life and death are merely random flukes with no meaning. However, with faith, meaning is attached to everything we do.

Personally, I believe our purpose in life is the duty of reciprocation—converting spirituality into physical actions. To me, faith means recognizing that if there is help allowing me to breathe and exist, that very thought should humble me and inspire me to give back. I have faith and trust in the unknown, which I openly call God. However, many people believe there is no God. Logically, if that were true, they should have no faith in anything that cannot be physically seen, including concepts like justice, spirituality, government, or even the idea of a “big brother” overseeing society. Yet, when we examine our lives critically, we see that everyone has some form of faith. People rarely question their ability to take the next breath, plan their day, or live their lives, trusting implicitly in the continuous supply of oxygen. Without that trust, they would be consumed by stress, hopelessness, and uncertainty.

Do you think this is happening? Just look around—or within yourself—to find the spiritual deficiencies that manifest as physical, mental, and emotional struggles. If you feel that you suffer from a lack of faith, seek out that missing belief, as it holds the power to grant hope and optimism. Remember, I am not referring to the faith preached by political religions.

I do not believe that religion or any concept of God should have a political agenda. Instead, I choose faith based on love, not fear or the carrot-and-stick philosophy of rewards and punishment. This means we should discipline ourselves—not for heaven or hell—but out of a sense of duty and reciprocation for our physical existence.

This perspective makes it clear that human individuals are not irrelevant, unimportant, meaningless, or inherently sinful. A physically functioning human being is central to the real scheme of life. No matter what you have been told or taught to believe, without you, spirituality remains suspended as a non-physical concept. Always remember that spiritual ideas—whether good or bad—cannot become physically viable unless we lend our hands, shoulders, and backs to them. Our thoughts alone are not enough to transform spirituality into action. Even God and the Devil could not engage in a physical battle without humans lending them their physicality.

You are free to believe in miracles or in the doctrines preached by your belonging group. However, don’t place all your hopes in that one basket, because none of us truly knows what lies beyond the cliff of faith. We all must die before discovering that truth, and no one has ever returned to provide a definitive account of our metaphorical realities. If you want to be a reasonably spiritual individual who understands your place in the grand scheme of life, you must take charge of your own existence, free from the politics of belonging.

Since we all think differently, we are entitled to our own opinions. However, denying the very help we receive while continuing to benefit from it is an act of arrogance and ignorance. The question is not just about what exists, but rather how you perceive it and what faith means to you. If you openly deny the help itself, how can you understand the spiritual responsibility of reciprocation? If you do grasp the concept of honest reciprocation, you already understand spirituality.

Remember, one does not have to be religious to be spiritual. Spirituality is universal and is not confined to any political or religious belonging. There are countless religious beliefs in the world, but if you are a good person who translates good intentions into physical actions, you are spiritual regardless of the group into which you were born.

Religions and nationalism may have a monopoly on the politics of belonging, but they cannot make all their followers good people. Spirituality, therefore, is beyond anyone’s control, and no group has a monopoly over it.

As human beings, we have long claimed that our knowledge is superior and complete, yet we continue evolving and learning more. Believing that those who do not share our beliefs are inferior has nothing to do with spirituality—it is a political absurdity.

Just as the virtues of spirituality are universal, so too are arrogance, bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination universally negative aspects of humanity. Our ancestors, despite their intelligence for their time, believed in their group’s superiority. While this mindset is still common today, we should not take pride in prejudice and discrimination. It is our moral obligation to ensure that no one is denied their equal human rights.

We have evolved beyond the bush and cave era, when we killed each other simply for belonging to different groups. Over time, we formed communities, cities, nations, and religions, creating marked boundaries for like-minded people. Today, we have reached the point of living in diverse, melting-pot societies where equal human rights are valued. However, despite the long journey of civilization and evolution, we still struggle to eliminate violence against one another. Look around—you will still find individuals clinging to the same tribal mentality from our primitive past. We claim to be evolved and civilized, yet we continue to suffer from prejudice-driven violence. So, have we truly evolved, or are we merely running in circles, trapped by the insecurities politically ingrained by our belonging groups?

The question remains: Why can’t we stop killing each other and take the next step in our evolutionary journey? Why does the politics of belonging to a group still hold so much power? The answer lies within each individual. If we accept our evolutionary nature, acknowledge our mortal existence, take charge of our own lives, and practice spirituality based on equal human rights, we still have a chance to embrace humanity as a whole.

Even our potential is constantly evolving. So, ask yourself: Where are we headed, and what can we do with all the spiritual help available to us? To me, spirituality is as vast as the ocean and space, yet it is contained within a single human being. Meanwhile, the politics of belonging limits us, trapping us in a pond and making us feel like a mere frog—completely contrary to what God intended for human individuals.

Some religions claim that we are made in God’s image, yet they simultaneously diminish the value of the individual, treating human beings as irrelevant and insignificant. This indoctrination can strip us of our own importance in our lives, making it difficult to even consider ourselves the CEOs of our own existence. If we were to fully accept everything that religions dictate, we would feel small, inferior, and burdened with guilt, leading to a lack of self-esteem. Essentially, we have been brainwashed and conditioned to be controlled by a select few, and questioning this system requires immense courage.

These religious institutions resist rule-breakers and challengers, yet they shamelessly benefit from the technologies, medicines, and advancements brought forth by those very individuals. Their politics of belonging to groups are so loud and overpowering that they suppress any questioning voices—even to the extent of taking lives—out of loyalty to their groups. This politics of belonging not only causes them to act against spirituality but also exposes their hypocrisy.

On the other hand, if you examine the success of Western societies, you will see that they have long encouraged individual talent and promised a better life, attracting people from all over the world for centuries. This has made them far more sophisticated and advanced. Yet, despite their progress, they still struggle with deep-seated issues of prejudice and discrimination. Take America, for example, where re-electing someone like Donald Trump reveals that a significant number of people still long for the so-called “glory days” of religious dominance.

Personally, I believe that no one is inherently superior to another simply because of their family, race, gender, nationality, or religious beliefs. From a spiritual perspective, each of us carries our own “atom of autonomy” from birth. Though we may look different, we are, in essence, part of the same organism—like a coral reef, where individual colors may vary, but the fundamental composition remains the same. Science affirms that we are all made of the same physical elements. We are born the same way (ask a doctor), we all need oxygen to breathe, food and water to survive, sleep to function, and we all age, fall ill, and eventually die. We rely on universal principles such as God, spirituality, justice, and love to define our humanity. So, why do we struggle to embrace spiritual and just principles like equal human rights? The answer lies in our political loyalties to our belonging groups.

Despite religious teachings advocating morality, kindness, and compassion, there remains a disconnect, as these institutions have not successfully fostered societies with lower crime rates. They preach spirituality, yet, in practice, they are often the fiercest adversaries of one another. They have separated “com” from “passion,” turning spirituality into a political tool. They invoke God to inspire their followers with fervor, but both God and the individual are ultimately exploited for political gain. Religious groups wage wars in God’s name while hypocritically preaching compassion. The politics of belonging has infiltrated all aspects of individual life, including spirituality, tainting everything.

The solution to this politics of belonging is to strengthen the individual, enabling them to become the CEO of their own life—one who can separate spirituality from political manipulation and embrace modern solutions. Since equal human rights counteract prejudice and discrimination, becoming a CEO of one’s own life is essential to even understanding the root of these issues. Equal human rights align perfectly with spirituality because, fundamentally, no one wants themselves or their loved ones to be on the receiving end of prejudice or discrimination. If one remains spiritually stagnant, they will continue to view life through the lens of primitive territorialism, acting as though we are still in the age of caves and survival-driven conflicts. If that remains the prevailing mindset, it is imperative to recognize oneself as an evolving entity and strive for spiritual and physical growth—for God’s sake and for humanity’s sake.

How far have you evolved on the scale of spirituality? Answer this question honestly because you have the innate ability to do so. Your atom of autonomy is a powerful force within you, but if you have been deeply conditioned by centuries of religious brainwashing, your political affiliations may override your independent thoughts and beliefs. This inner conflict can lead to turmoil, a dangerous place for any mortal being with a limited time on this earth.

Whether you lean toward the physical or the spiritual, imbalance can lead to trouble. If you do not take charge of your life and balance your dual nature, you may suppress either your autonomy or your spiritual side. If you become entirely physical, you risk becoming nothing more than a puppet of your belonging group, in conflict with your atom of autonomy. That autonomy is like a fragment of God within you, and rejecting it is a perilous path. However, if you liberate yourself from the politics of belonging and embrace humanity as a whole, you become a CEO of your own life—an idea that is the worst nightmare for politicians who rely on group control for power. It is crucial to understand that it is not God who made you insignificant, unimportant, or a born sinner. It is other human beings who stripped you of your self-esteem to control you for political gain.

The reality is that you are the third element in the spiritual equation. Good and evil only manifest through physical action. Without human agency, neither good nor bad can be materialized. In other words, without the human component, nothing gets done—plain and simple. Therefore, take control of your life and become a CEO who is responsible for their actions.

Our atom of autonomy is tied to free will, which allows us to choose between good and evil. If we are absent, neither God nor the Devil can influence the physical world. Recognizing this, we should take pride in our significance—not only by restraining ourselves from wrongdoing but by actively doing good as a duty and purpose of life.

Evolve spiritually and become the CEO of your life so that you are not manipulated for political purposes. Yes, your belonging group may support you even if you commit spiritual crimes in their name, but you are still responsible for your actions. You have been blessed with autonomy, free will, and a personal sense of justice.

People with political agendas—whether they come from your religion or your nation—do not want you to become a CEO and reach your full potential. They prefer to keep you confined within a “pond philosophy,” which keeps weaker individuals seeking security through artificial boundaries. These boundaries are designed to give you a false sense of safety, but in reality, mortality renders all forms of security an illusion. Regardless of what you have, you will leave it behind when you die. Your sense of security is merely a construct of your imagination—it can either help you by allowing you to believe in God, placebo effects, meditation, and self-healing, or it can harm you by trapping you in stress, anxiety, and depression. Ultimately, you hold the power to determine whether you will expand beyond self-imposed fears or remain imprisoned by them.

A spiritually weak individual cannot become the CEO of their life because their politics of belonging forces them to seek security in groups rather than in God. When self-esteem is low, the need to attach to something bigger—whether a religion, nation, or ideology—becomes stronger. Believing in God is one thing, but placing your faith in other human beings as your source of security is misguided, as they cannot even secure themselves. How can they provide for others what they lack themselves?

The politics of belonging is a living, breathing contradiction. People kill and die for their groups, all in the name of God. Take a moment to reflect. Shake yourself free from these chains because politics and spirituality simply do not mix. Religions often involve God in human emotional conflicts, but doing so ultimately tarnishes the very name of God.

If you believe that you belong to the best group of people, it literally means that you believe you are better than others simply because of your affiliation. Think about it with a clear mind and reflect on where your prejudice and discrimination originate. One can only become better by building strong spiritual character through reciprocation.

Personally, I don’t believe that adhering to any one particular religion is the key to eternal heaven. It is all about your personal spirituality and how it translates into physical actions based on reciprocation.

Belonging to the family of a prophet does not grant you a license to be good. Your physical actions are the only things that determine whether you are a good or bad person. So, if you want to talk about heaven, talk about the one you are living in now—while you are breathing and making choices—because this is where your actions matter. As long as you are in control of your decisions, you are shaping your reality. If you are creating hell for others, you are setting yourself up for a living hell, because your "atom of autonomy" resides within you. Conversely, if you create heaven in your lifetime, you have nothing to worry about—whether in this life or the afterlife.

Some may say, "I am always suffering in this life because my desires are never fulfilled, and my life is a failure. Since I suffered in my living years, I should go to heaven after I die." This is an excuse for hope and optimism, but practically, it is not enough. Like a CEO, you must create a balance between your desires and efforts. Personally, I see nothing wrong with having a hopeful perspective on the afterlife, but if you are suffering because you want too much and are not putting in the necessary effort, then the issue lies within. Remember, God has done His divine job by providing you with a functioning body and free oxygen. It is up to you to create your own happiness by counting your blessings. If you are personally responsible for your own happiness or unhappiness, then you must recognize that you don’t go to a mosque or church to build muscles—you go to the gym and put in the effort like everyone else.

A while back, I wrote a blog about the "ladder of the horizon," where I discussed how we are all climbing a ladder. You see many people above you, and being below them, you strive to compete and work hard to climb higher. While you are inching upward, you may still feel content with your position. However, if you reach a point where you can no longer climb, frustration, anger, and unhappiness may set in. This is when you should look at those below you for perspective. How we compare ourselves to others determines our level of contentment. The idea is to look up to those above us for inspiration but also to look down at those less fortunate to gain appreciation. If you develop the habit of being unhappy, then even if you were to go to heaven, you might still be discontent. This means that unless you learn to compare yourself in both directions, even God Himself may not be able to make you happy.

Spiritual awareness teaches us to be grateful for what we already have—oxygen, a functioning body, and favorable life circumstances. Instead of criticizing and complaining, we should appreciate our blessings. Many people dwell on thoughts like "I am not rich, I am not strong, I am too fat, too thin, too short, not good-looking, or not lucky, and I hate being mortal." What do these thoughts mean to you? To me, dissatisfaction and discontentment are ingrained in our DNA because we are evolving beings. Being mortal while continuously evolving is a paradox for human beings. Not only must we overcome our natural instincts, but we must also overcome the influences of belonging to groups. Overriding unhealthy "what if" scenarios in our minds is not easy—especially in today’s world. So, assuming the role of a CEO in our lives is essential.

Becoming the CEO of your own life allows you to develop a healthy outlook. Otherwise, we risk spending our entire existence waiting on a platform for a train that never arrives.

Human beings have repeatedly proven that there is life beyond the boundaries imposed by insecurity. We have outgrown the constraints of every field of knowledge, including human sacrifice, yet we still struggle to move beyond the politics of group belonging. Interestingly, every major breakthrough has come from individuals who refused to conform to accepted boundaries.

From believing in a flat Earth to discovering a round planet, from exploring lands beyond the ocean’s horizon to advancing medicine through genetic research, stem cells, and test-tube babies, from the invention of the internet to artificial intelligence—evolution has been a remarkable journey. But where are we headed? Only time will tell. However, one thing is certain: the prejudice and discrimination we exhibit today will be condemned by future generations.

Today, we can predict the paths of storms and save lives instead of throwing virgins off cliffs, believing that God is angry with us. Even the coronavirus pandemic brought humanity to its knees, yet most people—regardless of religious background—looked to scientists for answers.

Despite all our progress, we have not evolved enough. We still kill each other over the prejudices and politics of group identity. Even when faced with a common enemy like the coronavirus—a virus that did not discriminate—we failed to unite. Instead, we continued our wars and conflicts in the name of belonging groups.

Given this reality, I can confidently say that our work in evolving is far from finished. Not only do we need to learn to work together, but we must also address the politics of group identity.

Individually, we must step out of our small ponds and embrace the vast ocean of humanity. Only then can we establish equal human rights that transcend the politics of race, gender, nationality, and religion. Should we allow these groups to determine our fate? Remember, they haven’t been able to solve humanity’s social problems for the past 2,000 years—so why should we expect them to do so in the next two?

Are you willing to wait another 2,000 years for humanity to figure it out?

I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t have that much time left. So, I will say my piece while I am still here.