beabeenMonty Python already realised it in 1980: "there's fools and idiots sitting on the trigger".
Bear with me, for I am leaving my comfort zone of travel reflections to grapple with something that is confounding me, and quite frankly scared me, more and more. I realise there is a danger of sounding patronising, but if this is the case, then so be it. You see, unlike the people who could have wiped out our very existence (if you want to look at the bright side, including what would have been Justin Bieber....yeah, it's a cheap shot, but I'm trying to lighten the subject just a bit), the motives of the men (and some women) during the Cold War were, at least to me, understandable. Cold, naked power has always led to rivalry, wars, and you could even say (mostly testosterone-fuelled) stupidity. But it's human nature. And so it is, too, human nature to believe in a greater entity, something that makes the suffering in our earthly form comprehensible. A very much needed respite from lives that, until not too long ago, lasted a fraction of the time we live now. Where work was more physical than mental and earthly pleasures were few. And hardship has by no means be eradicated on this planet, so it is natural for people to go on believing in a benign being to guide the way.
More and more people are being lifted out of abject poverty and dire material situations; people live longer, more fulfilling lives. Many people in the "developed world" (Global North, the core, the Western world, however you wish to call it) have turned to atheism or a more spiritual form of religion as times got better. But there are exceptions, and these are what scare me. One form is what can be witnessed in the Middle East. Yes, the people finally laying down their lives for religion are true believers in literal sense of the word. But these are not the men behind the plots, the minds that think up the atrocities. These people actively use the ideas of others to manipulate them; blatantly exploit misery for political gains. This is not a new phenomenon, pick up a history of the Borgia family and you'll know what I mean. And it comes back to power. Explanation is not a justification, but this form of religious over-enthusiasm I can at least begin to fathom.
What scares me the most is that there are people who lead satisfying lives and yet still believe there is a literal big man in the sky who watches their every move. That educated and by all means intelligent people are capable of blaming atrocities blatantly committed by men to such a man and that by simply showing more loyalty to one deity, without any reflection of the meaning behind this reverence can magically make all bad disappear. I am not criticising anyone's beliefs per se, but the translation of beliefs into actual actions, often without any critical reflection. I could go on, but I believe I've made my point.
I am not calling on you to change your ways or to petition for this or that. I have respect for religion and I recognise the comfort it can give. But sometimes, just naming a fear is enough to put it into perspective. This has done so, and I believe it scares me more.
Bear with me, for I am leaving my comfort zone of travel reflections to grapple with something that is confounding me, and quite frankly scared me, more and more. I realise there is a danger of sounding patronising, but if this is the case, then so be it. You see, unlike the people who could have wiped out our very existence (if you want to look at the bright side, including what would have been Justin Bieber....yeah, it's a cheap shot, but I'm trying to lighten the subject just a bit), the motives of the men (and some women) during the Cold War were, at least to me, understandable. Cold, naked power has always led to rivalry, wars, and you could even say (mostly testosterone-fuelled) stupidity. But it's human nature. And so it is, too, human nature to believe in a greater entity, something that makes the suffering in our earthly form comprehensible. A very much needed respite from lives that, until not too long ago, lasted a fraction of the time we live now. Where work was more physical than mental and earthly pleasures were few. And hardship has by no means be eradicated on this planet, so it is natural for people to go on believing in a benign being to guide the way.
More and more people are being lifted out of abject poverty and dire material situations; people live longer, more fulfilling lives. Many people in the "developed world" (Global North, the core, the Western world, however you wish to call it) have turned to atheism or a more spiritual form of religion as times got better. But there are exceptions, and these are what scare me. One form is what can be witnessed in the Middle East. Yes, the people finally laying down their lives for religion are true believers in literal sense of the word. But these are not the men behind the plots, the minds that think up the atrocities. These people actively use the ideas of others to manipulate them; blatantly exploit misery for political gains. This is not a new phenomenon, pick up a history of the Borgia family and you'll know what I mean. And it comes back to power. Explanation is not a justification, but this form of religious over-enthusiasm I can at least begin to fathom.
What scares me the most is that there are people who lead satisfying lives and yet still believe there is a literal big man in the sky who watches their every move. That educated and by all means intelligent people are capable of blaming atrocities blatantly committed by men to such a man and that by simply showing more loyalty to one deity, without any reflection of the meaning behind this reverence can magically make all bad disappear. I am not criticising anyone's beliefs per se, but the translation of beliefs into actual actions, often without any critical reflection. I could go on, but I believe I've made my point.
I am not calling on you to change your ways or to petition for this or that. I have respect for religion and I recognise the comfort it can give. But sometimes, just naming a fear is enough to put it into perspective. This has done so, and I believe it scares me more.
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