Walls Must Fall!

It is imperative that we stand together as one humanity and face the calamities that pose a threat to our very existence. Problems like global warming, pollution of our environment, and shortage of water loom large before us threatening the very existence of human race or even of all living beings on our planet. When we have such problems of global magnitude, we can’t afford to stand separated any more as nations or as religions or as races. Either we stand united and win or we stay divided and fail. We have to choose between life and death. Here I am making a humble plea to overcome our divisions and get united as one humanity. Also I am making a few suggestions of how we may overcome our divisions.

When we were children, the walls that separate humanity were invisible to us. But as we grew older, the walls became visible, and we realized that we are divided based on our color, race, class, nation, religion, and gender, and that the walls that separate us are too strong for us to demolish, and we had no choice but to pledge allegiance to our own group and fight with the others.     

Although we live almost the same kind of life, our understanding of our life varies. We breathe, drink, eat, sleep, work, dress, mate, speak, play, sing, learn and travel almost in the same way. We buy groceries from the same stores, eat food from the same restaurants, use the same means of communication and transport, live in the same kind of buildings, go to the same kind of hospitals, send our children to the same schools and colleges, and watch the same kind of movies in the same theaters. Although our life is the same, our view of life is slightly different. Our beliefs and our religious practices vary. We go to different places of worship.

Gender

We human beings exist as male and female, and they mate to procreate, without which our race cannot continue. As the male and female members live together in families and in other bigger communities, should they have equal status, or should one of the genders dominate the other? The male members, with their physical strength, have dominated and controlled the female members throughout human history holding the belief that the first human being was a male, and a female was created as a support and help for the male. They also hold the belief that God is male. Even today most of the people can’t even conceive God as female. If the male members continue to dominate and control the female members, there can’t be peace, love or joy in our families, and in our bigger communities. People of all places need to be taught that male and female have equal rights, and there should not be any domination based on gender difference. The followers of all religions need to actively propagate the idea that God must be beyond any gender differences, and the first mythological human being must have been a combination of both male and female elements.

Class

We human beings exist in several layers of classes based on the amount of wealth we own. In an ideal society, all members will have enough wealth to satisfy their basic necessities, and all people will have equal opportunities to create wealth. Although our societies strive toward the ideal, we are far from the ideal. Not only do we differ in the quantity of wealth we own, but we also conceive that the status and worth of human beings depend on the wealth they own. As a result, those with less wealth are dominated and controlled by those with more wealth. Traditionally, wealth is believed to be a mark of God’s blessing, and poverty is believed to be a mark of God’s curse. The followers of all religions need to spread the idea that God is actually on the side of the poor, helping to create an ideal society.

Race/Caste

We human beings exist in races/castes. Our physical and mental features may slightly vary according to racial differences. This is a natural development in human history. However, the belief that the racial difference was originally set by God, and that the status and worth of human beings depend on the race/caste they belong to has no basis. All human beings must have the same rights to exist regardless of their racial origin.

Nation

Most of the people in the world are citizens of one or other nation, and some are refugees. This is a temporary arrangement in the present development of the humanity. Eventually, let us hope that all human beings will be treated as the citizens of the world-nation, and the world will be free of refugees. All human beings must have the same status and worth regardless of their national allegiance. Those who belong to a certain nation must not be treated as having higher status than others, and refugees must not be treated inferior to the others.

Religion

Most of the people claim to belong to one or other belief system/religion. Even those who claim to reject all religions have their own beliefs. The beliefs are about the ultimate questions of existence such as what we are and why we are here. These are questions about which verifiable facts are not available. All we can do is to hold on to beliefs and try those beliefs in our life. We experiment with our beliefs in the great laboratory of the world.

Cooperation of Religion and Science

Science usually limits itself to questions regarding what we can perceive with our senses. It likes to deal mostly with facts, and not beliefs. However, religion cannot afford to limit itself to facts, for it takes upon itself the responsibility of offering a meaningful existence to humanity. Religion deals with all the questions that deal with human existence. Religion is as old as humanity, and its goal is to ensure the continued existence of humanity. It helps humanity to face the challenges of existence in whatever way possible. Science is much younger compared to religion. Its goal is to gain knowledge as much as possible, and to save humanity from the corruption of religion. In its infancy, science was seen as opposed to religion, but today, as science has grown mature, we realize that we need both science and religion for the well being of humanity. The primary focus of religion is the very existence of humanity, but the primary focus of science is gaining knowledge. Humanity cannot exist without knowledge and humanity cannot gain knowledge without existing. So humanity needs both religion and science. Science and religion need to stop being enemies and become friends.

Cooperation of Religions

 Religions also need to stop being enemies and become friends. The various religions have developed over thousands of years in various parts of the world. They vary from each other like the human languages. Although all languages serve the same purpose of communication, there are thousands of languages upon the face of the earth. Each language consists of a set of symbols and specific grammatical rules, which the people need to know to use this language. Religions are like languages. They all serve the same purpose -- ensure the well being of humanity by addressing the basic issues of human existence. However, there are as many religions on the face of the earth as languages. Each religion uses a set of symbols only its followers understand.

Just as there are language families, there are religion families. Just as we speak of Dravidian family of languages, we speak of Semitic religions.

Once we realize this similarity between religions and languages, we learn to respect all of them, and stop worrying of which is right and which is wrong. Just as all languages are good for those who use them, all religions are good for their followers. Just as you have a mother tongue, you have a mother religion, the one you were born into. Just as no second language can take the place of your mother tongue, no second religion can take the place of your mother religion.

All religions have their beliefs about the basic questions of human existence. These are beliefs, for they don’t have evidences. The questions religions deal with cannot be answered with facts, but can only be experimented with our life in the great laboratory of this world. Religions may compete with each other in evolving  better models and patterns of human existence.

Religions may also be related to the various medical systems such as Allopathy, Ayurveda, homeopathy, naturopathy, acupuncture, etc. They all have the same goal-- heal the sick people. But they have varying perspectives in the diagnosis of sickness, and also in treating sick people. If the practitioners of these diverse medical systems can cooperate, they all can learn from one another, and brand new ways of healing can be evolved. Similarly, if the followers of various religious traditions can cooperate, they can help humanity gain greater strength and stability.    

Conclusion

We began this essay talking about the walls that separate us. The good news is that these walls exist only within our minds, and once we identify them as walls, they lose their power, and they crumple. If I can see all human beings as human beings without discriminating them based on race, caste, color, nation, language, class or gender, I don’t have the walls within my mind. Let us ask this question to ourselves! Are there walls within my mind?   

John D. Kunnathu