The conflicts occurring in the Middle East continue to be prominent in world affairs, so I thought we might gain some perspective on the issues involved. These conflicts are based on warring factions within humanity and are ancient indeed. It has come a time however for these issues to be resolved in order to provide a more peaceful place for all of humanity. It is true that conflict has been an important part of the human experience, but we still have a problem understanding the path forward. We must first recognize that conflict is not unique to this part of the world, but can be found everywhere, all throughout history. In order to find a resolution to these struggles, we need to remember that the root causes exist within humanity at large and are not specific to any particular group or nation. The real question then is, “what do the conflicts within the Middle East represent to all of us?”. Let’s consider the following.
Religious Viewpoint
We’re all aware that there are various religions within the greater world, and they all have their own particular spiritual perspective. Per our previous discussions, we must always understand that no one religion is absolutely correct. If that were the case, all humanity would be under the guidance of the same religious affiliation. This is clearly not what we are experiencing in the world today. The reality is one of diversity within religion, and this could not be more visible than it is in the Middle East. It is evident that each of these religions seeks expression and has a right to do so. The problem is that each, not only seeks expression but intends to dominate. The unfortunate result is an unwillingness of every side to understand the necessity of mutual cooperation within the region in order for all to survive. If a system of beliefs is based on absolute correctness, it creates the idea of exclusivity. Exclusivity breeds the need to be special and therefore provides the false idea of an inherent right to control territory and resources. This is at the core of all human thinking and behavior and is the cause of the majority of conflict throughout the ages. We have the opportunity today, from a universal perspective, to understand that our world and the plentiful resources it contains belong to everyone. Access to these resources and the basic right to exist is not dependent upon religious affiliation or national origin.
How National Leaders Use Power
Given the above assessment, we also need to be aware that the various leaders within these nations are using their exclusive religious philosophy as a means to control the thinking and behavior of the many individuals who comprise each nation. If we acknowledge that each religious belief system is quite limited within the context of the greater spiritual reality in which we all have a home, we can realize how the use of God or religion by these national leaders as a means to control their citizens is a terrible tragedy because it has led to the idea of separateness. Any belief system based on exclusivity indicates a weak foundation because it does not represent all. The real motivation of many of these leaders stems from pure self-interest and nothing more. They do not really want to apply their spiritual understanding in the world, but merely desire to dominate the entire world as an individual entity. Selfishness will always provide the means to rule the world through the oppression of others and the hoarding of resources. The need to dominate through aggressive actions of all kinds has led to the unnecessary destruction of human life.
The Inclusive Perspective
We are currently entering a time when human effort toward real understanding and purpose has become possible. We are painfully aware that we have been incorrect in our approach in the past. We have been provided with an opportunity to begin a process of joint cooperation by recognizing our common purpose and objective. The root cause of humanity’s suffering is the exclusivity of belief, especially religious belief, and must be discarded in order for us to survive. We need to clearly define ourselves as human beings first. This is what we have in common. We must also recognize that the differences in the various religions of the world today are simply differences of quality, not substance. The core principles within every religion or philosophy are basically the same, as they are essentially born of love and goodness. The creation of a unified purpose within humanity can be established with this very important understanding. We must also be constantly aware of what our leaders are presenting to us. If they come to us and say, “Only I have the correct way”, we can be assured they are coming from a place of selfishness and self-interest. If our religious leaders present to us exclusivity of belief, we can be assured they have no real spiritual understanding. In order for the government of any nation to be truly effective, it must be based on the establishment of equality as the primary objective. The universal approach to equality is about freedom. Any belief system, whether it be political or religious, that does not have inclusiveness at its core is not representative of the spiritual reality of oneness and cannot be sustained in the long term. The teachings and actions of our religious and political leaders must be reflective of this essential truth.
In closing, I would like to remind everyone that the political and religious presentations of the various nations do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the citizens of these nations. The ultimate goal of any government or nation, if it is to achieve greatness, is to be reflective of the will and needs of its people. This is not always the case, as we can see. We often forget that we have a tendency to compartmentalize one another or place our fellow brothers and sisters in a box, just to make things convenient for us in our understanding. This allows us to entertain many false assumptions. We then make the unfortunate mistake of believing that the actions and behavior of a nation’s government define the nature of the individuals within. This is of course not necessarily who they are as people, you see. If we would just allow ourselves to see others as human beings first, the apparent differences in appearance and culture would become irrelevant. Fear has no place in humanity if we are to be successful. We must be kind and respectful and recognize the reality that we’re in this together. To many of you, this perspective may seem overly idealistic. But our ideals can become reality if we are willing to try. Clearly, what we have been attempting to do has not worked. Being open to possibility and opportunity becomes a very practical matter indeed with this recognition. Without it, we have no hope of achieving peaceful co-existence and will remain lost and alone. Let’s choose to make our world a comfortable and joyous place to be, for everyone, today.
All my love and support, stay safe and be well