It’s Not About Religion.
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“Terrorism has no nationality or religion.” ~ Vladimir Putin
Despite what Bill Maher says, the recent attacks in Paris are not about religion. Maher is a bright guy, and I respect his intelligence, courage, and tenacity. But he has this one wrong. Yes, it was so-called religious extremists who apparently carried out the attack on Charlie Hebdo.
But religion is only a symptom. It is not the problem.
The problem is that particular aspect of the human condition known as hate. And hate is born of fear. And fear, well, that’s that extremely vague and overused word that can apply to so many mindsets, situations, pseudo-science, and guru-speak movements that I hesitate to use it at all.
Except, well, that’s what it is.
“Bathtub falls and police officers kill more Americans than terrorism, yet we’ve been asked to sacrifice our most sacred rights for fear of falling victim to it.” ~ Edward Snowden
Our over-sized fear of terrorism is irrational. Just as the fear behind the terrorist acts in Paris are irrational. The idea that someone could write, draw, or say anything that is so threatening to your beliefs, that your only possible response is to kill the speaker/artist, is simply absurd.
Yes, words have power. And we should treat them responsibly. And a word only has the power you give to it.
If a word (or a brush stroke) can so easily shatter the foundations of your belief system, it is not the word that is the problem. It’s your fear of losing your belief system, your fear of a crack in the wall, that’s the problem.
It is not even your flawed belief system that is the problem, it is your overdependence on your belief system’s infallibility.
“The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.” ~ Yoda
That is why I say religion is not the problem. Religion is merely a belief system invented by humans to help us make sense of life, the universe, and everything. Which would be okay, if it weren’t for what follows:
* over-dependence upon the belief system and clinging to its guidance, instead of thinking and feeling for ourselves.
* the tendency for some people to abuse the system in order to gain wealth and power.
As attractive as it is to rely upon others for answers to the questions about how to live our lives, it is a cop out. It is an attempt to avoid accountability for our lives. And it leads to the relinquishing of our authenticity and integrity. Do not blindly follow anyone or anything. Stay awake.
Stay curious. Challenge everything. Be courageous. Look the dream monster in the face — not with fear, but with deep compassion and curiosity — and ask why she is there. What does she want? What does she need? How can you help?
“Uncertainty is a sign of humility, and humility is just the ability or the willingness to learn.” ~ Charlie Sheen
It is okay to be uncertain. In fact, it is preferred. Imagine a world without uncertainty. We’d be bored out of our heads. In fact, there wouldn’t be much point to it at all. Religions, governments, and zealots of all kinds depend upon your fear of uncertainty. Without your fear, they are nothing.
They know that you desperately want someone else to tell you what the fuck is going on. They understand that you need to believe that someone smarter, wiser and/or more powerful than you actually knows what the fuck is going on, and has a handle on these things.
“I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to name a few.” ~ Brene Brown
Vulnerability is a scary fucking thing. It is scary to be vulnerable. It is scary to feel vulnerable. And it is terrifying to admit you’re vulnerable. And yet, everyone of us on the planet is vulnerable. Without exception.
And admitting that vulnerability is the only way to any kind of real peace and open-heartedness. In a bafflingly counter-intuitive trick that life plays on us, we are only really strong when we can admit our vulnerability.
We will only feel connected to others and safe, when we admit that we are vulnerable, that we don’t really know anything.
“The war against terrorism is terrorism.” ~ Woody Harrelson
The institutions of modern society rely upon our deep-seated fear of uncertainty and our absolute unwillingness to admit this fear.
Whether it is Paris or Boston, Madrid or Mumbai, or any of the thousands of acts of terrorism dating back through recorded history, they all share a single thread: irrational fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of uncertainty, fear of others we don’t understand, fear of ourselves.
“Despite fearful rhetoric to the contrary, terrorism is not a transcendent threat. A terrorist attack cannot possibly destroy our country’s way of life; it’s only our reaction to that attack that can do that kind of damage.” ~ Bruce Schneier
As soon as we begin to hate and to fear in return, the only ones who win are those who sell the weapons to prop up those fears, those misunderstandings, the reliance upon others to keep us safe and to tell us what the fuck is going on.
Please, don’t play into this. It is not any one religion’s fault. It is not any one race’s fault. It is not any one belief system’s fault. It is only the fault of those who hide behind others to assuage their fears, and those who take advantage of those fears in order to mask their own.
“The interval between the decay of the old and the formation and establishment of the new constitutes a period of transition which must always necessarily be one of uncertainty, confusion, error, and wild and fierce fanaticism.” ~ John C. Calhoun
And make no mistake, we are in a period of great transition. As the Medicine Woman says, this is the time of times. And we, the light-bearers, are in charge. We are here to bridge the worlds. We are here to build the new world.
Don’t get trapped in old thinking. Don’t go back to sleep, just because you see pieces of the world crumbling. The world is always in a state of construction and deconstruction. There has always been violence.
There have always been tragic misunderstandings and the misdirection of anger and fear.
Choose to be something else. Be the bridge to the other side. Be the bridge to your own side. Be the bridge to your neighbors, your friends, and your so-called enemies — as your enemies are imaginary.
Your belief system, while it may allow you to get up and tie your shoes and make some sense out of life, it, too, is imaginary.
All the systems of thought and belief that we use to organize our ideas of life are only metaphors. There is no complete understanding of the universe (unless, maybe, you are Stephen Hawking). The universe is just too big. And the universe cannot be known, because it, too, is constantly changing.
And it, you, and I, and everything else could not exist otherwise.
“The enemy for the fanatic is pleasure, which makes it extremely important to continue to indulge in pleasure. Dance madly. That is how you get rid of terrorism.” ~ Salman Rushdie
Dance, sing, look the dream monster in the face. Build bridges, don’t barricade or burn them. Challenge your thoughts. Clear your prejudices. And have great patience with those who have not found the courage to do these things. They, too, are lost. They just don’t know about these things yet.
They haven’t awakened. They’re still running from their dream monsters. They still believe the universe is knowable. And that someone else knows what the fuck is going on.
What if there were no mysteries to investigate, no stones to turn over, no wonder to wander through? Thankfully, the universe is unknowable, and there are billions of stones left to be turned over.
Get out in the river.
*****
{Be the bridge to the other side.}
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