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What are you doing to make the world a better place for future generations? Some people think it's best to use the stick, rather than the carrot. This week's Spiritual Newsletter explains why I disagree with that strategy.
The carrot's also much better at leading people to your faith...
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During my time on this planet, I have received a lot of advice by people from various faiths about what I should avoid doing if I wish to have a pleasant afterlife. The things I ought to avoid doing include – I was told – reading fantasy novels such as The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter novels, listening to rock music, and holding the belief that men and women should have equal rights and equal opportunities. I also hold the belief that when two adults are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together, this is a good thing, regardless of the gender of the adults involved. Life’s tough, and if you find someone compatible to face its challenges with, then great. We all need a person like that by our side.
These are some of the reasons that I do not fit in with organised religion. That doesn’t mean that I hold no respect for people of faith. I’m a person of faith myself, albeit in my own way. I have met plenty of wonderful people with a wide variety of faiths and belief systems, and I hope to meet many more. I’m always open to learning about what others believe, and there tends to be a common ground – there are things that we can all agree are bad, like cruelty, and wilful harm and destruction, and things that we can all agree are good, such as kindness and offering a helping hand to those in need.
Lately, though, I have seen in the news some alarming trends emerging in multiple parts of the globe. A religion-driven banning of books, for example. The banning of books has, historically, been a huge red flag. It’s more than the suppression of stories; it’s an attempt to deny access to new knowledge, new ideas… to limit people’s thoughts.
As an avid reader from a young age, books have opened my mind and my heart to whole worlds of possibilities. As George R. R. Martin puts it:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
Whilst journeying alongside various characters we learn many different ways to help us overcome obstacles. We learn to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. This can help us develop empathy. Through the books I have read I’ve expanded my vocabulary, learned about history, science, the arts. I’ve felt inspired. Felt understood. I am a better person because of the books I have read, and I feel wary of those who wish to deny others the opportunity to learn and grow.
I don’t think that the stripping away of people’s rights is going to win anyone’s hearts. If an organisation tells me I cannot wear what I want, read what I want, love who I love – all things that do not cause any harm to anyone – I am not ever going to join that organisation. They may think that they’re doing me a favour by stopping me from living my life as I want to, but freedom matters. People have to be free to make their own choices.
A much more positive way of winning people over would be to live by example. These examples may vary from faith to faith, but quoting the Bible here:
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, 36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ – Matthew 25:34 – 25:40
If we look at what Jesus tells his followers to do: look after the poor, and the ill, those seeking a better life in another country, and those down on their luck, it soon becomes clear that he paints a very different picture than what we see in our societies today. Many call for closed borders. Believe that the poor only have themselves to blame. That people who are ill and people with disabilities are either faking it or a drain on society. Believe that prison should be as harsh and inhospitable as possible, rather than have a focus on rehabilitation, even though many people in prison are there because of poverty, and desperation, and could with education and support have a bright future ahead of them.
If, then, we are to practice what we preach, we should work towards a better society. We should work to ensure that everyone has a roof over their head, food on their table and access to clean water. Everyone deserves a decent standard of living, with access to education, and health care, and other necessities such as shoes, and clothing, and you know what? Everyone deserves more than the very basics because life’s miserable without any joy, and experiences outside of a constant struggle to survive are enriching and good for the soul. If everyone has what they need, and a little extra, crime rates will drop. If this happens worldwide, fewer people will need to seek a better life elsewhere, though of course some will still migrate because people have always sought out a different life, be it out of love for a country, or one of its citizens, or out of a sense of adventure.
When I mention this it does not always go down well. People have political as well as religious stances against the kind of society where they’d struggle less than they do now. They’ll ask me about a magic money tree, and I point out that, for example, if they pay for a national health service through taxation, they will no longer have to pay for insurance, nor be tied to an employer out of fear of falling ill, and everyone benefits. In fact, the cost per individual is likely to be significantly less. They’ll tell me about how they struggled when they were a kid, and they’re no worse for it, and I wonder if not one of our goals as human beings should be to leave the world in a better place for those who come after. Sometimes I get called a slur, and sometimes it’s Christians doing so, and that I don’t get. If you read that Bible quote above, isn’t this exactly what Jesus calls for?
If we practice what we preach, and our lives improve, aren’t we likely to draw more people towards our faith? It’s seeing faith in action that makes a difference – for better or for worse. Right now, it’s worse. If religions want to fill heaven/want everyone to have a good afterlife, I’d like to argue that the carrot is a much better method than the stick.
NaNoKit
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Spiritual: May 10, 2023 Issue [#11958]
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