Despite the legitimacy of religious texts, religion has had an exceptional impact on society. The idea that you will be rewarded in the afterlife motivates individuals to do good who would otherwise do nothing with their lives, or worse, bring others down to fulfill their greedy desires. A select few of today's politicians act more kindly towards other countries due to the ethics we have derived from these belief systems. Much of the world's most awe inspiring architecture and artwork without religion would simply not exist. Although often unrecognized, art is one of the cornerstones of our society. Whilst the media frequently showcases the worst of humanity, the moving beauty of art gives us hope; reminding us of what we can do at our best.
On the contrary, there are drawbacks present in our current religious model. We live in a state of constant change and religion must be consistently updated to remain relevant. Ideally, the church would be on the forefront of innovation, yet sadly, it consistently lags behind. When the world's countries finally began accepting the LGBTQ+ community, it was people claiming to be acting in the name of god that opposed. Although evolution is now an accepted theory by almost everyone, there are still many people within the church who refuse to believe truth. Certain faiths prevent you from getting medical procedures in life or death situations, or restrict the freedom of women. Pope Francis is a step in the right direction. He has been accepting change better than any pope before him, yet many Catholics simply refuse to listen to his word. No matter who leads the church next, there will always be stragglers refusing to change bringing the rest of us down. For a world obsessed with being a unique individual, it is ironic how quickly people will latch onto the herd regardless of they truly believe what it stands for.
These facts along with others have convinced me that our current use of religion is considerably outdated. I am not an expert on eastern philosophy; nor western for that matter, but belief systems similar to Theravadin Buddhism or Confucianism I see as a viable alternative to deity based beliefs. Again, some people regard figures such as Buddha or Confucius too highly and refuse to alter their ideas over time, but at least then there would be no fear of a supernatural deity judging our actions. Science can teach us all we need to know. We no longer have a need for magic. We have reached a point of evolution where we can simply live for ourselves, and fellow persons. I would like to call for a new set of beliefs, new philosophical perspectives and a refinement of our morals.
Morals are an interesting concept. As time passes, what is considered acceptable can be completely altered. Slaves were common long ago. One would not be judged, or feel like a lesser person for owning another human being. Unfortunately, slavery is still an issue today, but the majority of our society now sees enslavement as a severe wrongdoing. Time continues ticking and the moment has arisen to again question everything. What should be and should not be accepted in order for our society to grow? I believe that by refining our morals, we can create an overall greater and more conscious society where people still process freedom of their personal beliefs.
In order to make progress, it is crucial that we deviate from the herd and have our own unique viewpoints that can be debated. Almost contradictory, we must view ourselves as one group; simply humans in a colossal universe. This is against human nature; we consistently try to put ourselves within smaller groups whether it is a high school clique or a citizen of a country. Although you may be American, that does not define anything about you. Americans are not superior or inferior to anyone else; the term is meaningless. It means nothing to be American other than you were born (or have lived for an extended amount and applied for citizenship) onto a section of our planet that we decided to name. Outside factors such as the media may try and convince you that because you are American, Russians and North Koreans are enemies when this is absolutely false. The North Korean and Russian people are the same as us, homo sapien.
The easiest way to change things as they currently are is through the school system. As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, the child's mind is easily impressionable. If we work together, we can remove herd instincts while attacking stereotypes and increasing our global view. Students would not only be taught this new moral code, but encouraged to modify it for the better and debate it with their peers. In my next chapter, I will be writing something of a draft moral code. I suspect this will change many times as I am writing, but it will paint a clearer picture of my view for a better society.
YOU ARE READING
Dreaming of a Perfect World
Non-FictionThe world is on fire. We're on the road to mass extinction in the very near future. It is not too late, we have the power to rid the world of its corruption. I've recently started coming up ideas to solve some of the problems our society faces, as w...
