Life’s Rich Tapestry
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The warp and weft of the tapestry of human life are so perfectly interwoven that it is impossible to appreciate its design, colour or raison d’être, at close quarters. Only in the fullness of time and by standing well back, as one must with the Bayeux Tapestry, is it possible to see the whole picture for what it was, realistically. Everyman’s life is a complex mosaic, the result of the intermingling of ideas, people and events, from our first day of life until our death. We learn from them all. Each has had its part to play, in the formation of yet another human being. The human brain is remarkable in being able to recall with clarity, minute details of events which appeared at the time to have been of small importance but which proved to be fundamental. For thousands of years, certainly from before the advent of the Egyptian and Greek civilisations, mankind has been on an endless quest in search of his identity. Everyone wishes to know from whence they came and to where they are going. It has been endless until now because that knowledge can only be achieved by detailed scientific research as to man’s past. Such research was not available to the ancients and has been specifically discouraged by those religious authorities who have since come to power. They wish to maintain their authority over their adherents and do not allow questions to be asked, which would imply, that the certainties, which they preach, might be incorrect. During certain epochs, man believed he had found the answer, only to discover that other information, which he gathered later, showed that his hypothesis was false. We are now at a similar point in time. Nationality and religion have been part of the tapestry for the last five thousand years and provided a somewhat insecure framework for the social advancement of differing peoples during that long period. Now is the time for further advances to be made in that quest. I shall attempt to show how “faith in a divine being” was, originally, an important, almost crucial, basis for the survival of Homo sapiens. It provided man with a belief that he could exercise a change in his circumstances by appealing to forces, (whether towards one god or to many), which he believed had that power. This faith gave him the confidence he needed to survive against all odds. It became an essential part of his life, allowing him to develop into the rational being he has become. However, belief in the existence of a god, can only ever be a matter of faith, accepting as dogma what one has been told by priests and others without question. I am unable to give a scientific and balanced argument of the pros and cons on the matter as to whether there is a god or not. However, as a reasonably well- educated member of the human species, I believe that I am able, - even required, to take a direct view of the question, - “Does god exist?” - and give an unequivocal answer. In my case, the answer is “no”. Darwin arrived at his theory of evolution in the middle of the nineteenth century, without the benefit of the knowledge that scientists have discovered since his time, including the nuclear reaction in the sun which produces heat and light, Einstein’s theory of relativity, (the relationship between space and time), the Big Bang theory of the origin of matter, the age of the earth, fossils, DNA, genes, etc. All these facts have been found which favour his theory, - none have so far been discovered to negate it. I believe that both Religion and the Nation State have outlived their usefulness; - more, that they now pose an ever- present danger for our species. All three of the main western religions are antagonistic, one against the other, as they have always been. Even now, in the twenty-first century, members of one group are prepared to kill their fellowmen who do not subscribe to their belief, - even those of different sects within their own religion. During the twentieth century, through which I lived for the majority of my life, many millions of people were killed, due to the fact that their neighbour held a different religious belief from their own. They may both have believed in the same god or simply lived in a country with a different history, but they did not take much persuasion to kill each other. Nuclear weapons are now available to many countries. Ironic indeed if religion, (having been one of the means for the survival of mankind), were now to become the trigger which brought about our demise. Religion divides and does not bring people together. Religion teaches us that it is a virtue to be satisfied with not understanding – to follow “religiously” without question, that which we have been taught since our childhood. The Nation State similarly has, up to now, preferred to exaggerate the differences between peoples and tried to create a feeling of being distinct from one’s neighbours, - regrettably even, that “we” are better than “they”. That is certainly the message passed to their constituents by most politicians who believe in National Sovereignty. A better world for everyone on this tiny planet, (perhaps even a new “Age of Enlightenment”), can be brought about by man himself, with understanding and agreement, one to another. It can never be by divine intervention as has been believed for the past five thousand years.
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Since men came to live in groups, - tribes and, susequently, nation states have attempted to provide the security necessary for the survival and development of civilisation. However, it became the accepted truth that "The thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to", can only be warded off by a belief in a power greater than man himself. The State and Religion have, since then, always been considered essential tools for the prosperity and advancement of the human species. During the past two hundred years, the American Declaration of Independence 1776, the French Revolution 1789, the final abolition of slavery 1865, the fall of the Berlin wall 1989 and the collapse of the system of Apartheid in South Africa 1992, all made giant steps for mankind in his search for freedom. There is still much further to go, especially for women. The last fifty years have seen a revolutionary change in the way we live, as a result of the technological and scientific advances made during that period. The advent of the Chinese and Indian economies will, inevitably, result in a complete re-evaluation of our ideas of what we believe and how we relate to one another. We now have the opportunity, previously denied to us, to do just that. With access to instantaneous communication across the world, the nation state has become superfluous. The formation of the European Union, from a group of countries who have been at war many times in the past and twice in the 20th Century, points the way forward for all other States who are at loggerheads. Religion has, likewise, come to be understood to mean the division of peoples, one from another, with no attempt by the religious authorities to promote amalgamation. Each wishes to protect itself from contamination by their rivals as they have always done. The combination of the Nation State and Religion as now exists in the Middle East, is a particularly dangerous situation for the whole of the world. The author believes that both religion and the concept of the nation state must lose their present status in our minds. We must learn to work together, men and women of all nationalities, to determine our future without them. The next century will bring about a new "Age of Enlightenment" when we shall be able to discard those outdated ideas inherited from the distant past and which have largely prevented, until now, our ability to improve the lot of the human species. There is no one else to decide otherwise.