Religion & Ideology will be the Planet’s Downfall.

War is a part of the human condition. The first recorded war was circa 3600 BCE. Since WWII, most wars were caused by ideology or religion. When taking a close look at war over the past 70 years, economics plays a huge role, making billions for the select few. The 20th century must be the most devastating in terms of the mass murder of innocents and civilians. One thinks of the NAZI holocaust, and the unnecessary atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945. The bombing of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, murdering millions of civilians, exceeds the total bombs unloaded during WWII.

There has been so much death and destruction in this lifetime, that becoming desensitized to war in general is a terrible possibility. What is happening in the Israeli/Gaza war since October 7 of last year, the absolute annihilation of the Palestinian people, far outweighs any war I have seen before in my lifetime. And the obliteration of the Palestinians is only getting worse.  

The word genocide is being thrown around a lot since witnessing the persistent bombing of Gaza. The reality of the situation is that the government of Israel and its military have clearly stated their intentions: Gaza will be razed to the ground and all Gazan's eliminated. The amount of Palestinian's killed over the last 3 months is around 23,000, though this is a low estimate as many bodies still lay under the rubble. Over 150 journalists have been murdered, which is unprecedented. Hospitals all through Gaza have been destroyed. That much needed aid: water food, medicine, fuel, electricity has been prevented by Israel to enter the country. Palestinians have been told to move south to safety, only to be murdered while travelling. Most recently a refugee camp was bombed, killing over 70 Palestinians. This was intentional. This is a war crime. This is genocide.  

Why is Israel committing these war crimes in full view of the civilized world? The answer is a religious and ideological one. A 3000-year-old religious document claims this area of land to belong to the Jewish people. No matter that Palestine and its people have been living there for 2000 years, a portion of the Jewish people believe the land is a divine right given by God. The ideology of Zionism also proclaims Jews have the right to inhabit Israel. Not only Israel, however, but the right to advance and conquer the middle east. In the 21st century these are flimsy arguments and has created Israel as an apartheid state. Religion and ideology have spawned this advanced genocide and might well lead the planet to a regional war...WWIII. 

The Cold War between Russia and the US was a conflict between two ideologies: communism and democracy/capitalism. The number of civilian deaths in southeast Asia runs into the millions. The US’s interference in Latin American countries since the 50’s to present time is about political ideology, (democracy vs. socialism) though economics and the forced acquisition of resources also plays a significant role in the killing of thousands of innocents.  

When one digs a little deeper into the causes of war and its justifications, racism, and the notion of one race being superior to another, is a significant factor.  

The current slaughter of the Palestinian people has a huge racist component. One can see this attitude firsthand by watching Tic Toc videos from a certain portion of the Israeli people. It is quite disgusting and difficult to watch.  

We look at history to see most wars were ‘holy wars’ between two faiths attempting to be the major religion on the planet. From a spiritual standpoint, this is ridiculous. However, in the current Israel/Palestine genocide, the superiority of one faith over another: Islam and the Jewish tradition. Again, in the 21st century, such conflicts are absurd and should be easily reconciled. But we have not gained any wisdom as human beings for a long time.  

There is only a small fraction of the immensely powerful that continue these wars. Many human beings want to simply live their lives, worship their own way, work meaningful jobs, be with their families, and to love and be loved.  

To be truly human is the only way.