Today the world is in a state of crisis. Certainly, in years past, things have been bad. The difference is that today more of the world’s nations have weapons of destruction so powerful that a new war could destroy the entire planet. Back in the day, before beefing countries had missiles that could reach from one continent to another, a worldwide conflagration was not considered an inevitability. Things changed with World Wars I and II.
Today, death caused by human beings is at an all-time high. Our species is polluting the planet, and relaxed environmental regulations play a part in this. The gap between the wealthy and the have-nots is widening at an exponential rate. Affordable housing seems to be vanishing, and in some big cities, if things continue as they are going, average citizens will not be able to afford to live in them.
Crime is a problem. While the African American community is focused on the fact that white policemen are killing Black people, Black criminals are also killing Black people.
In addition, Black people are concerned about foreigners coming into the community and controlling resources. On a global level, this recaps what is happening on the African continent, where a new kind of colonialization is happening, i.e., the Chinese are taking over. In short, in spite of the lip service given to the need for harmony touted by almost all people and religions, the world is far from being a ball of harmony.
The will toward cooperation seems to be non-existent both on global and neighborhood levels.
As a result of the current state of the world, many people are losing faith. Those who believe in God are increasingly concluding that there is no God because, if he exists, the bad things that are happening in the world wouldn’t be occurring. But let’s take a look at this idea from another standpoint.
The world is filled with all types of people with all types of culture, habits, attitudes, and differing viewpoints. There is a virtual global hodge-podge of humanity. It’s no surprise, therefore, that chaos reigns. And the chaos is not just manifesting between people of differing races; people of similar persuasions are going against each other as well.
Frustrated people cry out, “Why would God allow this to happen? Why doesn’t God just destroy our enemies so that life would end up resolving in our favor?” The problem is this: everyone on the planet views everyone else as the “other,” so that one person’s “god” will be another person’s “devil.” With everyone convinced that their “god” is on their side, you again end up with a fractured humanity.
Now, for a thought experiment. It’s apparent that whatever we are doing is not working, which means that a different understanding must be acquired.
In Christianity, the admonition is for us to love each other, and this is the only way toward salvation. With this in mind, let’s suppose that life on this planet is a big, bold experiment. Let’s suppose “God” put all of diverse humanity on this globe together as a test of our ability to solve our own problems, which includes saving ourselves AND the planet. Suppose the experiment is in place to see how we will cope. Maybe that’s what it is all about. In such a scenario, the answer as to why “God” does not intervene and allows chaos to reign is that we are supposed to figure things out on our own and, hence, evolve. If we are not successful in this regard, we will destroy our planet and go down with it.
Of course, because of the nature of humanity and the fact that there are so many divergent viewpoints, the aforementioned scenario will no doubt be considered implausible and or, ridiculous. This will be especially true among those who do not believe in a “supreme being.”
Though the “experiment” idea may sound farfetched, it IS true that we will destroy ourselves AND the planet if we are not able to surmount the barriers separating us.
Maybe that’s why the Bible and other world literature foretells of an apocalyptic future that will happen before the advent of a “Golden Age” wherein we have figured out that the world’s people fit together in a gigantic puzzle with each group having a global role. Just food for thought. A Luta Continua.
