Something Must Be Done.

My brother (who is an atheist) is in the peace corps. I read all of these stories from his well-constructed blog posts. They are inspiring, to say the least. He is putting himself in the middle of it all. He is voluntarily living in one of the poorest countries in the world, teaching science and technology to people who barely have a hole to shit in. He is working to make a difference with the tools he has (a brilliantly analytical mind and a resilient personality). And yet I wonder, is it possible to treat the disease, or can we only treat the symptoms? Adam recounted to me a story of a witch doctor that passed through one of the towns near where he was living at the time. A man had gotten sick shortly after. The townspeople concluded that the man was sick because the witch doctor had placed a curse on a huge, ancient tree in the town. They got together and chopped down the tree.

The more I learn, the less I can stand. Women are being increasingly oppressed in Islamic nations. Children are being indoctrinated in religious schools in which they are taught what to think and not how to think. Christian groups in the United States are spreading lies and hatred about their fellow man through "focus on the family" campaigns. I try to call these people out whenever possible, because if I don't, who will? I have hit a breaking point. I can't explain it, but others have noticed it in me. I am becoming increasingly confrontational and outspoken, and no matter what I do, I can't help but seek out those who oppose my viewpoints just to put them to shame. They should be ashamed to treat people like this.

Why can't people just be decent to one another? Why can't people think about what they are doing? The more I learn about the world, the more I recognize the happiness that ignorant people must feel. It must be so easy to just believe something to be true and go on your merry way. Without a care in the world, you don't have to worry about whether you are right or wrong, because you are always right (even if you're wrong). You don't have to worry about who you hurt (because they are wrong). In fact, you have divine permission to specifically go out and hurt people (those sinners)! You don't even have to work toward solving problems, because you can just pray for God to take care of it for you (and he always delivers)!

This. This is the root of our problems. It is so often touted as the solution to the woes of society, but the reality couldn't be farther from the truth. Religion is the antithesis to human rights, education, technology, growth, and progress. It pushes society back. It pushes people down. It stomps on rights and destroys freedoms.

I am reminded of a quote from the film "The Boondock Saints." The two brothers are sitting in church on a Sunday morning, and the Monsignor recounts a story in which a woman was stabbed to death in broad daylight, and bystanders just watched as she bled to death. Nobody helped her. "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."

What can I do? I don't yet have a large repertoire of tools at my disposal. I am a college student in the middle of Iowa. The most I can do at this point is talk and write, but my words will make little difference. Something has to be done, but I can't come up with a solution yet. The path to mutual understanding among all people is littered with obstructions. No matter how many barriers we break down, a new one always springs up. It is inherent in the nature of man to place his fellow men into categories. It's easy to define your group as "us." It's easy to define people you don't understand as "them." Once that structure is in place, it's easy to assume that "they" all agree with one another and that "they" all disagree with you. And it's especially easy to hate "them."

Is it possible to make people think? One of my fellow UNIFI members, Tyler Vincent, has a phrase that he loves to throw around. "Ideas have consequences." Of course, he is right. Petitions were sent in to county recorders over the past few days to urge them to disobey the law and deny homosexuals their newfound legal right to marry. Ideas have consequences. Ideas can ruin lives. I was scolded by a fundamentalist Christian today for being intolerant toward his intolerance of homosexuals. He declared that I am a hypocrite because I am not taking in his views with an open mind. I responded that intolerance of intolerance is the highest form of tolerance. Arguing with someone who is brainwashed is like trying to break through a brick wall using your forehead. In the end, you have a massive headache and the wall still stands.

So what can be done? "Actions speak louder than words" is a common cliche, but a good one to take to heart. If I can't change minds by pointing out the infinite number of holes in their irrational thought, I will have to change minds with my actions. There is nothing that is good that we cannot do. Non-religious people the world over need to stand up and do something. Volunteer on weekends. While religious people are praying, go out into the community and help someone. Stand up for people who can't stand up for themselves. Go out of your way to help someone at least once a day. Always listen to every side of an argument. And most importantly, keep asking questions.

Ideas have consequences, so let's make the world see the consequences of our ideas. Reason. Logic. Progress. Gaining a deeper understanding of the world around us. Respect and love for our fellow man. Liberty and justice for all. None of these ideas require religion. Do your part to make that apparent.

Something must be done, so get out there and do something.