Zion

In this life, very few things are certain. It is often said only two things are: death and taxes. The truth in this statement is very evident. Only the things in life which are feared and hated are irrevocably true. And why should they not be? We see so much pain and discomfort. We are forced into situations we abhor and cannot escape. We live lives full of misery, loneliness, and torment. Are we not comfortable with it? Think about it. Life is just one long protracted series of foolish events, and a person must develop a thick carapace in order to deal with the horror. We have to look at our lives daily and say "Well, this is just the way it is."

I wish I could tell you this is unnecessary. But alas, I cannot. Because I have come to accept the inevitability myself. I have come to realize that the things in life which I most want are things which are not available to me at this precise instant. I have become aware of things which throw my life into a kaleidoscope of suffering and torture.

However... in the back of my mind, there remains a constant thought. It is, perhaps, the only reason I have not gone completely insane. Every time I face death, every time I come upon tragedy, and every time I feel agony, I remember one single thing.

There is a better possibility. There is hope. The hope is scarce, I grant you. But there is hope.

There is hope for all of us to change our situations and to be better. The key thing here to realize is the difference in mindset. Instead of worrying about the situation, hoping it will change, wanting it to change, we must accept what it is. Then from there we can work to change it. We can climb up out of the depths of the ocean and reach for the stars.

Christ and many others spoke of a place called Zion. It is what the Socialists have called Utopia, but what Christ taught was extremely different. Whether you believe he was divine or not, he still had a good message: we are all brethren.

Think of that simple statement. Every person you have ever met, no matter who they are or what they believe, is like your brother or your sister or your father or your mother. What would you do if that were the case? Would we be cruel to one another? Would we discriminate and cause pain and profit off of others? No. We would accept the differences in opinion and love each other, realizing there is more to life than the simple bickering of individuals. We would accept life and attempt to live in harmony.

There is a key word here I want you to take notice of: attempt. It is not, as the Utopians would have you believe, something truly attainable in the sense of it being perfect. Ayn Rand in Anthem disproved socialism and collectivism. However, if we all at least tried to do the right thing (and punished those who did wrong, because that is the other half of the puzzle), we would get closer to being right. Societies are not perfect. By no means are they simplistic. We are a complex species, full of differing thoughts and differing ideas. We have so many options open to us.

However, as of late I feel like we have been making the wrong choices. And that is understandable, considering we are an imperfect people. But I think what we all need to do is stop and take a moment to think. Think about what we are doing and where we are. Think about where we wish to progress to in this life. Existence is not something to be wasted, but cherished. Should we take for granted all we are given? Should we live our lives with hatred and negative emotions? I say we should not. I certainly agree there are cases where force, justice, and a cold demeanor are necessary. But that is on a case by case basis.

As one man said: "Zion only works if I love you and you love me, even if we disagree." Sounds kind of like Barney, doesn't it? But then, we are children in the eyes of someone wiser, no? And when have you ever seen a group of good children not get along? Fight, bicker, play around, maybe. But hurt each other and cause real pain? No. Good children learn, grow, find the good things in life. I think the world would be a lot better if we all thought a little more about how our actions affect others and less how we feel about the negativity. That only goes to a certain point (because I do not believe the principle of altruism, which is another word for selflessness, can be possible to achieve on a total basis in an individualistic society, nor should it be possible) and sometimes we also have to live a lie in life in order to get what we want... but the truth is I think we all need to step back and look. We are not inherently a good people. We are products of our genetics and of our environment. We are beings on a tiny rock in the middle of a vast galaxy. We are all in this together. We may fight from time to time. We may see the presence of evil, and even commit atrocities. However, we as a society should be focused on something more. We should not get caught up in the daily life... we should realize what we cannot change, but work to change that which we can alter. That, I think, would be something like Zion.