The 7 Tribes

Throughout my life, I had encountered 7 different types of beliefs.  They are:

1. Theists
2. Deists
3. Agnostics
4. Agnostic Atheists
5. Pantheists
6. Polytheists
7. Autotheists

Given the fact that they are good people, these 7 tribes are seldom seeing each other at eye level.  The theists believe in an intervening God, believe in miracles and support their belief with their own holy books.  The deists believe in a non-intervening God, support their believe with reasons and don't believe in miracles.  Agnostics can't say for sure God exists and remains non-partial.  Agnostic atheists don't believe in God but are willing to shift their stand if there are proofs.  Pantheists believe everything is God.  Polytheists believe in many Gods and Autotheists believe they are the manifestation of God; a demigod so to speak.

I had been in all the situations.  Throughout my journey, I met respectable people from all the tribes.  They are well-intended people who have great passion over humankind.  In their tribes, they are great people who call for justice, peace and harmony.   That's where the similarities end.  Between the tribes, there are hatred and bitterness.  Everybody claims his world view is the best.  Nobody is willing to concede and thus the feud lasts for thousand of years.  The main theme is whose God is supreme and those who don't believe will be severely punished.

Isn't it ironic?  God the Creator and we humans who were created in his image condone evil in the name of love?  Where is the logic behind that?  We had created a monster with our system and now we are choking ourselves with it.  The political & religious structure create silos among the 7 tribes to the point they cannot stand the sight of each other.

Since I know these people personally, I believe human being are good at the core.  Nobody was born evil.  They become so because of the upbringing.  A simple example... your religion is decided upon birth.  Who decides for you which religion you were born in?  Why will God condemn a person by choosing him to be born a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu or a Free Thinker?  Why must other people outside the tribe be condemned to eternal torment just because they cherish God differently from you do?  It doesn't make sense.

What if I say all the 7 tribes propagate good and forbid evil?  Do they deserve a merciless afterlife too?  Hence the concept of hell as the eternal damnation for nonbelievers is a bit harsh.  I believe that as long as we practice the Golden Rule; do unto others what you want others to do unto you, then we are one big family called the homo sapiens.  We should love and care for one another.  After all, we are the last hominids left on planet earth.

What if for all you know, all these while, heaven is actually a place calls earth?  God is proactive.  He gives first.  This is our home, the final frontier.  We should strive to turn earth back to its heavenly state.  Everybody is welcome.

I am making my small contribution towards this cause.  In 2019 I will run 2 half marathons.  Then in 2020 I will run a full marathon.  This is my way of saying that I am part of the human race.  I will put my best foot forward to carry this aging body to cross the finishing line to a glorious dawn of the great human civilization.  With me will be 4 other runners from Sekolah Alam Shah.  We call ourselves the ASAS81.  The 1964 Wood Dragons.  With us, we will be carrying the Sacred Flint and the Stone of Hope, to symbolize humanity.  

My challenge is that I do not know if I can finish the marathon at 56.  Hence, I will not carry the symbolic items.  Azhar Ahmed will carry the flint in marathon 2019 while Basiruddin Siman carries the stone.  Finally, Major Aminuddin Yahya will carry the items in marathon 2020.

With the run, I carry my prayers, I wish for all humanity to enter heaven, peace on earth.