I have seen many things in my short time here on earth. In
my own way, I have let religious prejudice and cultural prejudice dictate my
actions from the time I was born up until this very moment. I have always
believed that tolerance is the only way for people to co-exist. We may not
totally agree with everyone else but if we can respect their opinions, we will
be ok. While I still believe that, there will always be people who try to
foster their beliefs unto others. I watched the movie “Agora” and I gained an
understanding of what it means to be truly tolerant.
“I think, therefore I am”. That is a powerful statement. It
has so many meanings – it could mean that we could be anything we want to be,
but the meaning that most resonates with me is that the fact that we can think
makes us who we are. I can think critically because I’m educated. I can dissect arguments;
I can question authorities. I can make up my own mind.
Agora tells the story of Hypatia, a philosopher in ancient
roman Egypt. Hypatia lived in a very turbulent time; a time when Christianity just
started to gain a foothold in the world. The people of those times had their
own gods – it was therefore inevitable that there was considerable tension in
the air at the time. Hypatia did not believe in any god. She believed in
philosophy – the ability to question what we believe. She was murdered because
some people were not comfortable with her beliefs. This happened in the 5th
century. It is still happening today.
I am not an advocate of godlessness. I simply believe that
people have a right to believe what they want and the right to question those
beliefs. For instance, I don’t believe that a God who advocates mercy also says
that it is ok to kill people who do not share your beliefs. It is inconsistent
and the fact that I can recognize that is what makes me human. Whether we like
it or not, Religion is shaped by men with agendas – from Christianity to Islam
to others, men with motives have shaped what we believe and how to believe. If
we believe that man is fallible, then why is it that we cannot believe that
some of our religious doctrine may be wrong?
I believe that God created the world. But I don’t believe it
just because some pastor said so. I believe it because of what I have seen with
my own eyes. The world is so finely balanced – everything is connected in some
way or the other and each is important in its own way that it couldn’t just
have happened by chance. I have come to the conclusion that it can only be God.
I made up my own mind. Too often, we are guilty of blind faith. We are led by
people, not just political leaders but religious leaders who go against
everything they preach but we are unable to think for ourselves and identify
these inconsistencies for what they really are. I am going off on tangents but bear with me – I
will tie everything up in the end.
The bible says that we must be like children to enter
heaven. I gained a new understanding of this last week. I was at the grocery
store and there was this black kid. He couldn’t have been more than two or
three years old and he was talking to these white women behind him. At one
point, he said “I love you” to people that he had never even met. I had no
doubt in my mind that he meant what he said in his own little way. What was so
sad to me was that I could imagine this same kid growing up with religion and
society messing him up so much that even talking to a white person may become a
significant challenge to him.
In this same way, people have used religion to further their
own agendas. I just believe that thinking about things thoroughly and reaching
conclusions that make sense to us will make this a much better world to live
in. When we realize that we are all different, that people may not always agree
with what we say or believe in, but that they have the right to those beliefs
and that we should respect them, we can start to change the world, one person
at a time.
The same applies to Nigerians. Start thinking for
yourselves. Trust but verify. These politicians have managed to keep a large
majority of Nigerians illiterate and unable to reason. It is up to the educated
among us to make sure that these people understand. Good leaders are more
essential than we may realize because when there are no good leaders, people
listen to whoever speaks loudest. We have a responsibility to this country. Let
us do our part – God will do the rest.
