Them: They’re trying to erase our culture!

Me: If by ‘culture’ you mean colonialism, racism and oppression, well then yes… we are

— Ty Ross (@cooltxchick) October 29, 2021

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In the absence of truth, force and coercion are the only ways to rule.

America First. George Floyd. Brexit. Europe as a fortress.

All of these are the quintessence of a long history of brutality and aggression exerted by white men over almost all other populations, including animals.

Against God.

The white man has “used” God to declare women as second-class citizens and control other races, and in the end, he killed God and declared himself as the one with full right to rule the world, to exploit the earth and everything profitable on and underneath it.

What happened to George Floyd struck me, as it reflects exactly the attitude of the first colonials and conquistadors who landed in America, Africa, and Asia more than 500 years ago.

The attitude of the white man toward others, including white women, has not changed much over the last centuries. Despite the Renaissance, Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, the landing on the moon, and even the recent ICT (Information and Communications Technology) revolution, humanity’s spirit did not evolve—at least not in the right direction.

The rule of force and the rush for material accumulation have impregnated every little aspect of our lives and are running our world.

Without truth and wisdom, force and pressure are the only ways to rule.

Religion was used as a weapon to raid new lands.

The George Floyd moment takes place according to a background of profound decline of the Christian religion, which has been used by most colonial empires to legitimize weapons against native populations.

It is not a secret that when Columbus first landed in America, the land had been home to well-established civilizations who have been living there for thousands of years.

Although in his first writings about the arrival in the territories, now called America, Columbus attested to the civilizations found there. He later changed his statements, claiming that they were unorganized and practicing cannibalism; he claimed this to justify his decision to take over these lands in the name of God. He was “called” to save them from their sins through conversion to Christianity.

In an article dedicated to Columbus in the New York Times, Ian W. Toll writes, “The Europeans were motivated by their lust for glory, for conquest, for women, and above all, for gold. When the Indians had gold they were compelled to part with it; when they had none they were compelled to hunt for it. Among the Taino people of Hispaniola, Columbus decreed a system of tribute, requiring each adult to submit a specified quantity of gold, on pain of death. But he was also fervently determined to spread the Christian faith. Christianize or exploit? Convert or enslave?”

The aggression against African and Asian populations—who now count as the largest number and most fervent of Jesus Christ’s followers—have all paid high prices for this new faith.

There’s no possible reconciliation without truth and mending the past. Therefore, white man, give back what you have stolen.

Unfortunately, it’s been rumored that Seville Cathedral, which was built during Columbus’ time, has around 40,000 kilos of gold—gold that was stolen from the West Indies and South American territories.

Art crafts from all over the world—from South American pure gold to African masks, from ancient Greece statues to Chinese vases and paintings—have all been displaced for the benefit of three Western metropolis: Paris, London, and New York.

Most of them were not bought but simply taken away. During the recent years, Greek authorities have been challenging in vain British Museum administrators in an attempt to recover some of the artifacts “taken” from the Acropolis, from Knossos and other ancient Greece sites.

With what legitimacy could Western states ask Putin to give back all the gold and thesaurus stolen by the Soviet Union from former soviet republics and countries under its control?

One would argue that those were different times with different values and the whole world was a war scene.

But since it is so important to commemorate and remember the Nazi genocide and reestablish the truth, how come there isn’t the same emphasis on the atrocities of colonialism? How can so many nations reconcile with the past while the former aggressors and thieves continue to cling onto their prey, keeping away from their borders the victims of their past aggression?

Could this be because colonialism only changed its method but not its ideology?

Could it be because the proud United States of George Bush and Donald Trump continues to wage wars against petrol-rich countries—for the black gold—under the pretext of saving them and bringing them peace?

Is tooth for tooth the right policy?

What kind of peace does Iraq enjoy after almost 20 years of American “rescuing”?

What kind of peace is awaiting the Afghan women following the abrupt withdrawal of American forces?

When did our civilization lose its soul?

What is the crucial moment when humanity lost its path? Which moment do we need to return to so we can start building a new way of living, have a new set of values to guide our decisions and our relationships, and adopt a new way of relating with other living beings?

It is true that incremental improvements have been taking place over the centuries, but such improvements are only seen in certain regions of the world and within a few areas of life.

Force and the law of the strongest—not the fittest—are still ruling our world.

A first step would be to openly admit, in all spheres of life, that force and materialism can no longer sustain life. We need a new philosophy of life!

The new philosophy should be built on the power of the truth that giving back and contributing to other people’s happiness are the only ways to be happy and joyful rather than having a quick gratification of the senses.

We need leaders who are there to serve the community and life on earth rather than their personal power.

This new philosophy is starting to emerge within small communities, social media, at work places, and slowly in the wider public space, including politics.

The sooner we “buy into” this new philosophy, the better humanity will be. It is our role—all of us—to spread the word about it, to bring to life a new world by being the change we want to see in the world.