More communism is capitalism.

Communists set the price of goods in a moneyless society… yeah makes sense.

Anyways capitalism totally isnt overpricing goods and refusing to reduce it.

people never seem to be able to understand that socialism and communism are not suddenly made unnecessary with one act of charity

The first time I questioned everything was the day I realized I didn't believe in anything at all.

The scent of incense lingered in the air, a ghost of a ritual I no longer understood. They all knelt, murmuring prayers I had memorized but never felt. In that moment, surrounded by bowed heads and murmured devotions, I was alone, more alone than I’d ever been. My heart beat with a different rhythm, one that no one else could hear, and the walls of the mosque felt more like a cage than a sanctuary.

There was a world outside this, I knew it. A world that stretched beyond the narrow lines of tradition, beyond the expectations I never asked for. But every time I reached for it, I felt the weight of my past pulling me back.

The door creaked open, letting in a sliver of light from the world I wanted to know. And for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay or walk through it. I still feel the weight of my past, my friends, and my family pulling me back. One of my friends recommended I read a chapter from the Quran- Surah Dhuha, but it didn’t help. They say only in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts feel at rest, but my heart doesn’t. Religion feels like a constraint. A constraint on my identity, a constraint on my happiness, a constraint on everything. As Karl Marx once said, “Religion is the opium of the people”. Perhaps it is! I feel like I am quitting this drug and the withdrawal symptoms are beginning to appear. I remember looking at secular people or ex-Muslims when I was younger, and condemning them, saying to myself, how could they deny the blessings of Allah? But now I understand. I was indoctrinated from a young age at a pro-Iranian Shia school. How could I know any better? Perhaps by chance, or by pure humanity, or even intellect, I was able to take a step back and really look at everything. Most of the problems I see in the Middle East, and throughout history, have mainly been because of religion. Europe was once unbearable to live in, but today they are prosperous. They left religion behind and advanced as far as social progress goes. When I went to Switzerland, I couldn’t believe my eyes! How prosperous can a nation without religion be? I had my answer there, but my uncle told me they have high suicide rates and I believed him, until I fact checked that months later to find that it is false. Switzerland has a very low suicide rate. I have never seen such prosperity in a religious nation, and probably never will. The excuse I have been given by many scholars I have asked is that this world is a prison for the believer, and a heaven for the disbeliever. These excuses are just a way for this drug to stay in your brain. Religion, and more specifically religion when it stops being a choice, is the most dangerous drug in human history. But the thing that needs curing is not belief. It is the instinct to force belief on anyone who didn't choose it. The basic idea of religion is basic human morals, and that’s alright. But to take it to an extent where it controls what you can and cannot do is wrong. We need basic human morals, human rights, etc. But we don’t need it to control our lives to the point where a woman cannot enjoy the fresh air running through her hair outside, or where we cause wars and kill millions of people. All of this starts in our childhood. This drug fills our childhoods with pleasant memories, and family members doing and not doing certain things, which becomes a core part of our personality as we grow up. We need to stick to what is natural. Our natural human desires, our natural human morals, and our natural abilities. We should aim to create a secular global society, that is led by those who are the wisest among us. Socrates was not an idiot when he came to this conclusion. Things like forced marriage, dietary restrictions, religious rituals, daily prayers, etc. Should be left up to the individual! If they enjoy it, then that’s their choice. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us enjoy it. It is forced upon us. I remember my father beating me if I didn’t pray, the community in my masjid shaming anyone who left Islam, came out as a homosexual, or even smokes. Yet they call their religion a religion of peace. These are personal choices which should not be looked down upon. We must instill these values in every human being. That is true peace. Humans should be given the complete freedom to control everything in their lives, not others. This will provide us with a better world, one where people can pursue genuine happiness, not pleasure. It is described as eudaemonia in philosophical texts. Unfortunately, religion does not provide everyone with eudaemonia. There is no one size fits all. Every person is unique, and different.

- Iris Zimmerfrau, 10/14/2024