Religion is the optimal solution for human survival

Last time, I said, "Evil must not be used for a good cause," but what about in times of crisis when survival is threatened?

"When it comes to survival, all is permitted."

In an extreme, life-or-death situation, morality, law, and concepts of right and wrong are all invalid.

When a city is surrounded by war and food runs out, people turn to cannibalism, with children being the first to be eaten. You might think such a horrific act cannot happen, but it seems to have been common in Chinese history. Even in the 20th century, Toyoko Yamazaki's novel "Children of the Earth" depicts the phenomenon of cannibalism among residents of a Kuomintang city surrounded by Chinese Communist forces during the Chinese Civil War and falling into starvation. The protagonist, as a young boy, was targeted as "food" and, just as he was about to be eaten, the siege was partially lifted, narrowly escaping . Apparently, when people are starving, they begin to see others as food. Apparently, even during World War II, cannibalism, in which soldiers ran out of food, ate their enemies and other humans, was a practice.

In Buddhism, this is called "falling into the realm of hungry ghosts." Literally, the person becomes so hungry that they turn into a demon and eat people. This is a world that actually manifested itself in this world.

When faced with a survival crisis, all sense of good and evil is blown away. But that can't be helped. People who think this won't happen to them are only saying this because they've never been in that situation; they may have simply been lucky up until now. If they were unlucky enough to fall into the realm of hungry ghosts, they might turn into a hungry ghost and eat people.

God gave us life. Life is the most precious thing. For those who have been given life, the supreme command is not to lose it. Therefore, anything is permissible if it means survival.

Isn't that a contradiction in the teachings of religion? Religion preaches peace, compassion, and love, but we will do anything for the supreme purpose of preserving life.

I don't think there's a contradiction. This is because the teachings of God, or Buddha, are the optimal solution for the survival of humanity.

If all humanity simply acted on their own interests, thinking that "anything is permissible in order to survive," we would quickly find ourselves at war on both sides. And that war would lead to the "realm of hungry ghosts." Religions preach compassion, love, and peace to prevent a world where people must "eat each other to survive."

Even without war, extreme poverty could make it impossible to make a living, and people might feel that "stealing is their only option."

Religions generally preach relief for the poor and vulnerable to prevent people from being forced into a situation where they have no choice but to steal. Ultimately, religion is the shortest route and optimal solution to creating a world where we can "survive" without resorting to evil. Furthermore, a survival strategy based on religions that preach love, compassion, and peace is superior to a survival strategy that relies on evil. Religion is actually the optimal solution for human survival. Religion is not a pretty idea or a fantasy, but a realistic means created by the evolution of life as an optimal survival strategy.

That said, what should you do if you find yourself in a situation where you have to commit evil in order to survive? The first thing you should think about is:

"Is that really true? Have I exhausted all good options?"

Am I simply choosing the quickest and easiest solution? And if you still don't know what to do,

Ask God (Buddha).

"I have no way to survive. God (Buddha), what should I do?"

At that time, God, or Buddha,  might tell you to do whatever it takes, or they might not. They might tell you to just survive, or they might tell you to come to Him. I don't know for sure. When that happens, I plan to ask Him. Then I'll decide what to do. And at that time, I think God, or Buddha, will say:

"Leave the rest to me."

That's what I think He'll say. But I don't know what that means until it happens.

Guided by love and mercy

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