It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
Life is easier without religion. Here the Lord is saying that we should not just seek to exist, survive, or live, but to expand our vision to His view and growing, thriving, climbing, labouring, reaping, harvesting, studying, learning, etc.
Yesterday I took 7 Latter-day Saint missionaries for a walk at Kirstenbosch. During the walk I mention the Khoisan in terms of van Riebeeck's hedge, and San artefacts found in the Dell. I am always impressed by pondering how the San, the original occupants of the Cape, were hunter gatherers. They were fruitful, multiplied, and filled the Earth and lived wonderfully in harmony with nature. See Genesis 1:22. To Adam and Eve God gave a higher directive than He had given to His other creations in Gen 1:28.
Hunter gatherers would need tens of square kilometres of land to support a family.
Then new people who came from the North - agropastoralists - the Khoi, came in and were competing with the San. The Khoi would have required much less land to support a family since they were not simply consumers, but by tilling the earth they were producers. They integrated and became the Khoisan.
Then came other strangers that had sailing vessels and came from across the sea! These and later strangers people were much more impressive, even imposing, in their productivity. They built forts of stone, roads, canals, hospitals, schools, wagons, and all sorts of amazing things! They ploughed lands and were very productive and could have hundreds, even thousands of people on a square kilometre! This was amazing, but seriously outcompeted the Khoisan. Conflict was inevitable!
They were very different. But one was not good and the other evil. One was not right and the other wrong. One was not superior and the other inferior. They were different - distinctly different - but their lifestyles were a little incompatible. The same scenario existed when pioneers in wagons arrived and intruded on the lands of the Ute Indians in Utah, and many other lands all around the world.
Nowadays there are places with tens of thousands of people per square kilometer, but they still need those who live in harmony with their environment and who need square kilometres to support a family. We need each other. Each is superior in some aspects. Therein is our strength. Unity is Strength. There is Strength in Diversity as Diverse People Unite.
If only we could walk the talk of the mottos of several nations, peoples or organisations 🤔😊
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