The Bible tells us that without a vision, the people perish. Consider this piece of human logic like a nut that has not been cracked. In order to get to the meat of the nut, or the real, useful truth, as it were, the nut must be cracked and the goodie extracted.

In order to crack the nut properly, one must be careful not to use excessive force or else the goodie may be smashed to smithereens along with the outer protective shell and will become intermingled with the hard, sharp, bitter taste of the shell itself inside one’s mouth, which is not recommended because of the contamination involved in the cracking.

The proper way to crack the nut is to apply the gentle pressure of question and reason to the center of the nut. In this case the center of the nut is the word “vision.” That is the key to the unlocking of this nut. Obviously, what the Bible means by “vision” is one vision and one vision only, which is the vision of God as explained in the Scriptures and which should be accepted as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

But what if that particular vision is wrong? That is the question. Is it not the least bit possible that the Bible vision is a false vision? What if we applied the touch of reason to the whole concept of God as man sees God. Is it possible that man does not really know God at all, except for the God that man created in his image? What if God sees man in a totally different way from what man believes? What would happen if we applied a little reason to that question?

The hard, outer shell of that nut would crack with the simple pressure of question and reason directed at that most sensitive and vital spot, and the truth or goodie inside the nut would be exposed for what it is and will be easy to pluck out. It all depends on what we mean by vision. What vision? Whose vision? The Christian vision? The Catholic vision? The Jewish vision? The Muslim vision? Etc.

What if none of those visions, or any other religious visions, were true visions but scenes seen from beneath the muddy waters of revealed religion which have muddied up the waters of our pure minds? What if we were to think of the word “vision” as meaning “correct vision” outside and beyond the boundaries of revealed religion?

Would that not make a more logical statement than the Bible statement? Without the “correct vision,” the people perish. That is the nugget of wisdom that waits to be plucked from inside the nut and eaten.

The very essence of liberty is the freedom to think and believe as one pleases. I have merely taken this subject, the idea that without a vision the people perish, as a topic of conversation.

I agree that without a vision, the people perish, but I believe that it has to be the correct vision, the vision that can see deeper into the moment and the most far away into the future.

It is too late to lead the peoples of the world out of the bondage of revealed religion. The knots are too tight. While it will be impossible to untie the knots by question and reason, it may be possible that time itself may eventually rot the bonds enough for many among the great masses to break loose and lead others to that land where freedom of thought is really free and not constricted by the sharp and tearing teeth of revealed religion.

Imagine what possibilities for peace may come when the great masses begin to close their religious rulebooks and turn their attention to the betterment of mankind itself, both in terms of the great masses and the individuals among the masses. Imagine what a better world would come if humanity turned its focus to the world we live in rather than the one promised by revealed religion.

What if the great masses took on the vision that it was up to them as individual members of the human family to see the world as one family, and that it was their duty to love and care for that family? That would not just be a vision, it would be a correct vision that would actually lead to peace on earth rather than destruction.

If the people only had a vision that was sensible and reasonable and worth pursuing, the earth would not be in the nasty mess that it’s in and heading for the big boom, as it were, simply for the lack of a vision.

Naman Crowe, a Vietnam veteran, began his award-winning journalism career in 1971. He has written for numerous publications. He can be reached at namancrowe@yahoo.com.