There are a few things that matter to me.

Individuality
Honesty
Respect
The Bigger Picture
Keep It Simple, Stupid
Pay It Forward

People who fail at these tend to be singular in spirit and in purpose. It isn’t about “my way or the highway”, but rather the understanding that none are alike, only similar or different.

The failure of certain ideologies (political) or beliefs (religious) lies in my eyes with the fact with the fact that these want dominate the will or otherwise enslave people to a singular way of life. As an example I shall draw two examples:

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The political ideology of communism (and its subsequent moderate cousin socialism) as it is practiced today represent to me two things:

• Ownership of resources. Ownership of ideas.
• The lack of understanding for the spirit of man, the innovation, the productivity, and the ever-present nature of creativity.

It robs us humans of all that which we hold dear, since this ideology would have you listening to one solitary channel in life.

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The religious belief of Islam is still a conundrum to me, Muhammeds teachings prior to going to Medina preaches of tolerance before those that believe differently. Post-Medina the voice of the Quran changes into the rhetoric which we have come to see in the shape of the acts of terrorism that are done on behalf of religious zeal. I recommend the following link:

The Quran @ Skeptics Annotated Bible (Click on the Ninth Sura)