It's the 21st Century and what do we have to show for it? Here's a brief over-view of the way things are. This planetary report card is not good. Humanity has failed in almost all aspects of life. Don't get too despondent though, just because we haven't succeeded till now, doesn't mean we can't alter our ways and gain a 'pass mark' in the coming years.
Here's a reminder of why we so desperately needs to progress:
Report Card for Earth in the year 2007.
In the 21st Century, our planet is in disarray. The Earth is polluted, over-crowded and its natural habitats have been raped and looted.
As a race, humanity has developed a disdain for its own kind. The species has a warped system of political and corporate dictatorship which they have utilized for centuries. There is an uneven distribution of wealth between rich and poor which has led to ongoing civil unrest and war. The inhabitants of Earth have run amok and no-one has stopped them.
Mankind has been its own worst enemy! The Earth, minus humanity, is not this way. It's just a planet with land, vegetation, water, a breathable atmosphere and animals. Humans are simply more highly evolved animals - ones with (supposedly) advanced thought processes and a soul with spiritual capacity.
If man never existed, alien species could have visited this planet and found a veritable natural haven of lush forests, pure streams and lakes, clean air, an abundance of edible plants and wildlife. The only threat to the tranquility may have been natural disasters - earthquakes, volcanoes, inclement weather, comets or asteroid collisions. This being the case, it stands to reason that merely adding man as a factor to the equation, led to the state of the planet as we know it today.
So, if people caused the state of their world, then people also have the capacity to take responsibility and change their circumstances.
"There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right." Dr. Martin Luther King
We need an attitude adjustment!
Humanity is going to need a major change in attitude if we're ever going to proceed. In the last few decades we've seen such a vast decline in morality and ethics that we now accept this as normal. For so long, people have been given free reign to do whatever they wanted and now they've become just like willful children, with no parental guidance. We seem to have no perimeters for life. Courtesy and caring have gone, along with any sense of dignity and justice. Kindness, compassion and charity for those less fortunate have all but disappeared in this new society. Crime rules and sex sells. There's no sense of order - and it shows.
You want to talk about responsibility...We're not taking it! People are their own worst enemy.
Humanity has been given endless opportunities to grow and expand its consciousness, yet we remained stubbornly fixated with the petty ways of the past - never progressing, never maturing. It's not that we can't change for the better - it's just that, up till now, we haven't tried. There's a whole new way of existence just waiting to be explored - but it won't happen while we allow ourselves to wallow in the mire.
When are we going to awaken from our stupor and see what's really going on? How long can we sit idly by and do nothing? As the present occupants of the planet Earth, it is our duty to make positive, spiritual changes in the attitude of our species. If we don't, we may continue to go in an ever-increasing downward spiral - and who knows where it will all end.
People need to take responsibility for their actions. As a planetary race, we need to start making some rules for society and we must to enforce them. Surely it's time to change. If we continue in the same manner, we'll undoubtedly come to the point of no return. We only have two choices - either we alter our ways or face a very bleak future.
It's time to move forward!
There arecertain actions we're going to have to take, if we're ever going to go forward as a civilization and here they are:
Do not accept that the way things are now, is the way they have to be!
We must unite and network with others, using the power of people in groups, if we want to make great social, economic, ecological, technological and most importantly, spiritual changes - for the benefit of all.
There are many practical answers for the problems facing this world. You can learn what these are, by examining real working examples where people, in communities all over the globe, have found solutions and are putting these into action.
If people everywhere co-ordinated their efforts, pooled their knowledge and resources, and shared their ideas, we could really go ahead in leaps and bounds on this planet. This is 'Unity'.
Everyone must utilize their unique talents, skills and abilities and be appreciated for these.
There are latent potentials within all humanity but most of us haven't let these evolve yet. You can master your intuitive processes - and once you've released this sixth sense, there are practical applications, which can be used to enhance your life and the lives of others. Intuition (or guidance) is given to us so that we can tap in and ask how we should be advancing our world.
The only way to predict the future... is to create it!
C. Wright Mills wrote: "In our time, what is at issue is the very nature of humankind - the image we have of our limits and possibilities. History is not yet done with its exploration of the limits of what it means to be human."
If we all used our potential we could make such amazing changes. If greed wasn't the ruling credo in our world, we could advance to great heights and build the most wonderful world.
We could find ways of making life better for everyone.
We could have sufficient food, water and clean air.
We could develop balanced social structures. Not rich versus poor or black versus white.
We could really encompass the diversity which constitutes the human race.
We could choose to live in peace.
We could choose to rebuild our planet.
We could choose to become a gentle, polite, mature and loving race of beings.
We could be happy.
We could have hope for the future....
If we wanted! If we tried!
I guess the keyword here is 'choose'. It's our choice. It's our lives and we're free to make the 21st century much better than the 20th - or we can continue as we are. Perhaps we'll let things get much worse and then we'll have chosen a different fate.
It's your life. It's your fate. It's your choice.
Anwar Sadat (President of Egypt) stated, "He who cannot change the fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality."
Here are ten steps to planetary progress:
Form a planetary network which specifically focuses on how we can progress.
Make a global think-tank for all people - regardless of socio-economic status, race, or religion. We must now realize that despite some superficial differences, all human beings are essentially the same.
Problem-solve - i.e. take an issue, get people all over the world to discuss it (possibly via the internet) and come up with new, or existing, ways to solve the problem. If we 'ask' we will be given the answers.
Look to the future. See what can be actively encouraged in order to circumnavigate future problems e.g. our dwindling water and food supply.
Use lateral-thinking. Use intuition. Use prayer. In other words, utilize abilities which mankind has either largely ignored or totally dismissed - until now.
Focus on advancement. If we continue to use the old system and we refuse to go forward, things could get much worse.
Formulate a blueprint for Planet Earth in the 21st Century.
Discover new ways of living. Use beneficial technology, ethical science and other progressive methods to regain control over (and enhance) the essential aspects of life on Earth such as harmony with nature, our food and water supply, economics, employment, transport, our energy needs and our housing.
Make an ethical, fair and honest society.
Use your spirituality at all times.
The Earth can be the best planet in the universe.
If man aims high and alters the way he thinks and acts, success can happen. If he does not put limits, imagine how wonderful the world could be. If humanity evaluates where they've gone wrong and how they can go forward, it can then take a series of small steps which will ultimately lead to the advancement of civilization on our world.
The realms of possibility are infinite! If this guidance has done only one thing for you, I hope it has made you think. I hope you think about the future direction of mankind and the part which you can play in it.
I hope you think about the future of our planet - because whatever happens, it will affect you and it will affect your family and their future generations. I also hope you see some potential spark of goodness which can come out of the worst years in the recent history of humanity.
When you're ready - and I trust it will be soon - perhaps you'll start, in your own way, to make a difference for yourself and your community. From there you can help to take part in the bigger plan of things. This will culminate as humanity gets itself back on course and the Earth will then be a wonderful place to live.