Monday, June 4, 2012

CHAPTER 4: TOWARDS A NEW WORLD ORDER



The coming years will move us closer and closer towards a new world order that embraces the entire planet. This order was set in motion by our founding fathers in accord with God's Plan for the evolution of consciousness on this world. It took over two hundred years from that beginning in 1776 to reach a state where we are ready to embark on an even greater journey. The United States is a nation of immigrants who come from all corners of the globe. This is as it was meant to be, for only out of such a nation can the tolerance for diversity arise that is needed to give rise to a United World. It is time for all to learn of the great power that comes from uniting together for a common enterprise. Synergy is a magic form of spiritual energy that arises in all such endeavors. Such is what makes villages, cities, states, and countries hold together for ages. Such is what makes some small groups able to accomplish what more loosely coupled larger groups have failed to achieve.

The Global Family
At some level, we are all one -- however, it may be awhile before we fully realize it. At a more understandable level we are the Family of Man. We are one family that spans the globe, or at least the inhabitable parts thereof. We don't act much like a family, however. We clearly don't treat each other with respect as brethren. At a spiritual level we are all spirits expressed in flesh. We all possess divine sparks of our creator. We are gods in becoming, all of us -- yet we don't act like it most of the time. There is a saying in India, "namaste"; it means "I bow to the spirit within you". Such a nice saying, and so true. It would serve the entire Family of Man very well if we we're to treat one another with the respect that such an utterance demands. We would see troubles, problems, and disagreements disappear in a heartbeat.
Clearly we live on a single globe, spaceship Earth. On many fronts, we are truly seeing how close we really are to one another. Our backyards have reached the fences of our neighbors, and there is no place else to grow. One thing seems clear. United we stand on this planet as brethren, or united we shall fall. Many common problems now impact all of us, because they impact the very support systems of the planet itself. Throughout nature, life is precariously balanced. Systems operate in very tight tolerances in very narrow bands. The cooperation of a vast network ensures that each being gets what it needs to exist. There is some adaptability, but it is generally within well- understood regions. Man is the only animal that behaves counter to the natural order. We believe it is right to adapt our environment to our liking without much consideration of the impacts to other beings, be they human or not.
We are the only beings who allow our numbers to grow virtually unchecked only to die of thirst, hunger, or disease of some type. It is time to educate our brethren that such is not the way. There are alternatives and choices, but these are not necessarily available to everyone. Part of the problem is that we typically do not establish responsibilities for one another. Our focus in the West has been personal responsibility. The rise of the individual and the fall of the family happened concurrently. We've lost our sense of balance in the process. Family at one time was the place in which we experienced community. Extended families were common in this country until the past 40 years or so. Churches extended this even more with groups of families coming together and caring for each other when necessary. At that time, this country was a much nicer and safer place to live primarily because of a shared set of social values. We now have two generations of individuals without this common background.
It will be tough to extend our hands to members of our global family without this background. Somehow, within the next few years, the pendulum must shift from this excessive focus on the individual to the creation of groups or families of individuals cooperatively interdependent on one another. We see the need for this even in our gangs. Where kids face tough conditions and lack a family or social environment that can help, they create their own social structures operating under whatever rules they see as necessary for their survival. Unless society provides them with an alternative, we literally give them no choice. We create our reality both by what we do and what we don't do. When we allow conditions to exist and persist that allow the needs of individuals to be neglected, we all suffer. How long will we sit back and do nothing?
This applies on a global scale as well. This is not a survival of the fittest scenario, when the strong can overcome the weak. As humans, we are above the basic laws of nature. We are divine creature -- at least in potential. We were created equal, every one of us. We are one family of human beings, one global family. Such is reality. It is time to wake up and start acting like the equal brethren that we truly are.

Dealing with Questions of Equality
Being created equal puts an interesting twist on everything. The issue of equality will be one of the toughest things for the builders of the new world order to address and resolve. It will require developed and developing nations to come to balance with each other. Balance involves more than agreement, it involves equitable and fair treatment not only in the present, but to compensate for past history as well. This will be a very touchy issue. The developed nations are used to a standard of living that will not work for all the world. It is very hard to see how this is fair, though many in the developed nations would believe it to be their right. The question is one of entitlement to resources. This brings up the greater issue of ownership and entitlement to any types of property at all. The American Indians were right after all, owning of land is not consistent with nature. One has right to use, but not to own. With the right to use, comes the responsibility of stewardship. Is it fair then to consider that one is entitled to do what one wants with any natural resources on the land that one occupies? My heart answers no. Society should be responsible for the fair distribution of resources. This society should extend beyond the boundaries of countries. All inhabitants of the planet have a right to its abundance and its resources. However, here too, rights have their corresponding responsibilities. All people have the responsibility to treat the Earth with respect, and to treat their brethren with respect as well. Growing in population at high rates when the living conditions of the society are barely tolerable to begin with is not fulfilling this responsibility. However, churches that create belief systems that cause some of this behavior are equally to blame and should be held accountable. It's no wonder that religion is such a mockery of spirituality these days.
With the intermeshing of individual will, economics, the church, and the state one thing is certain; the problems will be difficult to unravel. At some point, we need to step up to the fact that we are one world of equals -- nothing else matters. What got us to our present state of differences has no import. What matters is how we get to where we need to be, ONE WORLD. We can only act HERE and NOW. That is the only point that truly matters. Also, it will be difficult getting the world to agree to equality if we haven't first got our own country to that point. This is the old problem of the haves and the have nots. The haves want to keep what they have. Somehow, there has to be a way of giving everyone what they need.
This may require careful education of people concerning what they need.

Priorities for a New World

  • Health is the number one priority. On it rides everything else. The body is the temple for the spirit. It must be kept in the best health possible to give spirit the optimum vehicle through which to do its works. Along with this goes whatever is necessary to optimize the health care systems and wipe out various diseases.
  • Population control is a close second. The planet cannot accommodate what we currently have let alone any additional bodies. Birth control should be mandatory throughout the planet. Both the religious and educational systems should teach of our responsibility to the planet and to society of not bringing in more bodies than the Earth and society can handle.
  • Education is number three. This should be free, and should provide each being with what it needs to develop its talents and abilities so that it can achieve its purpose. Each individual comes with a purpose. Counselors should be employed to identify the specific needs of each individual. Since education is the most important element of any society, it should be given the greatest resources and effort. Nothing should be spared. People are society's greatest resource. Their education is critical to their effective functioning.
  • Economic reform is the fourth priority. Resources must be treated as the property of all -- not something owned that can be bought and sold. Those who require resources for the production of goods should in turn ensure that the society receives appropriate compensation or benefits for those resources. This might be by paying a fair price, by conducting business in a better manner, or by producing specific goods that society desires. In addition, a fair and equitable way of establishing compensation for individuals should be generated. Everyone must be part of the system, perhaps using some sort of voucher system where individual accounts are credited whenever they do work that benefits society and debited when they use services of society. Many types of work benefit society. It may be best, however, to establish a set price per hour as the value of all work, especially if society foots the bill for any education required.
  • Ecology is number five, though numbers two and four impact it as well. We have to quit destroying the natural systems on our planet and do whatever we can to restore the damage that has already been done. This involves educating people and structuring economies so that there is no economic incentive to do further damage. In addition, it requires resources to study, experiment, and find solutions for some of the present ecological problems. We'll explore this more in the next section.

Stewardship of the Planet
One of mankind's key responsibilities is to be the stewards of this planet. We were given dominion of the animal and vegetable kingdoms because we were the sons and daughters of All That Is. Stewardship, however, brings a strong element of responsibility as well. We are to care for this kingdoms and treat them with reverence and respect. For the most part, we have neglected our responsibility and used our dominion to take whatever we wanted without regard for the consequences. Further, we have grown our own population to levels that many believe are beyond the abilities of the resources of the Earth to handle. We made our choices, now we have to live with the consequences -- whether we like them or not. For some systems, however, it may not be too late. We need to do whatever we can to right the damage we've done. At the very least, we should stop practices that result in further damage as quickly as possible. We are responsible for our actions, all of us. Further, it is not enough to do things at home in our own country. We need to make sure that others have strong reasons and motivation for taking responsible action as well. Much that affects our local ecosystem effects that of the whole planet. There is a web of life that is intricately woven. It does not separate itself into pieces, rather it operates as a whole -- much as we should operate as a society.
The polluted oceans and seas, the polluted skies and depletion of the ozone layer, the dying trees and cutting down of the rainforests, the many endangered species, acid rain and the pollution of our groundwater -- all of these are due to our own neglect of our responsibility as caretakers. We've allowed our greed to influence our decisions and we idly sit by and watch as many a developing nation makes the same foolish decisions that we did. This is stupid, no criminal! The United Nations should ensure that we as a body of nations are smart and learn from our mistakes. Further, we should not encourage and support nations who make such decisions.

First Steps
The United Nations already exists and there is talk of a New World Order. If this new order is to be a body of countries, then it is time for countries to start growing up and behaving responsibly toward one another. The basic way to implement this is by deciding on how countries are expected to behave toward one another under the new order, to educate countries on what is expected of them, and then to monitor behavior and reward or punish it as appropriate. Many countries still act as children and should be treated accordingly. Those countries that have reached adult phase should know better, so their punishment for violating the rules should be all the more severe.
So long as we have national boundaries, and ownership of resources within those boundaries, it will be difficult to deal with issues of wealth and equality. Basically, the wealth of many nations is determined to a large degree by the natural resources that they sit on. This is mitigated somewhat by the technology and industry of each nation's people as well. This has to change.
Many ecological problems are driven by economic incentives that developed nations can impact by changing their import practices. In addition, if nations are asked not to cut their forests for the sake of the global ecology, then these same nations should be offered economic incentives in exchange. It is not fair that the developed nations could engage in the same economic practices years ago that they forbid of nations now.
At some point, it becomes necessary to get rid of national boundaries and national rights as well. The bottom line is that We are ONE people, UNITED EARTH. We are equal members of one whole and separation into countries only gets in the way. The body organizes by function, not by nation. Similarly, the ONE body of humans should somehow organize and operate by function as well. With our technology, however, we can easily link parts that are geographically separated so that they function together.
The best path for growth may be one led by the United States. If we can unite as one and dissolve state governments in the process, this can set a precedent for dissolving lower level autonomous governments. What works for the country could be the prototype for what works for the world. This requires a definite rethinking of a lot of issues. The United States is really a relatively loose federation of states agreeing to support a common entity to take care of their common needs in particular areas. The United Nations is the same thing except that the individual member nations give up even less of their individual power to the whole. In both cases, how much power is given to the common body is an issue of trust in a higher authority versus individual autonomy. This same battle occurs in the case of the individual versus society.
The overall VISION is to build a world where people are much more elegantly applied to meet the needs of humanity for goods and services in a manner that also allows us to meet our obligation as stewards of the Earth. People will get more of their needs met sooner and will enjoy what the do because it is in line with their talents and abilities. Further no ones talents and abilities will be wasted. People will cooperate in activities and lessons learned will be made available to others to prevent making mistakes over and over. Overall, humanity will progress quickly and souls will be as fully enfleshed as is possible at this time on this planet. Under these conditions, there is no telling what can be accomplished how quickly.



[ON TO CHAPTER 5]
[BACK TO TOC]


beyond@redshift.com
Copyright © 1995, Wayne Hartman, Revised -- (16 Sep 95)