Forgive Them, Father!

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34 NIV
 
Just this morning, I was reading another all-time classic from Dr. Myles Munroe titled: The Spirit of Leadership. I came across a paragraph where Paul had to defend himself to the faithfuls at Corinth in his second letter to them.
Dr. Munroe writes: Paul's right to be an apostle of Christ was harshly criticized . They said that he was not really called by God and that he was not worthy of the respect he was getting. But we learned later that they themselves were false apostles, yet they attacked Paul's credibility and spiritual qualifications...

I read the 11th verse of II Corinthians in my Bible and the sincerity of Paul's letter touched my heart and brought me into thinking about some of the personal criticism I have received from my own circle of friends regarding the running of Jacobu Youth Association. Affiliating myself to the agony of the verbose first-century apostle exuded some humility on my part, contemplating whether or not I am exalting myself too high. But knowing our common human-ness and 'flesh and blood-ness,' I decided to write this anyway. My hope here is not to attempt convincing anyone to like my endeavours in our humble Association but simply to share myself which is not uncharacteristic me.
I have often heard well-meaning people question my role in the Association:

• Some say they will never join until I leave
• Others say I should not be included in executive meetings
• Many others find me repulsive and intimidating when it comes to debating on issues at general meetings
• One particular friend (until lately) claims I am exploiting the public reputation of the Association to exalt myself and advance my parochial/selfish interests
• Still there are some who doubt my claim of citizenship to the roots of Jacobu since they can refer the day I first arrived with my family from our sojourn and so on and so forth.

As funny as it may sound in the ears of those close to me, I am seriously affected by such hasty conclusions my folks draw anytime my name pops up in their discussions. I am passionate and committed to causes I am involved in. If there's anyone among us who sleeps and wakes with Jacobu in mind, such a fellow's heart beats same as mine.
To my co-leaders who often leave me alone to defend myself, I owe them so much gratitude, for in so doing I have come to understand myself better. I now know what it means when ancient writings say there comes a time on one's journey when s/he must walk alone. The courage it takes to walk such a path is better felt than described. I encourage whosoever is in touch with the spirit of leadership within to awaken and start working the dream.

In taking stock, Dr. Munroe's book helped me to understand such simple truths possessed in people like myself who have awoken the lion that sleeps in them and have taken the leadership mantle through thick and thin.  I have spent years and unrecoverable number of times - day and night - integrating the following attitudes which have not only catapulted me to where I am today, but also have helped in diverse ways to advance the cause of our own Jacobu Youth Association to the so-called good reputation it is now enjoying.
May I ask fellow critics to carefully consider putting into practice these practical ingredients sorely needed to be incorporated into the everyday thinking processes of whoever identifies him/herself with leaders:

• sense of purpose and passion
• sense of initiative
• sense of prioritizing
• goal setting
• the spirit of teamwork
• sense of innovation
• accountability
• persistence
• discipline
• self-cultivation or grooming
• and sense of gratitude!

Such attitudes are always frowned upon especially by mediocre minds and timid souls whose conscience has been seared with the biblical hot iron, and whose hand and hinds have been shackled into fear, low-self esteem and hate. My prayer is that their eyes may be healed from the spiritual blindness that they have unconsciously accepted as their default programming so they may not only see what is but also what ought to be.

Of all the accusations hurled at me, what I find most ridiculous is their claim that the Association is making me overly popular. I have personally worked for my reputation with all the good and the bad. I claim responsibility for both with no shame or regret and of course with no pride.

I was brought up to the presence of public eye at a very tender age when I didn't have much sense into what the future held for me. I starting performing to a large audience from primary school through campus to present day. All this while, the Jacobu Youth Association had not been reborn as it thrives today. I read scriptures at church gatherings, recited poems and performed in plays for every school I have attended - creche to university! I have represented my university in serious competitive debates on and off radio (and won all of them!) and hosted very high profile statesmen in gatherings at which my introduction included nothing from the Association. But never at any of such functions did I run away from the fact that I come from Jacobu. I have said and I say again that Jacobu to me is as Jerusalem to the Jews!
If something should be said about my fidelity to the Association, it rather should go like: Kwasi Mensah is marketing the association!

Someday I may have a bigger audience to share more profound real-time life-stories with. Until then, keep believing...

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)

CHAPTER 3: A GOVERNMENT FOR THE NEW AGE

---

In the long term, the desire is that there is one society in which everyone interacts peaceably and harmoniously, and individuals are fully responsible for creation of their own reality. In such a case there is no need for government to restrict or enforce anything. However, the ideal world may take awhile to bring about. In the meantime, it is useful for government to take care of a few of the overall needs of society.

The Keeper of the Peace
The primary role for government in the early part of the transition to the Aquarian Age is as the keeper of the peace. Peace is one of the critical factors necessary for the Aquarian Age to come forth at all. Keeping peace requires focusing on just that, keeping peace. One does not keep peace through arms and hostile aggression, that only encourages or sanctions such aggression as a solution. Peace abides in a different domain, one where harmony and understanding are key features. The government has many political and economic means at its disposal for getting its objectives accomplished. We're already seeing this in some of the trade negotiations. In the next few years, these will turn out to be more powerful than anything else. So long as the world revolves around money, economic power will mean something. At some point however, there will be a major transition in which economies are forced to bow to spirit. The ecological movement is only the start of this trend.
Of course, we also need to help ensure that the world's nations disarm as quickly as is reasonable and safe. Nuclear weapons are of the greatest concern because of their vast potential for destruction. It could take awhile to convince world leaders that they can indeed trust each other enough to start doing this to a greater degree. Unfortunately, there is little basis for trust established between nations. Individual countries act much like individual beings, focused primarily on self-interest. Occasionally, we see groups of countries band together to achieve a strengthened resolve on an issue such as the Gulf War or a unification of power in some area such as an economic alliance.
The United Nations is set up to be a worldwide society of nations. If the members truly embraced the concept of one world, reality could change in a heartbeat. However, there are major difference among developed and developing nations that need to be resolved before any real progress will be made. The truth "created equal", in particular, is one that will have to be addressed and resolved because the economic conditions of different nations are so vastly different. At some point, the issue of fairness and balance rears its head -- and it becomes obvious that the developed nations consume far more than their fair share when compared to other nations.
There must and will be a true society of nations as an immediate predecessor to a united world of no nations. In the not too distant future, we will be negotiating with other worlds. By some accounts, various governments have already entered into treaties and negotiations with aliens from other worlds. This is only allowed to a limited degree. Worlds that are truly civilized are ONE. They have resolved any differences they had on their own planets prior to being allowed to develop the technology to leave. The same spiritual laws operate throughout the cosmos. We will have to unite our planet before our space program can truly blossom. After all, we can't be putting our garbage into the space environment like we've done everywhere else. We need to learn the lesson from nature that all other creatures learn:

• when you get out of balance with your environment, nature takes the necessary steps to bring things back into balance -- whatever they might be.

Overpopulation and pollution are the two major areas where we need to learn this lesson quickly, but we'll talk about this more in another section.
When we have solved some of our problems and unified our planet, it will be time to boldly go beyond and meet with some of the emissaries from other worlds who are watching us as we go through this critical evolutionary step in the growth of our world, the Earth. It is because this transition is such a rare step that consciousnesses from other parts of our universe are here to watch and in some cases assist. It is not such a large deal to keep Peace with other worlds, for there is already an Alliance of Worlds that our world will be able to join once we make it ONE.
But, this is still a ways off. Let's deal for awhile with more practical issues of what government needs to be in the next few years and what changes need to start happening now.

Why Government?
Government is needed because the people within society need an infrastructure that will take care of some common needs that they can't take care of by themselves on an individual basis.
Currently these needs involve things such as:

• national defense
• health
• welfare
• education (K-12), also consider college and university
• laws and their enforcement
• administration of public lands and facilities
• regulation of industry.

Many of the laws safeguard the public against harm from various products or services that are provided by businesses in the private sector. Heavy regulation is required because businesses within a capitalist economy are motivated primarily by profit -- hence, they cannot be trusted to ensure they build safe products or services on their own.
From an efficiency perspective, this is very wasteful of resources. It wouldn't be required if companies were trustworthy enough to take whatever steps were necessary to ensure that whatever product or service they were creating was safe. Competition is the key culprit, however, since the economics of the marketplace forces them to compete on a price basis as well, and this they can't do if it costs too much to make the product in the first place.
Environmental protection regulation is another key area. In most industries, pollution control is a cost of doing business only because the government requires it. On their own, businesses would not have considered damage to the environment in their profit calculations hence would not have judged any pollution controls to be worth the cost.
So long as we have a capitalistic economy that is driven by profit and competition, businesses can't be trusted. They are motivated to build whatever products they can sell and make a profit on; regardless of any assessment of true value, worth, or need for the product. Further, there is a large problem of lobbyists with heavy financial backing being paid to influence the legislators on matters related to particular industries or areas of business.

Government by and for the People
Government should be by and for the people. It's not clear that this is the case at present. Because there is no real contract in the society, government does those functions that are defined in the Constitution and the laws of the land. Most of the legislators are lawyers -- clearly not a reasonable representation of the people. Most legislators and high level politicians are wealthy -- again, not a reasonable representation of the people. Further, the legal language of proposed laws is very difficult for the layman to understand, making it tough to decide how to vote on many issues.
It is not clear how it is decided what the people need. Having an initiative process that allows any initiative get to the ballot and then voting on it to see if the people want it seems to be a very out of date way of doing things.
One major way to improve things would be to start defining an agenda for change. This would require examining what the major problems are and taking a holistic approach toward defining changes needed to address these problems as a group. In some instances, problems might be isolated; but, my overall feeling is that most of these problems are related:

• Schools - Poor education results.
• Crime - People don't feel safe.
• Health Care - Many don't have it + costs too much.
• Welfare/Homeless - Too costly/Too many homeless.
• Jobs/Unemployed - Pay too low/Too few jobs.
• Economy - Serves owners, not workers hence not SOCIETY.

From this set, a key area of concern is lack of security. The main problem is that society does not have any contracts that make us safe or in any way ensure that all individuals will be able to have enough to get their needs met. Short of developing such a contract, all that can be done is to apply more bandaids. The real problem is caused because we don't have an economic system that we as a society are committed to ensure works for all of the individuals in the country. We haven't made the determination that every family is worth whatever it takes to get that families needs met. Orders of magnitude difference in worth don't make any sense, regardless of the nature of the work! People are people. They all have so many hours per week. Differences in skills and abilities don't justify great differences in compensation -- especially when many of those differences were biological to begin with.
If we started to address issues like this, we could truly get people involved. Further, if the vote were done via an electronically connected public, the masses would truly be able to speak. The legislators would then have a directive from the people for massive change.
For most of the problems, the best approach is to find the best and the brightest people with interest in the problem to work it.
However, the group must include innovative thinkers that can bring in new ideas for massive change. The key factor in each of these problems is that massive change has resulted in systems that are unable to meet the new needs in a balanced way. There have to be answers that don't require a massive influx of money.
The greatest resource any country has is its people. We must care for these great resources, every one of them. Each is unique, and we can't afford to waste the potential fruits of a lifetime of output from anyone. Maybe the pendulum has swung too far toward individual liberty. We've become so lax spiritually that we have no moral basis to society. Perhaps our forefathers were wrong about the separation of church and state. That may have been OK when nearly everyone had a strong religious life as well. In this day and age that is not the case, however.
It seems that right functioning of society requires a spiritual component. If the religious community cannot provide this effectively, then maybe it's time for the state to step in. The bottom line is that society cannot function effectively without a strong moral basis. If this is not being taught in the home or in any religious setting that children are exposed to, then there is something critical missing in the very foundation of peoples beliefs about how they live among others. This must be remedied before problems can be addressed effectively.
Actually, what I'm talking about here is the re-creation of a society, not a government. Our problems are really society problems; and, it is not clear that the government is empowered to address or to fix these problems. Our founding fathers left a provision for this in our constitution. Maybe the time has come for a new constitutional convention, one that is empowered to create a new form of government for a society different in many ways from that of our forefathers. It's been over two centuries since they met. Perhaps it's time to once again arrange a meeting of some of the best minds in the country.
As before, they too should come with a firm metaphysical background, perhaps from some of the same mystery schools but from others as well. In any event, they should have strong intuitions and right brain skills and should definitely include women. The answers will not come from a collection of lawyers. Rather, it should come from an assortment of individuals of various economic stations and various jobs. After all, reading is not such a rare skill these days -- even though it may be rarely practiced. Access to the proper materials is not confined to the wealthy, but stretches to any who have the dedication and interest to search. Many good metaphysical books have appeared in the last 30 years. The increasingly rapid rate of change has only really manifest in the last 50 years with the greatest part of that in the last 20 years. The key people needed to make this work successfully will have focused much of their energies over the past 20-30 years toward knowing their self and will have begun to apply their knowledge for the betterment of society, either in physical terms or in terms of visions of what society could be in the future.
Yes, it is time for such a convention. However, it is not clear that people are convinced that massive social change is the only solution to the major problems we face; nor is it likely that they would give a group such as this the responsibility for determining the course of such change. Further, we are talking about change at a level where no current organization has responsibility. What we are attempting to create is a social constitution, not a governmental one. Though such a social constitution will define a much clearer agenda for the government as well. Fixing key problems, however, will involve an economic agenda as well -- and this will require enlisting the cooperation of those who control the companies in many areas as well as those individuals who control the world's wealth. Then again, perhaps it is the way they've made decisions and exercised their power that helped to get us into these problems in the first place; so, it may be time to relieve these individuals of their power and give it back to officials selected and empowered by the people. Because the government serves the people, regulatory legislation may be sufficient to encourage cooperation. Where this doesn't work, it may be necessary to use market pressure as well. We'll deal with the economy in a later chapter, however.

Challenges of Government in the New Age
The challenges of government in the new age are no different than the challenges of any group of organization that is faced with dealing with massive change on a variety of levels. However, government is seeing the brunt of this change first, forcing it to lead the way. In the following, we'll address some of the key challenges and suggest ways of overcoming them.
Lack of an Equal Enemy, What Do We Do Now?
With the former Soviet Union crumbled, we no longer have an enemy that is equal to us. The Cold War is over; it should no longer guide our behavior and decisions. For nearly 50 years one of the key factors driving our priorities for funding was the issue of national security. While this is still important, it is nowhere near as important as it had been for so long. Military power is no longer a major consideration. Yes, there are still nuclear arms to consider. These should come under treaty agreements quickly, and where possible these weapons should be eliminated to get rid of the threat they impose. Policies from the top down should be reexamined and modified as required to conform with the present state of the world. Every major defense system should be reexamined to determine if it is truly needed. Military forces should be scaled back to essential minimums. Similarly government bureaucracies should undergo the same scrutiny. Those that oversee defense work or that were involved in all the intelligence aspects related to evaluating enemy capabilities should be scaled back as well.
Economic Wars Replace Conventional War
This is a tougher area to deal with. In general, we have a laissez faire attitude toward business in this country. Free enterprise and the American Dream are idealized and nearly worshiped. We are not really prepared to treat business as war as the Japanese and some of our other competitors. However, we do have one powerful weapon -- our market for goods and services.
With a population of over 250 million highly affluent consumers, we are in a position to make or break economies of other nations.
Conventional wars may break out here or there, but increasingly these will not be necessary as a way for settling arguments or disagreements. At some point, the people of the world need to realize that aggression towards others is unacceptable behavior that will not be tolerated by the United Nations. Initially, force may be needed to teach this lesson; but, that is not the most effective way in the long run. People need to see the positive benefits of cooperation and belonging to a new world order. This requires that they be treated fairly and respected as well.
It is not clear that we want to engage in economic wars either. Prior to entering free trade agreements that allow us to compete in other markets, we should probably take a hard look at the costs, benefits, and consequences of such activities. We need to decide what place economics has in our society and whether we truly want to open our market to the world. At some point, we need to realize that an economy must reach some sort of balance in order to prevent various types of problems. We need to make sure that whatever strategy we adopt allows for a state of balance. This is an issue for the United Nations as well. Somehow, a world economy needs to be achieved that is fair to the member nations. This will definitely require some payment or compensation for past sins, so to speak. Developed nations have taken advantage of developing nations for a long time. Such behavior can no longer be tolerated. Interactions must be conducted fairly and equitably. This requires more than just getting both parties to agree to the terms of a contract.
Another consideration is that we may not truly be in a position to compete, not because our workers are not good enough, but because they are not hungry enough and do not realize the true will and motivation of our competition. Also, we need to examine whether such competition is really good for society. There is some value to competition, but there is also a cost. It is not yet clear under what circumstances the benefits exceed the cost.
Moving Towards a New World Order
Because the population has grown to a level where planetary limits have been reached, nations are no longer isolated from one another. In many areas, such as ecology, what one nation does impacts its neighbors at the very least, and in some cases may impact the entire world. It is becoming increasingly important for the United Nations to step up as a new united world order. One of the key roles for government in the next few years is to decide and get agreement on what role we as a country are to play in this new order. It is important that we cooperate and work in good faith, doing as much as we can to ensure that all nations get a fair deal in whatever negotiations and agreements take place. To prepare for this, we need to set ourself up as a prototype for the new world -- adjusting our government in a manner that aligns us with the principles to be established in the new age.
Our forefathers set us on a course for setting the foundation for a New Order of the Ages. We have not completed that foundation yet, or we would not have all of the problems we currently face. It is time we get our best and brightest together to decide what kind of an order is needed and what it will take to bring it about. If a transition plan is already in the works, it should be made known. If it does not exist, then it should be the highest priority task for the government. Actually, it should be the highest priority task for the society, and it should not be assumed that those in the government at the present time are the right people for the task. In fact, it may be that key individuals from other countries should be invited to participate. This country is to create the prototype for a world order as part of our destiny, but this is a prototype for a world order -- so, the best and brightest social thinkers on the planet should be convened.
Keeping a High Wage Society Employed
This gets back to the economy issue again. Unfortunately, one of the assumptions of our present economy is that consumers must pay full price for services and goods and the price is set by whatever the market will bear. We have no concepts about fair prices or a real worth of goods or services. An hour worth of time is worth $4 to $1,000,000 plus depending on what is done. In other countries, this can be far less. On average, the wage is about $10-15 per hour. The bulk of the spectrum is from minimum wage $6 to $60, an order of magnitude difference. The higher wages typically require increased education and responsibility.
With defense and government downsizing, large numbers of relatively well-paid professionals are finding themselves out of work with no similar jobs in industry available to employ them. The private sector has no plan for growth, since most of it is based on the market sector and with no real growth in wages and no increase in market, there is no room for additional goods and services unless they can compete with other products or services. Because of this we see unemployment up to nearly 10% in California, with no improvement projected in the future.
The fact that our wages are high also makes it more difficult to compete against other countries, especially for doing any work requiring manual labor. Our education problems have resulted in lower math and science skills and fewer graduates with technical degrees making it tough to compete in high technology work. Further, many people decide on what to study based on the income level and job potential of the degree they pursue. Under more ideal conditions, people would pursue what they are best at -- and be employed to use their skills and talents, thus resulting in high motivation, satisfaction, and performance. When people are motivated primarily by money, great inefficiencies enter the system.
The classic way for government to impact employment is to generate legislation that opens markets, encourages growth, or removes restrictions thus allowing industry new opportunities. It is not clear that such actions will work in the current environment. Industry thinks on too short of a time scale in this country. Also, the profit motivation, and greed cause inefficiencies that prevent a greater overall economic priority.
Becoming Leaner and More Effective
Doing more with less. TQM is rampant. Al Gore's recent Report on Reinventing Government goes a long way toward understanding this and defining specific steps to make it so. The bottom line is that we can empower workers to do more so that the overall job is done better with fewer people. Bureaucratic red-tape can be reduced and government employees can deliver quality services that are focused on the customers needs.
Along with this, it may be useful to redefine what government does as well. The services provided by government should be in line with what the people truly need. It is not yet clear how best to determine what government should do. The best way I can think of is to derive the functions for government from the assessment of what the New Order of the Ages will be.
Transitioning from Defense to Commercial Work
The government is already encouraging contractors to think about how to transform Defense related work into commercial work. Several contractors have actually found commercial applications for parts of their work and even developed and sold products. In general, however, it is unlikely that this will work on a large scale. There just don't appear to be enough customers, and defense contractors are not used to having to compete in the commercial world.
If the role of government were suitably scoped, there is no reason that such talents as those designing weapons could not be employed toward peaceful ends of working out solutions to some of societies problems. In particular, they could work on machines that make various tasks and activities more efficient. They could also work on basic technology required for longer term social change that is too far in the future for commercial companies to address. Much of the lasting benefits from defense work come from pushing technology beyond the state of the art and being asked to do things that cannot currently be done. This same attitude could be applied to the needs and services provided within a society as well. In particular, prototype communities could be built to determine how best to establish infrastructures that empower people to work and play effectively, and be happy. This is not that different from setting up environments and infrastructures that allow people to fight effectively. Constraints are different, and the general environment is more free, but the basic problem deals with optimizing variables under a set of constraints. Similar thinking is required to solve the two problems.

Flexibility: The Key to Dealing with Massive Change
Stay flexible! That's about the only way to deal with massive change. Trust that we have the raw material to deal with anything. After all, we have a destiny to achieve. We were the nation set up to lead the world through the transition to a new age. Our Founding Fathers knew what was in store. They were there at the first birth. We now are at the threshold of a second birth. God guides our endeavors, however. We have what it takes to get us through. And, we will get through it. How we do so, and what we experience in the transition are dependent on our choices and actions in the coming years. It can be easy or difficult. Literally, it is up to us.
One thing is certain, there will be massive change. The current problems in our country and in our world have to be addressed by more then bandaids. Those that can be corrected need to be fixed. For those that can't, we need to recognize what we did that caused the problem and then take responsibility and act in whatever manner possible to right the situation.
We are on a roller coaster ride, it's best to sit back and enjoy it. We will be safe through it all. It may get scary at times, but that is only temporary. The focus should be on the society in which we want to live. That is the final destination. However, to get there we must first define what it is. We need the dream of what that society is to be. It is from the dream that it will be made so. Such is the nature of reality creation.
The major driver for the government through all this should be to stay focused on what the people need and to provide whatever services are required effectively and efficiently. The key is to put the customer first and do whatever it takes to provide quality services. This will help ensure that the people get what they truly need. Specific organizations should be restructured whenever necessary to allow them to provide their services better.

Personal Choices and Options
You have a brain and a voice. Let your government know what is right and what is wrong at every level in which you interact with it. Don't tolerate mediocre service, demand to be treated with respect and provided with the quality services that you are paying for through your taxes. These people are employed by you to serve you. They are not slaves, however. They deserve to be treated with respect as professionals as well. Are there services that are not provided that could help many people. If so, write down your ideas and send them to your congressperson. Also, share your ideas with others and have them do the same.
On a social level, look at the society that you are part of on a local level. Is it as supportive as you would like? If not, how would you change it? Who would you live around? What kind of a contract would you establish for the mutual benefit of your local society?
Everything in our experience is a reflection of a part of ourself back to us. The best way to handle problems is to fix them in the source, not in the reflection. Think about how what you believe and what you do result in what you see, and take responsibility for your part in it. No, you did not create it all, but, you participated in its creation in some manner. Trust your inner self to move you in the way that is proper for the time and circumstance. Follow the promptings of your soul -- do what comes from your heart. We, collectively, create our reality. At the moment, we're doing a less than spectacular job, but that can all be fixed in a heartbeat. All it takes is alignment, realizing that there is a whole that we are in the process of creating that is much creator than any one of us. That creative unity can do far more than any of us could hope to achieve. However, unity requires a submission of the individual will, to the higher will of the entire entity. Note, I specifically did not say "common" will. This is not a matter of democracy. The entity created through uniting the group will be One -- it will be the collective "We", yet more than that at the same time. The synergy factor comes into play in these situations, and a new level of consciousness is allowed to enter the world in physical form. Further evolution will be guided by the expression of this new consciousness.

What One Individual Can Do!
Each individual can only do whatever their personal vision, abilities, and talents allow them to do. As a minimum, each should do whatever their inner voice directs them to do:

• If you see a hungry person and are moved by it, give the person some food. I've noticed several outside of grocery stores lately. It's a simple thing to buy an additional piece of fruit or loaf of bread. If many of us did this there wouldn't be any hungry people around.
• If you see a homeless person and are moved to help, do what you can. Advise them as to where the nearest shelter is, take them there, or take them into your own home if such feels right to you. You might also write a letter to the local government voicing what you feel about the situation and telling them what you want to be done about it.
• If you see a jobless person and are moved to help, find some work they can do in exchange for getting some of their basic needs met. Food, shelter, and clothing require funds to acquire -- and a significant amount of funds at that.

No, you aren't responsible for any of these situations of others. However, you are responsible to act as your soul dictates when you find that these situations confront you directly. They wouldn't have entered your experience if there wasn't some reason they needed to be there. There are no accidents. We see that which we need to see.
As to the future, dream of what could be, beyond limitation, beyond imagination. Focus on those areas that are most interesting to you and imagine the new world as clearly as you can, knowing that the intensity of your imagination will help to make it so. Think on as global of a level as is possible for you, then act locally in a manner consistent with you vision. "Think global, act local". Try it! It definitely works.
You are not a powerless individual in the face of a huge government bureaucracy. You are a part owner that pays for the entire government to work for us. It's not us against them, it's us helping us. The U.S. is really us.

---

[ON TO CHAPTER 4]
[BACK TO TOC]

---

beyond@redshift.com

Copyright © 1995, Wayne Hartman, Revised -- (16 Sep 95)

CHAPTER 2: THE ROLE OF THE INDIVIDUAL VS SOCIETY

---

In the Aquarian Age to come, there will be a great restructuring of the role of the individual versus society. For peace and harmony to truly manifest throughout the world, all people must be aware of the intricate web in which we are all part. Further, they must realize that all other beings are their brethren in consciousness, and that all beings together are one whole existing one planet, Earth. The time has come to move from a loose collection of independent self-centered individuals, to a true society of cooperatively interdependent Self-realized beings. Until we do this, the Age of Aquarius will remain only a dream; for the very essence of this foretold age is founded on the Unity that comes from individuals aligned with each other and acting as one.
What is Society?
Society is a group of human beings, held together by agreement for reasons that are mutually beneficial to the individual members. Societies operate as a whole, as a collective body, chiefly in ways that look out for the highest common good of all. Members have specific roles and responsibilities within the society. One of the best direct analogies is with the human body itself. The cells are all alive, independently, yet they group together and establish roles, responsibilities, and relationships that allow a greater whole to exist that is more than just the sum of the parts. The cells gain from the specific roles they play because they are allowed to be what they are more effectively. Further, they are given a limited awareness of the whole that their efforts aid in creating.
Similarly, when individual human beings group together to form societies, an organization is created in which the members are the cells. Subgroups of the members may form organs through which higher level functions can than manifest. If the relationships are loose, the body created has limited functionality over that of any individual member because there is little synergy. When the relationships are close and founded on a basis of love, the body thus created has significant functionality over that of the individuals. When the group is small, few organs can be created so there is limited complexity or functionality. When the group is large, many organs can be created, resulting in highly increased complexity and functionality.
Countries, regions, states cities, and neighborhoods could all be considered to be societies as could teams, groups, and any other organizations of people. For our purposes here, the most important society is The United States of America since it is the one established to set up the New Order for the Ages, Novus Ordo Seclorum.
Society is more than the government, however. It also includes all the economic and social infrastructure necessary to provide people with what they need.

The Contract Between Individuals and Society
Currently, we do not sign a contract with society. All that is asked of us is that we abide by the laws of the land. If we do so, we are free to go about our own business as we will. If not, and if we are caught, we pay the applicable penalty which may include restriction of our freedom. Society does not owe us anything, nor does it expect anything from us. If we become extremely needy, society may help via some social program. We pay taxes to provide some basic common services such as security, roads, law enforcement, and various social programs.
The economic system part of society has no overall contracts with us either. It does not guarantee us jobs, as evidenced by the current high levels of unemployment. When we do find jobs, we are either hired by the month, the hour or the piece. The job is worth what the employer is willing to pay and the employee is willing to take. The contract is for the employee to put in time and effort in return for wages. In many cases, there is no guarantee of continued employment by the employer, and the employee is expected to provide two weeks notice for termination. The bottom line is that getting work and keeping work is up to the individual. One exception is that unions are established to enable individuals to bargain collectively.
From this, it is obvious that at very basic levels, our society is still functioning as a very loose collection of individuals. Only basic services are provided by the government, and the free market economy is driven by profits, not by supplying the needs of individuals. As a result, we see massive problems all over the country in nearly every area of life: education, health care, crime, employment, etc. We've grown past the point where individuals or small groups can take care of themselves. Modern life has too much complexity for that. However, even though our lives have grown much more complex, our infrastructures and organizations within society have not evolved to meet the changing needs. We still have no real contract with society. This has to change, and soon -- or, our problems will literally bury us.
Pure communism offers a contract of cooperative interdependence between and among its constituent citizenry. It says:

• From each in accord with their abilities.
• To each in accord with their needs.

Unfortunately, this has never been offered on the planet in a manner where its conditions could be upheld. The USSR did not set up an economy and social structure that offered appropriate jobs that used the unique abilities of individuals and clearly did not give the people what they needed. If it had fulfilled these conditions, nothing in the world could have made it fall. Part of why it failed is that it may not yet be practical to create such a union between individuals within a society. However, it may be useful to come up with an adaptation that might work. We can get some ideas of how this might be done by looking at cooperative interdependence as exemplified in the human body and in nature.
The human body is clearly set up in a cooperatively interdependent manner. Individual cells do not have to worry about whether their needs will be met. Various body systems take care of getting food, air and fluids into the body. Other systems break the raw materials down. Other systems ensure that the proper nutrients are distributed where they are needed. Still others ensure waste is carried away. Systems cooperate to ensure that the needs of each individual are met. In return, the cell is only asked to do what it was designed to do, to function cooperatively in accord with it's abilities, taking directions from higher levels of organization as needed for the beneficial operation of the whole.
Nature itself operates in this same manner. Each individual organism is adapted to perform a unique function in its particular environment perfectly. It's simply amazing to see the beauty and diversity that arises from each being operating in this manner. Further, throughout the natural world, each individual is asked only to do those tasks for which it was designed in exchange for getting what it needs to exist. It is allowed to take whatever it needs for as long as it lives, but it may be taken itself to be consumed by another at any time. The end result is a system of incredible richness, wonder, and natural beauty.
In the Aquarian Age, this type of contract will be essential. But, it is not a contract between individuals and the government. It is a collective contract between individuals as equals choosing to create a new type of society between, among, and around them. The basic contract must be as stated before:

• From each in accord with their abilities.
• To each in accord with their needs.

for this involves the very essence of elegance. It succinctly ensures that each gives in the most effective way possible while ensuring that they get what they need in return. It couldn't be stated any simpler or more clearly.
However, for this to work we need a few terms defined -- in particular, abilities and needs. In addition, we need to be clear about how the from each and to each parts of the contract are to be executed. We'll leave both of these things until a bit later in the chapter. Also, it is interesting to note that cooperative interdependence by itself says nothing about the nature of the economic system that might be employed.

Questions of Private and Public Good
Before we go much further, we need to explore issues related to private and public good. We would prefer to preserve individual privacy and private good, yet the public good is equally important. Private good involves ensuring that each individual is provided a means for getting that individual's needs met. Needs are more than food, clothing, and shelter however. Needs encompass all areas of an individuals well-being: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Many of the problems we see in this country today stem from the lack of any responsibility on the part of society for various aspects of these needs. For the most part, meeting one's needs is an individual responsibility. The national government was only given responsibility for overall security, laws and justice, international relations, and things that impacted the whole country. State and regional governments were given similar responsibilities for more limited areas, plus education. In very few cases are there any specific responsibilities for ensuring that individual needs are met. In fact, in most cases, individual rights and freedoms are specifically called out simply to ensure that the government doesn't overstep it's bounds.
In general, what is for the public good, has higher priority than private good, by the sheer power of numbers. Majority rules is the name of the game, except in the rare exception when specific guaranteed individual rights are involved. The current governmental structure does not ensure the common good is maintained either. Political power, and the sway of industry- backed lobbyists ensure that many decisions are made in a manner that is not necessarily for the largest public good, but instead is for the good of a few companies and a few specific localities.
The economic system within society provides the primary means by which individuals exchange their labor for the goods and services that they need. It does not guarantee anything, it simply provides an opportunity. For most of the history of the United States, this has been an unequal opportunity. The medical system is a key example of where the system does not work. The costs of care have risen unceasingly over the last few decades, making many people unable to afford medical care or even the cost of medical insurance. In addition, though we have high productivity and per capita income, we still have people that are homeless and starving; and, we have many people below the poverty level.
One key reason for this is that we don't look after each other very well. All the focus on the individual has placed nearly all responsibility there as well. The limited infrastructure set up by the government doesn't ensure that individual receive what is needed to discover and develop their talents and abilities. Further, even if this does happen, the economy doesn't ensure that there will be a job within the area in which one lives that can use those talents and abilities.
Emotional needs are rarely addressed at all, unless they become large enough problems to require psychological help. School is focused on educating the mind, primarily the logical left brain. It pays little attention to emotions or to the intuitive right brain modalities of thinking and knowing.
Spiritual needs are a matter left to the churches or to the individual. An individual is free to believe and practice in any way that individual chooses, so long as the method of practice does not break any laws. For most people, this involves being indoctrinated into the religion of their parents as kids. As adults, many people leave religion altogether. As the momentum behind the New Age builds, metaphysics presents people with various spiritual principles and ideas related to the nature of reality creation. Out of this core spring forth much of the information on which a foundation for the coming Age of Aquarius can be built.

On Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness
The Declaration of Independence includes these powerful words:

• "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

How self-evident are these truths, and how faithful has our government been in ensuring that these truths were upheld? Let's take them one by one. The first truth is "that all men are created equal". Interesting wording. This does not say that they are born equal, for surely they are not. This also does not say that they are equal, for this is not true either. The differences are glaringly obvious, in abilities, in talents, in wealth, in intelligence ... and in a host of other areas. The words specifically refer to the initial act of creation only. As souls we are equal. While the wording specifically says man, that was a problem of the times. In truth, all humans are created equal. This equality applies primarily to what humans can potentially become, literally children of the creator who in turn co-create their reality. Note that this statement says nothing about the nature of the creator itself. In particular, it does not state that this creator is God. My understanding is that there is God, Goddess, All That Is, in that order. God is the One. Goddess, Divine Source, expresses the two nature, duality. Goddess expressing in line with the Will of God created All That Is. We as souls are part of All That Is.
The next few statements deal with inalienable rights. Inalienable means that these rights cannot be taken away by anyone or transferred to anyone, PERIOD.
The first of the inalienable rights is life. How can this be? Everybody dies eventually. The key is that death is not the end of life, only a transition. This is true of sleep as well. Sleep is not considered to be the death of waking conscious only a transition that we go through each night, to awaken when we arise in the morning. Our Founding Fathers were some of the brightest men on the planet -- most of them were involved in various mystery schools such as Freemasonry. You can bet they knew what they were building and that they picked their words very carefully. Remember, they were founding a New Order of the Ages, carrying out a task of great importance to the entire world.
So, the only meaning there can be for this is that we were created in a manner that allows us to live forever. Since bodies are born and die, the essence that is being referred to must be our true natures, outside of our form in time and space. We are in truth infinite beings in potential, created in the image of our creator, endowed with the potential to learn and grow and become co-creators with our own creator.
The second inalienable right is liberty. But, what is liberty? Are any of us truly free in this existence? One definition of freedom is the ability to access and act upon information. Another definition would have us be able to do that which we want to do. National security severely constrains the first. Economic and legal considerations severely constrain the second. Again, this is neither self-evident nor inalienable. To get to the real meaning we must again resort to metaphysics. As souls, we are free to do as we will, and further, we have access to all information and are free to act upon it in any manner we choose. The bottom line is equal access and equal right to free choice. The only limitations we experience are those we create for ourselves.
The third inalienable right is the pursuit of happiness. Again, looking around, it is not clear that all people in the country, or worse yet, on Earth, have the right to pursue happiness. I guess some people might find happiness in the midst of poverty and squalor, but clearly they do not have a very good opportunity to pursue happiness. The ways and means should be easier.
For the Aquarian Age, the goal is to allow spirit to be enfleshed as fully as possible on this planet. As spirit-in-flesh living in this world, the rights called out by our founding fathers become our birthright and the objective becomes to live in a manner consistent with these self-evident truths. Society's chief task then becomes one of creating the environment that allows this to be realized in flesh by all individuals on Earth, HERE and NOW.

The Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual
Before we get to rights and responsibilities, let's first consider what an individual needs in this day and age. Also, we need to discuss the difference between wants and needs.
To begin with, needs come in four areas: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.

• Physical needs are such things as food, clothing, shelter, and health care.
• Emotional needs are such things as relationships, safety, job-satisfaction, happiness.
• Intellectual needs are right and left brain education, creative expression, challenging work.
• Spiritual needs are ethics, meditation, self-realization, samadhi.

In addition, such things as play, rest, and recreation may involve two or more areas at once.
Needs are those things which an individual must have to be able to function effectively. Wants are those things which an individual desires that are above and beyond what is needed to function effectively. A form of transportation may be needed. A car may be the most effective form for providing the transportation under the specific conditions. A new Mercedes or BMW however is clearly a want, not a need. Need satisfies function. Want satisfies function + other tangible and intangible desires. As another example, a college education may be required to prepare a person for a particular job in line with that persons talents. Wanting to go to an Ivy League college to get that education is above and beyond the need. The bottom line is that society should be concerned about ensuring that needs are met where possible. If individuals want more than this, it should be up to them to do something extra to earn the privilege.
Where possible that extra should be in terms of doing something valuable for society, either by making themselves more valuable to society through additional effort, or by providing additional service to society above and beyond that required in their contract.
The primary right of an individual is to have ones needs met, through entitlement as a child, and through being provided with a satisfying means for providing one's service in exchange for the things and services or money needed to procure the things and services that one needs.

1. Each individual has the right to nutritious food throughout their life. Whenever, for any reason, they cannot afford it, it should be provided for free.
2. Each individual has the right to sufficient clothing. This should be clean, comfortable, fashionable, and warm.
3. Each individual has the right to housing. This should be safe, clean, warm, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. As an adult, the housing should be provided so that it is close to work yet close to family and friends as well. In general, the environment should be conducive to providing a lifestyle that allows an individual to be happy or at least pursue happiness.
4. Each individual has the right to health care. This should be free and readily available. It should be holistic, treating body, mind, and spirit; and should include a blend of what works best from the East and the West.
5. Each individual has the right to education. This should be tailored to maximize the development of the individuals unique gifts and talent. Education should include left and right brain components and should include basic spiritual instruction as well. Further, education should continue throughout the individuals life.
6. Each individual has the right to be employed in a manner that allows that individual's unique skills and talents to be used in a way that is satisfying to the individual and in a way that is in alignment with that individuals purpose. Employment should pay an amount that allows the individuals basic needs to be met plus includes a discretionary income to cover other needs and wants. Where possible, individuals should be allowed to work at home or in their own local neighborhoods.

Rights should always be followed by responsibilities. Since the rights we've listed are extensive, we would expect the responsibilities to be so as well.

1. Each individual is responsible to treat others with kindness and compassion and to avoid hurting them where possible.
2. Each individual is responsible for exercising discipline in their life by keeping their needs within bounds set by society and exerting reasonable control over their wants.
3. Each individual in school or training is responsible for enthusiastically and steadfastly applying energies to studies so that lessons can be learned effectively and efficiently. In addition these individuals shall devote at least 20 hours per week to community service.
4. Each individual not on training status is responsible for applying their energies and talents enthusiastically to achieve their purpose and to benefit society. Each individual shall on average apply 60 hours per week to some combination of working at an assigned job, developing their skills and talents, and providing service to others.
5. Each individual shall abide by the laws of the society, living in peace and harmony with others at all times. Any grievances or disagreements shall be brought to mediators for resolution.

The Rights and Responsibilities of Society
Once again, before we discuss the rights and responsibilities of Society, it is useful to understand the needs or society as distinguished from the needs of individuals.
The needs of Society are:

• Love: Mystics, Saints, Humanitarians, Light Workers
• Wisdom: Philosophers, Poets, Wise Ones
• Peace: Peaceful Warriors, Peace Officers
• Harmony: Musicians, Decorators
• Beauty: Artists, Designers, Evaluators
• Elegance: Efficiency Experts, Effectiveness Experts, Evaluators
• Inspiration: Master Poets, Master Artists, Priests
• Tolerance: Counselors, Evaluators
• Justice: Judges, Mediators, Arbiters
• Government: Executives, Diplomats, Negotiators, Planners, Administrators
• Economy: Economists, Executives, Leaders, Managers, Planners, Laborers
• Education: Teachers, Facilitators, Evaluators, Psychic Workers
• Housing: Architects, Construction Workers, Maintenance Workers
• Environment: Master Ecologists, Architects, Planners, Ecologists
• Transportation: Engineers, Designers, Maintainers, Transportation Workers
• Health: Food Workers, Nutritionists, Health Care Practitioners, Doctors, Mental Health Practioners

The top seven needs deal primarily with the emotional and spiritual basis for society. The next two deal with the means for resolving disputes and maintaining balance. The final seven needs deal primarily with the physical and mental basis, including the infrastructure.
The whole purpose of a society is to enable individuals acting together to do more than they could do as individuals alone. When two or more people are united in this manner there is an added synergy that allows energy to flow through the union to do its works. For a society of many, this additional energy is phenomenal -- creating changes and efficiencies of effort that are wondrous to behold. However, we have not yet seen a society of many constructed in this manner on a grand scale. Individuals have been reluctant to constrict their freedom in a manner necessary for entering into a binding contract with one another. Contracts are typically relegated to business matters only. On rare occasions groups of individuals have bonded together to jointly pursue their greater good. Here, we are talking about doing this on a scale of an entire country or the whole world. Such an enterprise has never been undertaken.
The goal is to create a new entity, a body that is composed of whole individuals instead of just cells. The result of such a creation is a physical body for cosmic consciousness itself. No one body would be sufficient for allowing its physical expression. It is only a large group of individuals united and aligned in the proper manner that creates a suitable physical vehicle. The entire group would be partitioned into smaller groups or organs, each responsible for its assigned function. Further, individuals would have their assigned functions within the various organs, systems, or parts of the body infrastructure.
One of the key requirements, however, is that each person does the very thing that person was designed to do. This is revealed in the person's purpose. A core group of beings already know their purpose. It is that group that will start the revelation necessary to build the global body -- the ONE. The birth of this body will mark the beginning the Aquarian Age.
Given this new understanding, what are Society's needs?

1. To get a sufficient number of individuals aligned and working harmoniously together to provide a form that allows cosmic consciousness to express physically.
2. To enlarge the society over time so that the new entity main gain in consciousness and eventually encompass the entire planet.
3. To stop acting in a manner that does damage to the environment and to correct damage done to the environment by man's actions.
4. To operate in Peace and Harmony.

In return, what are Society's responsibilities?

1. To assure that the needs of each individual are met.
2. To provide each individual with challenging and meaningful work that employs that individual's talents and abilities.
3. To assist in creating an environment in which all individuals are allowed to experience their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in flesh as true equals.

Declaration of Cooperative Interdependence
We hold these truths to be self evident: that all souls are created equal, that we must through determined action create the conditions that allow souls to be fully expressed in flesh, that cosmic consciousness must be expressed in a physical vehicle to enable souls to be fully expressed in flesh, that individuals form the cells of the physical vehicle required by cosmic consciousness, and that only by establishing a cooperatively interdependent society will cosmic consciousness have the vehicle it needs to be embodied on Earth.
Further we freely choose to declare our cooperative interdependence to allow for the creation of this physical vehicle for cosmic consciousness to be put into motion. To achieve this end, we establish the following contract between and among us:

• From each individual according to that individual's purpose and abilities,
• to each individual according to that individual's needs and desires.
• Always we act in peace and harmony, and as true brethren.

We are all One People
We realize that we are all one people, that whatever happens to any one of us happens to all of us. We choose to treat one another with dignity and respect, and to assist and help one another when in need. Further, we choose to live in peace and harmony, resolving any and all conflicts among us in ways that are peaceful and just. We call to cosmic consciousness to assist and guide in our endeavor so that the vehicle for the expression of the ONE can be created in the most effective and expeditious manner possible so that the Age of Aquarius can be brought forth with the least turmoil and suffering to our fellow beings.

---

[ON TO CHAPTER 3]
[BACK TO TOC]

---

beyond@redshift.com

Copyright © 1995, Wayne Hartman, Revised -- (16 Sep 95)

CHAPTER 1 BEYOND IMAGINATION: A PRELUDE TO THE CHANGING TIMES

---

We have chosen to live in some wild and exciting times. The pace of change in all areas of life is very fast -- quickly moving towards astronomical. The decade of the 90's will bring more change to our world than has been experienced in many centuries. We are riding on a wave, a wave that has truly reached tidal proportions -- and it will dramatically impact all areas of our lives, as we know them.

In the coming years, it will seem as if the very foundations of our society and our world are crumbling before our eyes. Trust your inner sensing, for this is indeed exactly what is going on. We are already seeing this happen, right now -- the weather, the governments, the religious institutions, the education systems, the health care systems, the family, the economy, the ecology of the planet -- literally all aspects of our lives are in tremendous turmoil. All of our social systems are facing huge problems, problems for which they have neither the resources nor ability to address. And, it has only just begun!

The bottom line is that we have reached a breakpoint where the core beliefs at the foundation of most of our social systems and organizations no longer work. They no longer serve us! The key factor in this is that after a long period of growth, we have reached some of the limits of our planet; limits that can not and will not be ignored. We have neglected the key principle of the Tao, balance and harmony in all things. We have forgotten that we are fellow travelers, jointly occupying spaceship Earth. And, for that, we are paying and will continue to pay a heavy toll. Whoever said that ignorance is bliss, was dead wrong when it comes to issues on a global scale.

The great seers of the past all foresaw this time. They saw it as the destruction of the world, armageddon. What they failed to understand, however, was that out of the ashes of the old, a new world would arise -- one that was beyond anything that they could even imagine, for the very foundation was so alien to them that it could not be expressed in their visions. Our perspective, now, is much wider than theirs, allowing us to dream of things that were not possible in the past, and from these dreams to manifest a world and way of being that is truly beyond imagination.

The challenges that lie ahead are monumental. But, collectively, we have everything we need to not only face, but to overcome these challenges and to create a better world, in the process, for all beings who choose to remain here. However, cooperation will have to supersede competition as the chief motivating factor in human endeavors. This will not be an easy transition for the majority of those in power at this time. We are truly at the crossroads of a new age, and it is our choices in the coming decade that will determine the character of how that age is expressed.

Yes, the current economic systems will fall sharply, as they increasingly fail to meet the economic needs of those they are meant to serve. We've already seen the fall of communism as a viable economy, at least in the form practiced in the former USSR -- capitalism is not far behind, especially as practiced in the USA. As we'll see later, the principles upon which our current economic systems are founded are deeply flawed. They do not permit a global economy that is fair to all, and they do not operate from a true sense of integrity.

The current governments will fall, as well -- for they no longer meet the needs of the governed. Here too, the cause is that the principles upon which these governments are founded are deeply flawed. But, we'll get to this later as well. One of the major factors, however, is that we, the people have relinquished our responsibility to govern ourselves, and to create the appropriate circumstances and environment in which to learn, grow, and develop to our highest potentials; and live, work, and play in a manner that is aligned to our spirits and ultimate happiness. We create our own reality! We are responsible for all that we experience! There is nothing external to blame. We are seeing and experiencing the direct results of our own choices. Yes, each and every one of us.

There is a bright side to this as well. We have chosen to live at a time in which the possibilities are unlimited. We can create our world to be whatever we want it to be, collectively -- and we can do so within as short as a decade. At no other time in history has humanity been in such a position to so dramatically change its experience of life so quickly. The speed at which new ideas can manifest now is simple awesome. Just look at the changes in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union that have occurred in the past few years alone. These are just a small sample of what lies ahead.

Now, this is unlikely to be an easy transition. But, fortunately, the overall consciousness is ready for massive change. This readiness, this preparedness, this openness will be instrumental in pulling us through. However, the way is not yet certain. The innovative ideas, principles, and social constructs required for a true New World Order have yet to be dreamed, imagined, created, explored, and made manifest.

As an individual, flexibility will be extremely important in the days to come, as will intuition and knowingness. I strongly advise that you take steps now to "know thyself", as intimately and as accurately as is possible for you. For, knowing your abilities, your talents, your capabilities, your strengths and your weaknesses -- these will be extremely important to not only your happiness, but to your very survival as well. Further, it would benefit you to begin to create mutual support groups around you. For, the interdependence and cooperation among these groups, these chosen "extended families", will also determine the quality of your life during the coming times, and possibly whether you will survive or not. Unless your selfhood is expanded to include others, you will not make it through, I can almost guarantee it.

Think of yourself as a traveler, an explorer, about to embark on the most exciting and challenging adventure that you will ever take. For, in many respects, that is exactly what you are and what you are about to do. But, make haste, there is very little time in which to prepare, and the only thing that you can bring is whom that you are. It behooves you to know just what that is. It also behooves you to know more about the people immediately around you -- for, at some point, you may need to rely on their abilities, skills, knowingness, and talents as well.

Now, those of you who need security, you may want to look deep within and find a source of security inside yourself, for in the journey ahead it may be impossible to find it anywhere outside. Security usually is accompanied by stability -- you know, like the rock; and, in the midst of all the changes ahead, such stability will be very rare, that is, if indeed it even exists at all. You may want to experiment with ways of remaining secure within extreme mobility. For, mobile you will surely be, as the adventure takes you into new lands and new worlds.

It is not necessary that you understand, or that you accept or believe, anything that I say. I offer unto you my vision of what stands before us. It is not my intent to argue with you, or to convince you that I am right. This is my vision, period. You may also want to see what some others have to say about this. I recommend that you start with Ramtha, Breakpoint and Beyond, Powershift, or Upcoming Changes: The Next 20 Years. The bottom line is: accept what you will, what feels right to you. Ultimately, all that really matters is utility. If the ideas and concepts I present empower you and enable you to act, create, and make better decisions during these changing times, by all means, use them. If not, throw them away and replace them with others that work for you.

Also, if I step on beliefs that you hold sacred, or go too far into Woo-Woo land for those of you that hold your left brain abilities in high esteem -- don't take it personally. It might help if you retain an attitude of curiosity about why I might have such a strange, sacrilegious, or foolish belief at all. You can bet that if I believe it there is some reason for doing so, and that reason is usually one of usefulness. Remember, in both science and metaphysics (or religion), truth is generally not the issue, beliefs do not deal with the realm of fact or truth. What matters is utility. Does the belief serve you, or does it not! Beliefs are tools through which we create and experience reality, period. They do not require proof. For, if there is already proof, there is no room for belief. Further, I take my beliefs seriously, as long as I hold them -- but, I also change them frequently. I'd advise you to do the same. Remember, after all, we are here to play, beliefs are our playground -- and reality creation is one of the best games around.

---

---

beyond@redshift.com

Copyright © 1995, Wayne Hartman

Behold The Old City!

In the days when my eyes were awake 

My feet stood amidst the Presence of the Elderly Spirits 

Pouring libation to our Ancestors At the Assembly where the Aged sat in council 

 Waiting to unveil the future today 

Before me was put the echo of the wind 

To carry my breath to the people with a Message 

So they may hear and listen and understand The Word as spoken from the Beginning:

 "A city set on the hill cannot be hidden!"

Arise! O my people! 
Rouse yourselves from the stupor of your slumber 
Rinse your salvy eyes with water from that deep well 
And behold your blessings upon which you sleep 
On gold have you laid your mat and pillow.


 I have raised men (and women!) amongst you
 Who I have charged to chase the night away 
As this dawn ushers in the New Day at Sunrise 
Your wrongs have I cancelled and blotted out forever 
That I may not remember your sins anymore 


My blessings today abound in manifold 
I give your children cloths of white raiment 
Your elders have grey hair and full teeth 
See and count the fruits from your sons and daughters
 Before Creation, your City was set on this Hill! 


Do not be blinded by what you see 
Neither must you let what you hear dwindle your Hope 
For unto you was the Promise made in Ancient of TIMES 
I AM the maker and keeper of the city and its gates 
Now I grant you to walk on those Streets of Gold!