modifying science for the future

A summary of the beliefs of many writers.

Thoughts on the future of civilization

In this age, those of us fortunate enough to be citizens of a wealthy country make full use of technology. We have shorter working hours, plenty of labour saving devices, endless supplies of prepared food and houses full of electronic gadgets to keep us amused. Expectations are that we will lead extremely happy lives free from hassles.

Contrary to expectations, each day we have news of suffering and frustration. Large numbers of frustrated people demonstrate against this or that and a large number of frustrated young people who can see no future in their lives are turning to drugs and violence or are committing suicide.

At the same time as all our internal troubles are becoming apparent, our affluence and heavy use of the natural resources of the world, and lack of compassion for hungering nations, are creating many enemies.

There is a fast growing number of more thoughtful people in our midst, who are worried about the way in which our lives are being guided by existing social forces. These people know a change is needed urgently, but as individuals, cannot see where to begin. They all are uncomfortable with our present life style and know if there is no change, the future will worsen to the point where it will be impossible to maintain any reasonable life style at all.

We will revert to the barbaric age.

A complete change of direction is urgently needed, but to be accepted by society without causing anyone to feel threatened, any change must be made very gradually.
Demonstrations, laws and similar actions always put some people on guard and if everyone is to be convinced of the benefits of a major change, it must take place slowly.

If you are anxious about the way our civilization is heading, the following thoughts may help you to see how you can start immediately to make a gradual but sure change.

We all have the capacity to start now. Any improvement we make to our individual life will directly contribute to a gradual improvement in the whole of civilization.

The following thoughts have been collected from various sources over the years and are providing help to me in my approach to life. I hope there is something here which will help you in your quest for a promising future.

An overall view of civilization as it is

The only real guidance being given to the general populace at the present time is designed to keep everyone spending and to want more and more amusement to occupy their minds. -- We are all subjected to degrading advertising and press releases to keep us unsettled and stop us thinkiing seriously about the type of pointless life most of us are leading. Our parliaments lack leaders who have the courage and wisdom to set standards of behaviour. Those who are in a position to guide are so anxious to gain popularity that they are influenced by every little pressure group that can gain media attention.

The extreme tolerance advocated is making us apathetic, we are not sure whether there are any standards the public will accept and we don't have the personal faith we need to express an opinion.

Human rights, freedom of speech and discrimination are interpreted in a fashion that prevents anyone expressing an honest opinion which might differ from that held by any small group.
Spiritual matters have become so contentious that they are not even discussed.

A tolerant society will soon lose all purpose and those individuals who look for guidance in their lives will lose incentive. There will be no standard to work for and life will have no goal.

A few observant people have already noted that in the U.S.A. a number of students give up study early in their lives because they can see nothing to learn.
They see no purpose in their lives and become "drop-outs".

A tolerant society will drift aimlessly into one with no goals and nothing to develop wholesome thoughts in its citizens. Eventually people will occupy themselves creating mischief and violence and slide into barbarism.

facts to guide our thoughts

We each arrive in this world as a fully conscious individual with freedom to express our own ideas and mould our own lives. At the time of birth there is an intrinsic guidance held in the consciousness of every one of us and we know we have a certain goal to achieve in this life. While we are young this awareness is fresh in our memory, but gradually, as we are affected by all the aspects of a material world presented to us, this memory recedes into our consciousness to a greater or lesser extent dependent upon the type of experience we are given.
We slowly recognise ourselves as separate beings and develop an ego. This ego encourages us to want importance and possessions and also encourages greed. The memory of our common spiritual origin, from a realm of pure peace and endless love, now has to compete with the demands of our ego. Over time these competing influences on our thoughts develop into a sense of good and evil. We need to be continually vigilant to encourage only those thoughts which are in harmony with the guidance forever held in our conscience. Our conscience always retains that initial guidance and by keeping our minds aware of our origin, we know all life is one, a unity. As we impove the quality of our own life, the quality of all life improves and we have made a start on a true improvement to the evolution of the whole Universe.

We all want to be accepted by our contempories and we become aware of the opinions and expectations of society very soon in life. This urge for acceptance is natural, but is much stronger in some people than in others and a person with a strong urge will identify with a group at an early age. There is a recognition of an affinity of minds which makes that person feel comfortable in a particular group and likely to adopt the dominant thoughts of that group, rather than recognise those thoughts developed by a personal consciousness which would help civilization evolve for the benefit of all people.

Because we are aware of a constant pressure imposed by the expectations of society to conform to its accepted standards, we need a strong personal faith and an awareness that our every day thoughts generate a power that affects the thoughts of every other life. We must always remember the personal control we possess instead of drifting along with the mob. This most important fact is not formally taught or even recognised by most educational institutions. If we are to fully develop our life as our conscience is directing us, we must always be sure that our daily thoughts are formed by own own conscience and not affected by outside pressures.

At an early stage of education, it should be mandatory that all students are taught to study their day to day thoughts and to be made aware of the power these thoughts have to affect the course of their lives and hence their contribution to the direction of the evolution of civilization.

To fully play our part in this life, we must set ouselves a goal based on our own consciousness and our own concept of the needs of society, rather than take the easy way by going along with the crowd and wasting the opportunity we have been given to mould the nature of the universe.

We may feel safe and accepted in a mob, but it is of utmost importance to have knowledge of the possessiveness and power generated by a mob mind. It is imperative to always be in full control of our thoughts and be guided by our consciousness if we are to develop as a complete, relaxed individual with a firm goal in life.

Meanwhile, many writers over the years and including the present time, stress the urgency of changing the direction that we are allowing society to take. The general trend of their opinions is that our education systems are being directed by the demands of our developing market economy, rather than aiming their educational efforts at producing fully fledged indviduals with a sound knowledge of all aspects of life.
We have been so brain-washed that most educationalists think that science is infallible and has all the answers to life. In our recent approach to education, students are being encouraged in those subjects which will make them useful units of a market economy, but with little or no skill in the social side of life.
Large numbers of authors over a long period have been warning about the ultimate effect of our one-sided education policies. They see the current unruliness and violence in the world is caused by the lack of a balanced education. People are not being taught any aspect of life which which does not have a scientific explanation The current goal of educationalists is to retain as many students as possible in the higher grades of science, mathematics and associated subjects, with little regard for the development of their social or humanitarian traits. This is resulting in students being trained solely to play their part in maintaining the market economy.

They are mass-produced robots with no original thoughts, because they have been trained to accept the present trend of society. They don't understand that they are self-centred and are using far more than their fair share of the planet's resources. It will never occur to most of them that the market economy is gradually bringing out the greed in all its citizens and will continue to do so until all available resources are used up, or until a change is made in the whole direction the more affluent societies are taking. A market driven economy promises its citizens more and more, its goal is the possession of money and material benefits, but it will do nothig to relieve the plight of under-nourished and suffering countries. The position would alter if the big conglomerates could see a financial gain in helping these countries.

Spiritual knowledge is being treated with scorn because science teaches that it plays no role in life's formation. They do not believe that it can contribute anything to the attainment of a good position and a good life-style with all sorts of material comforts, or that it can provide any of those benefits enjoyed by members of a market economy.The scientific approach deals only with those matters which can be treated by logical and mathematical methods. Non-material subjects can't be treated by using its theories, so are regarded as non-existent by those who are guided by science. Studies based on the development of relationships between people and even the basic requirements of ordinary living are treated as optional in many existing educational curricula.

For many years thinkers in our midst have known that a society deteriorates when it loses its spiritual guidance. Science, since its inception, has been corroding our belief system and now large numbers of societies have reached a point where they feel no need for any knowledge that does not help the acquisition of money and material comforts.

The more peceptive citizens suffer inner turmoil. They cannot relax because of the feeling that they are missing some important value in their lives. They feel incomplete, but because of the lack of personal faith, they do not recognise that the spiritual side of their life has not received any nurturing. They have not recognised the inner guidance they have always carried in their consciousness.

the advent of science

Following Sir Isaac Newton's development of his basic laws of physics, science received acclaim for its ability to explain natural phenomena. It was able to forecast the outcome of many processes of nature and was expected to be able, in time, to explain the reason behind the whole of our existence. Gradually it helped technological developments and was encouraged by governments throughout the world with grants and other assistance.
Unfortunately, the knowledge that was being developed by science, was also being applied to the development of bigger and better instruments of war. This latter trend gave even greater incentive to governments to put money into science and over the years this knowledge that was helping to develop technology grew into a powerful asset for any nation. Technology was synonymous with wealth.

The perception that science was so successful in increasing knowledge and seemingly would continue to do so, drew many followers into its ranks.
Some people started to believe that science would solve all problems of life and there was a disincentive to believe in a Creator. This belief in many circles has grown to the stage where it is held that, in time science will explain all we can know about life and there is a growing apathy towards the teaching of religion or any philosophies which cannot be explained by the current scientific methods.

There has been a large number of popularisers of science over the centuries and many are still operating in various parts of the media. They are starry-eyed about the achievements being made and in their enthusiasm they gloss over anything that might degrade these scientific achievements. They publicise the "achievements" of science, but gloss over its failures and weaknesses, to maintain a growing belief that science will solve all problems of life by developing its mathematical formulae. Science has not been able to devise a theory linking atoms to the development of consciousness and so ignores the existence of anything other than material matter. It recognises life as consisting only of matter and evolution as something occuring by chance. it is amoral in its study of life and this explains why some scientists are able to devote their lives to the development of weaponary such as landmines, cluster bombs and nuclear devices.Their own spiritual development has been so retarded that they are not fully developed persons.

The current belief of a major number of scientists is that life started when a "Big Bang" created conditions that led to the formation of particles which combined by chance over a long period of time, to form atoms which grew into complex forms of living matter. Eventually a being evolved with an awareness of surrounding matter. At sometime in the future, all will revert to the beginning in a "Big Crunch". Our life is a one-off lucky occurrence which gives us no control. We must take heart in the knowledge that we have scientists in our midst who will eventually find us everlasting life.

is science infallible?

The following thoughts outline a developing change in the present approach to science.They are based on opinions expressed by many writers over the last centuries and are an exciting conception which, in my opinion, should be receiving far more attention from all thinking people.

Early in the 20th. century the currently held scientific theories received a challenge from several prominent people, such as Einstein, who was developing his relativity theories. Further work in areas such as the atomic theory and the nature of light, indicated weaknesses in the adopted scientific theories. Scientists studying the make-up of atoms ran into problems which prevented the full description of the many particles they were discovering. The facts that were emerging suggested the impossibility of fully describing the properties of the particles assumed to be making up the atom, because any measurement attempted on one property affected the value of the others. Experiments were indicating that the "particles" science was dealing with sometimes seemed to be waves of energy rather than particles. Other experiments were indicating that in sub-atomic regions, any measurements of behaviour attempted on these assumed "particles" were affected by the thoughts of the persons making the measurements. The anticipation of results in the minds of the experimenters influenced the results of the measurements. The fact emerging suggested that the thoughts of the observer were part of the measurement and the two must be linked together in order to get the true picture. Events and the observer must be considered together. This was something that had been foreshadowed by Einstein’s theory of relativity.

It was a development that caused " dyed-in-the-wool" scientists some consternation because it was heading back to a philosophy akin to the religious ideas they were denying. Rather than investigating this new path that was opening up, the scientific body chose to ignore it because it did not lend itself to mathematical analysis or other accepted scientific methods. They continued along the old path with their existing theories instead of investigating the new direction being indicated. They continue to find more and more particles and hope that eventually they will find a primal particle which will explain the origin of the universe.
This approach is quite different from that foreshadowed by the new developments which were not followed up.
To a layman this latter action seemed a very un-scientific way of treating a new challenge, but the majority of "dyed-in-the- wool" scientists could see a lot of their work being queried. They also realised that the new path would denigrate the value of the mathematical formulae, which were their main tools for the development of new ideas.
In addition, if they accepted these new directions, many scientists sensed the path would require a revision of presently held theories and a consideration that the human mind and its expectations could be affecting a large part of their work. Of more importance was an indication that the new ideas were pointing towards something akin to the old established religious beliefs, which could move the present status of the scientist to something lower than a Creator.
Thus, like many of us when given a difficult decision, most scientists took the easy and known path. Everyone discovers at some time in their life that this proves to be the wrong decision.

what of the future?

Many writers believe the chaos developing in western civilization and the Universe as a whole, is the direct result of neglecting the development of spiritual values in our lives. With the stress on “scientific” knowledge and the lack of introduction to anything spiritual, a lot of young people feel their life in the world has no purpose.
Modern education is producing a race of robots with no incentive to think outside the guidelines set by the prescribed syllabi and certainly with no idea that there is a spiritual need within every one of us.

Our current social values have resulted largely from a culture which demands continual spending to maintain the economy and we are encouraged to buy masses of new gadgets and latest models, even though what we possess is more than adequate for our wellbeing. The constant strident advertising keeps us under pressure and unable to relax. We feel the pressure to conform to current social expectations, even though we have an uneasy feeling that we are not doing what our deep consciousness is telling us. This is resulting in increasing cases of stress, leading to loss of patience and a need to have everything happen immediately. .

We are trapped in a system we have allowed to develop because of our lack of personal faith.

Throughout the ages religious teachings have stressed that the acquisition of material comforts defeats the goal of this life, but we are kept in ignorance of this because it does not help our developing economy. We are not given the knowledge we need to nuture our spiritual awareness.

If we take a little time away from daily chores and TV or other entertainment and honestly try to think about the type of life we are leading, we will no doubt feel a little uneasy, because there is an emptiness about it all, and we have a feeling in our sub-conscious mind that we are omitting something important.

There is a way in which we can start to make a change. Remember that the largest changes grow from a small start and the easiest and most important start is to resolve to improve our own attitude to life and to do this immediately.

We know there is an urgent need to revise the education system and teach a broader understanding of all available knowledge with equal importance given to spiritual topics. This is not easily achieved when all the secular knowledge taught to date has taken such a hold on our thinking.

how have standards changed?

What has changed in society's values? What would you consider the most important things in your development?

If I try to answer a question like that, my thoughts go immediately to my earliest memories , somewhat confused now, but parts very vivid. Parts like old people of the family guiding me, letting me "help" them with tasks, explaining what that is, what you do with it, playing games, reading to me, explaining what other people do and how to be "nice" to them etc. Then later, in kindergarten, group games, and each morning, reciting our duties as a citizen and listening to stories being read. Most importantly, though not obvious at the time, were the periods of Sunday School where we heard stories of early religious teachers and their deeds; their belief in a life after this one, and the importance of respect for other people. Connected with all this as a sort of background, are memories of early fairy tales and legends of heroes and heroines and their happy outcomes.

I believe such early encouragement helps all people to make responsible choices and ensures growth in wisdom and strength of character. But sadly, these things are losing importance and emphasis is on learning to play with gadgets. Relationships with others are not as important, as getting on with one’s own life and becoming a successful possessor of material goods.

It is not easy to suggest a way of introducing spiritual topics to those who have not had some previous thoughts on the subject. Many parents have not had any religious upbringing and raise their children in the same way. To these the subject will be quite foreign, while there are others who would welcome a new and different guidance in their lives.

What would have been the outcome if scientists as a body had chosen the alternate path opening up, by following quantum developments and the new reasoning suggested by them?

Several thinkers and more 'down - to - earth' scientists have made experiments and developed theories, based on experimental results. Some of the thoughts emerging are exciting. They certainly throw some doubt on the accuracy of many of the treasured theories of present day scientists and give a hint of the source of all those mysterious forces which scientists have created to support many of their theories.
There might even be an explanation for the necessity for many of the earlier postulators of accepted scientific theories, to spend most of their lifetime finding a coefficient which would make their theory ’work’.
Some "un-informed" people might feel that such trial and error tests we see on TV news, where scientists are spending days trying hundreds of combinations of pipette and test tube, are necessary because there is some other factor that has been overlooked in the theories.

I wonder how many people during their lifetime have read books or articles which they found appealing and very plausible and which stirred some inner emotion, but very few people were interested enough to discuss their contents? In my lifetime I have read numerous books dealing with philosophy, spiritualism and associated topics. Some of these, mostly the type that become movies, are obviously written for the more gullible reader in order to make money and the reader must be careful about their authenticity. The rest, written by people who have a reputation to uphold, are trying to express some experience the writer wishes to pass on to the populace and often its unusual nature makes it difficult to describe by using our familiar concepts. Only after reading many such accounts the careful reader understands there is a similar experience being described by each writer, who is using language appropriate to his or her background. This is the point at which the discerning reader will start realising that there is some knowledge hidden in our subconscious mind, with a link to all other minds, but which is only accessible if we are able to concentrate on our inner being and practise blanking out all the impressions we are continually receiving from the surrounding worldly influences.

Some fortunate persons, after realising they are missing something important in life are given an intuition of knowledge which is so strong and convincing that it leads them to another realm of thinking. A person who experiences such an intuition can never be swayed by anyone doubting its veracity. This is a sixth sense which is granted at times to those who are searching for meaning in their lives and those to whom it is granted, reach an understanding which allows them to live a life that is fulfilling and a with a deep faith in the future.

In the early 1900’s when scientists accepted that uncertainty existed in their particle theories, but continued in their use without stopping to find why these anomalies existed, they made a grave error.
This decision is leading them to break "atoms" into smaller and smaller components in the hope that eventually, they will find the origin of life in a small particle. Trillions of dollars in government grants are being spent on reseach projects, such as the CERN atom smasher, and probably will do nothing to improve the future of our civilization.
Some of the more aware scientists have followed the new lines of thought suggested in the 1920's and have come up with some intriguing discoveries. They are being guided in their search for the origin of life by using philosophical and logical studies of available knowledge without needing a mathematical model. The different path they are taking is suggesting a modification to some of the theories science holds dear and so they are receiving much criticism and even derision.

An alternative to the scientific theory of life

At this juncture, it will be a help to study some of our accepted ideas about how we function as individuals.
Most people take our five senses for granted without thinking about the way each of the senses gives us our awareness of life and of the universe in which we live. We have been taught that in our everyday activities our awareness of our surroundings is dependent on the five senses we possess. We have learnt that when we look at a thing, its image excites nerves in our eyes . These nerves respond by sending impulses to our brain. Our mind then somehow forms these brain impulses into an image which is interpreted by our consciousness as the thing regarded.
It is possible to consider the other four senses in the same way. We can understand that we become conscious of form, taste, smell, sound and feeling in a similar fashion.
The way we experience these sense impressions is via the appropriate organ, which sends nerve impulses to the brain. These impulses, in conjunction with our mind, form a pattern which is recognised by our consciousness as a familiar form, taste, smell, sound or feeling. Our mind can also cause the brain to produce nerve impulses to actuate the various muscles which move our different body parts.

I believe most people will agree with the above summary, based on generally accepted knowledge,but if we continue to examine the above processes, we run into problems.

Scientists have found by experiment that electrical impulses applied to the brain have a similar effect to nerve impulses, so assume the nerve impulses are a form of electrical energy.

Here, we should consider the many uses in our lives that electricity has. We have given it a name and learnt to produce it and use it in a multitude of ways without explaining its source. This is in common with other forces used by science in its mathematical interpretation of matter. Scientists use gravity and several weak and strong forces within their atomic theories. These forces are needed to make their theories work, but so far their origin has not been determined.
When we think more deeply about our senses, we understand the impulses we rely upon are telling us there is something out there affecting our sensory nerves.
Our mind, together with memory, both of which are attributes of our consciousness, decide what that something is by comparing the impulses reaching the brain with all the events we have remembered in our lifetime and we become conscious of a mental image.
When we think more deeply about our senses, we understand the nerve impulses we rely upon are telling us there is something out there, affecting our sensory nerves. By necessity, no two people have identical impressions in their memories because they are individuals with separate thoughts. However, the majority of people will register a similar object or event.

Each of us makes our own interpretation of our nerve impulses and this interpretation is ours alone.
It can be understood that whatever object or event we become conscious of, is decided and detailed by our previous experiences.

Therefore, in keeping with previous comments, it can be said that an object or event and a consciousness must go together.

An object or an event cannot exist without an awareness of it.

The only way we can become conscious of anything is via our senses and our minds.

In every observation of a thing or event, we are an essential part of the thing or event we are observing.

Each object or event is a mental concept by necessity, but it appears as existing outside our body as part of the Universe and is a very real experience in our life.

At this point, several thoughts will be troubling us. First, if the image appearing outside our body is a mental one, what was it that actuated our sensory organs initially?

We have reasoned that for any object or event to exist, it must have an awareness in some consciousness. Therefore, the original “something” which gave rise to our awareness of “it“ out there, must in turn have a consciousness to support “it“. This consciousness is beyond our comprehension, but must be supporting whatever it is that excites our senses to tell us there is an object or event out there, external to our body.
Following this line of thought, we can see that our awareness of everything in the Universe must have its origin in something held in this overall consciousness.
Because we are in the Universe, we are in the Universal Consciousness, which creates our life and maintains our awareness of the Universe. We are forever held in the Universal Consciousness which gives us our existence and our ability to think. IT expresses itself through every one of us.
This overall consciousness is supporting us and our conception of all we are aware of in theUniverse. We must recognise IT as the Consciousness of our Creator, who is forever with us .
The old established religions were aware of this connection and explained it as the soul of man. The original simple messages which led to the establishment of religions, were given to mankind to to refresh his memory of his Divine Origin, by specially privileged Beings who retained the knowledge of their connection with the Creator, while they were living on earth. We can understand that the individal thoughts of all beings, because of their interconnectedness, contribute in their own minor way to an overall thought, which we all experience as the Universe out there
We should remember at all times that our individual thoughts directly affect the way we live and also affect the thoughts of all other people. This in turn continually decides the direction and nature of evolution of the Universe.
This awareness should make us all realise what power our thoughts possess
We must remember at all times that our ability to think is dependent on our existence in the Universal Consciousness. This is an awesome responsibility we have been given.
The Universal Consciousness is far beyond anything we can imagine by using our human values. IT is beyond our comprehension.

The universe can never be understood by examining an isolated part. The only way to gain any understanding is to examine it as a complete whole. It must be recognised as a Dynamic Entity which is never static. There is no such thing as a fixed universe. Its whole make-up is in continual flux, influenced at every moment by the conscious (thought) energy moulding it.
The Universe is a conception which can only exist as a whole and which is constantly evolving in the direction guided by the overall thought of all beings contained within it. This is a fact which we should always hold in our minds to stress the truth that our thoughts have a direct effect on the life of all beings by deciding the direction the planet is taking.

think seriously about this

Religious teachings, because of their need to be understood by all people in their explanation of life, have introduced a concept of God in a form which can be explained by using our understood values. This has tended to give an image based on our familiarity with human characteristics and we mostly use personal pronouns when referring to God. The result has been to lessen our concept of the Universal and Infinite nature of the Creator.It is impossible to describe OUR CREATOR by using human conceptions.

Our acceptance of the Universal Consciousness puts its description beyond any known form.
Our nearest concept is that it is spirit and this cannot be referred to with any personal pronoun but in our ignorance, we must use the reference IT .

a note about religion

We should not devalue true religion, which is very necessary to teach people of their spiritual origin and guide them in their thinking. This task has been made difficult because of the strong influence of science’s material teachings.
Religion helps many people to develop faith in a Higher Power which guides their lives, but those who have been subjected to scientific reasoning in their earlier education without any reference to spiritual values, need a different approach to undo the damage which has been done to their free thinking

Our individual thoughts are contributing to the present nature of the Universe which includes every other being. It is essential for us to be aware of the power of our thoughts and their effect at all times.

This underlines the insistence of all religions that it is most important to observe those laws which are inherent in our consciousness, to remember our Creator at all times and to treat all beings with love and compassion always.

recapitulating

On reflection we can see that the above explanation of the origin of life is stressing the spiritual nature of man. Our origin starts with Consciousness followed by mind and thought and the conception of matter.
The prior development of our spiritual nature and the subsequent awareness of matter and the following development of technology, gives us the ability to provide shelter and food for all beings. The next move depends entirely on our individual sense of responsibility.

I believe this is the purpose of our being given free thought. This life is given as an opportunity for us to develop our character to help boost the love which is the force supporting the whole Universe.

The extent to which we are able to achieve this determines the success or failure of our life in this world.
Remember, we have been given the ability to guide our own life and if we really desire to see an improvement in the quality of our civilization we must start it by ensuring our own life is contributing to that quality. This is the task we have been given in this life and the determination we apply to the task decides the quality of the evolution of the universe.
We can live our life with love and compassion for all beings, or at the other extreme we can lead a life which gives us individually more and more material benefits.
Most thoughtful persons live somewhere between these extremes.
We all have our own thoughts about this, but the way we live depends on our love and faith in the presence and guidance of our Creator.

In contrast, the route science has chosen starts off with a chance development of the atom and subsequent evolvement of life, producing a civilization without moral or compassionate feelings but plenty of material “benefits” for those “fortunate” enough to live in a technologically aware civilization.( “just ignore those less fortunate and use all the natural resources we can lay our hands on” )
It offers increasing material benefits with no possibility of developing the spiritual side of our being and this promises a very bleak future.

Understanding and remembering always that The Creator supports our lives, gives us hope for the future, but we must continue to direct our thoughts in a positive way, with a strictly moral backing so that we are playing our part in creating a harmonious universe. It is essential for us all to start thinking in this way, and being more critical of developments, rather than accepting them as inevitable.

It is impossible to overstress the importance of our habitual every day thoughts.
Our thoughts determine what we are and how our life unfolds, they have power and if used wisely, can transform our attitude to life. As we find relaxation and purpose in life, our thoughts will be influencing those of all other life-forms--perhaps minutely, but surely and steadily, to eventually produce that change we all know is needed.
This sounds simple enough and is something we can start immediately if we are sincere in our desire to improve society. All it takes is resolve and patience. We will notice an improvement in our own life as soon as we start a determined effort.
It is essential to listen to the guidance coming from our consciousness and apply a moral approach always.
We have been given technology and should make sure it is used wisely for the benefit of all people and not for the creation of wealth and power for a “privileged” few.

are we brain-washed?

It is most important to give all knowledge equal value in our approach to education, so that each of us, after a lot of consideration, is able to set our own values for living and not follow the mob like a lot of sheep.

We have direct control over our own lives and if we can remember the needs of others around us, we will be contributing to an overall change in general attitudes.
Eventually as more people learn of the importance and power of their thoughts in the evolvement of the Universe, and remember their permanent connection with the Creator at all times, they will be happier and we will see a change in general attitudes, with emphasis on the unity of nations and the acceptance of the equality of all peoples.

Those people who direct education must be humble enough to understand that all people can develop a full life only if they are aware of all knowledge and learn that all life is contributing to the evolution of the Universe. Excellence results in academic studies are not the only criteria of a good citizen or a good teacher. Early in a young person’s instruction, their teacher should have a good understanding of people, and of their role in the whole local community. Generally the more specialised training that a person receives, the less likely it is that they will have a sound general knowledge of life.

A good teacher must be a well balanced person, with sound general knowledge and with infinite patience and compassion.

After they read the preceding chapters, which are a brief summary of my understanding of the ideas held by very many writers, I expect people’s reactions to differ. Some will be cynical, others interested, another group might see a new way of considering life and I hope that this group will give it a lot of thought.

take a pause

What is written here is by no means any more than an introduction to a new way of regarding our life, but, I hope, will be enough to start others embarking on a new line of thought. The most important thing is to remember the fact that we are never parted from our Creator and we can get Infinite help by turning our thoughts to that Presence.
Remember - how we think and live as individuals is affecting the whole of life in the Universe. The power of our thoughts and the power of prayer are closely related.

I believe the above outline is compatible with the basic teachings of all main religions and those persons with a Christian background will recognise a similarity to the teachings of Jesus. (power of thought in the Sermon on the Mount --- Kingdom of Heaven is within you etc.)

I can guarantee that habitual thinking about our spiritual role and the supporting presence of our Creator, will make a marked change in our attitude to life. In my case it may not sound spectacular to other people, but looking back over the years, I realise a gradual change has occurred in my attitude to events. I no longer get impatient or frustrated when things don’t turn out the way I plan, but make a mental note that there is probably a reason, even for the smallest annoyances. (Often, looking back on such an occurrence I realised that things had worked out better than the way I had planned and I had learnt another lesson ).The most important development for me is that I have far more patience and do not suffer from the stress and continual headaches that plagued me in my earlier life. There is also a big improvement in my patience and interest when I am with other people. We will always have more to learn.

reverie

Earlier this year, a friend of mine who lives in New South Wales with her family, was having health problems and was sent to a breast cancer specialist, as part of a check up. The specialist diagnosed a serious type of cancer which necessitated the removal of a breast. All her family were devastated and they spent many hours praying for her recovery. When they went to a clinic for further health tests the next morning, the staff were not able to detect any cancer, but sent her to a dermatologist who found she had a skin trouble which was easily treatable. There have been many reports of cures by prayer over the years, but this one was particularly important to me, because it happened to a person I knew and trusted.

In my early years I attended a local suburban church which had been built in the 1830’s and which had three windows at the rear of the altar. Each window had a text written in Gothic characters on its upper surround and the text over the centre one read “God is love”.
This puzzled me for years, because I reasoned that ‘love’ was a verb and no one could be a verb.
This has stuck in my memory for over 80 years but a few years ago, I realised that if God is our Creator, is always with us and readily accepts us when we turn to Him, no matter what mistakes we make, that is the only way we can describe Him. He is infinite love and it is His creative energy that is keeping all things in existence.

Sadly, when I revisited that church a few years ago, I found that someone had painted the interior in a light-coloured paint and in ignorance, had painted out all the texts.

No two persons can have identical reactions to what they experience each day, but we all have a role to play.
By always keeping control of our thoughts, each of us can make an improving contribution to our own future and the future of all civilization.

remember
All life is mutually dependent and exists eternally in the Consciousness of our Creator.
The Spiritual Realm of our Creator is eternal love, serenely peaceful and timeless. Violence does not exist.
We have full control over our lives, with guidance forever in our conscience to control the demands of our ego.
We have been given this life to help boost the love in the multitude of thoughts directing the evolution of the Universe.

All strife, violence and force existing in our universe has evolved from the thoughts of myriads of life-forms that have allowed their egos to guide their thoughts instead of realising their spiritual origin.