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Growth Online		 Society's Movement Toward World Unity
 Knowledge Base
by Roy Posner and MSS

 

What World Unity Is
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World Unity as Evolutionary Destiny
World unity is the evolutionary destiny of the world.

Goal of Humanity is Unity
 The goal of humanity now, as it has been from its ORIGIN, is unity of diverse groups. (MSS)

Unity and Oneness
Unity and Harmony are manifestations of the source spiritual quality or aspect we call Oneness.

The world is moving toward greater unity and harmony. 

The unity of the peoples of the world would become deeper and more profound, more encompassing, as we evolved as a species. 

Our Destiny of World Unity
Ultimately there is the Oneness of the world that is trying to emerge. A Oneness of heart among the people of the earth; and understanding that we each have a spark of the Divine within ourselves, and that another's spark is as relevant to ourselves as our own spark. World Unity and Oneness is our destiny, and the current difficulty is an important marker and milestone along the way.

World Unity as Expression of Unity of the Divine Source
The Divine Source of all is unified in all aspects of being. In the evolution of life in the universe we rediscover that inherent unity. It expresses through ever greater levels of world unity.

Unity Within Diversity
Sri Aurobindo spoke of "unity within diversity". In terms of nations we can say the world is moving towards world unity, all the while embracing the full rich diversity of every member nation.

Sri Aurobindo and World Unity
Sri Aurobindo, the Indian sage and visionary wrote about the inevitable movement toward world unity and harmony in his voluminous writings including The Human Cycle and The Ideal of Human Unity. In fact many of our own conclusions have their roots in insights and trends that he envisioned so many years ago, and which are interestingly more relevant than ever today. For example, over seventy years ago he envisioned a united Europe, and then later a united world. 

See Thoughts on the Evolutionary Destiny of the World

See Thoughts on Unity and Oneness in Society


Methods and Stages of World Unity
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Methods by Which Unity is Achieved
Unity is achieved by coexistence, cooperation, coordination, partial integration, and full integration by complete assimilation. (MSS)

Harmony for Individual, Society
Just as a human can evolve to create harmony and integration of his being, so society is moving toward unity and harmony.

 

Movements Toward Human Unity
 -Just as an individual can grow and evolve, so can an institution, a nation, and the world itself. In other words, the world, like the individual, is undergoing its own growth, development, and evolution. 

-Likewise, just as we as individuals can progress and evolve by creating a higher level of unity and oneness with others and the world around us, so can institutions, nations, and the peoples of the world. As the world moves in that direction it is in essence moving towards higher levels of world unity.

-There are many levels of world unity, ranging from the political to the economic to the social to the cultural to the psychological to the spiritual. The European Union is a recent example of political and economic integration, as was the UN earlier on. We are for the most part now at a relatively early point of political and economic integration and unity.

-If we deeply bond with the social and cultural values of other peoples, we will be taking an even greater leap towards world unity. Look for that to occur in the coming decades. Beyond that is the psychological unity of the world, where the peoples of the world are so connected with one another that their shared purpose and emotional intensity toward one another is as great as one might feel towards members of one's own family.

At the spiritual level of world unity, there is the greatest bond and unity, as we have a shared experience of the Spiritual Reality, which reveals our ultimate purpose of life on earth, and an extreme delight and joy of being.

Stages of World Unity
The world is moving to ever higher forms of unity from economic to social to cultural to spiritual. We are barely well into the first phase, yet there is a rapid movement underway towards these ultimate goals. Economic globalization, the UN, the European Union are merely the first signs of greater forms of world unity, culminating in a Divine life on earth.

 

 

Trade as Preliminary of World Union
Now that Nature has completed one round [of its evolution of civilization], all the different aspects must be brought together as a whole on earth. Sri Aurobindo says it will come about as World Union. Trade is now globalize. It is a movement of bringing all of the nations together in the field of trade. It is a natural prelude to a united humanity on earth. (MSS)

Conflict Economic Globalism and Energy Issues Bring World to Higher Unity
 The conflicts of the emergence of economic globalism is bringing the world to greater world unity. The issue of energy and oil supplies does the same.

World Unity Now Shallow
The movement toward world unity is only shallow at this point. We care for others in other countries mainly because of the trade and economic benefit we derive through out interactions. At a higher level of unity we would care about their culture. At a higher level still we really care about the well-being and happiness of people in that country as we would our own community.

Stages of World Unity
World unity goes through several stages from physical to vital to mental to spiritual, which explicitly manifest as a sequence from military to economic to social and cultural to spiritual unity of Oneness. We are currently barely into the economic stage.

Movements Toward World Unity
This movement from a kind of tolerant cooperation, to a deeper collaboration, is a movement of unity between nations; in this case of economic unity. The same applies to political unity, cultural unity, and even a spiritual unity.

In a way you can say it's a movement from self to other; from Ego to Whole. From the self and ego of the nation itself to the whole of the integration with neighbor and to the world at large. I think each country goes through this in relation to every other country. 

This also implies that in it own development within itself it moves towards higher levels of integration. So the nation itself just like the individual becomes more integrated. This then creates the personality and character of the nation, which then integrates with other nations on the world stage. If we can evaluate nations and the integration of nations this way it will greatly help us develop more positive strategies that will lead to greater integration and unity.

 

World for the Individual; Individual for Collective All
The ever-increasing interconnectedness of the peoples of the world is a sure sign of an ever-accelerating world unity.

There is a dual movement in the world; the empowerment and fulfillment of the individual (i.e. the perfection of "the one") and the unification of the people's of the world (i.e. perfection of "the many," the collective).

Social unity evolves from the vital impulse of commerce, travel, and interaction (where we are as much concerned by what we get as what we give) to higher impulses indicated by our identity of the needs and concerns of others as to opposed to what we get in return (e.g. concern for economic prosperity of others, their political and social stability, their culture, interests, even their accomplishment, happiness, and joy. At the higher spiritual level of impulse their is a complete identity and oneness with other societies, where there needs cannot be separated from our own.

Sub-social units are evolving similarly. For example, family unit may be evolving similarly, where we evolve from our main concern for only our own families, to other families, friends, and associates beyond. Businesses are most successful when the leaders are not merely concerned with their interests (sales, profits, success), but with the concerns of the customers, and even more so to their own employees. Total concern for employees brings the business to a state of unity, which can attract infinite accomplishment.)

"All for one, and one for all." (Dumas)

 

Sri Aurobindo's Multi-Faceted Dream

The great seer and sage Sri Aurobindo imagined five steps that would usher in the evolution and transformation of humanity, enabling what he called a Divine Life on earth. The first was the emergence of Asia into prosperity and cultural influence. That has surely begun, especially in the past decade or so. Her influence upon the thought of the world is bound to grow by leaps and bounds in the years to come.

The second was the prosperity and emergence of India. That too is well under way. For until she attains economic well being, she cannot ascend to her rightful role as the spiritual Guru of the world -- another of the five steps Sri Aurobindo dreamed of.

Another mighty step towards a spirit-base Divine life on earth is the emergence of human unity, which is presaged by world alliances, culminating in world governance. The European Union (EU) is perhaps the first major step in that direction in that it creates an alliance and unity of closely aligned nations. In the EU, disparate cultures are attempting to align themselves for collaborative purpose and action.

The emergence of a world parliament and perhaps a collective security force like a world army to solve global issues could be further steps in the march towards a unity of nations and the world.

There is also a spiritual component to Sri Aurobindo's vision. One is for India and one for the individuals of the earth. For India, she can rediscover and expand on the spiritual wisdom of the ancient Rishis -- perhaps the greatest collective spiritual experience and wisdom ever known to Man -- and apply it to the economic, social, and cultural life of her people. In that way, India can become a living laboratory of the power of the spirit in the modern world. If she succeeds, she will surely take her rightful place as the Guru of the World.

Finally, disparate individuals around the world can begin to know the spirit in their individual lives, discovering it within in the depths of their being down to the evolving Soul, and by opening to and surrendering to the descending spiritual Force that is there in the atmosphere. In the process, they will invariably transform aspects of their being -- mental, psychological, vital/emotional, and physical -- and develop capacities to attract good fortune from the world around them. When a cadre of such individuals emerge, then they will create the fifth and final condition for a Divine life on earth to come about.

The emergence of Asia, the prosperity of India, the movements towards world unity, the spiritual emergence of India and her ascent to become the Guru of the world, and the emergence of a group of transformed spirit-oriented individuals are the intervening steps that can usher in a Divine Life on Earth, fulfilling Sri Aurobindo's dream for humanity.

Movement toward World Unity in History Periods
In his recent vast commentary on Pride and Prejudice (Book II, Chapter 19) Karmayogi on the subject of the evolutionary movements, institutions, etc. on the way to world unity says:

On earth the progress started in India, traveled via Greece to Italy and Europe till it reached America.
India started with the spirit and reached the penultimate stage.
Greece took up Mind and its thinking faculty.
Rome developed vital power.
Europe gave the power of thinking to every Man alive.
America took the Mind to impact on physical work.
Next, all of them are to be united so that the ultimate height of the spirit can be reached.
Its basis is the global, territorial unity, a human unity symbolized by the world government.
Its basis is global institutions, especially the financial institution.
Spiritually Man shedding the dividing ego is the starting point. (MSS)

See Thoughts on the Evolutionary Stages and March of History

 

 

Recent Developments in World Unity
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Vast Evolutionary Profess in Last Fifty Years
The last 50 years has seen a vast development of the mental consciousness, surpassing the previous 500. Humans are ever more frequently having subtle and psychic experiences indicating a movement towards higher mind. The greater globalism, through greater economic development and dependency, increase in communications and media, indicate an accelerating movement towards the outer oneness of life.

End of Cold War and World Unity
The end of the Cold War because is probably the most significant event in the last twenty years. Obviously the agreements between the US and the former Soviets has reduced tensions greatly in the world. This allows more of the world to live out its potential; unfettered and reigned in by the ideological conflicts of the past. 

I think the most significant thing in this regard is that this is yet another step in the movement toward human unity, which I believe is the greatest underlying force and movement in the world. The end of the Cold War, economic collaboration, cooperation, and integration, the emergence of the European Union, the interest in the world's environment highlighted by the Kyoto accord, and other global associations and agreements, are all further signs of a movement of the world toward greater world integration and unity.

At Growth Online we talk a lot about the development of the individual. How a person unconsciously or consciously, very slowly or very quickly, moves in the course of one's life towards a higher state of being and consciousness. This is normally referred to as  "personal growth," or even "personal evolution." 

Well the world is going through a similar process; a process that also takes place consciously or unconsciously, quickly or slowly, to higher states of growth, development, and evolution. 

I believe that the events I just mentioned are further indications of the world's growth, evolution, and even transformation. Furthermore, just as the destiny of the individual is to integrate the different aspects of one's own self, so the destiny of the world is the integration of the many aspects -- social, political, economic, cultural, and spiritual aspects -- of its being. That overall resulting movement is toward world integration and unity.

Gorbachev and World Unity
 Gorbachev's unilateral action to destroy that side of the power bloc opened the world arena to World Unity. (MSS)

Levels of Collective Change in Consciousness in the World
Is there a collective movement in higher consciousness under way?

Undoubtedly we are in a new age where a new consciousness is emerging. It is happening in ways that for the average person are too subtle to be perceived. Even for the conscious person, it is happening in ways that are beyond the spiritual traditions or even the New Age movements. That is why Sri Aurobindo's perceptions of this new world are so helpful, because he lays out the general parameters so clearly. Karmayogi has extended this knowledge into the major fields of life.

If it is a collective movement, it is certainly not a conscious one. That is why I listed out several of the outer manifestations of collective change, because it can be more readily seen there. For example, people are speaking about the environment with one very strong, even loud voice. It is a great development, but only the most surface form of collective unity. It addresses the purely physical plane of existence. When humanity address the psychological issues -- i.e. the fulfillment of the individual, the encouragement of his full potential, the overcoming of all problems that impede his progress, etc. -- then there would be real collective progress. In other words, we would be collectively sharing the need to embrace the deepest of human values. Environmentalism addresses physical values of cleanliness, security, etc., not the deeper psychological values, let alone spiritual values. Still it is a significant step.

Spiritual values of Harmony, Unity, Oneness, Love, Wisdom, Delight, Timelessness, Infinity, Peace, et al are the deep beliefs that would be embraced for a true spiritual evolution. That is an evolutionary leap beyond; though it can infiltrate earlier forms of collective progress.

We can also see evolution along a spectrum from political to economic to cultural to spiritual unity. We are well under way towards economic unity, with the others hardly addressed.

It is in outer events/unfoldings that we can see the inner appreciation of values. The Internet is a perfect example, as it embraces the deeper aspirations of man. The common man does not see the deeper values that the Internet represents. 

Perceptions of deep human values at the collective level would be a great sign that human evolution is on its way, and is being shared, communicated, and embraced. It would be a great step in human evolution.

Of course, the overcoming of ego, ignorance, exclusiveness, possessiveness, separateness, et al; plus the purification at the physical, vital, mental, and spiritual levels of the person are the essential steps of progress for the individual. They would readily contribute to the general collective movement forward; to the progressive evolution of humanity.

Human Unity and the Global Financial Crisis

Aside from focusing on the methods that will precipitate individual evolution and transformation, Sri Aurobindo was equally concerned with the social evolution of life on earth. In fact, they each played off one another. In practical terms, he recognized a social process unfolding amongst the nations of the world that resulted in ever-increasing world unity. That collective movement echoed transformational developments of the individual human that together would usher in what he called a ''Divine Life on earth."

At the collective level, these developments occur in fits and starts because man is not conscious enough to bring about change through positive means alone. The negative is often the greatest spur to change, and in that sense can be thought of as a great positive in disguise. For example, in the wake of the devastation of WWII, many new organizations and associations were developed to prevent the reoccurrence of that tragedy -- the UN, NATO, and the Marshall Plan being several amongst many. It was also subconsciously a movement toward human unity concentrated into a few years that without the negative that preceded it might have taken centuries or even millennia to occur. As we see, the negative can be a vast spur of positive developments in life.

And so recently, when I watched two interviews on the US TV show Charlie Rose, I was reminded of this fact. First, former Secretary of State and global strategic thinker Henry Kissinger pointed out that the current financial crisis can be seen as a positive in that the major nations of the world -- including the US, the EU, Russia, China, India, and others -- are gradually forced to work together to solve ever-increasingly complex global issues. Separate, they are doomed, but together they have a great power to affect vast, new collective change, mimicking the period following WWII. In that sense, he was surprisingly optimistic, considering the current situation, indicating that he had a higher vision of things. He, in essence, semi-consciously perceived new openings in civilization's march toward global unification.

Immediately after, Michael Porter was interviewed in which he stated that the US has never had a strategic vision of how to improve itself, and that the current global financial crisis was forcing it to work collaboratively and centrally to resolve its national problems. Instead of the piecemeal and reactive approach to development, external conditions were forcing the US to confront what she has been unwilling to do till now at the economic and social level. Thus, the US was now finally ripe for a holistic, integrative, and comprehensive strategic economic plan.

The host Charlie Rose then commented how both Kissinger and Porter had come to the same conclusions in their two interviews. That the global economic crisis was forcing dynamic change upon the world. I noticed the very same thing as I watched the two interviews broadcast consecutively. And when Charlie expressed this thought, it made me happy because it reaffirmed a lifelong dedication to Sri Aurobindo's vision of an ever-increasing unity amongst the nations and peoples of the world. That unity in fact reflects an evolutionary urge toward higher consciousness through personal and spiritual growth, which are themselves harbingers of what Sri Aurobindo calls a Divine Life on Earth.

 

The Current Financial Crisis and World Unity

The financial crisis the world is going through is also an indication that greater human coordination, cooperation, and unity amongst the nations is under way. Each major crisis humanity goes through, such as WWII, is followed by a level of greater harmony that wasn't there before. E.g., NATO, UN, WTC, IMF, ASEAN, etc. are all harmony-creating social institutions that came about as a result of the calamity of World War II. Without such crises, it may have taken hundreds of years for such organizations of human cooperation to have emerged -- if ever.

As we now see in 2009, the Europeans are once more going through this dynamic via the current world financial debacle. Sixty years ago after WWII, the European Union began to emerge as an economic and quasi-political unifying organization. However, current circumstance is forcing that institution of greater harmony to forge even closer ties and bonds. As the pundits have pointed out, currently there is no real coordinating system within the EU framework to cope with and resolve the financial crisis, as each county pulls in its own direction (an echo of what those nations did previous to WWII, enabling the rise of the fascist juggernaut). But current events are forcing the EU to forge closer ties to resolve the issues, which will further solidify EU economic, political, social, and cultural bonds longer term.

Thus, we see how life, i.e. Nature, works. She creates difficult situations, such as a great war or a great financial crisis, to enable greater cooperation, coordination, and integration among the members. It is through this process that ever-greater harmony and unity is established in the world -- whether amongst the nations of the EU, the states of the USA, the countries of Asia, or the total collective of the world. It is this slow and difficult method of Nature -- 'Prakriti' in Indian parlance -- that we arrive at ever-greater levels of human collaboration and harmony. It is through this process that we arrive at our ultimate collective destiny -- human unity.

Thus, we see that the negatives we perceive -- such as the current financial crisis -- can actually be seen as a positive in disguise: a difficulty that is in reality a vast opportunity for human progress, evolution, and transformation.

 

Negative Events Forge the Unity of Nations 

Life has a character, which expresses in a myriad of subtle ways, and is captured in a variety of astonishing-like principles and laws. One principle (that can only be readily understood from a higher mental or spiritual point of view) is that everything that occurs in life is essential for its progress, including the good and the bad, as well as the great and the small.

Another closely related subtle law of life is that the negatives that occur are actually positives in disguise, as they are often the single instrument of great progress for the individual or collective, often exceeding the benefit that comes from a particular good.

In The Lord of the Rings we see how the "bad," represented by the evil kingdom of Mordor, becomes the very force that compels the races to come together for short term as well as long-term benefit. I.e. Life compels them to cooperate and combine their efforts to overcome a common evil enemy, and through that process, they establish a long-term closeness, commonality, and unity that never existed before.

In the story, kingdoms that mocked and chided one another in the past are compelled to work together to combat their evil foe in the present. Each are forced to give up their ego, their sense of separateness, their particular limiting attitudes toward one another in order forge a common force that not only prevails over the enemy, but establishes a deeper, long-term bond among them. Left to its own devices, such an outcome might have taken centuries, millennia, or never at all to come about.

This is the same dynamic that occurred in the real world in WWII, where the individual nations of Europe were compelled by the malevolent German enemy to give up their individual egos to work together to secure the victory. In the wake of that monumental effort that produced so much suffering, the United Nations was formed, as was the European Union -- two transcendent historical developments that ushered in the next phase of human unity. Again, it might have taken centuries, millennia, if ever for these profound development to have occurred.

That very same dynamic unfolds in the film Avatar, where the nations of Pandora, separate and reluctant to integrate and unite, are compelled to come together to combat a common enemy, forging a closeness of relationship that never existed before. Without the hostile forces, the negative, this overwhelming positive might not have ever come about.

One question that arises from this perspective is why does the negative have happen to these good people in the first place? if they are on the good side of things, why should they suffer? Is it just the pure evil of the adversary, or is it something on their part as well?

The negative occurs to the "good" parties because of their previous and current unconsciousness -- whether the peoples of Middle Earth, Europe, or Pandora -- which attracts severe negative conditions. Because of the limitations in their attitudes towards fellow peoples; because of their self-admiration in their own selves and way of life; because of their persistent reluctance and unwillingness to cooperate; and because of their false, selfish actions of the past, they attract negative circumstance in the form of the dark forces trying to destroy them.

However, in each case they are able to overcome the adversary by bridging the gap between them, overcoming their selfishness, and binding together to forge a level of cooperation and harmony never known before to defeat the enemy.

Nature's Way then is to progress through difficulty and pain; through the contradictions and strife between parties. Often it is occurs between two parties where one is mostly in the wrong and the other is partially so. And yet without the negative side, there can be no further progress for the more positive side, just as the positive side compels the negative to give up its limitations.

One question that remains is whether there is another way out of this process, this difficult method of Nature. The answer is that when we rise in consciousness, we can develop a level of awareness and make conscious decisions that can preempt the negative from coming about in the first place. That is, we are so positive in our outlook that we do not attract the shadow of the negative against us. Then we progress and evolve not through Nature's way of contradiction and conflict, but through the way of Soul.

 

 

 

Ancient & Modern Spiritual Wisdom Emerging in the World
India and China have cultural and spiritual values that are deep, penetrating, and profound, and yet the West caught up in its semi-rational modernity can hardly perceive it. The Upanishads, the Vedas, the Gita, the Tao te Ching, et al, plus all of the spiritual evolutionary Eastern teachings of the modern era can allow the world to fulfill the individuality that the West championed for humanity.

Asia will outgrow its current superstitions -- religious and material -- and discover the profound basis of culture that is at its roots. She will also take the evolutionary Science and perceptions of the West and integrate it into their subtle, spiritual view, opening open up a new era of consciousness and awareness for humanity.

The Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo presaged this all 50+ years ago, and the world is now taking its first small major steps in that direction. Cultural, social, and spiritual integration will follow the current economic basis of unity rising in the world. When the spirit is applied to the details of life, then the ancient wisdom and modern evolutionary spirituality will begin to take hold, ushering in the next stage of human evolution.

 

Emerging World Unity Amidst the Chaos (2006)
 On the surface, it seems like the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Actually, such disturbances are indicators that we are accelerating towards greater world unity.

The threat of the annihilation of the entire world was eliminated for the most part by the end of the Cold War. This was a vast leap for humanity. When Gorbachev disengaged the failing system from within without bloodshed, he took the world across a great threshold. Now the other, smaller problems of the world have reared their heads, hidden from view in the shadow of potential world annihilation. There are so many of these difficulties to be solved: with poverty, disease, terrorism being the most noticeable. Even conflicts on these fronts indicate that through the resolution of these issues the world will further progress, develop, and unify.

The problems of the Arab world, Africa, anguish, poverty, et al have seen ignored for decades, if not centuries -- particularly recently in the umbra of the Cold War. It is the most obviously unorganized part of the global system. With the end of Cold War hostilities, they can finally be addressed, and with it will come not only greater economic unity, but greater political, social, and cultural harmony and integration amongst the peoples of the world.

We must understand that this is the Hour of the Unexpected. All unknowns become known; with impossibilities becoming possibilities. One hundred years ago, the Europeans laughed at America at her crudeness and backwardness, and now she is the most prosperous nation in the world. Similarly, this was the view of Ireland a quarter century ago, and now she is booming. Likewise, for 100 years, the West has ignored or laughed at India and China, and now they are rapidly moving toward prosperity and serious global influence. The still ignore the East for her vast social and spiritual contributions to the world. Now the rest of the world laughs at Africa and the Middle East. I say they both will be well on their way to great prosperity within 25 years. In fact, they have to -- not only for their sakes, their own stability, but for the sake of the world, for its stability, and ultimately for its further progress, harmony, and, yes, its further unification.

The Force of Nature is pushing the world towards its further evolution; including the movement toward global human unity. The only question will be whether it will be through conscious evolution, where we use our power to create our own future, or through the slow and difficult path of Nature; of division and duality, of progress through conflict. On the surface, it seems the latter is the case, but if we penetrate below what our senses tell us, we will see that there are forces at work, movements afoot, that are bringing further progress and development through conscious choice. It is quietly occurring through the thoughts and actions of conscious and enlightened individuals, who are shedding their superstitions, discovering the wider truths of life, i.e. they are becoming rational, and are even beginning to go beyond the intellectualism of mind and tap into the spiritual dimensions of life, where all problems can instantaneously be solved through genius like solutions. As the people who live at the surface acquire this capacity, or are influenced by those who live at these deeper levels of life, the world will begin to wake up. At that point, the world will consciously move forward toward speedier and more harmonious progress, which will enable the further social, cultural, and spiritual unity of life on earth.  

 

Oil Crisis (2006) and Human Unity
 Oil is the fuel that provides much of the material energy for society. The fact that there is contention and crisis over the availability of oil is both symbolic and an indicator that there is something amiss elsewhere. It is an indication of a lack of harmony in society.

Sri Aurobindo says that all problems in life are problems of harmony. Never was this more true at the material level of society than the issue of oil. Nations vie for it now at one another's expense. Each country selfishly seeks it in the name of survival. It is a problem that can be solved through higher levels of harmony amongst the nations of the world. We need to move from self-interest to global interests; from our own needs to the needs of the collective of nations. It is requires a movement from ego to oneness.

Oil ironically serves another purpose. It gives us the opportunity to move to higher levels of human unity. For the oil problem is related to so many other problems: our lack of concern for the environmental well-being of society; a 100 year old distain for the nations who produced the oil; the oligarchies and fundamentalism that has arisen in these oil producing states; the poverty and misery in these and other countries where so much oil money flows; the inability of industry to have the will to develop methods of energy efficiency; and so on.

As we address these issues, we have the ability to enable rapid progress in the world. Oil forces us to look at all of these issues and get to their root cause. As we address these issues, we take major steps in human progress, as we make our way towards our evolutionary destiny -- human unity. 

A Cycle Completed After the Cold War (2007)
When the Cold War ended, the West, and in particular the US misread it. It thought it was a complete victory, compelling it (the US) to unilateral action thereafter. The Russians at the time were compliant. Now BusinessWeek and other report that the hot new market in the world is Russia, even beyond India and China, especially when it comes to original scientific thinking, thereby worthy of considerable investment. This comes as Putin speaks loudly and vociferously against a defense system in Europe -- fully backed by China, and reinforced by Gorbachev. It is as if a cycle has now run its course. The failure in Iraq parallels it on the downswing. This strikes me as a significant step towards world unity at the political and economic level. It is an important power redistribution that I think is critical for the march forward. I admit there may be bumps in the road. It may also indicate that the US is ready to lead the way through an inner progress, not just wild uncontrolled outer activity it self-justified in the wake of the Cold War.

 

Overcoming Poverty Helps Fulfill Humanity's Evolutionary Purpose on Earth
 If we look around the world we will see that poverty is driving all instability in society. Whether it is a near-slave laborer in China producing Western goods at a pittance salary, the 30% unemployment amongst young men in Baghdad and other parts of the Middle East, the fight over territory and resources in rural Africa, or the impoverished individuals stumbling out of the disaster of hurricane Katrina in America, poverty is the root cause of most anguish and insurrection -- including terrorism -- in the world.

Poverty should be attacked as a global problem more nefarious than even terrorism. The war of terrorism should be accompanied by a war on poverty. A rapid reaction force against the evil of terrorism needs to be accompanied by a global rapid reaction force against the scourge of global poverty. One without the other will prevent either from succeeding.

A plan to fight poverty involves the activation of thought, i.e our mentality. It is easier to revert to physical brutality to step the symptom. It is easier to get anguished and rail against two sides in a conflict such as we observe in the war in Iraq. It is more difficult to be rational, exercise our minds, and come up with comprehensive plans for development that will end or at least substantially reduce poverty on earth. Without doing so, the physical and vital individuals and forces will gain sway, and will continue in their brutality and rage -- whether the unemployed poor, or the Western powers that seek to repulse their violent outrage.

To come together to develop plans of development that ends poverty requires the giving up of ego at all fronts. The national ego that is self-assured must be given up in order to cooperate with other nations. The self-righteousness of individuals who take sides must be abandoned to cooperate for this higher purpose and good.

Man is meant to move to ever-higher states of harmony. It is his evolutionary destiny. Poverty provides one such opportunity. Before WWII, the nations of the world were unconscious. They did not cooperate. In fact, the financial powers engaged in speculation that drove down the world's economy and gave rise to Nazism and fascism that caused over 60 million to die. Only after did Europe learn its bitter lessons of non-cooperation in the face of a rising menace, and the earlier greed of rampant financial speculation. That is a lesson for our own times. We must cooperate on development to overcome poverty to prevent the dark forces from rising and holding sway, whatever their source. It is the time to act.

The 20th century was the time of the rise of the Common Man, where the small individual gained vast rights and was able to rise to improve himself to a level that a prince or king would enjoy in earlier times. Now man must become the True Individual, even the True Spiritual Individual. One way he does this is by discovering his deep commonality with others. Even the recognition that we each share a soul relationship with one another. Harmony of purpose is one dimension in that rise from Common Man to the True, even the Spiritual Individual. The opportunity to overcome poverty has come to serve that very purpose. It comes to help us fulfill humanity's evolutionary destiny on earth.

 

Microcosm of the Coming Social and Cultural Unity of the World

Los Angeles is a vast city of suburbs that seems without end. Not only does the landscape of houses appear endless -- fulfilling the ''American Dream" of home ownership -- but the multiplicity of ethnic cultures from around the world makes it a melting pot in the extreme.

Recently I flew down from the San Francisco area to Los Angeles to meet with a client who provided employees for a massive condominium construction project near the ocean. The evening before the meeting, I ventured out of my hotel to find some dinner, crossed the wide boulevard, and came upon one of the ubiquitous ''strip malls" in the area. Amidst a plethora of small retail businesses, at first I discovered a typical (for the US) Italian restaurant on the corner of the mall. However, next to it I was surprised to find a Peruvian restaurant, something I had never seen in the States before. Next to it I then saw a Vietnamese eatery, and next to that a Pakistani/Indian establishment. It seemed that in this small nook of Los Angeles, the world had gathered in close proximity, creating a kind of culinary United Nations. A similar scene is repeated hundreds if not thousands of times in venues throughout the region.

Below the radar of our awareness, the world is slowly but surely moving towards human unity. It has been a slow and irregular process, but it has accelerated in the last fifty years, even more so in the last ten. The unity of humanity occurs, in essence, when the multiplicity the cultures are able to come together, interact, and establish an integral bond, a certain level of vital affection, and ultimately a commonality of deep purpose.

It is important to point out that such unity expresses across a spectrum of depth that ranges from the material to the ethereal; from the mundane to the sublime. At the most basic level, human unity begins when there is political cooperation within and among the nations of the earth. Unity then moves to a somewhat higher plane through the economic integration of nations and peoples. It then makes a vast leap through the social and cultural, and culminates in the psychological and even the spiritual unity. To be honest, we are barely passing through the first stage, as nations still struggle to live in political harmony, though we are also making considerable progress of late in the second stage of economic integration. We have yet to make any substantial inroads into the social and psychological integration, as we each live in our separate worlds, each oblivious to the depths of one another's cultures.

If we examine life closely, we see that the smallest entity can be a microcosm of something much greater. For example, the atom and the electrons that spin around it are a microcosm of our solar system, even the universe itself. In that sense, the single nation of the US is a microcosm of the entire world. Gathered there are most if not all of the ethnic cultures, who are trying to work out a certain level of cooperation, even harmony of purpose. The US is in essence a microcosm of how the peoples of the world (the nations, the cultures, religions, world-views etc.) are trying to move beyond their differences, and enjoin and integrate their vast cultural and social resources. It seems that the symbolic experiment in America is so far working -- which is a harbinger of what is in store one day for the entire world.

The frontiers of social, cultural, and spiritual integration require a vast psychological shift in Man. On the other hand, for there to be this great inner transition amongst the races, cultures, ethnicities, et al, there needs to be a solid material foundation and basis. Physical/material stability and security must always precede the psychological to create a sustainable social environment. Practically speaking for the world that translates as economic stability and prosperity. The reason that the immigrant races/ethnicities get along in the US is that there is the sense that there is continuous economic opportunity and prosperity available. Without it, the basic cooperation that exists amongst the races would fall apart.

It is interesting to note that the US is also beginning to work out the social and cultural unity of the world's races on its own turf. E.g., people of all ethnic persuasions come to a wide swath of meeting places, such as the ethnic restaurants in this strip mall of Southern California, and by interacting in business offices, in schools, and so forth. There, as elsewhere, we see the first glimmers of social and cultural unity. The ability to sample the world's foods in a social setting provides not only the material foundation to explore other cultures, but provides a degree of psychological identity with that people -- enabling further social, cultural, and spiritual awareness, harmony, and integration. These developments are important milestones, flags along the way that mark critical stages in the emerging unity of the world. These are in turn the first glimmers of what Sri Aurobindo heralded for the future when he spoke of the possibility of a Divine Life on earth.

Financial Crisis (2008) and Human Unity
While the world goes through a period of hand-wringing under the shadow of the financial crisis, it does not understand that it will lead to further improvements, including several steps towards human unity. Every crisis can be seen in that light over the last several hundred years, especially the last 50. In that way, all negatives are positives in disguise. That recognition is itself an indicator of a more conscious humanity.

Overcoming the Ego of the World

Freedom has spread around the world. Economic prosperity, despite the financial pain of the present, continues its rapid march across the planet with the goal of including all. In the new world environment, increasingly every person has the ability to become anything he chooses. The frontiers of what we can become and the ways in which we can be fulfilled are becoming limitless.

And yet within that freedom lurks a central falsehood. There is ego at the center of the world, as each grouping or collective -- whether nation, community, business, or family -- pulls in its own direction, at the expense of the ‘Other.’ For example, in America, virtually every news report is presented in terms of how its own citizens are impacted. If ten Americans perish, it is devastating. If it is thousands perish in another country or region, the story may be buried deep inside the local newspaper. It is wrought selfishness at the heart of Man. When millions die of AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere, and we in another region turn away saying, “What can we do,” it is callousness of the worst kind.

Of course, such self-centeredness and insensitivity does not apply to the US alone, for nearly every nation has the same provincial attitude. For example, before WWII, each European nation pulled in its own direction, creating a vacuum that fascism gladly filled. As a result, more than sixty million died.  It is an example of the ego of individual nations that opens the door to extreme negative consequences. Similarly, a financial crisis has risen today because earlier on the individual nations would not collaborate on a global monitoring system for such transactions. In fact, it was hardly a thought in their minds, as each nation sought to gain the upper hand in the name of speculative gain. Because the ego asserted in each case, Nature pushed back and smacked the world with a cathartic like crises. It could have been much worse.

There is a Divine aspiration for ever-increasing harmony in the world. It secretly knows that humanity is capable of transmuting its ego into ever-increasing forms of cooperation, collaboration, unity, and oneness. It perceives that we can only fulfill our human potential when we shed our selfishness, self-indulgence, and self-aggrandizement, and perceive the needs of those outside our immediate family, community, region, or nation. It is a movement that connect us to the heart and soul of Others.

We can begin to overcome the selfishness and ego that lurks in the heart of every collective by making a psychological shift. We need to stand back from things, quietly scan the world, and understand where we as a collective are relative to others. From that vantage point, we become cognizant of the outer social milieu and conditions, and therefore more readily reach across the gap that divides us. Making that small psychological adjustment to connect with the Other is a sign of growth and maturity of that collective. For example, as one of the managers of 'District A,' I can move to a wider consciousness and think deeply about the issues and concerns that we and surrounding districts share. Perceiving the reality this way, I am more likely to see things from the other collective’s perspective, establishing conditions for greater cooperation, collaboration, and integration. This approach can be taken for any group we are part of or have influence over -- from family head to global leader.

In addition to this psychological change from “below,“ institutional changes can be adhered to from “above” that also forge greater harmony amongst the collectives; that also, in effect, break the ego of the World. For example, a World Parliament could be established to negotiate ever-increasing, ever more complex problems that can no longer be solved at the national or local level.  Issues of the environment, poverty, economics, education, etc. can be rapidly discussed, agreed upon, and implemented to bring practical results to the world. Similarly, a global financial institution, such as a World Fed, could be established to set standards and monitor monetary transactions throughout the globe. The recent financial crisis showed the extreme need for such an institution, as money flowed among global institutions without the most basic controls, standards, and values. It too would keep the World Ego in check from above.

Likewise, one could imagine a Global Rapid Reaction Force or World Army to solve compelling security problems that cannot be left alone to single nations like the US, nor regional alliances like NATO, which tend to act in their own self-interest. For the world to live in harmony, a more neutral, all encompassing security institution should be put in place so society can get on with the business of economic, social, and cultural integration. This too would help keep the World Ego in check.

Finally, eliminating all nuclear weapons and dealings in soft arms is another important tact for creating greater stability and world harmony. This is increasingly necessary as other nations seek to expand their arsenals in the vacuum of US-Russian inaction on substantial nuclear arms reduction. It is important to keep in mind that if we fail to take such action, life will turn on us with all its fury. We see that our inability to develop a global financial regulatory institution “attracted” the financial meltdown, beginning with greed and speculation of the US real estate market. In the same way, nuclear arms are bound to spread and be used if we fail to come to substantial agreements on their reduction. (Certainly, others, including rogue-nations, will be compelled pursue that path without such an agreement.)

In sum, the world is changing rapidly, and global solutions that the local domain cannot solve are increasingly in demand. Cooperative change from above can control the narcissistic Ego of the collectives of the World, while harnessing world power for social progress and evolution. And yet this movement must also occur from the other direction. Each collective, from family to nation, must stand back and see the world for what it is, i.e. from all viewpoints, and thus clearly perceive the utility of cooperation and collaboration. Better still is to see that we are all parts of a whole, and cannot progress when we think only of ourselves. That the needs of the Other are essential to our own success, accomplishment, and delight.  Best of all is to take pleasure in the success of the collectives outside our own. It is a spiritual position of the Soul that sees the world through the eyes of another, sincerely aspiring for their happiness and success.  It is the most conscious and powerful way to bring about progress in the world.

Humanity has made great progress in the last hundred years, and especially the last thirty. Man has become more mental, shedding much of his physical consciousness and animality. Slowly his mind is opening to wider vistas, embracing the variety of truths about any matter, not just those that one is comfortable with or are self-serving. Education, Internet, and Media push us in that direction -- making us more aware of global conditions and possibilities; breaking down the mental barriers we have erected that support our selfish concerns and interests.

Still the knot of the Ego of the World is wrapped tightly. It strangles minds, preventing openness and tolerance; blocking our ability to see multiple truths beyond our own. That knot must be loosened for Man to progress without the threat of danger; without the inevitable travail and suffering. That can only occur if the collectives of humanity looks out through a wider lens, perceiving the needs of Others as inextricably linked to their own. At that point, we begin to shed the Ego of the World, opening the door to a New Age of common interest, shared accomplishment, and deep fulfillment in life.

 

 

The European Union (EU)

EU & World Unity
The coming together of the European Union is another sign of the emerging trend towards world unity.

World Unity & EU
The world is moving towards human unity. The European Union is a recent example, as was the UN in earlier times. 

World Integration & Unity
The end of the Cold War, economic collaboration, cooperation, and integration, the emergence of the European Union, the interest in the world's environment highlighted by the Kyoto accord, and other global associations and agreements, are all further signs of a movement of the world toward greater world integration and unity.

European Union and Unity
When the nations of the world shed colonialism, the world moved toward freedom, enabling the greater possibility of the emergence of unity. When it stopped the German fanatics in WWII and established the UN, it moved toward a higher unity. When the Soviet system self-crumbled, there was an opportunity to avail of greater unity. When the European Union developed, it was a movement toward unity. 

Internet and Human Unity
 As money has become a symbol of private property, individual acquisition and self-affirmation, the Internet is a symbol of our collective accomplishments, shared inheritance and human unity. (MSS)

Problems of World Solved Through Global Approaches
 The problems in the world are global problems, yet we are trying to solve them in isolation, one country at a time or regionally, where a united effort is needed. We have shown unity in trying to integrate economically to a limited extend, though the poor have not in any substantial way participated. We will come to see the need to solve economic problems from a global perspective, with global input into the solutions, and global-based, cooperative action plans. The same is true for problems of terrorism, the environment, and others.

The world is moving towards human unity. The European Union is a recent example, as was the UN in earlier times. 

UN, EU as Steps of Evolution
The UN and the European Union are semi-conscious first steps acknowledgements of this aspect of human evolution and destiny.

European Failure that Led to UN
 Europe failed before the rise of fascism. 80 million died to bring the UN, and the European Union.

Sri Aurobindo's Multi-Faceted Dream

The great seer and sage Sri Aurobindo imagined five steps that would usher in the evolution and transformation of humanity, enabling what he called a Divine Life on earth. The first was the emergence of Asia into prosperity and cultural influence. That has surely begun, especially in the past decade or so. Her influence upon the thought of the world is bound to grow by leaps and bounds in the years to come.

The second was the prosperity and emergence of India. That too is well under way. For until she attains economic well being, she cannot ascend to her rightful role as the spiritual Guru of the world -- another of the five steps Sri Aurobindo dreamed of.

Another mighty step towards a spirit-base Divine life on earth is the emergence of human unity, which is presaged by world alliances, culminating in world governance. The European Union (EU) is perhaps the first major step in that direction in that it creates an alliance and unity of closely aligned nations. In the EU, disparate cultures are attempting to align themselves for collaborative purpose and action.

The emergence of a world parliament and perhaps a collective security force like a world army to solve global issues could be further steps in the march towards a unity of nations and the world.

There is also a spiritual component to Sri Aurobindo's vision. One is for India and one for the individuals of the earth. For India, she can rediscover and expand on the spiritual wisdom of the ancient Rishis -- perhaps the greatest collective spiritual experience and wisdom ever known to Man -- and apply it to the economic, social, and cultural life of her people. In that way, India can become a living laboratory of the power of the spirit in the modern world. If she succeeds, she will surely take her rightful place as the Guru of the World.

Finally, disparate individuals around the world can begin to know the spirit in their individual lives, discovering it within in the depths of their being down to the evolving Soul, and by opening to and surrendering to the descending spiritual Force that is there in the atmosphere. In the process, they will invariably transform aspects of their being -- mental, psychological, vital/emotional, and physical -- and develop capacities to attract good fortune from the world around them. When a cadre of such individuals emerge, then they will create the fifth and final condition for a Divine life on earth to come about.

The emergence of Asia, the prosperity of India, the movements towards world unity, the spiritual emergence of India and her ascent to become the Guru of the world, and the emergence of a group of transformed spirit-oriented individuals are the intervening steps that can usher in a Divine Life on Earth, fulfilling Sri Aurobindo's dream for humanity.

Russian-EU Alliance at Expense of US Influence
Because the US spurned the Russians after the Cold War and practiced a go it alone policy in dealing with the world, the Russians could suddenly become formidable partners with the EU, thereby weakening America's status and influence worldwide.

See Additional Thoughts on the European Union (EU)

 

The UN

World Unity and the UN
 The world is moving toward world unity. The United Nations has been and can continue to be an instrument of that great progress.

See Additional Thoughts on the UN

 

Potentials of World Parliament

World Parliament
Another global institution certainly worth considering is the development of a World Parliament -- which is, in essence, the infrastructure of world governance. Humanity is showing signs that it is ready for this development as well. It is becoming increasingly obvious that there is a need for a governing body to provide a level of oversight for the problems of the globe. In addition, that organization can serve to develop and implement plans for rapid economic and social development. It would not only formulate policies for this purpose, but also have the power to implement them. This is, in essence, a strategic-oriented and empowered form of world governance that the earth secretly calls out for.

Untitled
The US, consciously or more likely sub or unconsciously, is energized to solve threats. The Europeans are mostly unenergized, yet see the US going it alone. The US sees the European weakness. The European, the US's high-handed approach. Thus, they are contradictory complements.

 

A world army, parliament, etc can resolve this difference. Or Nature will take its course, and it will come through a slow painful process. Or it can be a major negative event that unites the two sides, forcing them into a new common strategy.

 

On World Parliament

  • World Parliament is a centre of mental light, not an organisation that can implement anything. UN itself is a forum of that type, since its power is only in persuasion.

  • In this sense World Parliament is capable of an effectivity which information or ideas possess.

  • World Parliament can enhance INFORMATION in areas where information is efficacious. It can offer ideas that will readily be received.

  • World Parliament can try to further activities which were initiated already, but which have come to a stop or are moving slowly. (MSS)

Solving the World's Problems through World Parliament
 Recently statesman Henry Kissinger proclaimed that the problems of the world are so great that they can only to be solved at the global level. He explained that when the citizens of a nation ask its leader to solve incessant national problems, that leader throws up his hands, proclaiming that they do not know what to do, that it is beyond them, that it can only be solved at a global level. This was Kissinger's message: that ever-increasing local problems can only be solved globally.

And yet in recent years we have heard of and seen the opposite; that the key to resolving global problems must be done locally. For example, the environmental movement has been successful because it took root locally, expanded out, and then gained traction at the wider national and international, i.e. global, levels. Surely, environmentalism began in part by the efforts of the much maligned hippies, the boomers, and their descendents from the 1970s onward. Then the society as a whole embraced it, as we see when householders throughout the world separate the recycled from the non-recyclable trash. Even leaders, business, and the nations themselves are speaking out as if they invented the concept! They were merely followers of movements that began locally and spread globally.

Thus, even as Kissinger has made his plea of top down approach to solving national problems globally, we know that the very movements that advocated the solution to many of the current problems of the world through this global means came from visionaries and pioneers at the local level. The process of unfolding is often the same. The advocacy of the local is at first ignored or rejected by the global, reaches a tipping point (usually because of difficult situations), and then it moves into the mass where the leaders claim its origin, ignoring its true roots. It is a great irony of progress.

To return to Kissinger's urging, how then do we resolve local problems globally? For one we need the institutions in place with power to implement them. Few of these exist now. The United Nations has served a great purpose, but it has no power to legislate changes in the world. Besides, it is an undemocratic institution due to its insistence on allowing the Veto power that enables a single nation to cancel the will of the majority, even the overwhelming 90% majority. How can they be a vehicle for fair change when they cater to the powerful?

This suggests that something more effective, with more power needs to be set in place. That overall solution is world governance, and the specific organization can take shape as a World Parliament. Such an institution would have the power to legislate and solve the problems at the global level, which will in return also resolve the local problems that could not be settled by an individual nation's leaders. 

The Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo has spoken of the evolution of society that has taken place in the course of history. That movement is not only an upward movement of progress, but is secretly a movement toward world unity. More precisely, it is actually unity in diversity. I.e. greatest diversity of cultures and viewpoints that work together to bring among harmonic outcomes that affect all members including the whole itself. Through this great diversity, more creative insight is brought to bear to create the most dynamic solution to the world's problems. A World Parliament can be the instrument to solve local problems globally, and all problems of the whole of the world through the infinite diversity of solutions provided by its members.

There has been a steady movement toward world unity; one that has in fact accelerated in the last fifty years. As nations give up their ego (i.e. heir sense of separateness) and embrace the needs and concerns of other nations, world unity takes place. As wealth spreads around the word, and cultural influences move out from the source nations to other nations, the possibility of world unity takes shape. As common purpose is necessitated by events and circumstance, the need for and the pressure that brings about world unity in diversity accelerates.

The environmental movement is the most obvious example of this phenomenon. This is not only a compulsion of Nature that is forcing us to deal with a problem that affects our common environment, the earth, globe, but is also Nature's secret way of bringing us closer together, to creating more world unity -- i.e. to create Oneness. It is an outer pressure put upon us that we are reacting to avoid potential catastrophe, but it is secretly a pressure to advance the course of our human destiny of Oneness.

 

Overcoming the Ego of the World

Freedom has spread around the world. Economic prosperity, despite the financial pain of the present, continues its rapid march across the planet with the goal of including all. In the new world environment, increasingly every person has the ability to become anything he chooses. The frontiers of what we can become and the ways in which we can be fulfilled are becoming limitless.

And yet within that freedom lurks a central falsehood. There is ego at the center of the world, as each grouping or collective -- whether nation, community, business, or family -- pulls in its own direction, at the expense of the ‘Other.’ For example, in America, virtually every news report is presented in terms of how its own citizens are impacted. If ten Americans perish, it is devastating. If it is thousands perish in another country or region, the story may be buried deep inside the local newspaper. It is wrought selfishness at the heart of Man. When millions die of AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere, and we in another region turn away saying, “What can we do,” it is callousness of the worst kind.

Of course, such self-centeredness and insensitivity does not apply to the US alone, for nearly every nation has the same provincial attitude. For example, before WWII, each European nation pulled in its own direction, creating a vacuum that fascism gladly filled. As a result, more than sixty million died.  It is an example of the ego of individual nations that opens the door to extreme negative consequences. Similarly, a financial crisis has risen today because earlier on the individual nations would not collaborate on a global monitoring system for such transactions. In fact, it was hardly a thought in their minds, as each nation sought to gain the upper hand in the name of speculative gain. Because the ego asserted in each case, Nature pushed back and smacked the world with a cathartic like crises. It could have been much worse.

There is a Divine aspiration for ever-increasing harmony in the world. It secretly knows that humanity is capable of transmuting its ego into ever-increasing forms of cooperation, collaboration, unity, and oneness. It perceives that we can only fulfill our human potential when we shed our selfishness, self-indulgence, and self-aggrandizement, and perceive the needs of those outside our immediate family, community, region, or nation. It is a movement that connect us to the heart and soul of Others.

We can begin to overcome the selfishness and ego that lurks in the heart of every collective by making a psychological shift. We need to stand back from things, quietly scan the world, and understand where we as a collective are relative to others. From that vantage point, we become cognizant of the outer social milieu and conditions, and therefore more readily reach across the gap that divides us. Making that small psychological adjustment to connect with the Other is a sign of growth and maturity of that collective. For example, as one of the managers of 'District A,' I can move to a wider consciousness and think deeply about the issues and concerns that we and surrounding districts share. Perceiving the reality this way, I am more likely to see things from the other collective’s perspective, establishing conditions for greater cooperation, collaboration, and integration. This approach can be taken for any group we are part of or have influence over -- from family head to global leader.

In addition to this psychological change from “below,“ institutional changes can be adhered to from “above” that also forge greater harmony amongst the collectives; that also, in effect, break the ego of the World. For example, a World Parliament could be established to negotiate ever-increasing, ever more complex problems that can no longer be solved at the national or local level.  Issues of the environment, poverty, economics, education, etc. can be rapidly discussed, agreed upon, and implemented to bring practical results to the world. Similarly, a global financial institution, such as a World Fed, could be established to set standards and monitor monetary transactions throughout the globe. The recent financial crisis showed the extreme need for such an institution, as money flowed among global institutions without the most basic controls, standards, and values. It too would keep the World Ego in check from above.

Likewise, one could imagine a Global Rapid Reaction Force or World Army to solve compelling security problems that cannot be left alone to single nations like the US, nor regional alliances like NATO, which tend to act in their own self-interest. For the world to live in harmony, a more neutral, all encompassing security institution should be put in place so society can get on with the business of economic, social, and cultural integration. This too would help keep the World Ego in check.

Finally, eliminating all nuclear weapons and dealings in soft arms is another important tact for creating greater stability and world harmony. This is increasingly necessary as other nations seek to expand their arsenals in the vacuum of US-Russian inaction on substantial nuclear arms reduction. It is important to keep in mind that if we fail to take such action, life will turn on us with all its fury. We see that our inability to develop a global financial regulatory institution “attracted” the financial meltdown, beginning with greed and speculation of the US real estate market. In the same way, nuclear arms are bound to spread and be used if we fail to come to substantial agreements on their reduction. (Certainly, others, including rogue-nations, will be compelled pursue that path without such an agreement.)

In sum, the world is changing rapidly, and global solutions that the local domain cannot solve are increasingly in demand. Cooperative change from above can control the narcissistic Ego of the collectives of the World, while harnessing world power for social progress and evolution. And yet this movement must also occur from the other direction. Each collective, from family to nation, must stand back and see the world for what it is, i.e. from all viewpoints, and thus clearly perceive the utility of cooperation and collaboration. Better still is to see that we are all parts of a whole, and cannot progress when we think only of ourselves. That the needs of the Other are essential to our own success, accomplishment, and delight.  Best of all is to take pleasure in the success of the collectives outside our own. It is a spiritual position of the Soul that sees the world through the eyes of another, sincerely aspiring for their happiness and success.  It is the most conscious and powerful way to bring about progress in the world.

Humanity has made great progress in the last hundred years, and especially the last thirty. Man has become more mental, shedding much of his physical consciousness and animality. Slowly his mind is opening to wider vistas, embracing the variety of truths about any matter, not just those that one is comfortable with or are self-serving. Education, Internet, and Media push us in that direction -- making us more aware of global conditions and possibilities; breaking down the mental barriers we have erected that support our selfish concerns and interests.

Still the knot of the Ego of the World is wrapped tightly. It strangles minds, preventing openness and tolerance; blocking our ability to see multiple truths beyond our own. That knot must be loosened for Man to progress without the threat of danger; without the inevitable travail and suffering. That can only occur if the collectives of humanity looks out through a wider lens, perceiving the needs of Others as inextricably linked to their own. At that point, we begin to shed the Ego of the World, opening the door to a New Age of common interest, shared accomplishment, and deep fulfillment in life.

Article on the Role of a New World Parliament (MSS)

 

Unity through Higher Consciousness vs. Nature
(top)

Conscious or Unconscious Unity
World unity can be brought about by conscious cooperation or through the methods of Nature which are slow and painful; i.e through conflict and calamity. We are currently following the path of unconscious unity with rays of conscious unity interspersed.

Cooperating on World Catastrophes and World Unity
 The fact that the natural disaster could have been avoided through proper communication indicates a lack of international cooperation -- suggesting that the world must evolve towards greater unity to solve its problems. Individual nations must give up their egos, their superstition, and falsehood to collaborate to solve world issues, which is greater than their individual capacity to deal with them. The world at large must also extend its technological competence to all peoples of the world. The leading countries must give up their global ego and embrace all nations of the world, no matter what their social, political, military, or economic status. It is in their interest (as we see in the deaths of many tourists from these nations in the event.) These are required step towards our inevitable destiny of human unity.

Overcoming the Ego of the World

Freedom has spread around the world. Economic prosperity, despite the financial pain of the present, continues its rapid march across the planet with the goal of including all. In the new world environment, increasingly every person has the ability to become anything he chooses. The frontiers of what we can become and the ways in which we can be fulfilled are becoming limitless.

And yet within that freedom lurks a central falsehood. There is ego at the center of the world, as each grouping or collective -- whether nation, community, business, or family -- pulls in its own direction, at the expense of the "Other." For example, in America, virtually every news report is presented in terms of how its own citizens are impacted. If ten Americans perish, it is devastating. If it is thousands perish in another country or region, the story may be buried deep inside the local newspaper. It is wrought selfishness at the heart of Man. When millions die of AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere, and we in another region turn away saying, "What can we do," it is callousness of the worst kind.

Of course, such self-centeredness and insensitivity does not apply to the US alone, for nearly every nation has the same provincial attitude. For example, before WWII, each European nation pulled in its own direction, creating a vacuum that fascism gladly filled. As a result, more than sixty million died.  It is an example of the ego of individual nations that opens the door to extreme negative consequences. Similarly, a financial crisis has risen today because earlier on the individual nations would not collaborate on a global monitoring system for such transactions. In fact, it was hardly a thought in their minds, as each nation sought to gain the upper hand in the name of speculative gain. Because the ego asserted in each case, Nature pushed back and smacked the world with a cathartic like crises. It could have been much worse.

There is a Divine aspiration for ever-increasing harmony in the world. It secretly knows that humanity is capable of transmuting its ego into ever-increasing forms of cooperation, collaboration, unity, and oneness. It perceives that we can only fulfill our human potential when we shed our selfishness, self-indulgence, and self-aggrandizement, and perceive the needs of those outside our immediate family, community, region, or nation. It is a movement that connect us to the heart and soul of Others.

We can begin to overcome the selfishness and ego that lurks in the heart of every collective by making a psychological shift. We need to stand back from things, quietly scan the world, and understand where we as a collective are relative to others. From that vantage point, we become cognizant of the outer social milieu and conditions, and therefore more readily reach across the gap that divides us. Making that small psychological adjustment to connect with the Other is a sign of growth and maturity of that collective. For example, as one of the managers of 'District A,' I can move to a wider consciousness and think deeply about the issues and concerns that we and surrounding districts share. Perceiving the reality this way, I am more likely to see things from the other collective's perspective, establishing conditions for greater cooperation, collaboration, and integration. This approach can be taken for any group we are part of or have influence over -- from family head to global leader.

In addition to this psychological change from "below," institutional changes can be adhered to from "above" that also forge greater harmony amongst the collectives; that also, in effect, break the ego of the World. For example, a World Parliament could be established to negotiate ever-increasing, ever more complex problems that can no longer be solved at the national or local level.  Issues of the environment, poverty, economics, education, etc. can be rapidly discussed, agreed upon, and implemented to bring practical results to the world. Similarly, a global financial institution, such as a World Fed, could be established to set standards and monitor monetary transactions throughout the globe. The recent financial crisis showed the extreme need for such an institution, as money flowed among global institutions without the most basic controls, standards, and values. It too would keep the World Ego in check from above.

Likewise, one could imagine a Global Rapid Reaction Force or World Army to solve compelling security problems that cannot be left alone to single nations like the US, nor regional alliances like NATO, which tend to act in their own self-interest. For the world to live in harmony, a more neutral, all encompassing security institution should be put in place so society can get on with the business of economic, social, and cultural integration. This too would help keep the World Ego in check.

Finally, eliminating all nuclear weapons and dealings in soft arms is another important tact for creating greater stability and world harmony. This is increasingly necessary as other nations seek to expand their arsenals in the vacuum of US-Russian inaction on substantial nuclear arms reduction. It is important to keep in mind that if we fail to take such action, life will turn on us with all its fury. We see that our inability to develop a global financial regulatory institution "attracted" the financial meltdown, beginning with greed and speculation of the US real estate market. In the same way, nuclear arms are bound to spread and be used if we fail to come to substantial agreements on their reduction. (Certainly, others, including rogue-nations, will be compelled pursue that path without such an agreement.)

In sum, the world is changing rapidly, and global solutions that the local domain cannot solve are increasingly in demand. Cooperative change from above can control the narcissistic Ego of the collectives of the World, while harnessing world power for social progress and evolution. And yet this movement must also occur from the other direction. Each collective, from family to nation, must stand back and see the world for what it is, i.e. from all viewpoints, and thus clearly perceive the utility of cooperation and collaboration. Better still is to see that we are all parts of a whole, and cannot progress when we think only of ourselves. That the needs of the Other are essential to our own success, accomplishment, and delight.  Best of all is to take pleasure in the success of the collectives outside our own. It is a spiritual position of the Soul that sees the world through the eyes of another, sincerely aspiring for their happiness and success.  It is the most conscious and powerful way to bring about progress in the world.

Humanity has made great progress in the last hundred years, and especially the last thirty. Man has become more mental, shedding much of his physical consciousness and animality. Slowly his mind is opening to wider vistas, embracing the variety of truths about any matter, not just those that one is comfortable with or are are self-serving. Education, Internet, and Media push us in that direction -- making us more aware of global conditions and possibilities; breaking down the mental barriers we have erected that support our selfish concerns and interests.

Still the knot of the Ego of the World is wrapped tightly. It strangles minds, preventing openness and tolerance; blocking our ability to see multiple truths beyond our own. That knot must be loosened for Man to progress without the threat of danger; without the inevitable travail and suffering. That can only occur if the collectives of humanity looks out through a wider lens, perceiving the needs of Others as inextricably linked to their own. At that point, we begin to shed the Ego of the World, opening the door to a New Age of common interest, shared accomplishment, and deep fulfillment in life.


 

Unity of Nations
 (top)

Unity of All Nations through Unity of Individual State
The unity of all the nations is the compelling future of the world. But for the unity of all nations to be possible, each nation must first realise its own unity. (The Mother)

Nations Should Evolve Themselves Fully to Contribute to a United Humanity
Gone are the days of great partial achievements. The time is NOW for each nation to acquire what she does not have [e.g. economically, socially, psychologically, strength-wise, value-wise, spiritually, etc.] to enable her to contribute to the whole of a united humankind. (MSS)

Evolution of the Nation State
Just as an individual evolves by overcoming his limited sense of self (ego) and enjoins the needs of others around him so too the nation state overcomes its limiting self-importance and enjoins the nations of the world. Global trade is an example of this movement. Global unity is a greater example. A potential divine life on earth would be the greatest example.

See Thoughts on the Evolution of Individual Nations
 

Sri Aurobindo's Vision of the Unity of the World's Peoples
-There is nothing then in the development of events since the establishment of the United Nations Organisation, in the sequel to the great initiation at San Francisco of the decisive step towards the creation of a world-body which might end in the establishment of a true world-unity, that need discourage us in the expectation of an ultimate success of this great enterprise. There are dangers and difficulties, there can be an apprehension of conflicts, even of colossal conflicts that might jeopardise the future, but total failure need not be envisaged unless we are disposed to predict the failure of the race. The thesis we have undertaken to establish of the drive of Nature towards larger agglomerations and the final establishment of the largest of all and the ultimate union of the world's peoples still remains unaltered: this is evidently the line which the future of the human race demands and which conflicts and perturbations, however immense, may delay, even as they may modify greatly the forms it now promises to take, but are not likely to prevent; for a general destruction would be the only alternative destiny of mankind.

-We conclude then that in the conditions of the world at present, even taking into consideration its most disparaging features and dangerous possibilities, there is nothing that need alter the view we have taken of the necessity and inevitability of some kind of world-union; the drive of Nature, the compulsion of circumstances and the present and future need of mankind make it inevitable.

-The ultimate result must be the formation of a World-State and the most desirable form of it would be a federation of free nationalities in which all subjection or forced inequality and subordination of one to another would have disappeared and, though some might preserve a greater natural influence, all would have an equal status. A confederacy would give the greatest freedom to the nations constituting the World-State, but this might give too much room for fissiparous or centrifugal tendencies to operate; a federal order would then be the most desirable. All else would be determined by the course of events and by general agreement or the shape given by the ideas and necessities that may grow up in the future. A world-union of this kind would have the greatest chances of long survival or permanent existence. This is a mutable world and uncertainties and dangers might assail or trouble for a time; the formed structure might be subjected to revolutionary tendencies as new ideas and forces emerged and produced their effect on the general mind of humanity, but the essential step would have been taken and the future of the race assured or at least the present era overpassed in which it is threatened and disturbed by unsolved needs and difficulties, precarious conditions, immense upheavals, huge and sanguinary world-wide conflicts and the threat of others to come. The ideal of human unity would be no longer an unfulfilled ideal but an accomplished fact and its preservation given into the charge of the united human peoples. Its future destiny would lie on the knees of the gods and, if the gods have a use for the continued existence of the race, may be left to lie there safe. (Sri Aurobindo)

 

See Thoughts on the United Nations

Enabling World Progress through Our Higher Consciousness
All conflicts in the world serve the purpose of bringing us steps closer to world unity, including psychological and spiritual-based world unity. We can accelerate the process by using the self-conceptions of our mental intelligence and spiritual intelligence, which enables rapid progress without conflict.

Harmony as Solver of All Individual, Social Problems
All problems of life can be solved through greater harmony. Likewise if there were human unity on earth, then any problem of social development can be overcome.

 

Converting Crises into Opportunities;  Global Collaboration on Shared Values to Resolve World Threats and Problems

Human progress is stimulated by external threats and pressures.

Values distilled from long experience possess the essential knowledge and power needed for continuous development and evolution.

Successive waves of foreign invasions following the collapse of the Roman Empire coalesced the tribes of England into a nation state. Centuries of incessant warfare finally compelled the countries of Western Europe to evolve a regional union within which war has become unthinkable. Most recently, the rising incidence of terrorism has compelled national security institutions to forge a network for global coordination unimaginable during the Cold War.

Challenges met are converted into opportunities. Opportunities missed degenerate into problems.

All crises are psychological in origin. The remedy always calls for a change of attitude and values.

The greatest threats confronting human beings today do not come from external aggressors. They are the result of problems that affect humanity as a whole and can only be addressed collectively by the entire human race. International financial instability, unemployment, terrorism, proliferation of nuclear weapons and climate change are indications that humanity is entering a higher phase in social evolution that compels us to evolve more effective instruments for governance at the global level. No nation or group of nations acting on its own can protect itself from these threats. Effective action to address these issues is unlikely to come from governments whose source of power and very identity are based on national sovereignty and separateness.

Mechanisms for global governance will not be effective unless founded upon universally accepted values in fact as well as in principle, a condition violated by the undemocratic character of the UN system. Power relents only in the face of greater power. Power that exceeds that of the five permanent members of the Security Council can only come from representatives of humanity as a whole.

A confederation of transnational organizations with shared values and common concerns can formulate a vision and plan that will constitute the seed for future world government.

Organizations have evolved to the point where they can play the pioneering role traditionally played by pioneering individuals in the past, but even such organizations must depend on a core group of aspiring individuals to point the way. (MSS)

 

Divine Life on Earth
(top)

The Next Goals of Life on Earth
The next goal of the collective life on earth is World Unity.

That will be followed by the spiritually emerging individual and society, culminating in the ultimate goal of a spiritually transformed humanity and a divine life on earth.

World Union, the Collective, and Spirit
 World Union is the advancement of the collective on the basis of the Spirit. (MSS)

Divine Life on Earth
 Beyond World Unity is the emergence of a Divine Life on Earth.

Sri Aurobindo's Vision of Divine Life on Earth
Sri Aurobindo envisioned World Unity as a step towards a Divine Life on earth.

Evolution of the Nation State
Just as an individual evolves by overcoming his limited sense of self (ego) and enjoins the needs of others around him so too the nation state overcomes its limiting self-importance and enjoins the nations of the world. Global trade is an example of this movement. Global unity is a greater example. A potential divine life on earth would be the greatest example.

The Force Compels World Unity
The Divine Force is compelling the world toward world unity. World unity is a movement toward greater and greater connectedness, oneness, which is a property of spirit. The evolutionary spiritual Force is the power and spirit behind the movement of globalization.

See Article on the Emergence of a Divine Life on Earth

Thoughts on Divine Life on Earth

 

Other
(top)

Decentralized and Centralized Progressive Movements in the World
There is a dual movement in life; decentralized which expresses our freedom, centralized which expresses our commonality.  The former is well under way, led especially by the US and I advocate it fully. It is in step with the West's overall advocacy of freedom for the last 200 years.

There is also a movement needed from above to solve international and other issues. It is why nations have come about. The ego of the individual (especially in the West) is opposed to these. It wants to assert only in its own direction, negating what comes from above. Thus, we nearly had the collapse of world capitalism. A little more collaboration (from above through accepted international standards) and it could have been avoided (just like WWII).

The East is much more open to the power of the collective. It is why it is increasingly her time.

Sri Aurobindo gives us the integration of decentralized and centralized with the statement "Unity in Diversity." It values the decentralized and centralized movements simultaneously.

As for the criticism of the solutions I have advocated, they are being discussed increasingly in many global forums such as the World Academy. (Interestingly these are taking place at the decentralized level. There is also a new movement that is advocating elimination most nuclear weapons. It is likewise discussed locally and implemented globally.)

What enables this to occur is the giving up of the ego, which only wants what it wants. It asserts in its own directions, whether an individual, collective, or nation. That time is coming to an end; even as each person is moving towards ultimate freedom and fulfillment; but of his higher order, not to be an animal, but a full, free, aware, conscious, collaborative, respectful human being.

The universe works simultaneously in the descent and the ascent. Spirit enabled the infinities of forms, including man. Man as true individual reaches to fulfill himself while creating greater bonds with others, including those of the collective. Look below the surface, you will see it everywhere.

 

The Individual is Becoming the New World Leader
After the World War, the world has not thrown up a leader of world stature. After the procession of intellectuals who wanted to shape the world according to their ideas - Rousseau, Voltaire, Marx, Russell, Sartre - in the last twenty-five years no single intellectual has attained their stature. Leadership in war and thought has passed away from the collective.

This is a phase of social evolution where the INDIVIDUAL emerges.

Presently we have a leaderless world. It only means the individual is coming into his own.

We see more and more the initiative of thinking is moving to the public, which means the individual is becoming more responsible to the nation. It is high time that the citizen, at least mentally, must take greater responsibility for the future of the country. We do see the phenomenon of public opinion being taken into greater account.

The saga of great leaders has gone and the era of the individual is being born.

Mind cannot offer that leadership, as even intellectuals of that caliber are vanishing. It is for each individual to become a thinker of the nation's political future.

It is better that that individual is the Spiritual Individual who invokes the Spirit and lives by that Spirit. (MSS, abridged)

 

New Definition of Survival of Fittest
Survival of the fittest is not through territoriality and conflict, but through harmony of purpose, oneness, and love of others. In that way the race survives and evolves further. If women instinctively know this, why not men?
 

See Thoughts on Development of Individual Nations

Global Movements
We have many currencies on earth; perhaps now we are ready for a world currency. We have many methods of defense and security; now we need a world army. We have many forms of coming to the Divine; now we are ready for a shared universal understanding and approach to Consciousness.

World Army
The presence of an army in each country implying that the nation must be ready for war at some time is a belief that can generate subconscious tension in the people. The tension Cold War generated was palpable in the sixties and seventies. Also, the relief when Cold War ended was equally tangible.

It was Robert Van Harten, the Member from Holland, who mooted the idea of a world army at Moscow at the meeting of the International Commission on Peace and Food. The Commission endorsed it.

Recently, the European Union is considering the idea of one Army for all its members. It is at the stage of an idea. An idea is valuable. But people in the field have to implement it. They see all the practical issues they will face in implementing an idea. No idea is practised before it is fully prepared in all its details anticipating all the hurdles.

When an idea becomes a scheme or a programme, it meets with not only obstacles but opportunities. The realities are accepted and a working scheme is prepared. In other words, an idea is organically dynamic. So its growth is organic too, not fully prepared previously.

The World Army that will replace the national armies is one such dynamic idea capable of organic growth. If it ever comes into existence, it will be the world police or a Peace Army. It is worth examining again in the present context of the post-Iraq war. (MSS)

 

Article on World Army

Thoughts on Role of a World Parliament

Thoughts on the European Union (EU)

Auroville
The international, UN-sanctioned township of Auroville in India was built for the purpose of preventing future great wars. It is its spiritual foundation, not any moral or social structure, that enables that possibility. It's purpose is for collaboration in the creation of World Unity.   www.auroville.org

Auroville
 Auroville has been established as an experiment in Human Unity where each individual is freed from bondage to moral and social conventions and the necessity of working for material possessions. There is no religion practiced there, nor is there ownership of property. The emphasis is on each person discovering his/her own inner center behind the social, moral, cultural and racial heredity and appearances, and actively living from that center, expressing it in outer work for the community. Auroville is a UN sponsored endeavor that attracts people worldwide because of its openness, new age lifestyle, and dedication to a vision of a new humanity.

Movements Toward Higher States of Unity
Just as an individual evolves by overcoming his limited sense of self (ego) and enjoins the needs of others around him so too the nation state overcomes its limiting self-importance and enjoins the nations of the world. Global trade is an example of this movement. Global unity is a greater example. A potential divine life on earth would be the greatest example.

Untitled
Life normally evolves through conflict. Things we perceive as conflict are the means of social evolution. Things we perceive as "bad" are necessary in the scheme of things, as are the "good." The "good" and the "bad" are necessary to each other for the greater development and emergence of all. E.g. WWII led to UN and the first glimmers of a new emerging movement toward world unity. Problems in Bosnia focuses European role in future of confrontations in region. And so forth.

Thoughts on the Emerging Stages and Possibilities of Society

Thoughts on Recent World History, World Movements, United Nations, etc.

Principle of Oneness of Life, Unity in Diversity

Also See Sri Aurobindo's Treatise The Ideal of Human Unity

 

TO BE CATEGORIZED

 

World Unity

How Opposing Parties Can Come to a Common Course of Action

When all the facts and principles of life are taken into account, people with opposite goals and aspirations will come to the same decision about the course that is in their best interests. When people truly understand what their own compelling interests actually are, they will find that they do correspond with the interests of those they oppose. That applies to our enemies as well as our friends. ... Enemies were compelled to draw the same conclusions when they examined the decisions in their entirety. (Garry Jacobs, MSS, from 'The Book')

Comment: When the Totality is understood - i.e. the Highest Truth reveals itself through an awareness of the deepest laws of life, which is Supramental perception - all parties will come to accept the higher knowledge pertaining to the matter at hand.

 

Difficulties Moving EU from Common Currency of Euro to Greater Economic Unity

We see again how so-called negatives like the European financial crisis to prop up certain failing governments has caused it to consider even great economic unity, which would reduce the likelihood of such outbreaks, beyond merely a shared, common Euro currency. As we see time and time again, difficulties compel man to change; without them he tends to remain insert or fall back. They simultaneously enable his further progress and evolution. In this case, they allow the further integration and unification that the world seeks in all facets of life.

 

Global Institutions

Collective Instruments of Society + Spiritual Individuality Can Enable a New Humanity

Institutions can be perfected that have great positive effect in the world. Sri Aurobindo advocated world governance of sorts through application of a more divine structure of the organizations and of heightened consciousness of the participants. It is clear since WWII that there has been a dramatic increase in global institutions to serve Humanity, as nations shed their individual egos and find their common purpose.

The world is moving toward collective Harmony, even as each of us are slowly moving towards becoming True Individuals liberated from outside influence, with the ability to connect to the Spiritual Force, working and influencing the world from there.

If the worker for the collective institution works for the well being of all, while maintaining a connection to the Spirit, and individuals do the same, there will be established the right energies that can lead us to the goal of Human Unity, Happiness and Fulfillment, and a Divine Life on Earth.

 

New Spirit-based Life on Earth

The Nexus between Mental Man and a Supramental, Divine Existence

We humans are not the final rung in earth's evolution, as there will be a higher form; one Sri Aurobindo calls the "supramental being." These individuals will live in a unity consciousness, and be an intermediary to the full supramental realization and a Divine life on earth.

That change in consciousness began with the human mind that has created new forms of the environment, and has mentality through greater knowledge and insight. The next step then is to go deeper, perceive the spirit, the Conscious-Force in all things, and bring it to the surface of life. In this transitional, intermediary stage to an ultimate, divine existence, our physical bodies and nature will continue to be essentially the same as now, even as we are inwardly transformed to a higher, infinitely more conscious supernature. In that process, Man will also become conscious of the potential of a new supramental existence, even as he lives in the old physical form.

Meanwhile, life around him will be of a different quality, one that is far beyond his present mental life and existence. Says the Mother: "It seems -- it is even certain -- that the very substance which will constitute this intermediate world that is already being built up, is richer, more powerful, more luminous, more resistant, with certain subtler, more penetrating new qualities, and an innate capacity for universality .. and removes the sensation of division one has with .. the ordinary mental substance."

In this way, this infinitely conscious being will be the intermediary, the nexus and bridge to an ultimate supramental, spiritual existence and Divine Life on earth. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

Our Aspiration for Higher Consciousness and a New World

The goal we seek to achieve is the continuous evolution of consciousness for the individual and humanity as a whole, which will be the harbinger of a spirit-oriented future existence, culminating in what Sri Aurobindo calls a Divine Life on Earth.

We can make this real by aspiring for this New World and for our own highest possibility; by continually rejecting the limiting and wanting parts of our being; and by opening and surrendering to the spiritual Force that has the power to set right, to divinize all aspects of life. In this way, this next stage of human evolution will be ushered in. The New World will be born.  (2009-2011 Q1)

 

How to Make the Transition to the Next Species

A new, divine existence awaits us. But how to make the transition to this new existence? Will the spiritual Force, Supermind transform and transmute us? Will there be a spontaneous unfolding of the new form? Sri Aurobindo suggested he would come back as the supramental being. The Mother tried to make the physical transformation to the New Species. The new existence is a radical change from the current Man, as the current man was from the ape. (2009-2011 Q1)

  

Changing Human Life

For there to be change in human life, there needs to be a corresponding change in human nature. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

A New, Consciousness-based Social Existence

Perhaps social network sites like Facebook are indicators of the very beginnings of a movement of deeper connection and relationships amongst people. As we evolve in individual consciousness, there is a corresponding progress in social consciousness taking place; itself a forerunner of profound soul associations between individuals.

As we begin to realize the Oneness of life, a deep sense of harmony with others begins to take shape. Through this spiritual progression, we not only perceive our own True Self and evolving Soul, but perceive the same in others. As a result, we begin to value others as much as ourselves; sense ourselves extended in the people we interact with; and they in ourselves. As we connect with make this powerful connection, we experience perpetual, person-to-person ecstasy.

Just now our online social associations are mostly at the vital level -- of stimulation, thrill, petty attachment, and ego, with only the smallest hint of a higher and deeper connection. As we move from vital relationships to soul connection, we come in touch with our heart center, which releases affection, humility, and self-givingness; we connect with a deeper Truths source whose knowledge we humbly share with others;  we experience a commonality of will and action that leads to unprecedented accomplishment and deep inner fulfillment. As a result of this integral associations, a new, spirit-based social consciousness begins to take root; one that has never existed before on earth.

This new, consciousness-based social existence will be an indicator of a new stage of humanity; a harbinger of a new species based on shared experience of the Spirit, the divine Reality -- expressing though its varying attributes of Oneness, Harmony, Goodness, Knowledge, Truth, Creativity, Beauty, Love, Delight, Timelessness, and Infinity. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

Conscious Evolution of Spiritual Followers to Create new Humanity, Divine Life

Followers of the Spirit must convert our ordinary life, social life into a life of conscious evolution life to bring about a decided change in humanity and an eventual Divine life on earth.

 

Movement Toward World Unity

 

On Human Unity

The world is gradually moving towards increasing human unity.

Human unity is harmony between the nations, peoples, races, religions, intellectual orders, and so forth.

Sometime it occurs through conscious decision, though too often it comes as a result of tragedy and suffering, as in the case of the emergence of the EU out of WWII. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

USA as Microcosm of the Unity the World is Moving Towards

Step by step the world is experiencing increasing Human Unity, with infinitely variable cultures rising, connecting, and influencing one another, propelling the world forward. It is a wonderful global example of Sri Aurobindo's famous dictum "unity in diversity." It is also an indication of a progressive movement of society away from seperative ego, and towards embracing the Other.

Interestingly, the United States is a microcosm of that unfolding, as its constantly refreshed immigrant populations interact, enabling that nation to thrive. America is thus a forerunner of what the world itself secretly aspires for, and will achieve in the new millennium: a mixing and integrating of cultures, ideas, and approaches to life that propagate ever increasing movements of Harmony and Oneness.  (2009-2011 Q1)

 

World Crisis and Human Unity

Every crisis that arises in the world is a golden opportunity for each nation or people to overcome their own ego-sense and thereby take another step toward Human Unity. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

Economic Crisis and World Unity

The economic crisis facing the globe is forcing the nations of the world to engage in greater levels of cooperation and collaboration. Thus, behind the pain and difficulty is a further movement toward world unity. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

New World Associations and Governance

The world needs a Global Federal Reserve or similar since the recent financial crisis was due to unregulated international movements of funds. Such an association, like the UN, the EU, and others are further signs of World Collaboration and Unity emerging in the world.

Beyond a World Fed or World Financial Regulatory Association, we need a World Army  that can rapidly deal with hot spots (call it a Global Rapid Reaction Force), and a World Parliament to help solve so many of the global issues that cannot be resolved by individual nations alone.

The world is increasingly moving towards human unity, with the strains in the collective life pointing us in this direction. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

Collaboration to Solve World's Problems; World Parliament

The problems in the world cannot be solved by individual nations because they are too broad, and can only be solved collectively, collaboratively. One way to implement this is through a World Parliament, where every major issue can be tackled. This overall movement would be a critical development on the road to Human Unity. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

New Global Institutions to Resolve World Problems Enabling Human Unity

Sri Aurobindo says that all problems in life are problems of harmony. We see in the world a desperate need for greater collaboration and unity to resolves global problems. Increasing financial disasters, natural disasters, environmental disasters, and energy and resource strains  is Nature/Life’s way of showing that the world need to work in greater collaboration, harmony, and unity to resolve those problems, as they are no longer solvable at the local level.

Among the practical suggestions that can make this occur is the development of a World Fed, a World Army, and most importantly a World Parliament where the financial, economic, environmental, and energy issues of the day can be discussed, voted on, and implemented. All such problems of the collective life are solvable if the nations, organizations, and peoples are willing to work together toward common aims through these sorts of institutions.

Life is evolving to ever-increasing complexity, which requires ever higher consciousness for there is to be a smooth and happy progression. This progressive development is occurring at the micro level for the individual and at the macro level for the collectives of the world. The evolution of both requires increasingly harmonic relations with others; whether other people for the individual, or other entities for the collective, be it a business, institution, locality, nation, or people.

Such harmonic cooperation among the collective entities would not only be a boon to the well-being -- economic, social, and cultural -- of the world, but a further sign of the emerging movement toward Human Unity. That in turn would be critical for the birth of a New Humanity, which itself can be a forerunner of an ultimate existence, what Sri Aurobindo called a "Divine Life on Earth."  (2009-2011 Q1)

 

Unity in Europe through Financial Crisis

The current financial crisis in Europe (2011) is forcing the individual nations to give up their ego and work on behalf of the collective, the wider EU community, which is after all what they signed up for. If we observe the arc of history, there is a slow and steady movement toward Human Unity; and such difficulties as experienced by the Europeans compel it further to come about. Life thus emerges to a higher level of awareness, success, and progress through difficulty and opposition. (2009-2011 Q1)

 

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