Growth Online > Knowledge Base > Society's Growth  > The Evolution of the United States The Evolution of the United States by Roy Posner and MSS   Introduction Origins of the USA & Causes of Her Success USA as Current World Leader USA's Limitations, Problems & Challenges Miscellaneous   Introduction (top)     The Evolution of Individual Nations Just as every individual is an amalgam of positive and negative attributes whose being is growing and evolving, so too each nation of the world has an evolving character that expresses both positively and negatively. Each nation can in fact be said to represent a different aspect of human consciousness and capacity. For example, France is said to represent "clarity of thought;" Russia "the brotherhood of man;" the USA "practical organization;" and India "the spiritual teacher (i.e. guru) of the world." Each nation then expresses a ray, or several rays of truth, knowledge, and capacity, reflecting the best of human character and consciousness. Similarly, every nation also expresses its own wanting propensities for falsehood, ignorance, and incapacity. By accentuating the former, and overcoming the latter, the growth, development, and evolution of nations is made possible.   Perhaps the best way to come to know the various capacities of a nation in the current world environment is to examine its level of prosperity. The USA and India can serve as excellent examples, as they represent two contrasting extremes. The USA, on the one hand, has experienced a level of material success bordering on the infinite, even as she has failed so far to embrace the deeper aspects of life. India, on the other hand, who once knew the infinity of spirit and then lost it, is now trying to regain it.  In addition, along the way, she became very poor, but now can utilize a regained spirit to rapidly prosper in an integral -- i.e. not merely material -- way.   Interview on the Future Evolution of the United States Roy Posner, president of Growth Online, discusses the future evolutionary possibilities for United States. (Under development)     Origins of the USA & Causes of Her Success (top)   General Statements | Place in Historical Evolution of the Earth | Physical Endowments | Practical Organization Hard Work  | Waves of Immigrants Living in Harmony | Authority Decentralized Ability to Rise to One's Potential, Talents | Entrepreneurship | Freedom Self-Reliance, Individuality | True Individuality | Education & Literacy | Other General Statements (main)   America's Success and Limits America's success has come about because she has unleashed the power of the individual through the workings of democracy giving rise to dynamism, organization, and vast material well-being. It is a power that has come through the utilization of the Mind of Man applied at the physical/material level. As a result, she has become the evolutionary leader of the world. She has not however implemented her power at the higher vital, psychological, mental, and spiritual levels. If she is to remain in the vanguard, she must do so; otherwise Life will look to another for global guidance and strength. The Key to America's Greatness America unleashed the power of the individual in democracy and applied the power of the mind at the physical level through production and social organization.  (MSS) Cause of America's Dynamism, Limitations America has evolved individuality at the physical/material level based on freedom from social constraints giving rise to all the dynamism and limitations of that same physical plane. (MSS)   Reasons for US's Material Success Listed are several key reasons for the US's material success: it was her time in the evolutionary progress of the earth she faced a vast new virgin land, and had access to infinite physical endowments the people were hungry for  new start in the new world after oppression and limited opportunity in the old the people had the memory of and thus the full capacity to recreate Europe easily and rapidly her people were dedicated to hard work her people were dedicated to self-reliance to facilitate her productivity she took to enormously efficient and practical systems of organization she was continually refreshed by the energies of new immigrants the immigrants get along is a vast experiment in social harmony she was able to uncover the infinity of the material world her people felt they had the freedom and lack of social constraints so that they could rise to their full potential they believed in education power and authority was decentralized into the lower levels of society Additional Reasons for US's Material Success Listed are several key reasons for the US's material success: -Had to tame a wild landscape when they arrived which led to their working extra hard. -Wanted to desperately get out of the Great Depression and did so in developing supplies for the fighting in WWII. -A deeply entrepreneurial society based on the valued of personal freedom in the society. -Walked the fine line between socialism and capitalism. In other words, she practiced entrepreneurialism that led to her great success. Pure capitalism led to failure as in the Great Depression. -Stupendous physical organization of the means of production. -Established a well thought out plan at the time of the nation's inception. E.g. the constitution that contained various values and principles. Reason's for USA's Present Material Success Let’s consider the development of, and the level of prosperity of the USA. When the settlers first arrived in America, they managed the impossible by rapidly recreating the civilization of Europe in a land of virgin forests. They were able to accomplish this because they already carried with them the knowledge of their homelands. With the details of how to recreate a civilization already known, they were then motivated to organize that knowledge and rapidly turn it into practical results. As a result of their adoption of the value of practical organization, a number of developments came about -- including the assembly line, the telephone, the automobile, the suburban home, the interstate highway system, as well as an array of technologies, including various communications systems, the personal computer, and now the Internet.   Though her practical organization continues to release the infinity of matter, the USA is unfortunately still too physical in her fundamental nature. That is, she is amoured with the physical, material reality she creates or sees before her, ignoring other planes of being -- including the psychological, the cultural, and the spiritual. In essence, she needs to raise her laudable value of practical organization from its current physical foundation to these higher planes of consciousness. Though the USA has known vast material success in matter -- achieved by applying true spiritual values such as honesty, orderliness, systemization, etc. -- she still needs to apply these values to other aspects of life beyond the material. That would enable a vast psychological progress, and help her to focus on the true needs of Man, rather than her present preoccupation with the mere material. Such an approach can also help her (a) eliminate the negative byproducts of her technology (such as pollution and radiation), (b) overcome a sometimes vulgar culture that’s spreading around the world, (c) reduce her own poverty and vast differentials of income distribution, and (d) surmount her propensity to constantly fight wars and stockpile dangerous weapon arsenals. It can also help shed her single-minded preoccupation with economic growth and accumulation of personal wealth, which come at the expense of other high values. Finally, it can help her overcome her intransigent independence that too often separates her from the needs and concerns of the rest of the world.   There is also a second reason for the US’s present material success. The multiplicity and diversity of its immigrant citizens -- with their myriad of approaches, solutions, and accomplishments in life -- has released a tidal wave of energy in the nation. This phenomenon is a direct expression of Sri Aurobindo’s renowned dictum and principle of life “unity in diversity.” Together with its value of practical organization, the diversity of its citizens has given the USA an unprecedented power, enabling her to assume the mantle of economic and cultural leader of the world. What she needs to do now however is to evolve her consciousness beyond her current material view if she is to maintain such a lofty position. All indications are that the big change in the consciousness of the world could happen here first.   Will America Continue as the Evolutionary Leader? America has become the leader of the world -- particularly in the area of the economy and through its military power. Her status as “evolutionary leader” came about because she took to freedom, individuality, organization, mass production, and waves of immigrant population, to name a few. Every individual also had the knowledge of how to recreate Europe in the new virgin land. Thus, America enabled the infinite to emerge out of the physical plane; producing endless material well-being, becoming a model for the rest of the world. Now the world is catching up, particularly in Asia. New interests are emerging in the world. Will the US continue to be the world evolutionary leader in this new environment? She will have to take to several steps to maintain that status, otherwise some other nation(s) will take up the mantle. First, she needs to overcome her reactionary, conservative tendencies that go back 150 years. Second, she needs to go beyond the material to the psychological, mental, and spiritual view of the world -- holding the individual as sacred and supporting him every way possible. Third, she needs to join the world community as an equal, cooperative partner, not as a renegade looking out for her own self-interests. The era of go-it-alone power has come to an end. World collaboration is the order of the day. If America moves in these directions, she will maintain her status as the evolutionary leader, and play the central guiding role in society's further progress and evolution. The test of her collaborative effort will come in two areas: how she takes up the issue of the environment, and whether she radically reduces her nuclear weaponry. If she is to maintain her mantle of evolutionary leader, she will need to move in the right direction on these two issues at least. If she fails, the baton will be passed on elsewhere; to those can lead the world through its next stage of ever-increasing human unity and integration.   The Promise of a Divided America 400 years ago, newly arrived settlers came to this continent and met with a virgin land consisting of endless forests and lush valleys. And yet, the waves of immigrants who came were able to quickly tame the land. Seeking to replicate Europe in the new homeland, the settlers knew what had to be done. They also they had the life skills of a hundred European generations. The only challenge was how fast and efficiently they could do it. And so, the immigrant population developed the means to make that happen -- later known as mass production. The people were not only able to organize and develop all of the necessities for life on the new continent, but within 100 years were able to produce them for nearly everyone in the bourgeoning population. This centuries-long movement peaked with Henry Ford’s production line facilities used to build the Model T automobile for the common man. Waves of immigrant population from a variety of lands, the knowledge of the European homeland in the minds of the settlers, and taking to mass production and organization are several of the keys to the enormous prosperity that came to America. So was the drive and energy of the people motivated by new freedoms unavailable in their previous homelands. Individuality arose in place of the oppression, the greater conformity, and the hierarchical structure of Europe. By the 20th century, America, once ridiculed by Europeans as an outpost of savages, had matched and then surpassed economically and materially all of Europe. The old world’s cynicism and arrogance was left behind in the dust by a new pioneer society that continues to thrive until this day. Then there is the other side of the coin. Somewhere along the line, mostly in the last 100 years, a negative conservative strain has entered the body politic and the population of the United States. Where it issues from and what harmful purpose it serves remains to be determined. But its negative affect on the society is well known -- from the Civil War support of slavery in the South; to a reluctance amongst the hinterland peoples to fight German and Japanese fascism that put the nation at great risk; to the support of a war against the Vietnamese people, who were seeking independence from their colonial masters. Worse still, is their antagonism towards virtually every positive value that has come into society, from the rise of woman, to the rise of new, more sophisticated cultural values.  It has its roots mostly in non-urban areas, on the fringes of suburbia where it meets the countryside -- where issues forth an endless stream of ignorance and false knowledge. It originates in a barely-educated ignorant, superstitious rural white population, which in turn creates a blowback to a conservative middle class. Though the rural areas express reasonable concerns about safety and security, and demonstrate kindliness toward one another, it is a veneer, which breaks down quickly when these simple people are confronted by the realities of a changing world. This conservative element then reemerges, seeking by-gone eras, unable to embrace the challenges of a modern world. As a result, they become reactionary and anachronistic. Even their religion turns from providing spiritual sustenance and moral direction to a certain narrow-mindedness, a conformity of belief, and eventually radical reactionary political and social points of view. There is another problem in American society, perhaps more ominous. It can be stated as its “physical consciousness of violence.” Consider the facts in 2006: 200 million guns held amongst the population; $400 billion a year in military spending, when the next largest nation is spending barely $40 billion per annum; and thousands of nuclear warheads remaining deployed and ready -- even though the Cold War has now long passed. Add to that the glorification of violence in the culture at nearly every level, and you have ominous incendiary disaster waiting to happen. How has this great country that once sought to avoid persecution and nurtured extreme individuality of the Common Man developed this physical consciousness of violence -- a negative power that can easily, and most dangerously, turn on itself at any time? Some would say that it is the result of another US problem: a view of life that only sees the physical/material as real; with all other planes -- i.e. the psychological, the societal, the spiritual -- relegated to a secondary or even non-status.  One sage has commented that “Americans think with their bodies.” This means that they tend to relate to life only through what they see, to what is materially visible; i.e. to what their five senses are absorbing from the environment. Their center of perception is thus in a lower sense-orientation of the mind, instead of the clear thinking, higher functioning or logical and rational mind, where one can more readily perceive the wider and deeper truths and conditions of life. This obsession with the outer physical realities of life occurs in many ways -- in their obsession with their physical bodies; through a wild, mindless fascination with all things physical; and in their unbound glorification of technology and scientific advancement at the expense of deeper appreciation of human values. Watch any newscast and you will see a childlike fascination with the physically visible. Little seems to be understood by the American viewer unless there is a video or a graph or some other physical object to engage him. Also, the American cannot sit still for a minute, nor take to several moments of silence. He needs to rush off and accomplish, never to consider and be. Too many American finds it difficult to seriously and sincerely address the deeper meaning of things. Except, of course, when Nature forces them to do so; when She pulls them out of their shallow existence through a variety of tragedies. The nation is thus divided between its positive and negative attributes. Among the positive are the continuous waves of immigrant who bring fresh energies and ideas, an overwhelming capacity for physical organization and mass production, and the enormous power of freedom and individuality in the society. Balanced against these are the virulent strains of anachronistic conservatism, a physical consciousness of violence, and an obsession with the materially visible at the expense of the deeper perceptions of the truths of life. Usually we think of a divided country as a fissure between different segments of the society, or two political parties. Here I am suggesting that the division lies along more fundamental lines. It is between consciousness and unconsciousness that cuts across all strata of the American society. By overcoming the negative and reinforcing the positive, America can bring about the synthesis that will enable further progress in the nation. Because America is so full of energy, she is ripe for such change. Because she has the physical means and material prosperity, she is ready to move to the next level of consciousness. She is the one country ready to make the decisive evolutionary change. America has taken on the role as the material leader and pioneer in the world -- despite her known psychological and perceptive limitations. To become the psychological and spiritual leader beyond the material, she must confront her demons and limitations. Otherwise, she will falter. If so, she will be forced to hand over her mantle as Pioneer and Leader to other nations, perhaps those of Asia, such as India. And yet, she is now ready and ripe to make this decisive change. We will watch closely for such developments as the course of events unfold.   Place in Historical Evolution of the Earth (main) March of Civilization It is said that civilization began in Mesopotamia. Man took to agriculture and urban living. It was a physical life of the civilized man. Mind was developed in Greece in later centuries. The evolution of Man continued, but elsewhere. It was Rome that developed law, art, and empires. Again it moved. Europe developed science. Now that center of that movement is in USA, which is focusing not so much on Science as Scientific Technology. Before this movement began the Spirit was discovered in India. (MSS) The Emergence of the True Individual in Society Today America rules the world as Great Britain did till the world war. Greece, Rome, and France had such eminence in their time. We see Greece had it on the strength of a culture that enabled it to flower Mind. Rome ruled Europe because of her law. France dominated Europe by her Freedom. Britain’s eminence was made possible by her trade. North America dominates the world because the Individual is emerging there in the physical plane. Maybe the Americans are aware of their military, political strength and abundant wealth and do not really see the emerging Individual. That is the route social evolution has chosen. Army, wealth, political power, etc. are the results of the emerging Individual, not vice versa. In the twenty-first century, the Individual will certainly emerge and it will be credited as the century of the Individual. Emerging at the physical level, he ushers in prosperous plenty. At the vital level, he will be the harbinger of Peace expressed as international law and order. At the mental level, the emerging individual will establish the rule of Rationality, abolishing all kinds of superstition, which our present life abounds in. At that level, he will be a psychological individual and his goals will be psychological growth and ethical standards. The real individual is truly spiritual. He will accomplish things from inside and not move in the outer life. (MSS) Historical World Movements The world evolved from spirit (as in ancient India) to Babylonia as civilization to Middle East as religion to Greece as birth of mentality to culture, trade of the Renaissance to invention of 20th century Europe to practical organization of the US. Now the US in its full materialism meets the ancient Indian spirit through Indian programmers, completing the cycle and tying the head to the tail.   Advance of Civilization and Role of India and US Advance of civilisation arrives at revelations which later become their culture. The Greek's intellectual culture, the Roman's love of law, the European scientific enquiry, British patronage of democracy and the American's excelling in practical organisation are such consummations. The Indian discovery of the Spirit as the underlying principle for all these expressions and their reliance on that spiritual approach to shape their daily life are unique to India.  This is the basis of Sri Aurobindo's statement that India would become the Guru of the world. The world is treating USA as the leader and is taking after her culture. Even in India this is true. I consider this movement in the historical perspective that Nature develops her several facets at several parts of the globe before she achieves her desired consummation. The full cycle of human capacities having been developed successively, what remains now is to unite them all. I see Indians moving to the West in that light. (MSS) Nature's Recent Historical Path Science was developed in Europe which was proud of its scientific culture. Pride stands in the way of further development. So, Nature moved away from the self-sufficient Europe to develop further. The next step is not so much Science as scientific technology. Nature chose a humble population of the USA for that purpose. (MSS) See Additional Entries on the World Movements of History   Physical Endowments (main) Nature's Further Development through US Begins through Her Physical Endowments Because Nature has to start with the physical level, she starts with the physical resources. This is seen in the [USA's] vast natural resources, the physical size of the country, the length of the coastline. To overcome the rigidities into which civilization has run, Nature to start afresh from the physical created the United States. In this sense it is an ascent. Because the immigrants bring with them cultural experience, mental endowments of their own countries, in this experiment we see the evolution in the descent subconsciously. (MSS) The Boon of the Virgin Soil Among other things, the distance that separated America from Europe facilitated the development of greater skills. Nature itself has cooperated in that endeavour by the land producing more than the native lands. It can be explained or understood as the virgin soil giving more than a depleted soil. That way we will explain away an evolutionary progress as a physical phenomenon. Such a choice of the mind will become the basis and the potential for organized resistance. (MSS)   Practical Organization (main) US's Organized Systems of Life Enable Material Success An organized system enables freedom; freedom to be creative. There is creative prosperity in the US because it has organized systems of life at the level of material prosperity. American Settlers and Organization The American settlers realised quickly that they had to be very organised if they wanted the American wilderness to co-operate with them and yield any benefits. (MSS, N. Asokan) Practical Organization, Waves of Immigrants Enabled US's Success Let’s consider the development of, and the level of prosperity of the USA. When the settlers first arrived in America, they managed the impossible by rapidly recreating the civilization of Europe in a land of virgin forests. They were able to accomplish this because they already carried with them the knowledge of their homelands. With the details of how to recreate a civilization already known, they were then motivated to organize that knowledge and rapidly turn it into practical results. As a result of their adoption of the value of practical organization, a number of developments came about -- including the assembly line, the telephone, the automobile, the suburban home, the interstate highway system, as well as an array of technologies, including various communications systems, the personal computer, and now the Internet.   Though her practical organization continues to release the infinity of matter, the USA is unfortunately still too physical in her fundamental nature. That is, she is amoured with the physical, material reality she creates or sees before her, ignoring other planes of being -- including the psychological, the cultural, and the spiritual. In essence, she needs to raise her laudable value of practical organization from its current physical foundation to these higher planes of consciousness. Though the USA has known vast material success in matter -- achieved by applying true spiritual values such as honesty, orderliness, systemization, etc. -- she still needs to apply these values to other aspects of life beyond the material. That would enable a vast psychological progress, and help her to focus on the true needs of Man, rather than her present preoccupation with the mere material. Such an approach can also help her (a) eliminate the negative byproducts of her technology (such as pollution and radiation), (b) overcome a sometimes vulgar culture that’s spreading around the world, (c) reduce her own poverty and vast differentials of income distribution, and (d) surmount her propensity to constantly fight wars and stockpile dangerous weapon arsenals. It can also help shed her single-minded preoccupation with economic growth and accumulation of personal wealth, which come at the expense of other high values. Finally, it can help her overcome her intransigent independence that too often separates her from the needs and concerns of the rest of the world.   There is also a second reason for the US’s present material success. The multiplicity and diversity of its immigrant citizens -- with their myriad of approaches, solutions, and accomplishments in life -- has released a tidal wave of energy in the nation. This phenomenon is a direct expression of Sri Aurobindo’s renowned dictum and principle of life “unity in diversity.” Together with its value of practical organization, the diversity of its citizens has given the USA an unprecedented power, enabling her to assume the mantle of economic and cultural leader of the world. What she needs to do now however is to evolve her consciousness beyond her current material view if she is to maintain such a lofty position. All indications are that the big change in the consciousness of the world could happen here first. Source of Practical Inventions The cultural atmosphere of Europe was missing in the American settlements. That helped focus their minds exclusively on practical inventions and work related issues. (MSS, N. Asokan) USA and Organizational Efficiency USA has more records for the life of the last 200 years than any other nation. She has distinguished herself as a nation of practical efficiency. In every other nation these versions of organisation are originally developed while in USA it is original imitation in the sense that populations from cultured nations came to a virgin land and created a new nation from scratch, but from a subconscious or conscious memory of their parent nations. (MSS) US Planning Capacity The hard struggle for survival has forged a strong individuality in the Americans. Such a formed individuality will not easily submit to any control even if it be in the form of planning. But nowadays we find Americans to be very good planners. It is puzzling to know how their hardened individuality has been reconciled to meticulous planning. Individuality gets formed by undergoing long experiences which involve much trial and error. On the other hand, planning abridges time and removes trial and error. Americans have compromised with their individualism to the extent they have realised the importance of planning in speeding up progress. (MSS, N. Asokan)   Hard Work (main) Physical Hard Work as Cause of US's Success The US achievement is out of practical organisation in the physical plane. (MSS, slightly altered) USA's Success & Limitation through Physical Hard Work USA is the richest nation in the world. She achieved this abundance by very hard, hazardous, physical work. Physical work is the indispensable basis of Prosperity but it is not all. In the measure that physical work is informed by vital energy and mental knowledge, it rises in quality. I argue that in India such a work can be raised to Spiritual inspiration. Europe and USA have done it by organising mental education. I would not concede they have organised it. They have followed an empirical path that is partial and sporadic. (MSS) US's Success and It's Sources of Silence One is opposed to the other. Where there is activity, there is no Silence; where there is Silence, there is no activity. Sri Aurobindo says Silence sustains activity. Further, He says all those who have reached a little of that inner Silence know the surging waves of energy that are welling up from that immobile reservoir of SILENCE. During a discussion of the history of the USA along the lines of the Theory of Social Evolution, the author of that study asked the group a question: “We see America is dynamic. If Sri Aurobindo’s words are true, we must discover the silence behind the ocean-like activity on that continent.” An American member of the team asked the questioner to recall the physical silence of the American cities as against the noisy roads of India. Westerners, on landing in India, are aware of many things as part of a cultural shock, as anyone entering another culture feels. Of all these things, the din of noise in our towns, at home and everywhere is noticeable to them. America has no noise pollution. On the roads in America, the noise of the car horn is rarely heard. On our roads [in India], it is the opposite. In not using the horn, the American driver has to exercise a great INNER restraint. The organisation of traffic must be far more efficient than here. It is an inner efficiency, which arises from an inner calm. An audience waiting for the speaker is vociferous, is what we know. In the West, the audience waits in silence. An inner restraint makes the inner silence possible. It is a spiritual principle that silence is more efficacious than the spoken word. OM symbolises that Silence. An American judge at the trial of war criminals in Nuremberg was given a house and three servants. He felt guilty about having any servants and wanted to dispense with them. He was used to working all by himself. That is the American tradition. In the early days of the settlers, a person travelled to a god-forsaken place and started life. He would have absolutely no help apart from his family, if he had one. Usually a family would come to someone who had already set up in a place. Security first, family next, was the rule for settlers unless they had come to some vacant place with a family. Thus, man withdraws into himself. At work, he had no companion to speak with. After work, he fell plump into his bed often filling himself with liquor. He went into a stupor to get up the next morning and work. It is not spiritual seclusion and spiritual tapas. Mother called work the best prayer of the body. He was all by himself to accomplish. Friends or family were acquired after he succeeded. The enforced silence of his being alone with no one to consult generated the Silence out of, which issued the gigantic dynamism whose work America is today. Americans who come to work directly fall into their work after a ’Hello’ or a ’Hi’. That is the maximum of their speech while at work. (MSS) Strength of Overcoming Difficulties of the Frontier The difficulties of frontier life have bred in the Americans a fierce determination to survive, which has made them very industrious and productive. They continue these traits long after the frontier has ceased to exist and these traits are rewarding them with a lot of prosperity. (N. Asokan, MSS)   Waves of Immigrants Living in Harmony (main) Benefit of US Immigrants to Its Success The diversity of the US's continually refreshed immigrant population is an indicator of the shape of things to come. [That is, the internal harmony among the various people is a harbinger of the harmony of the various peoples of the earth [for the world]. (Paraphrase of MSS) US's Practical Internal Harmony The supreme need of several cultures having to live together brought the US a practical harmony in its existence.   Nature's experiment that has been brought several cultures together in the US is a direct antidote to fundamentalism. (Paraphrase of MSS)   All the Races in the US America was isolationist in the 19th century. On Friday the reverse is true. She is all over the world. All the races on earth have come to the US. (MSS) Beyond Class; Different Nationalities Europe and India have suffered from the restrictions of class and caste. America offered an opportunity to develop a society without these anachronisms. Moreover people of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds were able to come together and work for the common good. This is in line with nature’s intention of forging human unity. As such the American nation has become the spot where an unheard of experiment in human unity is being successfully conducted. (MSS, N. Asokan) Economic Opportunity that Enables Ethnic Minorities to Live Together in USA When economic opportunities open up, Man has no time or energy for religious conflict, i.e. economics goes deeper into man’s existence than what he believes to be his religious conviction. If ethnic conflicts are to acquire life and virulence, it should be in USA, because it is there we find a great number of dynamic ethnic minorities, but the USA is more free from ethnic conflicts than elsewhere. (MSS)   The True View of the Future for the Immigrant in the US The ideal of the immigrants is the ideal of the nation they have come from. They tried to recreate in different walks of life the attainments of Greece, Rome, and their own countries. The thing that really took them to USA is their quest for freedom, which is the positive side of their settlement. Nostalgia makes them reestablish the old culture. That will be a retrogressive step. In this conflict man has to exercise his choice, which is the human choice. What the US citizen is to discover is not the past European civilization, but it is the essence of the past European civilization in the context of the present American freedom. (MSS) Multiplicity of Cultures Within Enables the USA to Be a True Nation and Vanguard of the World An individual becomes a True Individual when he is open to the greatest possibilities in life; where he is not held back by conforming to the narrow instincts and influences of the heard. A nation that is open to the widest possibilities is one that is usually the world leader in its time. Those widest possibilities come when it allows itself to be influenced by the widest number of cultures, as was the case of Rome in its time and Britain in its colonial days. For better or worse, it serves as the vanguard nation amongst all nations. The US just now is influenced now by the widest number of influences of culture within its own bordered through the multiplicity of immigrants in its midst. That not only makes it more of a True Nation, but enables it to be in the vanguard of world leadership and evolution. The multiplicity of energies being released internally through the wide variety of cultures generates a vast external-influencing energy that enables Her to become not only a True Individual Nation, but the decided leader and vanguard amidst the nations of the world.   Groups Get Along in US Because of Vast Economic Opportunity The reason all of the varying groups get along in the US is because of great economic opportunity that exists there. Any man from any group can reach the top very quickly through hard work and perseverance. Without that opportunity the groups might very well be at each other's throats. Solvent of Ethnic Conflicts in USA That a nobody on the street can become a respectable citizen by hard, intelligent work is a SOLVENT of ethnic conflicts and tensions. ... Prosperity dissolves human perversity. (MSS) Acceptance of Others Land was in plenty and labour was in short supply in America. Therefore settlers ignored the cultural and religious differences between them and those they employed for work. Paucity of labour is a great leveler of differences. (MSS, N. Asokan)     Authority Decentralized (main) Decentralization/Delegation of Authority & Success of USA (vs. India) The same fund of energy in the USA as in India gets converted into a far greater and better result because of organisational efficiency, which is different from technological superiority. One part of that organisational effectivity is that in USA the AUTHORITY has moved down from the top and functions at various low levels on its own. Authority is effectively delegated. Delegated authority defines the personality of the worker. He is thus enthused, energised, and motivated because what he does he sees as his own achievement. In India, it is still at the conceptual stage. Top management pays lip service to delegation. (MSS)   US Going through Several Revolutions at Same Time A nation that progresses like USA is undergoing several transitional period, i.e. Revolutions all the time. (MSS) Ability to Rise to One's Potential, Talents (main) US Prosperity Due to Freedom to Rise to One's Talents The American prosperity today rests on the principle of a Man doing any work in which he has talents. (MSS) America Enables Talents to Blossom It is talents that accomplish anywhere, but the rewards do not necessarily go to talents. They go to one in position. The older the culture, the harder for pure talents without status to thrive. America accomplished shortly what Europe took ages to accomplish. (MSS) America Prospered Because There Was Unlimited Opportunity Beyond Caste, Class of Europe Americans migrated from European countries because the social structure in England and Europe permitted anyone to rise only up to the social status of their father. They were forbidden to go beyond. In the fresh land of wilderness that America was in 1800 or 1900, there was no society to monitor individual progress. There were no classes or castes. Anyone could rise to any level not based on his class, but on his own education and capacity. That is social freedom, freedom from social restrictions. This is one main reason for America being a prosperous nation, flush with achievements. (MSS) Why Europeans Migrated to America Europeans migrated to America because the social structure in England and Europe permitted anyone to rise only up to the social status of the father. they were forbidden to go beyond. In the fresh lands of wilderness that America was in 1800 or 1900, there was no society to monitor individual progress. There were no classes or castes. Anyone could rise to any level not based on his class, but on his own education and capacity. (This is also one way the world energies act. If human progress is stultified by classes and castes, Nature creates a New World free of them.) (MSS, slightly modified)   The Emerging Individual and US Dominance Pujyasri Karmayogi has very aptly and refreshingly referred to the concept of the “emerging individual” in North America and sees that as the reason for its dominance in the world’s theatre of events. (Consecration, Jan-Feb 2006) Ironically, Britain, which boasted of the sun never setting on its empire, lags far behind it on all fronts. Why? America enjoys a melting pot advantage with many races having a free existence in its land with cloistering tendencies never raising its ugly head. Its gregariousness was never insular but one of treating every individual as an entity eligible to contribute his mite intellectually, socially and emotionally. In short, individual freedom gravitated towards a collective effort mightily making it gain a global one-upmanship. Morality may at times be in a state of crises but a penetrating secular spirituality makes it a homogeneous state – an amazing unity in diversity.  (C R Narayanan)   Freedom (main) America's Evolution from Physical Consciousness to Vital Individuality America has evolved individuality at the physical level based on freedom from social constraints giving rise to all the dynamism and limitations of the physical (e.g. physical self-reliance goes hand in hand with extreme physical possessiveness and selfishness. How can one who has been asked to take care of himself think about giving to other?) America will progress by evolving to vital individuality. (MSS) America Prospered Because There Was Unlimited Opportunity Beyond Caste, Class of Europe Americans migrated from European countries because the social structure in England and Europe permitted anyone to rise only up to the social status of their father. They were forbidden to go beyond. In the fresh land of wilderness that America was in 1800 or 1900, there was no society to monitor individual progress. There were no classes or castes. Anyone could rise to any level not based on his class, but on his own education and capacity. That is social freedom, freedom from social restrictions. This is one main reason for America being a prosperous nation, flush with achievements. (MSS) Freedom as Reason for America’s success -Her people felt they had the freedom and lack of social constraints so that they could rise to their full potential. -A deeply entrepreneurial society based on the valued of personal freedom in the society. -The drive and energy of the people motivated by new freedoms unavailable in their previous homelands. Why US is So Prosperous The reasons are many and varied — technology that is superior, abundant human energy of dynamic citizens, higher level of education, the social milieu, the respect for the individual, especially for women and children, equality of people of all descriptions, an atmosphere of utter personal freedom, etc. etc. (MSS) America Qualifies for Individuality We see the American thus qualifying for Individuality. His physical circumstances are ones of unlimited freedom. Vitally, he possesses all that he earns paying no taxes. He permits no social inhibition as he acts in a wilderness where there is no society. His motto is any problem has a solution, thus expressing one touch of infinity. From an isolation which he cherishes, he was compelled to emerge all over the world and has assumed leadership or accorded leadership in all known fields of human existence. He naturally gets into a larger rhythm. In the Second World War his army of 36,000 was very soon blown into four million soldiers. It is seen in his efficiency, the volume of output, its result of global domination. (MSS) The True View of the Future for the Immigrant in the US The ideal of the immigrants is the ideal of the nation they have come from. They tried to recreate in different walks of life the attainments of Greece, Rome, and their own countries. The thing that really took them to USA is their quest for freedom, which is the positive side of their settlement. Nostalgia makes them reestablish the old culture. That will be a retrogressive step. In this conflict man has to exercise his choice, which is the human choice. What the US citizen is to discover is not the past European civilization, but it is the essence of the past European civilization in the context of the present American freedom. (MSS) The US South's Freedom that is Regressive It is interesting to view the North-South divide and Civil War as the opposition of progressive and reactionary forces in America. From the beginning, the vast freedom of the New World was attractive to both those who wanted to cast off the conservative burden of class structure and evolve a freer society and those who wanted to return or establish a more perfect society along the old lines. Puritans came to America to impose a Puritan rule—fundamentalism utopia—free from the impurities of the Anglican Church and monarchy. Southern immigrants and aspirants longed to erect a new feudal aristocracy to mimic the old world aristocracy that was soon to crumble in the French Revolution. Mother says all growth is in freedom, but freedom is always a double edged sword that can be used for progressive or organization of outmoded egoistic demands. Thus even today America is a seedbed of progressive individuality and archaic fundamentalism. These opposing forces coexisted for two centuries because of the vast area and loose structure of the emerging nation. When the progressive forces of the North reached a certain level of development that threatened to dominate, the South asserted its freedom to live in the past. The war was fought not over slavery but over national integration. The constitutional weaknesses born of the original compromise between independent colonies and a unified federation rose to the surface and threatened to divide the country forever. It was a war between past and future, aristocracy and democracy, agriculture and industry, vital-physical and mental-vital.     Self-Reliance, Individuality (main)   Self Respect and Self Reliance Enables America Preeminence The character of individual self-respect and self-reliance epitomized by the American pioneers has been the driving force for the rise of America to the pre-eminent position in world affairs. (MSS)   Cause of America's Dynamism, Limitations America has evolved individuality at the physical/material level based on freedom from social constraints giving rise to all the dynamism and limitations of that same physical plane. Cause of Strong Individuality The hard struggle for survival has forged a strong individuality in the Americans. (MSS, N. Asokan) America's Evolution from Physical Consciousness to Vital Individuality America has evolved individuality at the physical level based on freedom from social constraints giving rise to all the dynamism and limitations of the physical (e.g. physical self-reliance goes hand in hand with extreme physical possessiveness and selfishness. How can one who has been asked to take care of himself think about giving to other?) America will progress by evolving to vital individuality. (MSS)   Self-reliance, Integrity in the Child Instead of Wealth Inheritance as Key to Success in America All successful men in America are men who made it themselves, who made it in the first generation. Therefore, the general belief in America is, the son should be on his own, reliance on wealth prevents the formation of ability. Bill Gates, having made 64 billion dollars, gives away his wealth. He has endowed each of his two sons with one million dollars each. He believes the boy will be a success if he starts from nothing and any substantial inheritance will spoil him. Our tradition is happy and proud to leave as large an inheritance as possible to posterity. Europe has practised primogeniture, passing on the estate to the eldest son and leaving all the other children to their own resources. In England, most of the shining talents of the English came from the second sons of a Lord, as they were on their own, while the eldest mostly dissipated the wealth inherited. Eight hundred randomly chosen individuals with a minimum of $125,000 a year income in USA were studied. It is about Rs. 50 lakhs a year, or 5 lakhs a month. Most of them are embarrassed to be called rich or wealthy. Nor do they desire to furnish their house luxuriously. They want their children to be on their own, and do not cherish the idea of their inheriting great wealth. What they want to pass on to their children is high values such as integrity and honesty. The wealthiest nation in the world has learnt a valuable lesson that Integrity in the child is more valuable than inherited wealth. (MSS)       Entrepreneurship (main)   America's Entrepreneurship and Leadership America’s is not essentially an economy of capitalism, but of entrepreneurship. Most of its prosperity has come through that entrepreneurial zeal -- from Ford to Gates to Jobs to Brin. When it becomes more capitalistic -- i.e. focusing only on money -- it begins to fail, as in the Great Depression when financial speculations ran rampant, and in a milder form as we have seen in recent global speculation and failure related to the housing industry. Almost all economic growth in America’s history -- and it is the world leading nation by far -- has been fueled by individuals deciding to take up an idea or possibility and run with it. That entrepreneurial zeal produced the overwhelming majority of the great companies, industries, and material benefits in the US -- and is still generating the same today.  Now if only America can have that same impact at the higher psychological and mental planes, it could ignite another, even greater revolution. It can move from its current status as world economic and military leader to pioneer and guide of human potential in an ever more unified world. US Entrepreneurship -The US is a deeply entrepreneurial society based on the valued of personal freedom in the society. -The US has walked the fine line between socialism and capitalism. In other words, she practiced entrepreneurialism that led to her great success. Pure capitalism led to failure as in the Great Depression.   Land of Infinite Possibilities in Seabiscuit There is one less obvious, though powerful theme that permeates the stroy of Seabiscuit: it is the atmosphere of “infinite possibilities” that prevails in the minds of the people of 20th century America. From the very beginning, the narrator tells us of the infinite potential of America, and in particular the open-ended possibilities that exist in the American West. Not only is there a sense of freedom to do as one chooses, but that environment encourages individuality, where people can think for themselves, unencumbered by the old ways. There is thus a canvas, a landscape of infinite possibility for attaining success and fulfillment. It is in this atmosphere that Seabiscuit’s rags to riches story takes place. Charles at the outset pursues his dream, not wanting to be a spoke in a wheel, or a cog in a machine. As a result, he starts his own business selling bicycles, and then sells cars. In an environment of infinite possibility, he makes his own way, makes his own choices, expresses his individuality to become what he wishes to become. He is unfettered by the views of society, but forges ahead on his own. In a backdrop of infinite potentials, he is able to find fulfillment in life. In fact, this is such an open-ended, inviting environment for accomplishment, that even when times are hard, when people are down and out on their luck due to the Great Depression; even even when there are intense personal problems, the American dream remains alive in the heart of the people. I.e. a person can still find success and happiness in that infinite-like environment. All that is required is for a person to look around and see what is possible, and then choose in the direction that expresses his or her individuality. For Charles, Tom, Red, and Seabiscuit that is precisely what takes place -- despite the national hardship and their own personal problems in this land of infinite possibilities. Envisioning the Future in Seabiscuit Life is an open field. There are a myriad of choices before us. Those who are most successful in life are those who perceive and then seize the opportunities that are there before them. In Seabiscuit, the characters, particularly Charles, recognizes opportunities, seizes them, and accomplishes them in full. For example, in the beginning of the story Charles realizes that he does not have to be “a spoke in a wheel” while working at the bicycle shop. He perceives that there can be a different way, in which he has control over his own destiny. He heads out west and sets up a shop of his own. That in turn brings an overheated car in front of his shop, which enables him to recognize and prosper in yet another opportunity, the newly emerging automobile industry. Catching the Wave -- It should be pointed out that Charles did not just perceive any opportunity, but one that reflected an important emerging wave in society. With the discovery of the combustible engine, the paving of roads throughout the country, and the desire amongst the public to move around quickly, easily and conveniently, the automobile was the emerging technology of the time. Charles perceived that emerging wave of opportunity, seized on it, and was taken to the top of his field. Charles perceived opportunities related to his career in horseracing as well. First, he saw the potential for success in the horseracing field, and entered it. Then he saw the potential in Tom because of the values of honesty and sincerity he expressed; in Seabiscuit, despite his outer limitations; and in Red, despite his many failures to that point. Charles was able to look beyond the present limitations and envision future success in each instance. He proved to be correct on all counts. Charles not only had the ability to perceive possibilities in ordinary, i.e. relatively positive circumstances, but also in negative ones as well. When he hears from Tom that Seabiscuit is not a great horse yet like War Admiral, rather than be discouraged by the fact, he turns it positive by envisioning a race between the two horses. In fact, later on when Riddle tries to thwart him from achieving that goal, Charles comes up with a series of innovative and successful strategies to lure him out. Additional Thoughts on Entrepreneurship         True Individuality (main) America Qualifies for Individuality We see the American thus qualifying for Individuality. His physical circumstances are ones of unlimited freedom. Vitally, he possesses all that he earns paying no taxes. He permits no social inhibition as he acts in a wilderness where there is no society. His motto is any problem has a solution, thus expressing one touch of infinity. From an isolation which he cherishes, he was compelled to emerge all over the world and has assumed leadership or accorded leadership in all known fields of human existence. He naturally gets into a larger rhythm. In the Second World War his army of 36,000 was very soon blown into four million soldiers. It is seen in his efficiency, the volume of output, its result of global domination. (MSS)   America through Its Individualy is the Pioneer of World Evolution The secret of American prosperity lies not in any inherent superiority of its people but rather in the way it fosters the development and expression of each person’s individual capacities. Here is the point where material accomplishment and spiritual attainment meet. For according to Sri Aurobindo, the emergence and development of individuality is a crucial and significant step in the spiritual evolution of life on earth. Individuality is the means by which the Divine manifests its infinite potential in a finite world. The individual is the pioneer of the world’s spiritual evolution and America, more than any other country, respects, nurtures, encourages and celebrates individual uniqueness and individual accomplishment. (MSS)   The Emergence of the True Individual in Society Today America rules the world as Great Britain did till the world war. Greece, Rome, and France had such eminence in their time. We see Greece had it on the strength of a culture that enabled it to flower Mind. Rome ruled Europe because of her law. France dominated Europe by her Freedom. Britain’s eminence was made possible by her trade. North America dominates the world because the Individual is emerging there in the physical plane. Maybe the Americans are aware of their military, political strength and abundant wealth and do not really see the emerging Individual. That is the route social evolution has chosen. Army, wealth, political power, etc. are the results of the emerging Individual, not vice versa. In the twenty-first century, the Individual will certainly emerge and it will be credited as the century of the Individual. Emerging at the physical level, he ushers in prosperous plenty. At the vital level, he will be the harbinger of Peace expressed as international law and order. At the mental level, the emerging individual will establish the rule of Rationality, abolishing all kinds of superstition, which our present life abounds in. At that level, he will be a psychological individual and his goals will be psychological growth and ethical standards. The real individual is truly spiritual. He will accomplish things from inside and not move in the outer life. (MSS)   USA as Evolutionary Pioneer We already see a general, wider pioneer emerging and leading the world to this new age of the true Individual. It is the United States. For all its crass materialism and its bullying political tactics, it is the evolutionary pioneer leading the world towards the emergence of this New Individual in our young century. The USA is the evolutionary pioneer because within its borders it has allowed for unprecedented individuality amongst its own people. In addition, it is working out all of the conflicts of society amongst a highly varied populace. This attempt to grapple with the varying sides of issues amongst a plethora of people types, is a semi-conscious attempt for further evolutionary progress. This generates a vast internal energy that spreads in various forms throughout the world enabling her to be in the evolutionary vanguard. Additional Thoughts on True Individuality Education & Literacy (main) Universal Literacy in Nations Universal literacy created such a stir in Japan and in many European countries. It played that role in great intensity in the USA. (MSS)   Other (main) Why US is So Prosperous The reasons are many and varied — technology that is superior, abundant human energy of dynamic citizens, higher level of education, the social milieu, the respect for the individual, especially for women and children, equality of people of all descriptions, an atmosphere of utter personal freedom, etc. etc. (MSS) Article: Keys to US and India's Prosperity Hypothesis: US Success after WWII Due to Convergence of Social Readiness and War Money Power At the end of WWII society was ready for great social change; as indicated by the emerging role of women, freedom to travel the country and move, the natural expansive optimism, big technological breakthroughs, the great movement from country to cities, the development of systems of organization that were ready to blossom (e.g. shopping centers, and housing tracks), government development of highways for emerging expansion of the auto, etc. All could utilize the financial stimulus of the war costs, i.e. money stimulation to express themselves. Thus, a convergence of the energies of psychological and social development in society with the material and vital energies of money stimulus that can multiply it.* The great depression only pent these up to gather potential power. The war released it. Perhaps we can say that the US had more of these social development potentials than Europe which was at a somewhat different stage of development. I.e. the US energies were ripe for great expansion because of freedom, opportunity, endless possibility of the land, optimism, turned into a power through technology and money (financial stimulus of war). WWI would have similar dynamics. [*An original thought. If substantiated, it will make a striking mark. (MSS)]     USA as Current World Leader (top)     USA in Evolutionary Vanguard Due to Practical Organization USA is the evolutionary vanguard, not by culture but by practical organization. (MSS) USA as World Leader through Capacity The USA is the world leader not through culture but through capacity.   Nature Selects America as Representative for Success and Basis of Future World Union Nature has shunned Europe and Asia which are class ridden and caste ridden to create a vast expanse of human physical opportunities which will become the representative of the future world union. That is America. (MSS)   US as World Leader Nature has let to physical/material leader, not the cultural --  the US -- lead the world.   USA as Evolutionary Pioneer We already see a general, wider pioneer emerging and leading the world to this new age of the true Individual. It is the United States. For all its crass materialism and its bullying political tactics, it is the evolutionary pioneer leading the world towards the emergence of this New Individual in our young century. The USA is the evolutionary pioneer because within its borders it has allowed for unprecedented individuality amongst its own people. In addition, it is working out all of the conflicts of society amongst a highly varied populace. This attempt to grapple with the varying sides of issues amongst a plethora of people types, is a semi-conscious attempt for further evolutionary progress. This generates a vast internal energy that spreads in various forms throughout the world enabling her to be in the evolutionary vanguard.   Next Great Evolutionary Will Come First in US The great evolutionary change will occur first through the United States and her people.   America's Classlessness and Her Vanguard Position America's classlessness creates great physical opportunities, which puts her in the position to be in the vanguard of human progress and evolution. America through Its Individualy is the Pioneer of World Evolution The secret of American prosperity lies not in any inherent superiority of its people but rather in the way it fosters the development and expression of each person’s individual capacities. Here is the point where material accomplishment and spiritual attainment meet. For according to Sri Aurobindo, the emergence and development of individuality is a crucial and significant step in the spiritual evolution of life on earth. Individuality is the means by which the Divine manifests its infinite potential in a finite world. The individual is the pioneer of the world’s spiritual evolution and America, more than any other country, respects, nurtures, encourages and celebrates individual uniqueness and individual accomplishment. (MSS) Multiple Experiments in USA Puts Her at Evolutionary Vanguard The USA in many ways is trying several experiments in social evolution. So she is in the evolutionary vanguard. (MSS) America's Personal Growth Makes Her Pioneer in World Evolution Through her attempt to work out her vast difficulties (representing vast possibilities), the US is evolving. In fact she is the vanguard of such evolution, and serves to lead the world through this attempt. I.e. she is pioneering in her attempt at nation-evolution, and for that reason has become the social and spiritual pioneer of the world. US Opening is Still Alive The USA which still has the energy of the early settlement desires to know. It keeps the opening she gave herself 400 years ago. The whole world wants to take after America because that opening is still alive. (MSS)   America as Vanguard of Social and Spiritual Evolution America is presently the vanguard of the world’s social and spiritual evolution. Americans are evolutionary pioneers. (MSS)   Will America Continue as the Evolutionary Leader? America has become the leader of the world -- particularly in the area of the economy and through its military power. Her status as “evolutionary leader” came about because she took to freedom, individuality, organization, mass production, and waves of immigrant population, to name a few. Every individual also had the knowledge of how to recreate Europe in the new virgin land. Thus, America enabled the infinite to emerge out of the physical plane; producing endless material well-being, becoming a model for the rest of the world. Now the world is catching up, particularly in Asia. New interests are emerging in the world. Will the US continue to be the world evolutionary leader in this new environment? She will have to take to several steps to maintain that status, otherwise some other nation(s) will take up the mantle. First, she needs to overcome her reactionary, conservative tendencies that go back 150 years. Second, she needs to go beyond the material to the psychological, mental, and spiritual view of the world -- holding the individual as sacred and supporting him every way possible. Third, she needs to join the world community as an equal, cooperative partner, not as a renegade looking out for her own self-interests. The era of go-it-alone power has come to an end. World collaboration is the order of the day. If America moves in these directions, she will maintain her status as the evolutionary leader, and play the central guiding role in society's further progress and evolution. The test of her collaborative effort will come in two areas: how she takes up the issue of the environment, and whether she radically reduces her nuclear weaponry. If she is to maintain her mantle of evolutionary leader, she will need to move in the right direction on these two issues at least. If she fails, the baton will be passed on elsewhere; to those can lead the world through its next stage of ever-increasing human unity and integration.    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. The Emergence of the True Individual in Society Today America rules the world as Great Britain did till the world war. Greece, Rome, and France had such eminence in their time. We see Greece had it on the strength of a culture that enabled it to flower Mind. Rome ruled Europe because of her law. France dominated Europe by her Freedom. Britain’s eminence was made possible by her trade. North America dominates the world because the Individual is emerging there in the physical plane. Maybe the Americans are aware of their military, political strength and abundant wealth and do not really see the emerging Individual. That is the route social evolution has chosen. Army, wealth, political power, etc. are the results of the emerging Individual, not vice versa. In the twenty-first century, the Individual will certainly emerge and it will be credited as the century of the Individual. Emerging at the physical level, he ushers in prosperous plenty. At the vital level, he will be the harbinger of Peace expressed as international law and order. At the mental level, the emerging individual will establish the rule of Rationality, abolishing all kinds of superstition, which our present life abounds in. At that level, he will be a psychological individual and his goals will be psychological growth and ethical standards. The real individual is truly spiritual. He will accomplish things from inside and not move in the outer life. (MSS) US as Military, then Political, then Economic and now Cultural Leader of the World The world leadership was almost thrust on USA after the second world war. Initially it was a military leadership. Then it became political leadership. Then it became a consequence of economic pre-eminence. Today USA is the cultural leader of the world. (MSS) Cultural Leader Based on Material Leader The US is becoming the cultural leader as a result of her material/economic prominence, not because of any particularly great cultural propensities. USA as Leader -Over a period of a hundred years, the world looked up to London as its capital. The Britisher had conquered several nations and established an empire on which, it was said, the sun never set. It was political power. To be precise, it was military power. Today the USA plays that role. This is because she is an economic power. Of course, behind it lies the political and military power.   -The world is treating USA as the leader and is taking after her culture.   -USA has become the cultural leader of the world by virtue of its economic status.   -If the US is in that role of leader then surely she must rise beyond the infinity she has created in matter; and discover the infinity in the psychology of the individual and the collective, in thoughtfulness and reason, and ultimately in spirit. This is the great challenge she must undertake if she is to remain in that role. -If the US is to maintain its leadership role that the world has deferred to, it must move beyond merely being a material, economic, power leader. It must become a psychological leader, a leader in the social spheres, a leader of the Spirit. She would be wise to associate with India who can help her move toward a higher psychological and spiritual status. In that way the US can become the integral leader. If she stays at the material-only level, she will forfeit her leadership role, and will suffer in the process. -The future leadership of the world is not even for the Mind. It goes to the Spirit. Whoever goes after the Spirit will qualify for the leadership of the world. There is a further step. It is not the partial Spirit that seeks to shun life; it is the Spirit that emerges in Life to enrich life spiritually. Material welfare is highly desirable, but a partial aim. Any partial aim will have the other side that troubles. No partial goal can any longer serve the world. The world needs a whole aim or an aim of the whole which will not have side effects or negative fallout. That goal is the Spirit in life. The leadership of the world will go to those that provide this whole aim. (MSS, modified) -The Force is moving through technology in the US. Rather than moving directly from spirit-oriented India, the Force has taken an unexpected path, moving through the emerging subtle technology of Internet in the US, which extends in collaborative service work with India ... The reason the Force has moved through the US rather than directly from its source India to the world is that the US needs to brings its practical organization, including the infinite attracting Internet, to energize, focus, and make practically real the lessons of spirit. (MSS paraphrased & expanded; and Growth Online)   Emergence of US as Leading Power through Low (Physical) Consciousness (like British Empire) USA launched the war of Independence.  Her Civil War was to overcome the physical passion for property and the ownership of slaves, an extreme form of physical possessiveness. In WW I she was a supplier and it helped her to overcome her depression. Pearl Harbour was her taste of WWII. Supplying arms to WWII, she became very rich, i.e. she found the physical fight of Europe her avenue for economic growth. After the war, the war-ravaged nations became her market. She too overcame her physicality by participating in the war. Now she is in the phase of economic expansion and is becoming a cultural leader of the world by economic, military, political power, much as England did in the 19th and 20th centuries, based on her military, imperial, and economic power. Japan challenged USA for a while and the Chinese market attracted her. These are symptoms exactly parallel to UK going to the Middle East and Asia for trade and conquest. It ended up in the conqueror being conquered by the culture of the subject nations. The British Empire was the main reason for the interest of the West now in Zen, Buddhism and Eastern mysticism. (MSS) US Can Lead World to Spirituality through Strong Physical Base Materialism is the solid foundation from which spirituality can arise. US can lead the world into spirituality from its material base. Of course, it hasn't the spiritual knowledge whatsoever. That it will need to gather from the East, in particular India, or better yet from its own self. Multiplicity of Cultures Within Enables the USA to Be a True Nation and Vanguard of the World An individual becomes a True Individual when he is open to the greatest possibilities in life; where he is not held back by conforming to the narrow instincts and influences of the heard.