Douglas Keene – USA
As most would agree, the world seems to be in a state of upheaval. Violence, and nearly as upsetting, the threat of violence, seems to be everywhere. The Middle East is on the verge of a regional war and total collapse, the conflict in Ukraine is unrelenting, the major powers creep toward confrontation. Domestic politics in many countries are divisive and there is deep passion and commitment on both sides with an uncertain outcome. Food shortages, potential pandemics, degradation of our natural resources and the consequences of climate change are largely unmitigated.
Our futures, and the future of our children and grandchildren are in peril.
We, of course, are not the first to witness hardship and risk. In the last two hundred years there were two world wars and dozens, probably hundreds, of smaller wars. Famine, oppression, and slavery were widely known. The maps of Europe were constantly being redrawn due to military aggression and dominance. In fact, examining any century in history reflects suffering, instability and uncertainty. Technological advances have made our lives physically more comfortable, but have they done anything to diminish our global anxiety and the struggle for peace and security? Can they quell the fear of the unfathomable destructive power of modern weapons?
In these times we must search for our common humanity. We must accentuate what connects us rather than what divides us. As we travel to other continents and other cultures, we realize the residents there are much like us. They wish for health and peace, adequate food and housing, standard medical care, a sense of community and hope for the future. They love their families and wish to see their children find fulfilling careers and caring partners. Most yearn for what Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the U.S., called the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship and religious activities, freedom from want and freedom from fear. These can be found through unity and strength. They can be found through respect for opposing values. They can be found through tolerance of alternative choices. They can be found through seeing past the differences and recognizing that the “other” is very much like me. Except for the circumstances of birth, we may very well be living another life, with another physical form and other loyalties. We need to search for that something, deep within ourselves, that transcends gender, ethnicity, position, nationality, and politics.
Master Koot Hoomi wrote
Unity always gives strength: and since Occultism in our days resembles a ‘Forlorn Hope’, union and cooperation are indispensable. Union does indeed imply a concentration of vital and magnetic force against the hostile currents of prejudice and fanaticism.
(The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett, in chronological sequence, TPH, Adyar,1998, page 52)
We could say that the situation has not changed that much in our day, reflecting our current world. Science has been revolutionary, but human nature is similar. How can we evolve ourselves toward our highest ideals?
The first step is to be aware of these goals. They are described in many spiritual writings, although not always explicitly. We need to master them intellectually, but more importantly, need to integrate them intuitively. We need to assimilate the highest ideals into ourselves and into our consciousness. And then we need to express them in the lives we live, for they will be tested and retested, to see if they are truly held in the heart. The first of these is Unity, the connection that we all share with our fellow humans, and in fact all life. Rather than winner take all, can we provide for everyone in need, sometimes even desperate need? Can we recognize the humanity in strangers, and even in our opponents? We do not need to agree with certain attitudes or methods, but can we recognize our brothers and sisters in their pain and struggles? Can we see our unity and reach out a helping hand?
The answer to these questions will determine who we really are and then where we (and the world) are heading.