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Spiritual Development and Progress of Society

December 1, 1994

I will speak today on the influence of spiritual development on the overall progress of society.

You know, there are those who say that spirituality must be developed if the society will flourish. And there are those who say that this human society cannot flourish no matter what, that disaster is pending and cannot be avoided - that human beings have walked the plank of self centered development until they cannot do other than fall to their demise. It is true, that this society cannot go on being dictated, being governed, by individualistic desires and self-centered motives. There must be a turn to the view that we are one family, united in our humanity, and that we must work together to build a society where not one living being is left behind, abused, and uncared for. We must work together to build a society in which all living beings have got their basic needs met, and in which living beings have opportunity for spiritual, psychic, and physical well-being.

None should be starving while others sit in the lap of luxury enjoying themselves at the expense of their brothers and sisters. None should go hungry while others feast and throw the food from their table because they cannot eat all of it. None should be without shelter while others own empty houses, lonely and devoid of life. There is misappropriation of wealth. This must be corrected. Education must be for all, not only for the wealthy. There must be opportunity for proper food, clothing and shelter for all human beings - and proper education.

Now, why does this not happen in the present society? It does not happen because there is insufficient compassion in human beings, and there is excess greed in human beings. What is the counter to this dilemma? It is the development of spiritual values, of knowledge of the interconnected status of all living beings. You see, when a child is very young, the child thinks only for themselves. But when they grow a little, if they are properly taught, they will come to understand that they are a part of a family, and they will develop love and admiration for all of the family members, and they will think not only of their own welfare, but of the welfare of all of the members of their family. They will identify themselves not only with their individuality and their personal desires, but with their family as well. Their welfare will not be secured if their mother suffers, if their brother comes to harm. They will look to the welfare of all who are in the family. Thus, this is a natural part of the development of a human being. This is true not only in the individual stratum, but in the social stratum, likewise, this development occurs.

So now, you see, there are those who are developing in this fashion. Now, you see, the whole society is being asked to develop in this fashion - not only in one region, not only in one country, but around the world. It is being asked to develop one human family, united in its humanity. A network of living beings in which there is interrelated welfare. One segment will not go down without impacting the rest, and the knowledge of this social connectedness will be with all.

Now, what is required for this maturation of human society? When the child develops, they must be taught proper values. They must be shown, through loving kindness, what it is to care for others. Then, as they grow, they will naturally mature. The human race is like the child. If it is to mature, it must be guided, it must be shown proper values. It must be given love and care so that it, like the child, may forego undeveloped egoistic approaches for more mature, interconnected paradigms.

How is this society to be taught, to be led to this more mature approach? There must be those among the children of the human race who will assume this responsibility for their brothers and sisters, who will carry the guidance of the Supreme Being to their comrades so that they may be properly schooled and come to a more mature understanding of their interrelated status with all living beings, so that they may grow beyond egoistic development to an interrelated, interconnected understanding of self-preservation. It is a matter of evolution of the human society.

For this evolution to occur, human beings must develop in the psychic sphere, and they must also begin to develop in the spiritual sphere, in the subtler layers of the mind. This is the natural process of evolution. So, if you want to know what will become of this human race, you should not look only to predictions of this future or that future. You should look to the development of the spiritual aspects of human society, of human beings. There must be development of the subtle layers of mind, development of spiritual values within human beings, development of knowledge, of the interconnectedness of living beings. The human beings must come to feel that their welfare is secured, not by the security of the physical person alone, but by the development of the whole society. The identity must loosen with the physical body and become further secured in the social body, in the very network of life. And where should the identity of human beings be placed? It must be place, not in nationalism, not in the local society, not merely in the clan or the family. No, no, no; all of these identities are too limited. It must be placed in a neo-humanistic fashion in the very identification with living beings, with the interrelated network of living beings.

When the welfare and the identity of one's existence is placed thus, then one becomes socially responsible. This human society will thus coalesce into a true society. It is a matter of maturation, and it is occurring at this very moment. This is the development of spiritual life, when human beings take their shelter, not some in this god, not some in that god, so that they may war whose god is the better god; but they take their shelter in the universal One God, and they take their shelter in the interconnectedness of all life. Then they may build a true human society for the first time. This is the potentiality of our future at this time in history. We need only build it. You should not be concerned for the difficulties of the present time. Only put your all to this task, and then you are bound to contribute to the forward movement in evolution of the human society.

I would add that there must be those who are willing to step forward and do selfless work for the betterment of this society, to help their brothers and sisters to adopt a universal outlook. Without these individuals, willing to show the way, this forward movement cannot take place. And if it does not take place, then there will be degeneration of monumental proportions. You know, nothing is static, nothing stays as it is. It goes one way or it goes another. See to this task, oh my children, so that this society may evolve without difficulty. You are surely blessed in this work. The blessings of the Great Entity and His compassionate assistance are bound to be with you in this great endeavor. So lift up your head, oh human beings, and do not be burdened by the shackles of stagnancy and decay. Throw fear aside and march forward for the welfare of humanity.