IMAGINE

Imagine a world without strife!
Imagine a world without people starving!
Imagine a world without war!

It’s difficult isn’t it? Yet it could all be so different if only human beings cared less and less for glory, fame and power and more and more for beauty, love and integrity. If it were just possible for all of us to resist harder the siren call of the physical senses and realise they are temporary and insubstantial, despite appearances to the contrary, whereas our inner self is eternal, solid and has access to more real power than the world at present understands.

There are two opposing ways of looking at our earthly situation. The first is to bemoan the foolishness and ignorance that leads people to value things of the flesh higher than things of the spirit. The second is to accept that the world is like it is for a purpose. The purpose is not the same as the reason. The reason is the shortcomings of generations of human beings but the purpose is more elusive. Conflict was always present but only in modern times does it seem to have got out of hand What could possibly be the purpose of creating a world of conflict that by its very nature appears to make it difficult or impossible for individuals to achieve their spiritual aims?

Why should we always stop to smell the flowers on our journey? - Because the journey is far more important than the destination. Our lives on earth are the same. It is not the final destination that is so important, that is the same for us all, but the journey and what we make of the challenges and opportunities we meet along the way. It might seem paradoxical, but the opportunities for strengthening the spirit are likely to be much greater in a world of conflict than in a world where all is sweetness and light. Were it not so, why leave the Spirit World in the first place? When we are faced with an awful choice like many have been, where it is necessary to choose between one’s own security or even one’s own life and that of a loved one. When we are at our wits end due to a succession of reverses or to pain that seems to grow worse by the day; then are we forced to seek strength deep within. These are extreme cases I know but I am sure you can think of many circumstances where there seems to be no hope, where despair is the only emotion. Viewed with minds conditioned to consider physical life is all there is, such circumstances can only indicate life is grossly unfair. In fact the spirit that goes through such dreadful experiences emerges strengthened and with its light shining more brilliantly, just like the ore that has been subjected to the heat of the furnace before emerging as pure gold!

Humanity has created the conflict within our world and only humanity can reverse the process. Here is another challenge for the spirit. What can each of us do to reduce the conflict? It is more obvious in these dark days of weapons of mass destruction but it was always there. When Mankind first emerged he had to contend with savage beasts and with poisonous reptiles and plants. The starting point is to recognise that it is possible to do something about it rather than despairing. Like the man who walked along a beach littered with small shell fish that had been washed up onto the beach by a storm and threw as many as he could back into the sea. Another man seeing what he was doing asked him what was the point when there were thousands and thousands of them on this and neighbouring beaches, He couldn’t possibly make a difference by just throwing a few back into the sea. The first man smiled, picked up another shellfish, threw it into the sea and said “Made a difference to him!”

We may think the activities of each of us as individuals couldn’t make a difference to the state of the world but don’t you believe it. The world is made up of people – individual people – the state of the world about which we are anxious is so because of the actions of individuals. If, for instance, each of us decided tomorrow not to be manipulated by the news media: If we stopped watching or listening or at the very least refused to react negatively or with anger to what was reported, what do you think might happen? Remember what we discussed earlier? Our inner self is more important and has more power than the physical self. That includes the mind and the cumulative effect of millions of minds reacting angrily or negatively to news stories deliberately slanted to produce such reactions is startling but in a frightening, negative way. If instead, we reacted with love, not by condoning any wicked act but by sending our love in the form of light to ALL concerned, the effect would be equally startling in a positive way.

Yes, I believe there is a real and positive purpose to the conflict we find on earth. Perhaps it is because only spirits that need the conflict in order to progress to the next stage of their evolution are sent here. Much conflict is there by design but we have made it so much worse through greed, megalomania and ignorance. By recognising our individual responsibility for this, we can change things. We will never get rid of all forms of conflict but the worst of it we can stop if enough of us really wish to. The power of the Spirit is immense and the mind has a direct link to it. If we will learn how to connect them together with love our world will be transformed.