July/August 2010
Without doubt, the most important achievement by humanity would be the ending of war. This achieved, men’s energies would be released to tackle the many other pressing problems which beset them today: the millions who starve needlessly in a world of plenty; the precarious ecological imbalance of the planet; the ever-widening gap between the developed rich and the developing poor nations; the growing incidence and fear of terrorism, ever more sophisticated; the hardship and fear engendered by the economic collapse around the world.
Some governments try to cope with some of these difficult problems while still others are main culprits and instigators of them. What can humanity do? How to start when each problem grows out of another, and all seem intractable?
From Our viewpoint, these problems are real and pressing, and stem from one single condition: the separatism which sits like a heavy yoke on the shoulders of humanity and prevents all action in unison. Ideology rather than reason still guides the minds and actions of governments whose decisions affect the lives of all. They seek friends and allies to support their position, and thus are built the power blocks which strive for supremacy in the minds and hearts of men.
Today, this problem is increased by the re-opening of the religious divide between Christianity and Islam. In a growingly secular world, the fundamentalist adherents of both religions are more and more bellicose, raising the temperature of confrontation to ever more dangerous heights. In particular, Islamic terrorism, in complete contradiction to the teaching of the Prophet, has brought a new dimension to the struggle for a peaceful world. How can this process be reversed? There is but one way to grapple with these problems, one which has never been tried but which, at a stroke, would ease the lot of countless millions and bring, at long, long last, true and lasting peace to a world in agony.
Men must realize that they are not separate, never were and never shall be, that they are part of a divine and seamless whole which enfolds us all, to which, in our own way, we give the name of God. Men must realize that God is peace, is justice, sharing and trust, and that their fear is also the fear of their brothers. Maitreya’s task is to show men this truth, and to remind them that at the core of their yearning lies the peace they all desire, waiting to be made manifest.
