Archives for category: Uniting Nations
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A Blueprint for Pursuing the World that We Seek

May 28, 2010 //
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Today’s title is taken from the White House blog from yesterday (link to article).  The United States announced on Thursday its National Security Strategy that “lays out a strategic approach for advancing American interests, including the security of the American people, a growing U.S. economy, support for our values, and an international order that can address 21st century challenges.”  The full report is available from the White House site.

What’s noteworthy about this strategy is its reference to the United Nations “Millennium Development Goals” says the watchdog website “UN Dispatch” (link to article).  These goals which were crafted 10 years ago with a plan to lift the standard of living for the entire planet have not been guiding US strategy for much of the past decade. Their direct reference in this document as well as some of the positive language referenced below can be considered good news as we move forward here on Earth.

For example, this is the opening of the section entitled “Promote Dignity By Meeting Basic Needs: “The freedom that America stands for includes freedom from want. Basic human rights cannot thrive in places where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. The United States has embraced the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals and is working with others in pursuit of the eradication of extreme poverty—efforts that are particularly critical to the future of nations and peoples of Africa.” 

Or here’s another example: “Draw Strength from Diversity: The United States has benefited throughout our history when we have drawn strength from our diversity. While those who advocate on behalf of extremist ideologies seek to sow discord among ethnic and religious groups, America stands as an example of how people from different backgrounds can be united through their commitment to shared values. Within our own communities, those who seek to recruit and radicalize individuals will often try to prey upon isolation and alienation. Our own commitment to extending the promise of America will both draw a contrast with those who try to drive people apart, while countering attempts to enlist individuals in ideological, religious, or ethnic extremism.”

Likewise the document offers other similar passages that show a vision of creating a world that takes what is good and wonderful about the United States and seeks to export those ideals as an important part of a safe future.

This September, the UN meets to check in on the Millennium Development Goals which have a target date of 2015.  Here is link to page with the goals.  Check them out, hold them in your thoughts for success, and know that the document issued this week by the US is a major step forward in creating a world that works for everyone.

Mark Gilbert

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Categories Culture, Featured Article, Politics, Uniting Nations

The World Prepares for Peace

May 27, 2010 //
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Sounds good, doesn’t it?  But what does that look like?

As we have stated here many times, whatever we focus our mental energy upon is what we tend to manifest.  Creation comes through the direction of our thoughts multiplied by the emotional intensity behind them.  No one can deny that acts of violence against a person or group generally lead to that person or group having strong emotional thoughts of retribution.  Unfortunately, violence often begets more violence. 

In the words of mystic Ernest Holmes, “the more the world arms for war, the more certain it is that there will be war.”  Mother Teresa is often described as having said that she would not attend an “antiwar” rally, if you had a meeting “for peace” she would come.  The point here is that as long as humanity is focused on preparing for war or in fighting against war, we are directing our attention towards war and ensuring its continuity.

This upcoming weekend America celebrates Memorial Day.  What better way to honor those who gave their lives for our freedom than to assist the world in preparing for peace?  But again, what does that look like?  How can we multiply our thoughts for peace with the energy of a strong emotional intensity?  How can peace capture our imagination so deeply that we are inspired to devote ourselves to its creation?

Yes, we can point at the movement towards a Department of Peace, towards efforts to create peace gardens and similar symbolic gestures.  These are good… but do they inspire you?

Please think about this… I would love to hear what you think it would look like as the world prepares for peace.

Mark Gilbert

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Categories Culture, Featured Article, Politics, Uniting Nations

The UN as Change Agent?

May 13, 2010 //
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How can the United Nations better serve humanity’s positive evolution? 

Today we conclude our three-part look at the UN by offering some suggestions and questions designed to get us thinking about how this global organization can better be a force for good.

Suggestions

Here are just a few of my thoughts:

  • The UN needs to create a compelling vision for our future and work to keep it in our awareness.  As I wrote about recently, they could benefit from a “big hairy audacious goal”.  An exciting and positive BHAG that we could all buy into would be a great motivator.
  • The UN needs to improve its outreach, especially in the United States.  My perception is that most information I receive about the UN comes from the UN’s critics.  It reminds me of my early days working for Medicare when we did a lousy job of outreach.  People’s perceptions were formed by the critics, not those working for the program.  It took time and a coordinated outreach program, but we were able to change much of that public perception.  The UN could do this too without spending a lot of money.
  • All of us need to keep our eyes focused on a positive future.  All of us need to consider how the UN can support our attaining it. All of us need to stay educated on the activities and possibilities of the UN and NGOs who support it.

Questions

I would love to hear from you… anything I write about is fair game, but here are some questions to stimulate you:

  • Do you agree or not that the UN plays a role in humanity’s evolution?
  • What do you think the UN can do to move humanity in a positive direction?
  • What do you think the United States can do to better support the UN as a change agent?
  • What role do you play in moving humanity in a positive direction?

What do you think?  I really want to know…

Mark

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Categories Culture, Featured Article, Politics, Uniting Nations

What Do You Think of the UN?

May 12, 2010 //
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Which of the following best describes your thoughts regarding the United Nations?

A. I don’t think about the UN. It’s just one of those institutions in the background of life have always been there and has no relevance for me in my day-to-day life. I got more pressing matters to think about… I’m not exactly sure why you’re writing on this “UN kick”… I’m surprised I’ve read this far in your article.

B. It was a great idea when they created it but the UN has never quite lived up to its original idea and vision. I still believe there is some potential usefulness to the United Nations, it does do some humanitarian good, but it could do a whole lot more.

C. The UN is a bad idea and it needs to be disbanded. I don’t agree with its political positions. My country needs to pull out its support.

There is no “none of the above”… you might have a slightly different opinion, but I suspect that one of these choices comes close to your thoughts. Pick one.

In my last article, I outlined how we are spiritually evolving and a potential vision for the future. I also described my belief that the United Nations is currently one of our best options to serve as a tool to assist us in moving up that evolutionary path. I recognize you might not agree. I’d love to hear your opinion.

If you believe as I that our thoughts create what we see in life, then you might consider that our thoughts about the UN have played a part in its level of success. How can it be a tool for our spiritual evolution if our beliefs about the tool range from ambivalence (choice A) to disappointment (choice B) to distrust and hatred (choice C)? No matter which of the above opinions you hold about the UN, you and your thoughts play a role in its potential success.

It seems that the loudest voice comes from those who would choose item C above. Recently I searched Twitter posts looking for any comments on the United Nations. The bulk of the tweets fell into two categories. There were a lot related to actor Don Cheadle being acknowledged by the UN for his humanitarian work. (This probably relates in my opinion to our fascination with celebrities, but that’s another topic.) The other category of tweets were variations on the theme of distrust, dislike and hatred of the UN.

These strong negative emotions regarding this global institution (as expressed by primarily American voices) point to some of these issues as their concerns:

  • America has financial issues and the UN costs us too much money.
  • The UN is too liberal.
  • The UN is all talk and no positive action.
  • America is the strongest country in the world and we don’t need to listen to the opinions of those other countries.
  • The structure of the UN is all screwed up giving too much power to countries that don’t deserve it.
  • The UN is a front for a movement towards “world governance” (just like the European Union and the talked about” North American Union”) where we are going to lose our power to a small elite group.

I want to be perfectly clear, whether or not any of these beliefs are valid is not my point here. My reason for describing the most vocally negative opinions (which I personally believe represent only a minority of Americans) is to highlight the high degree of fear about the UN that exists in parts of our culture.

Although we could analyze the reasons for why people would choose A or B above and how holding onto ambivalence or disappointment holds us back from creating a UN that can be a tool that truly “unites nations” and moves humanity in a positive direction, it is this strong emotion of fear that may be our greatest barrier to lifting the UN to its highest possibilities. As Roosevelt said, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.

When you as an individual sense that you are acting from fear, it’s useful to pursue the underlying beliefs that are giving rise to the fear. By bringing these subconscious beliefs into our conscious awareness, we can hold them up and examine them. We can see if the beliefs still serve us or not. Then we can make a conscious choice. In many cases the old belief that gave rise to the fear is seen to be invalid and we can make a new and better choice, one no longer driven by subconscious fears. If America were a person who wanted to heal its fears, then it would have to look at its underlying cultural “collective consciousness” beliefs and determine if they still serve us. (Of course as always, the first step would be to move out of our denial that we are operating from fear. No healing is possible while we continue to point at our reasons “out there” as our justification for our beliefs and continue to deny that fear is our real motivation.)

So why is there so much fear? Is it fear of change? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it fear of a loss of control or power? Is it cultural hubris? It’s probably all of these and more. What you think? I would love to hear your opinion.

Next: a few thoughts and some questions for all of us on how we can move forward.

Mark

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Categories Culture, Featured Article, Politics, Uniting Nations

The United Nations: a Tool for Our Spiritual Evolution?

May 10, 2010 //
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Today we begin a three-part look at the United Nations with our spiritual evolutionary lens on.  First, we consider how the United Nations can be a tool for our spiritual evolution.  Next, we examine some reasons why many Americans are at best ambivalent towards and at worst strongly opposed to the United Nations.  We will conclude with some thoughts regarding how we might transcend current limitations of the usefulness of the UN.

Spiritual Evolution?

Although I have written about it frequently, let’s briefly recap what I mean by spiritual evolution.  Life, consciousness or God has always existed as a oneness… everything is connected and everything is embedded with this divine essence or consciousness.  From what science calls the Big Bang, this essence was defused out into the universe… through this process, consciousness identified more with its local incarnation, hence feeling separate and apart from everything else, than it identified with its awareness of unity.  Yet, all matter and consciousness were subject to physical and spiritual laws.  Through the process of physical evolution, stars and planets were formed, conditions were created for life to emerge, and from its early stages, life has grown in complexity and in depth of consciousness.  Eventually humanity crossed the threshold of self-awareness were not only it “knows that it knows” but also understands and can cooperate with the evolutionary process.  Humanity continues to evolve in consciousness with its ultimate goal being to return to awareness of its unity from which it sprang. This process of return to our awareness of our Oneness is our spiritual evolution.

What Are Our Next Steps in Our Spiritual Evolution?

Recently I explored what a positive vision for humanity’s future might look like (see What Is Our Vision for the Future of Humanity?).  Drawing from a number of sources, I outlined the key points of our positive future.  This is where I believe we are ultimately headed:

  • We live in peace.
  • We all have access to economic and social advancement.
  • We experience a melding of science and spirituality.
  • We have the freedom to individually express our unique creative abilities.
  • We live recognizing the interconnectedness of everything.
  • We purposefully use the power of our consciousness.
  • We meet our individual needs while meeting the needs of the greater whole.
  • We recognize we are evolving and consciously cooperate with the process.
  • We recognize we are on a spiritual path to be reunited with our source.

If this is where we are going ultimately, then there are some intermediate steps that will serve us on this journey.  What are some of those next steps?  Here are just a few that come immediately to mind:

  • We value our differences (cultural, historical, religious and spiritual, racial, etc.) while holding foremost in our minds our common nature.
  • We value the importance of coordinating human concerns at the global level while still retaining governance at the local level.
  • We value the importance of ensuring that humanity’s basic needs (food, water, safety and security) are met everywhere on the planet.
  • We value the necessity of humanity holding a common vision of its positive future.

What Good Is the United Nations?

As you read my description of our spiritual evolution, its ultimate outcome and humanity’s next steps, you may not agree with me on everything I describe.  Yet, even if you do not buy into the concept that we are “spiritually evolving”, hopefully there is some resonance within you for the positive vision of our future that I detailed.  Hopefully, at a minimum, you agree with the desire that we live in peace, all have access to economic and social advancement as well as the freedom to express their unique creative abilities.  Even accepting that small subset of my vision, I hope you can ascertain how the next steps I described would move us in that direction.

The question then becomes how do we harness the power and passion of humanity’s various opinions and beliefs to gain traction working on these steps?  Who or what will bring us together as a people to get us on the same page?  Religious leaders?  Scientists?  Strong governments such as the United States?  Each of these play a role in our next evolutionary step of bringing us together.  However, only the United Nations has the unique overarching role to bind all these brokers towards this goal.

Has the United Nations done good since its inception?  Undoubtedly, the answer is yes.  Has the United Nations lived up to its potential?  For most of us, the answer unfortunately is no.  Can the United Nations be reinvigorated so as to serve as an agent for positive change?  I believe that it can.  That’s where we are going in our next two parts.

Next: overcoming America’s love-hate relationship with the UN.

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Categories Bridge Building, Consciousness, Culture, Featured Article, Politics, Uniting Nations

For Want of a Nail…Butterflies, Volcanoes and Air Travel

April 19, 2010 //
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A friend at dinner last night expressed concern that coworkers who were on assignment in Europe might not be able to get home when their job was done. Of course, the concern was related to the shutdown of European air travel for the past few days. As we all know, it’s dangerous for the airplanes to fly because their engines might be damaged by ash in the air. The ash is there because of a volcano in Iceland that erupted last week. The volcano erupted because it rests on the highly volatile boundary between the Eurasian and North American continental plates that rubbed together… so because two continental plates are rubbing, workers might have to stay longer in Europe.

The good news is it looks like air travel will resume tomorrow in most areas of Europe. So maybe those workers on assignment will make it home after all on time.

The whole sequence of events called to mind the old poem “For Want of a Nail “. Here it is in case you don’t remember it:

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
 

The poem, of course, is pointing out how small things can have a big impact. Therefore choose wisely, even on the so-called small things. The same point is made whenever someone invokes “the butterfly effect”… that is, a butterfly in South America by flapping its wings created a hurricane in North America… or any similar sequence. None of this is to imply that two continental plates rubbing together is really a “small thing” nor that we have any control over the volcano (as the army did in the nail of the horseshoe). For me the point is beyond size… it’s how any event anywhere creates a chain reaction with consequences that can often be unanticipated. Hence, you may never know what might happen ultimately based on any event, but where you have control you certainly want to take into account how things are interrelated.

So what can we learn from this?

It’s a reminder that everything is connected.

It’s a reminder that everything we do and say can create a chain reaction.

It’s a reminder that as we seek to have peace and harmony on planet Earth, we must ensure that even though we may never know the ultimate impact of our words and actions that we seek to make choices that are most likely to head in that direction.

It’s a reminder of how interrelated all of our countries are….Iceland volcanoes, European travel, American workers….the impact of events knows no boundaries!

And…..we might also hold in our thoughts that everyone who was impacted by the volcano or the travel delays is surrounded by love and safety.

Mark

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Categories Consciousness, Culture, Politics, Uniting Nations

A World in Which Borders Are Irrelevant

April 7, 2010 //
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Can you imagine that? Does this truly represent the highest vision for humanity? Recently, we highlighted the Global Heart Vision of the United Centers for Spiritual Living which stated in part “we see a world in which borders are irrelevant.” What exactly does that mean? How you feel about it?

The other night my wife and I were discussing the purpose and effectiveness of the United Nations. It’s been my experience that most Americans consider the United Nations either ineffective or a threat to American sovereignty. I’ve run across a number of people who were truly fearful that we were headed down a path towards one world government.

In our discussion, my wife and I disagreed as to the degree to which the United Nations or any central governing body should make decisions for the entire planet. She expressed legitimate concerns regarding decisions for all of us being determined by a relatively small handful of people. Although I understand her concerns, I do see some areas of human activities, where we currently could benefit from global coordination. However, we both agreed that the vast majority of governance should occur at the local level.

My wife made one comment about the United Nations that opened my eyes to a higher possibility… she wondered what it would be like if every representative at the UN represented “the heart of their nation.” By that she meant that they came to share their love for humanity through their discussions and decisions. Can you imagine what a world would be like (or the UN for that matter) if every representative came forth with an intention to bring their country’s love to the rest of the planet? Wow!

If every country wanted the best for every other country, then the need for any world governance would shrink to the level of almost nonexistence. If every country was concerned about the safety and security, the standard of living, and the full expression of creativity for all humans everywhere, then borders would truly become irrelevant.

Yet, let’s make a distinction between “borders” and “boundaries”… in my mind “borders” implies “walls or barriers” between us, something that divides us and keeps us apart… “boundaries” implies something more fluid where we can see one person or country ends and another begins, a distinction that we know serves us while we still recognize and acknowledge the interconnectedness… with that distinction in mind, we can see that boundaries might still serve a purpose… they might define the geographical area in which local governance could occur. And, boundaries based on our historical and cultural differences would allow us to call attention to our individual uniqueness. A world where we do not express such cultural uniqueness would be a very boring world indeed.

So yes, let’s celebrate and maintain our uniqueness and distinctiveness based on our cultural differences. And yes, let’s keep our governance local as much as possible so that our individual voices may still be heard. And yes, let’s send forth our love and care and concern for everyone on the planet, perhaps through our representatives to organizations such as the United Nations, but definitely through each of our hearts. Can you imagine now, a world in which borders are irrelevant?

Mark

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Categories Bridge Building, Culture, Politics, Uniting Nations

Is There a Path to Peace in the Middle East?

March 31, 2010 //
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Steps to Peace in Jerusalem

I’m no expert on the forever ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. I’ve read books, opinion pieces from both sides and taken an audio class all attempting to comprehend why there is so much violence in that area of the world. I’ve come to recognize two things: (1) it helps to understand the history in order to understand what motivates everyone and (2) as long as we focus only on the history, we will never move to a peaceful future. 

There’s been a lot of news coverage lately about President Obama’s stance with Israel and his recent low-key meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In addition, a number of pro-Israel groups are using the opportunity to promote their agenda — calling for petition signing, writing your congressman, making donations to their organization and their putting out press releases bashing Obama’s efforts. A friend sent me an e-mail being distributed by one of these organizations asking me my opinion. Without getting into the particulars of the political issues they raised nor judging their position, I simply pointed out that their organization has a specific political agenda and the language of their e-mail was consistent with that agenda. I also pointed out that their desired solution only took into account the needs of one side and that a better solution would be one that worked for everyone.
 
Let me be clear here, I do not have a political agenda that favors one side over the other. If I have any “political agenda” at all, it’s to suggest that we release our old limited political positions and seek solutions that benefit all humanity. 

The old path in the Middle East that has been followed for so many years is one of “win-lose” mentality. This is true, whether we talking about Israel and Palestine or any of the other middle eastern conflicts. Occasionally, there have been some minor efforts to placate one side or the other, but generally no matter what the solution, there is the appearance that one side came out ahead. This old path has overly focused on the past… the holding onto hurts from perceived past wrongs… clinging to strict religious beliefs at all cost… believing that solutions come only in holding power “over” others and so on. 

There is a new path that lies ahead of us… one that can take us to peace… one that works for everyone. The idea is simple, the implementation much tougher. The characteristics of the new path are: 

  • We honor and understand the past as a means to understanding the motivations of all sides.
  • We seek first to understand everyone’s position, before stating our own.
  • We release our attachments to solutions that favor one side over the other.
  • We release the need to point blame at any one person or any one side.
  • We let go of the need to fix the past, before focusing on the future.
  • We vigorously seek solutions that work for everyone, true win-win answers.
  • We hold firm in our vision that peace, prosperity and harmony can be attained in a manner that honors all religions and all peoples.

In the words of John Lennon, “you may say I’m a dreamer.” You can say I’m naïve. You can say anything you want… but I ask you this: what kind of world do you want to live in? Do you want to live in a world where some people win while other people lose? You want to live in a world that continues to foster hatred and violence? I don’t. 

I’d rather be a naïve dreamer, who holds hope that we can create a world that works for everyone. I hope you do too. If you do, what one thing can you do today will move us to that vision? 

Mark

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Categories Culture, Politics, Uniting Nations

Can You Feel the Global Heart?

March 19, 2010 //
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A positive vision for the future...

Yesterday, we considered that humanity may never agree on exactly what our highest vision for the future might be.  There will always be a variety of opinions and worldviews, each leading to a variety of opinions on potential futures.

Higher Turns of the Spiral

Spiral Dynamics, which we’ve discussed previously, outlines a series of worldviews through which humanity moves.  One might point to that model and logically suggest that in some distant future our consciousness may have evolved such that the vast majority of us are at the “higher” stages of development.  Would there not then be the possibility that we would evolve to one common worldview?  Perhaps. 

But let’s remember, Spiral Dynamics also points out that when we are born on the planet we start at square one — at the lowest meme or worldview — and progress upwards until we settle into the one that generally is our culture’s predominant view.  So if this model is valid, then we will always have the potential for people to be at different stages.

Yet I can envision a time when humanity might have come together enough to work towards a common vision, even if we disagree on details.  In my dreams, our higher degrees of cooperation lead us to a future where every person’s needs are met, where self-actualization and self transcendence are the norm, and where we ultimately reach the higher turns of the spiral.

One Vision

You can go out on the Internet and locate a lot of different visions of the future.  Not all of them are positive, yet many of them are.  One positive vision for the future that resonates with me is the Centers for Spiritual Living’s” Global Heart Vision”.  This vision is one of the key reasons that I became licensed as a minister in this organization. 

When I first heard this vision statement, it spoke to me so deeply that I felt called to assist in its manifestation on the planet.  I believe so deeply in the necessity of humanity coming together and consciously taking charge of our collective evolution that it has become my personal goal.  It is obviously the intention of this website as well.

So here is the global heart vision, verbatim.

Global Heart Vision Statement

Whereas in this information age the “global brain” has become an operative reality, we envision the emergence of the Global Heart to balance and guide the further evolution of humanity as stewards of our planet and all its inhabitants.

We see a world free of homelessness, violence, war, hunger, separation and disenfranchisement.

We see a world in which there is generous and continuous sharing of heart and resources.

We envision a world in which forgiveness, whether for errors, injustices, or debts, is the norm.

We see a world in which borders are irrelevant.

We see a world which has renewed its emphasis on beauty, nature, and love through the resurgence of creativity, art, and aesthetics.

We see a world in which fellowship with all life prospers and connects through the guidance of spiritual wisdom and experience.

We envision a world in which we live and grow as One Global Family that respects and honors the interconnectedness of all life.

We envision United Centers for Spiritual Living as a bridge across the illness and illusion of separation thereby dynamically empowering the vision of Global Heart.

We envision United Centers for Spiritual Living as united and actuated by this compelling vision of a healthy world (a world experience of Global Heart) and is ardently committed to bringing this vision forth through its ministries and its transformative teaching.

We see the United Centers for Spiritual Living as a global community of inspired individuals caring for and about each other and the entire planetary family, thereby bringing the gift of active compassion and kindness to the world. Our local ministries and communities become “points of inspiration and influence” effectively advancing the vision of the Global Heart to benefit all expressions of life.

Conclusion

I hope you read that vision statement you feel as inspired as I did.  You may feel a desire to tweak it a bit… maybe some minor additions or deletions.  Yet, I hope that overall, it resonates with you.

Probably two questions come to mind… one being specific details that might be included in each statement… the other in how we can implement it now.  That’s where were going tomorrow.

To be continued…

Mark

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Categories Bridge Building, Consciousness, Uniting Nations
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