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It seems that every day results in a new outrage.
Reckless/unnecessary wars, alarming deficits, more wealth rising towards the rich, distrust and fear of America growing steadily, terrorism and environmental laws being trashed, the continued development of outragishly disastrous weaponry (space and nuclear), corruption in business and politics digging to new depths of depravity, the bill of rights withering away, corporate media swallowing up what's left of media diversity... on and on, everything seems to be getting worse and worse.
And of course, the icing on this particularly dreadful cake--catastrophic climate change, which, according to new research is inevitable.
And yet, I feel more positive every single day.
Before you reach for the jacket with the really long sleeves, let me explain.
This whole process we're going through has been prophesied in many places. For the moment I will concentrate on two -- the death and birth cycles in Hopi mythology and the prophetic implications of the Baha'i Writings. First the Hopi:
Hopi mythology speaks of a birth and death cycle that has happened many times in Earth's history. They term these cycles as "worlds"... that as one "world" ends, a new one is born. The end of the "Third World" (don't confuse that term with its current usage) is likely the same event as the story of the biblical flood. At another time the world was destroyed by fire.
I'm not sure if the current destruction cycle we're in has been identified with any particular element, but it is most certainly upon us. A statement was released from the Hopi elders a few years back that says that the process has begun again... that the current Fourth World is now dying and the Fifth is being born, once again through violent calamity. (I had the good fortune of confirming all of this with a visit to the Hopi Rez in 2003.) THE GOOD NEWS... this death/birth cycle will culminate in an era of universal peace and harmony among all the colors (races) of the world. The end result of this cataclysmic cycle is total unity.
The Baha'i Writings also speak of such a process. The Baha'i Faith was founded in Persia in the mid 1800's as a fulfillment of the prophecies all of the world's major religions and indigenous spiritual traditions in regards to a World Teacher who would come to usher in an era of universal peace.
Baha'u'llah, the prophet founder, teaches of Progressive Revelation... that all faiths have the same core spiritual values and come from the same unknowable, indescribable Essence called God. Their only differences can be found in the social laws which directly relate to humanity's level of maturity. Baha'u'llah writes that we are now witnessing the era of the maturation of the human race and that its inevitable destiny is total unity.
He also warned us that if we did not choose the path voluntarily that we would go through a process that would bring us there regardless. We can see the expansion of technology and the world wars as manifestations of this trend to integrating humanity towards one common path. Baha'u'llah also spoke of a critical moment: "The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody." Please note that my notion that the global catastrophes caused climate change is being referred to in the above statement is merely MY interpretation and that one of Baha'u'llah's core principles is that no individual believer has the authority to interpret His Writings. (The abolishment of clergy in this Faith is also another example of the lengths He has gone to ensure that the latest manifestation of the "changeless Faith of God" is not corrupted as men have done in the past.)
Regardless of whether this particular quote is directly related to climate change, the entirety of the Baha'i Writings speak of an overall process in which, if we ignored the call to a spiritually centered life, that we would suffer through calamitous upheavals that would assuredly bring about the Kingdom of God --(that concept phrased here in the language of the New Testament) -- an era of harmony and peace like unto anything experienced in human history. Nothing less than the maturation of the whole human race.
Of course, this is a really cursory overview of the Baha'i Faith -- its kind of like asking "what's in space?" It would take a great deal of time to even begin to explain stars, solar systems, galaxies and universes... delving into the Baha'i Writings is easily an even greater task.
It might be an understatement to say that no individual Baha'i alive today thinks that he or she has even a remote grasp of the depth of this religion... we all struggle daily to follow Baha'u'llah's precepts, but also feel joyfully confirmed in the belief that he is truly ushering in a new era in which we really don't have to be worried about the disastrous effects of climate change or any of the other man-made tribulations, because ultimately we're being led into an era He termed the "Most Great Peace."
You've reached the end of this particular rant. Thank you for holding on so long. If you want to know more about the Faith, then drop me a note. I will (hopefully) answer your questions and can point you in the direction of some online resources.
Wherever the knowledge of these impending climate changes takes you, may you go in peace.
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