A DISCUSSION OPENER…
Fri Aug 27 -- Each Friday on this Facebook page I offer a bit of my personal thinking on a topic of my interest or concern, and I open the subject for discussion.

We have an opportunity to do something very special here. Something more special, perhaps, than anything we have ever done before.

That’s saying a lot for a species that has placed a man on the moon, that has conquered more than one once-thought-to-be incurable disease, that has actually replaced hearts in people, that has invented devices allowing humans to hold the world’s knowledge in their hands, that has connected the entire planet in a way that could not have been dreamt of 50 years ago.

The achievement I am talking about would eclipse all of the above. It would completely change the way humanity experiences itself at every level and in every interaction, be it political, economic, social, or spiritual. It would produce what could and would legitimately be called the transformation of our species, from an emerging society to an advanced civilization.

We have, right now, an opportunity to rewrite our cultural story, to produce a breathtakingly revised and upgraded global ethic, to undo thousands of years of teaching that judgment, condemnation, and punishment are inherent forms of godliness, and to create a revolutionary New Definition of Divinity that would offer—at last—a new behavioral model for humanity to emulate.

All we have to do is agree that what we’re doing now isn’t working. Our political systems—ostensibly built to generate a way for our differences to be resolved without virulent and violent divisions—have generated exactly the opposite. Our economic systems—ostensibly developed to produce at least the hope of greater opportunity for all, have produced exactly the opposite. Our social systems, ostensibly established to create greater harmony between divergent races, classes, and categories of people, have created exactly the opposite. And saddest of all, our spiritual systems, ostensibly intended to bring us closer to each other by bringing us closer to God, have done exactly the opposite.

In short, not one system that we have put into place to make life wonderful for all of us is working. Why? I believe it is because there is a missing ingredient. Pure Love.

This brand of love would render our political systems viable at last, our economic systems functional at last, our social systems equitable at last, and our spiritual systems inspirational finally, and not dysfunctional.

I observe that our present model of what it means to be divinely loving is not manifesting greater love on Earth, but in too many cases is producing, instead, judgment, separation, and alienation.

The challenge is this: Surveys show that 8 out of 10 people in every culture on the planet believe in a Higher Power, but what they believe ABOUT that Higher Power is what they are emulating—and that is what is stopping our systems from working.

We are mirroring behaviors that are inimical to our best interests.

Because we believe that the Highest Being and Best Entity in the Universe --- namely, God --- is loving, but also judgmental, condemning, and punishing, we have decided that it must surely be okay for US to be judgmental, condemning, and punishing. Even with those we love. In some cases, especially with those we love.

So we lay down rules, we list guidelines, we outline requirements, we describe how we need things to be, and when or if our loved ones disobey or disregard our expectations, the judging, condemning, and punishing begins.

We do this nation with nation, religion with religion, race with race, gender with gender, economic group with economic group, political group with political group, social group with social group, and, of course, individual with individual.

All of this can change (In fact, MUST, in every species, if that species is to evolve). And this where we come in. This is where our opportunity lies. We can reject the notion that the highest and best model for us to emulate is the God we have been told about and have been taught exists. We can dare to propose, to embrace, and to share a New Definition of God.

We can decide that God is Pure Love, that Pure Love needs, expects, requires, and demands nothing. We can then engage in our political, economic, social, and spiritual interactions in a new way, using as our model this courageous new idea about what it means to be Divine ---and to be divinely human.

Some people may think this would have very little impact on the world, but they would be wrong. Throughout all of human history, it has always been one person --- one single individual --- who has begun movements that shook the world out of its deep cultural malaise, awakened it from its long nightmare, and opened the door for billions to walk through on their way to building a newer world.

Indeed, this is how every step in every advancement of our species’ evolution has been taken. Yet this need not be a drudgery. This can be a happy enterprise. A joyous undertaking. A cheerful assignment.

Shall we take that step together? Shall we begin in this very moment?

If not now…when? If not us…who?