Mawk
10-29-2002, 11:52 PM
hi all,
this may be of interest to some members of the group. sorry this didn't come
with a link.
cheers,
mawk
dear friends,
i would like to update you on several matters in which both the
chopra;center and chopra foundation are engaged. i recently attended a
conference on peace and human progress hosted by nobel laureate oscar arias
and the senate of puerto rico. the conference was attended by several other
nobel laureates and also representatives from various governments. i had the
privilege of giving a keynote speech at this conference and in the final
meeting agreed to play the pivotal role in the creation of a global
strategic
alliance for peace and human progress. i think it is very important and
urgent that we address the moral issues of our time. the moral issues of our
time are not the extramarital sexual adventures of our politicians nor the
eating disorders and eccentricities of hollywood celebrities. the important
moral issues of our time are war, weapons, violence in all its forms,
economic disparities, extreme and abject poverty, ecological devastation,
prejudice, racism, and sexism. every 21/2 seconds somewhere in the world a
child dies from hunger or other preventable diseases. less than 4% of the
world's annual military expenditures would cure this situation. since the
end of world war ii, more than 32 million civilians, mostly women, old men
and children have perished as a result of hatred and ignorance and the sale
of weapons sold by merchants of death and destruction. by the year 2000, the
military expenditures of the world were equivalent to 35% of total yearly
income of nearly two billion people. our hearts seem to be immune to the
procession of televised imagery that continuously portrays a strange mixture
of fiction, news and advertisement that constantly feed our addictions to
adrenaline. organized religion has failed to achieve its highest purpose
because it has so often fostered divisiveness and xenophobia, at times
manipulating people through fear and violence. unfortunately, our religions
are the legacies of our tribal ancestors whose ideologies and conceptual
frameworks have generally failed to progress with our understanding of
modern
cosmology or evolution. similarly, our current state of evolution demands
that we re-examine our notions of; nationalism. tribalism has taken on the
garb of nationalism so that mass murder during wartime is rewarded with
medals of honor. einstein called "nationalism an infantile disease, the
measles of humanity." erich fromm said, "nationalism is our form of incest,
is our idolatry, is our insanity. patriotism is its cult." these are harsh
words but unless we are prepared to honestly look at our outmoded beliefs,
our unquestioned ideologies and ourselves, there may be no hope for us. in
regards to the chopra foundation, the new strategic plan is rapidly taking
place. a number of notable goals and objectives are being considered. for
example, the chopra foundation is going to take a leading role in the
creation of the global strategic alliance for peace and human progress so
that we can influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. we need
a
critical mass of people that will no longer participate or tolerate a
culture
of violence that is based on profound indifference to the pain of our fellow
beings and lack of respect for life. it took a critical mass of awareness to
ban cigarette smoking in public places. today the relatives of people who
have died from cigarettes are suing tobacco companies. it is quite
conceivable that the day may come when the manufacturers of weapons will be
held accountable when an innocent child dies at the hands of a gun. today
governments label the deaths of thousands of innocent people as "collateral
damage" so that we can numb ourselves to the anguish and images of horror
through the use of words. the only way to create the critical mass of
awareness is to create a strategic global alliance of people and
organizations that are contributing to spiritual growth as well as the
betterment of humanity and the environment. many nobel laureates,
representatives of international humanitarian agencies, and influential
people from governments around the world have greeted this idea with great
enthusiasm. the critical mass would be created through a very concrete
engagement of educational institutions, the entertainment industry, news
media, and information networks, including the internet. some of the
best-known representatives in the entertainment industry and international
news media have already agreed to participate. to restate our goal --- we
want to create a critical mass of awareness that influences public opinion
and policy so that we can take remedial measures and create a new culture
where violence, weapons, poverty, ecological and environmental degradation
and devastation can be addressed as the major epidemics of our time that
need
to be addressed with great urgency. in this process it will be important not
to think in terms of an us versus them psychology. there is only one of us -
we are one body in one world. in the tangled hierarchy sinner and saint,
divine and diabolical, sacred and profane are different faces of our
collective being. therefore angry activism driven by rage, however justified
it seems, is really not going to work. i believe that the and very strongly
desires us to take that quantum leap of creativity. there are many other
exciting things on the horizon. i hope you will participate in some way by
becoming a voice in our foundation. if you wish to participate in any way in
this endeavor, please send an email to foundation@... (/group/asc2k/post?postid=eafayu_kt8wg93wibdfq774cvdyycztbbrnvlr sp076arhc-dr0bdopfeky24sbwsbqb_gogu_3cax8gaw) with your ideas
and how you would like to participate. the world's consciousness is
demanding
an authentic spirituality that is based on a scientific understanding of the
domain of awareness where we experience our universality. this is none other
than our inner self. it has been waiting patiently, inviting us to enter the
luminous mystery in which all things are created, nurtured, and renewed.
when we enter this luminous mystery of existence, we experience great
wonder,
humility and love. where there is wonder humility and love, there is the
opportunity for healing.
namaste,
deepak
this may be of interest to some members of the group. sorry this didn't come
with a link.
cheers,
mawk
dear friends,
i would like to update you on several matters in which both the
chopra;center and chopra foundation are engaged. i recently attended a
conference on peace and human progress hosted by nobel laureate oscar arias
and the senate of puerto rico. the conference was attended by several other
nobel laureates and also representatives from various governments. i had the
privilege of giving a keynote speech at this conference and in the final
meeting agreed to play the pivotal role in the creation of a global
strategic
alliance for peace and human progress. i think it is very important and
urgent that we address the moral issues of our time. the moral issues of our
time are not the extramarital sexual adventures of our politicians nor the
eating disorders and eccentricities of hollywood celebrities. the important
moral issues of our time are war, weapons, violence in all its forms,
economic disparities, extreme and abject poverty, ecological devastation,
prejudice, racism, and sexism. every 21/2 seconds somewhere in the world a
child dies from hunger or other preventable diseases. less than 4% of the
world's annual military expenditures would cure this situation. since the
end of world war ii, more than 32 million civilians, mostly women, old men
and children have perished as a result of hatred and ignorance and the sale
of weapons sold by merchants of death and destruction. by the year 2000, the
military expenditures of the world were equivalent to 35% of total yearly
income of nearly two billion people. our hearts seem to be immune to the
procession of televised imagery that continuously portrays a strange mixture
of fiction, news and advertisement that constantly feed our addictions to
adrenaline. organized religion has failed to achieve its highest purpose
because it has so often fostered divisiveness and xenophobia, at times
manipulating people through fear and violence. unfortunately, our religions
are the legacies of our tribal ancestors whose ideologies and conceptual
frameworks have generally failed to progress with our understanding of
modern
cosmology or evolution. similarly, our current state of evolution demands
that we re-examine our notions of; nationalism. tribalism has taken on the
garb of nationalism so that mass murder during wartime is rewarded with
medals of honor. einstein called "nationalism an infantile disease, the
measles of humanity." erich fromm said, "nationalism is our form of incest,
is our idolatry, is our insanity. patriotism is its cult." these are harsh
words but unless we are prepared to honestly look at our outmoded beliefs,
our unquestioned ideologies and ourselves, there may be no hope for us. in
regards to the chopra foundation, the new strategic plan is rapidly taking
place. a number of notable goals and objectives are being considered. for
example, the chopra foundation is going to take a leading role in the
creation of the global strategic alliance for peace and human progress so
that we can influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. we need
a
critical mass of people that will no longer participate or tolerate a
culture
of violence that is based on profound indifference to the pain of our fellow
beings and lack of respect for life. it took a critical mass of awareness to
ban cigarette smoking in public places. today the relatives of people who
have died from cigarettes are suing tobacco companies. it is quite
conceivable that the day may come when the manufacturers of weapons will be
held accountable when an innocent child dies at the hands of a gun. today
governments label the deaths of thousands of innocent people as "collateral
damage" so that we can numb ourselves to the anguish and images of horror
through the use of words. the only way to create the critical mass of
awareness is to create a strategic global alliance of people and
organizations that are contributing to spiritual growth as well as the
betterment of humanity and the environment. many nobel laureates,
representatives of international humanitarian agencies, and influential
people from governments around the world have greeted this idea with great
enthusiasm. the critical mass would be created through a very concrete
engagement of educational institutions, the entertainment industry, news
media, and information networks, including the internet. some of the
best-known representatives in the entertainment industry and international
news media have already agreed to participate. to restate our goal --- we
want to create a critical mass of awareness that influences public opinion
and policy so that we can take remedial measures and create a new culture
where violence, weapons, poverty, ecological and environmental degradation
and devastation can be addressed as the major epidemics of our time that
need
to be addressed with great urgency. in this process it will be important not
to think in terms of an us versus them psychology. there is only one of us -
we are one body in one world. in the tangled hierarchy sinner and saint,
divine and diabolical, sacred and profane are different faces of our
collective being. therefore angry activism driven by rage, however justified
it seems, is really not going to work. i believe that the and very strongly
desires us to take that quantum leap of creativity. there are many other
exciting things on the horizon. i hope you will participate in some way by
becoming a voice in our foundation. if you wish to participate in any way in
this endeavor, please send an email to foundation@... (/group/asc2k/post?postid=eafayu_kt8wg93wibdfq774cvdyycztbbrnvlr sp076arhc-dr0bdopfeky24sbwsbqb_gogu_3cax8gaw) with your ideas
and how you would like to participate. the world's consciousness is
demanding
an authentic spirituality that is based on a scientific understanding of the
domain of awareness where we experience our universality. this is none other
than our inner self. it has been waiting patiently, inviting us to enter the
luminous mystery in which all things are created, nurtured, and renewed.
when we enter this luminous mystery of existence, we experience great
wonder,
humility and love. where there is wonder humility and love, there is the
opportunity for healing.
namaste,
deepak