Dawn of a new heaven and earth

Man has been referred to as a rational animal because of his superior mind. Man realised that he could not fly so he invented the aircraft. Then he found that certain animals such as the cheetah could run very fast. He soon invented the motor car that could beat the speed of the cheetah. At one stage man wanted to invent a machine that could calculate and do all the routine work without a hassle. As a result, today we have the computer- a man-made brain. What is surprising is that he also started using his brain to invent machines that could eliminate the human race. Today we are witnessing the disastrous effects of lethal weapons used in war. In the first World War (1914 - 1918) alone more than one million people were killed.

Nations are motivated by greed, fear and the desire for power to declare war on other countries. War has been with us from time immemorial and it seems to be a continuing phenomenon. As one philosopher put it, there will be wars as long as man inhabits the earth. Even the United Nations has not been able to put an end to wars. War means another form of human suffering. All the developed countries are building their arsenal of powerful bombs, machine guns, submarines, flame throwers and poison gas. The flimsy argument put forward by them is that they do it for self defence.

In addition to war, some countries had been ruled by dictators who trampled all human rights. Some of them managed to rule their countries for more than 30 years without paying any heed to public welfare. Hitler of Germany eliminated millions of Jews simply because he had a warped mind. Then there were other dictators such as Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Mussolini, and Stalin who killed their enemies by the thousand. Altogether they have wiped out more than 20 million men, women and children. Most of the victims were branded as class enemies, spies or traitors.

The 21st century seems to be bad for the few dictators still ruling certain countries. The recent developments in Egypt and certain other Middle Eastern countries confirm that the craze for power has not ended.Dictatorships have accelerated the downfall of human decency and peaceful co-existence that bound societies in the past.Anybody who reads the history of man would wonder whether there is a collective dysfunction of the human mind. Why do human beings destroy their own species?

They also destroy animals and the environment. At the rate these things are happening, we wonder whether there will be a world for future generations to live. While paying lip service to religion, most of us are worshipping the God of Mammon. It is a pity that we are craving for power and wealth without paying any attention to our spiritual well-being. Even when we start doing a job, we are more interested in perks, mobile phones, travelling allowances, overseas trips and bonuses rather than our duties. Those who are entrusted with the onerous task of looking after the sick hold their patients to ransom just to win their demands. Even medical men go on strike without any regard to the Hippocratic oath.

Karl Marx, one of the great social reformers, came up with Communism which inspired noble ideals. However, those who came to power in Communist countries did not live up to Marx's ideals. As a result, Communism has failed in the modern world. Those who promoted Communism are eager to change others without changing themselves. All the major religions of the world - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam - came as a blessing to the world. The Buddha purified himself and attained Enlightenment. In the teachings of Jesus Christ, the emphasis was on Salvation. When you reach Enlightenment or Salvation, all your suffering ends. However, most human beings are going in the wrong direction. Their cravings are unlimited. They will do anything to be in possession of the elusive pot of gold.

The inventors of lethal weapons to eliminate the human race within a few minutes are not heroes. They are traitors. The few individuals who understood the sheer madness and dysfunction of the human mind are the real heroes we should always revere and hold in high esteem. We only hope that more and more of such people will light up this world.The Buddha, Jesus Christ and other religious leaders realised the real situation of our existence on this planet. They showed us the way to proceed along the correct path. However, most of us have been deaf and blind to their teachings. As a result, today we are drifting in different directions not knowing our final destination.

It is tragic that the great religious leaders were mostly misunderstood by their contemporaries and subsequent generations. Their profound teachings have sometimes been distorted or misunderstood by the modern man. There is an urgent need for transformation today because the old world is crumbling down fast and furiously. Dictators are being overthrown by the people and there seems to be a domino effect in some Middle Eastern countries. People are clamouring for change. But this change should not be confined to the material aspects of life. People must try to transform themselves spiritually.Spiritual transformation has to be attained individually. The first step is to get rid of our mounting desires. For instance, most of us are not happy with what we possess. We crave for more money and luxury items. We do not have to show others that we are prosperous.If we fail to examine ourselves and get rid of dysfunction of our mind, human society will remain unchanged even after another 2,500 years. It is up to each individual to question himself whether he is going to live in a world fundamentally the same. That means a world full of evil and the same dysfunction of the mind.

The Bible refers to the arising of a new heaven and a new earth. The new heaven is the material world. The new earth is the reflection of the inner consciousness. The present upheavals in certain parts in the world are an indication that we are heading for that new heaven and earth!