Government

Societies form governments to maintain order at various levels, organize community projects, and distribute community wealth, as in providing services. They are meant to serve the public. Today, however, neither socialism nor the current forms of Western democracies serves or even offers a true voice of the people.

Left wing movements often commit themselves to helping the downtrodden, but many of them have the self-defeating habit of attacking religious and spiritual beliefs. They correctly maintain that religions can encourage inhumane behavior in the name of God; that they can be separative; and that many tenets are unreasonable at best. Yet, the Left often fails to consider that people have basic spiritual needs: most prefer an imperfect religion to no religion.

As we have seen, many Leftist systems harden into totalitarian or at least authoritarian regimes — not what you'd expect of a spiritualized or even humanistic system. On the other hand, some democratic ones are crushed by outside forces before they can take root.

The elite of Western capitalistic democracies believe that they should make the decisions (which enrich them at the expense of others) and that a true democracy equals "mob rule." Regimes on the far Right manifest as fascist groups, an unholy marriage of government and big business. These systems are organized upside-down. Instead of citizens controlling government, which in turn regulates business behavior, we now have business controlling government, which in turn regulates citizen's behavior. This set up is counter-evolutionary, not to mention that these forms of government are radically corrupt despite their outward support of ethical behavior and strict law and order. True democracy, however, means that everyone has a say in the laws and policies that affect their lives. Spiritually, no one can deny this.

For a government to support the Force of Evolution it must be guided by spiritual principles and be responsive to the needs of people, not corporations. It must offer a safety net for citizens, protect natural resources from reckless exploitation, and preserve order. It should provide defense and a variety of social services. It also should vigorously prevent monopolistic practices, support evolutionary endeavors, and demand accountability from citizens, businesses, and its own membership.

In short, a government is a group of people making decisions. Those who administer it must be sensitive to life. Those who value money and power over life are not qualified to govern.

Commerce

Commerce, the process of manufacturing and distributing goods and providing services, is an important part of what humans do. Like government, there is a better chance it serves the needs of the community when run locally. The more a company displaces its roots, the greater the chance it will ignore human needs. And the more it does, the more it becomes counter-evolutionary.

Currently, no major state on the Left or Right is using a spiritually based (or even ethical) trade system. The West's corporate libertarianism is the most dominant economic philosophy and, unfortunately, is the most caustic to both humans and the earth4. It creates extreme imbalances. One of the worst outgrowths of this is that it uses and, indirectly, encourages the use of slavery in various forms. Globally, 27 million people are now kept against their will, working in subhuman conditions5. The purpose: to supply cheap labor that will enhance the "bottom line." Although the corporate giants are not responsible for all of these atrocities, they do subcontract with slave owners who provide them with cheap labor. Evolutionarily, this is the bottom. Although many believe that trade is about getting the lowest prices, few realize the true cost that we are paying in human, social, and ecological "dollars."

As it stands now, commerce is the dominant force in the social world. Corporations pay Congress to pass laws that favor their rights over citizen rights, and transnational business institutions like the WTO create laws that supercede national, state, and community laws. For them, democracy and human rights are trade barriers to be dismantled. Through their media outlets, they shape the public's attitudes and behavior.

It's safe to say that the market mentality has infected or at least negatively influenced a large portion of minds and souls on the planet. The problem is that our commerce system — capitalism — lacks a soul. Strictly materialistic, it sees no further than short-term bottom line profits and sacrifices life itself on the Altar of Money. Spiritualizing this system — if it's even possible — will require changing it radically. Many see this as a monumental task and rightly so: we are dealing with economic forces with more influence and power than most nations. However, all things must pass, and by their short-sighted and reckless polices, it will pass sooner than later.

An evolutionary framework for commerce would show more concern for individuals, the community, and the environment than for excessive profit and "sustained economic growth." The market place would be used as a tool to enrich life, not destroy it for the benefit of a few. We would see spirituality at work rather than people in service to money.

Money is the oil that lubricates commercial transactions. It works better than barter (although barter has its place). If money is a tool of commerce, then by treating it as a commodity — selling it by charging interest (usury) — we inflate the system. Charging interest produces unearned wealth for a few while weakening the entire structure. The father of the free-market capitalism, Adam Smith, was against usury. Most religions oppose it too. The tenets of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism have, in principle, forbidden the lending of money for profit. However, the Catholic Church sold out in 1918 and joined the ranks of usurers, but Muslims still follow that belief. Today, Islamic financial institutions structure their transactions by entering into risk-sharing contracts. They determine the cost by the venture's outcome and charge no predetermined rate of interest.

For example, the financial debt system works like this; workers build a house, and expenses and materials total to $50,000. They charge $60,000 for their labor, bringing the cost of the house to $110,000. The buyer puts down $10,000 and takes out a loan for $100,000 (at say 6% interest over 30 years). The total he must pay the bank — principle plus interest — is $216,000. The bank, having produced nothing, has earned $116,000 in interest — about twice as what the workers earned by building the house. But it doesn't end there.

In most mortgage arrangements, at first the borrower pays a much greater proportion on interest than on the principle. In our example of the $100,000 loan, the monthly rate is $600; of that, $500 goes to interest, while only $100 goes against the actual $100,000 loan (the principle). Say after 5 years the buyer sells the house. Interest payments have equaled around $30,000. If the house were sold every five years over the 30-year period, the bank would have made a total of $180,000 in interest rather than the original $116,000 profit. That's three times the cost of the house; so the house cost of the house has been inflated by 300%.

Additionally, the lower a person's credit rating, the greater interest one must pay. Those who are least able to pay must pay the most, while those at the top pay the least. Some corporations now check your credit rating before hiring you (unless they are looking for unskilled labor who they pay as little a legally possible — and they influence Congress to keep that legal limit low): if your credit rating is low, it's even harder to find a job to earn money so you can pay. The system is heavily stacked against the poor and favors the rich. All traditional religions that believe in helping the poor agree that these practices are immoral. Yet, the world continues sinking deeper in debt to the financial cartel, like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

People create money systems. If we use a system that extracts wealth and adds little to the system, then it is counter-evolutionary. An evolutionary system would not allow the charging of interest. It would use local capital, like community savings and loans, rather than sending its resources off to some central bank that has no concern about the well being of the community.

Media

The media keeps us informed of local and world events. It acts as watchdog that alerts us to corruption and excess in government, business, and society. It serves the public by asking tough questions to those who we have entrusted power. It can provide useful, inspiring, and enlightening information. Through its constant flow of information, it can make society believe the most outrageous lies or inspire it to new heights. Without a doubt, it can be a source of life-fulfilling or life-denying energies.

Over the last several decades, the corporate machine has been consolidating its control over the media. Mainstream media can now be rightly called the corporate media. During this time, the news organizations have progressively failed in its social duties. Instead of supplying us with useful information, it delivers corporate philosophy and "public relations," government spin, and most importantly, commercials. To keep our attention, it entertains us with celebrity "news," sports, and sensationalism. This virtual monopoly controls most of our publishing houses as well, and they often supply textbooks to our schools.

"The spiraling cost of textbooks has lead thousands of school districts to use corporate sponsored teaching materials. A 1998 study of these teaching materials by the Consumers Union found that 80 percent were biased, providing students with incomplete or slanted information that favored the sponsor's products or views. Proctor & Gamble's Decision Earth program taught that clear-cut logging was actually good for the environment; teaching aids distributed by Exxon Education Foundation said that fossil fuels created few environmental problems and that alternate sources were too expensive; a study guide sponsored by the American Coal Foundation dismissed fears of a greenhouse effect, claiming that 'the earth could benefit rather than be harmed by increasing carbon dioxide.' The Consumer's Union found Pizza Hut's Book It! Program — which awards a free Personal Pan Pizza to children who reach targeted reading levels — to be 'highly commercial.'

"Lifetime Learning Systems [one of] the largest marketers ... of corporate sponsored teaching aids said in one of its pitches to corporate sponsors, 'Now you can enter the classroom through custom-made learning materials created with your specific marketing objectives in mind. . . . Through these materials, your product or point of view becomes the focus of discussions in the classroom . . . the centerpiece in a dynamic process that generates long-term awareness and lasting attitude change.' The tax cuts that are hampering America's schools are proving to be a marketing bonanza for companies like Exxon, Pizza Hut, and McDonalds. The money that these corporations spend on their 'educational' materials is fully tax-deductible."6

It's quite obvious that these practices pervert, deny, or suppress evolutionary energy while supporting anti-spiritual attitudes. We now have an homogenized array of media groups owned by a few and, in concert, they present a unilateral point of view. This affects the attitudes of nations. For example, when France declined to support the illegal U.S. invasion of Iraq, it wasn't long before the media had convinced millions of Americans that the French "sided with terrorists" who "hated freedom." The point is that people are easily influenced, by spin or by truth.

The truth, once shown, has a much greater influence than lies. That's why transnationals invest billions of dollars in the media. They want to achieve two things. First, they want to keep the population believing that capitalism and consumerism are good for the world — that they do no harm. And second, they want everyone to continue buying and wasting resources (so they can sell replacements, which increases the Gross National Product [GNP]).

Although the idea that the media is a form of mind control may sound radical to some, their practices do control the opinions and attitudes of millions of people. As this system is used to make a small group of rich people even richer, it is hard to see any spiritual value in it, other than to serve as a wake-up call to the damage it is doing.

Conversely, we have small independent media outlets that support the Force of Evolution.7 They alert us to devolutionary activity worldwide and point out creative visions and developments. They can accent oneness and unity, and can show examples of the emerging New Spirituality. They offer alternatives to the corporate version of reality. It's harder to indoctrinate people who have choices, because choice equals freedom. To espouse freedom, spirit should embed the media and help show the way to Heaven on Earth. Instead of mind control, they should foster mind expansion.

Labor is the body of society that produces things and provides services. Historically, industry and government have manipulated and abused this group. Abuses range from outright slavery and indentured servitude to paying less than a living wage. Workers grudgingly accept power-crazed bosses and mangers that use fear and demeaning techniques. Unsafe and harsh working conditions abound. Unions are discouraged, undermined, made illegal, or destroyed.

Should work be like this, all in the name of improving production and profits that in effect enriches the already rich, or should labor be part of life that enriches the individual and the community - something that adds meaning to life? Working to make wealthy people even wealthier (and to just "get by" ourselves) is hardly worth dedicating a good portion of our life to. Although many people are resigned to this as if it were a natural law, it is a reality only insomuch as people have agreed to it. Humans — not the gods — have created these conditions. They have used the law to enforce and legalize their practices, and the media and schools propagate their message. (Up until the 1840's, employers had the legal right to beat an employee.) But laws can be changed and new ones created. They could guarantee a living wage, require just treatment in the workplace, and forbid activities that are destructive to the earth and life.

In Western societies throughout the last millennium, we created laws to protect people from the abuse of kings and government. Today, corporations are removing many of those safeguards through their Corporate-Republican and Corporate-Democratic allies in Congress and in the political halls of other countries. In many developing countries, few protections exist. This makes them targets for predatory transnationals seeking an ever-cheapening labor pool.

"Consider the report cited by Bob Herbert in the New York Times on conditions endured by young women ages fifteen to twenty-eight working in factories that make Nike shoes in Vietnam, where three meals of rice, a bit of vegetable, and perhaps some tofu (bean curd) costs the equivalent of $2.10. Renting a room costs at least $6.00 a month. Yet the workers making Nike shoes that may sell for more than $100.00 must cover these and all other expenses out of a paycheck of $1.60 a day. Those interviewed complained that since starting working at the factory they have suffered frequent headaches, general fatigue, and weight loss. Workers are allowed one bathroom break and two drinks of water per eight-hour shift. Again, Nike is unfortunately not all that special. It just happens to have become a symbol for the many corporations that profit from the exploitation of Third World workers. It has also made Nike founder and CEO, Phillip Knight . . . the seventeenth wealthiest person in America with $54.4 billion in assets."8

The evolutionary purpose of labor is to provide a livelihood, serve the community and, by giving meaning to life, to infuse society with spiritual energy. Labor is fulfilling; work is suffering. The results of one's labor should benefit the worker and the community especially, not just the elite. Labor becomes a wide avenue for spirit to enter society when it is not controlled or directed by strictly materialistic forces.

Education

The purpose of education is simple. It should teach skills, culture, pass on knowledge, and broaden the vision of society. It should inspire. To be an evolutionary asset, it should at least teach ethics in all areas of life; at best, it should encourage us to express ourselves fully and positively. It should foster honesty and a wide range of practical and spiritual (not necessarily religious) principles.

Today, however, what to teach and how to teach it are controversial. Math and the hard sciences should be easy enough: just stick to the subject and present it clearly; but some algebra textbooks have poetry from the women's movement included in them. (Visit http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com/johnleo.htm for details.) This makes them more of a political statement of the Left than a math course. We've already seen how corporations are using the classroom to promote their products and viewpoints.

The soft sciences, like sociology, economics, and psychology, are the easiest to manipulate or misinterpret. Often, these courses are mind-numbingly dull. They lack the ring of truth, the element that makes a subject meaningful. But good educational materials exist. For example, Gangs of America by Ted Nace9 presents an informative history of today's predominant economic institutions. It explains how political and economic forces colluded to create an unsustainable system that affects everyone. Books like this should be mandatory reading in every history or economics class. If, however, government and corporations decide what we teach, then our children will learn what is best for political and corporate interests.

Fine arts should be taught as well, as teaching the masters is evolutionary. Even if a person finds that he or she doesn't enjoy these arts forms, at least those with the aptitude can learn to appreciate and benefit from them. Listening to and understanding classical music has similar effects on the psyche as meditating. Appreciating fine paintings, dance, theater, and cinema benefits the individual, family, and society as well. It sensitizes, refines, and enriches the soul. Perhaps this is why the dog-eat-dog mentality of big business doesn't cultivate these art forms; instead, its does its best to discredit and suppress them through its media.

John Lennon sang, "There's room at the top they are telling still, but first you must learn how to smile as you kill, if you want to be like the folks on the hill." Refined and sensitive people find it much harder to act inhumanely. The Left objects to high art, as well, often portraying it as bourgeoisie. Besides, the Old Left (as with other narrowly focused groups) would much rather have its followers dedicate themselves exclusively to the Cause. They consider it wasteful or selfish to enjoy or refine oneself. The "cause" of consumerism, though, is marketed as fun. And while shopping and acquiring loads of stuff can be fun, living beyond one's means, going deep into debt, and expecting to find happiness in material goods more often leads to stress and unhappiness.

Art reveals the soul of society. If a culture is religious, materialistic, or spiritual, it will reflect in its art forms and in its symbols. High art shows that a culture is flourishing. If it's mediocre it can go either way. Decadent art indicates decline. Many of today's commercial art forms are, like other mass-produced products, "easy to use" and disposable. Some are even toxic. When we produce art strictly for the sake of profit, it lacks soul. Moneyed promotion takes mediocrity and presents it as genius. If our standards are low, then success isn't worth much. If they are high, then everyone gains. In addition, the arts have a spiritual impact on society:

"Just as the entrainment or influence of the higher energy fields have an anabolic, or growth-enhancing, effect on a subject, entrainment by lower attractor fields has a catabolic, or destructive effect; the most widespread example in today's culture is the influence of some forms of violent pop music. . . . [P]unk rock, death rock and gangster rap music made every subject go weak, confirming earlier observation made by Dr. John Diamond. In a more recent study of students reported in The Arizona Republic, July 4, 1994, Dr. James Johnson of the University of North Carolina found rap music to increase tolerance for and predisposition to violence while promoting materialism and reducing both immediate interest in academics and long-term success.

"A common experience observed in therapy groups and clinics is that drug users do not recover if they continue to listen to heavy metal rock; a one year follow up of inpatient and outpatient cocaine addicts from Sedona Villa . . . indicated that not a single cocaine abuser who continued to listen to this violent and negative music recovered."10

Many of today's popular musicians hold benefit concerts that raise awareness and cash for humanitarian concerns, like the 2005 Live8 event. This is yet another evolutionary use of an art form.

Law

If a law enforces order and is just, then it supports evolution. Unfortunately, some cause disorder and are unjust — too fair for some and too unfair for others. For example, a man in Mississippi shoplifts a candy bar and goes to prison for 16 years. A young man in Ohio serves a twenty-year prison sentence for possessing two psilocybin mushrooms. (Until recently, they were legal in England.) In New York, a man embezzles millions from investor's retirement funds. He pays a fine and maybe serves a few years in a minimum-security jail. Everyone knows this isn't right, yet our laws allow it. Organized corporate crime is sanctioned compared to petty crime, which is harshly enforced.

The advent of large-scale international trade (fostered by transnational organizations) has complicated the situation by creating means to bypass national and local laws. For example, the US had banned the use of certain herbicides: they were proven to cause cancer and other diseases. The chemical manufactures were then "forced" to sell their products in southern countries, where regulation was lax or non-existent. Farmers there would use the poisons on their crops and then ship the produce to the US, where uninformed consumers would eat the poisoned fruits and vegetables. A reasonable solution would be to ban the production of the chemicals. However, the chemical companies would simply move their factories to a more accommodating country. What we need then is a World Trade Organization (WTO) good twin: one that protects people and the environment from the harm these companies do, rather than protect, reward, and extend their powers. Instead of the WTO ("World Trade Organization," which sounds innocuous enough but is not), call it the WSO — World Sanity Organization.

Incidentally, the WTO has the power to force any member country to abide by their laws. If a country breaks those laws, it will face stiff penalties and trade sanctions. For example, say a town in California decides that it doesn't want to import French wine. France can appeal to the WTO about "unfair trade practices," and if it accepts the claim, California must drop its restriction; otherwise, the US could face penalties. National sovereignty doesn't exist in this respect: the globalized trade and finance organizations — the WTO, the World Bank, and the IMF — make the rules that the world must obey.

We should only allow laws that protect people, not the interests of government or corporations. The founders of the US wrote the Constitution to limit powers of the latter. That's what, "For the people, by the people" means. In any event, laws are a lot like extraneous possessions — the more we have, the less free we are. As a society progresses, it sheds unnecessary rules. "The more laws, the less justice." Marcus Tullius Cicero — (106-43 B.C.) Roman Statesman, Philosopher, and Orator.

Philosophy

Philosophy isn't an institution per se, yet this cerebral form of perception management is as pervasive as the air. People seldom realize how powerful these mental structures are. Philosophy defines reality. Everyone buys into some theory or another (or parts of them). And while theories that support evolution develop from the search for truth, intentional distortions like political propaganda, advertising (especially those that target young children) and public relations spawn from minds that are hiding or misrepresenting something.

Evolutionary-supportive philosophies provide honest blueprints of reality; they describe how things really are — for better or worse — or how they could be. They are stories that uplift, expand, and enlighten us. They can move individuals and society towards a spiritual existence. By presenting practical yet imaginative alternatives, they inspire behavior and attitudes that benefits us all.

At a more comprehensive level, industrialized societies have embraced the scientific philosophy of life for the past several centuries. The way they see it, the universe is like a very big wind-up clock whose destiny is clear: it will inevitably wind down and die. The end. This goes for all of its bio-cog parts as well. The clock and its parts are mechanical, governed by materialistic laws. Consciousness, our sense of self, and life itself are the impersonal results of lifeless chemicals interacting. And to make matters even more dismal, all of this has happened quite by accident. Not surprisingly, the deeper this story is embedded in our collective consciousness, the more hopeless and useless life appears. The incidence of suicide grows — no surprise — as does depression (now the world's leading mental illness), drug use, divorce, corruption, and indifference to others and the ecosystem.

The philosophy that is emerging — the story that the New Spirituality tells — sees creation as a holistic living system. Life is something that is caring and needs care. If we treat it as disposable, then it won't be long before it disposes of us. As the reality of the Unity of All Being becomes more ingrained in the collective unconsciousness, we will see an increase in hope, order, spontaneity, and the joy of living. It's not how much money we can generate; it's what kind of people we are, the quality of our relationships, and the long-term prospects of our activities.

Michael Lamas
www.starbuilders.org