What The Human Family Must Do Now

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Douglas

Sometimes I feel that the New Message from God is designed to be uninteresting to certain kinds of people. To those who covet wealth, the New Message says “What you don’t need will make you confused.” If you crave fame, the New Message says “The Wise remain hidden.” The New Message tells those who seek relationships “Relationships will come to you when you are prepared.” It takes a certain kind of person to engage with the New Message. Therefore, I sometimes wonder if the New Message will find its place in the heart of the human family.

What the human family must do now

But every so often I hear a report of people from all over the world finding the New Message. Some of them come from the relentless efforts of tireless advocates. Others come through seemingly chance encounters. Is it enough? I don’t know, but it’s definitely more than what would have happened had we done nothing.

In the gospel of Luke, many people in various situations asked John the Baptist what they should do to demonstrate their repentance. I share this because I dare to dream of a day when people in various situations ask “What does this New Message from God say humanity must do?” An enterprising student made a list, collected from various New Message teachings. These are not in any particular order.

Humanity must cease and prevent all war. If there is another all-out war, it will be the end of humankind.
The human family must unite to solve global problems. In particular, the climate becoming less hospitable, and the environment becoming more polluted and unsupportive of life.
Humankind must restore the natural environment. We must give back to nature what we have taken. Replant the forests, cleanse the waters, clear the skies.
The human family must limit consumption of resources. Overconsumption is the engine of war.
Humanity must limit population. More people means more consumption. Please note that this must be done in the most humane way possible.
Humankind must learn of the Greater Community. We must prepare for emerging into a Greater Community of intelligent life.
The human family must provide for its members. There will be great stress in the future when certain regions of the world become uninhabitable due to rising seas and drying lands.
Humanity must take in displaced persons. There were many of these in World War II. There may be more in the days to come.
Humankind must preserve human civilization. While not many realize it, we are in a race to save human civilization.
The human family must resist extraterrestrial intervention. There are craft in our skies. There are people being taken against their will. This is not benevolence.

This is what the human family must do now. I realize some people are reading this and saying “Good luck with that!” But I accept the miracles in my life as a demonstration of the presence of Knowledge. Sociologist Jem Bendell said something recently that might make a good exclamation point. “I remain a positive pessimist: I anticipate a very difficult future but continue to hunger for new ideas for how to reduce harm and find joy in the process.”

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

Today’s Brewery, Tomorrow’s Farm

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Douglas

In April of 2014, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported on a venture called Urban Organics. The concept was aquaponics, a system of growing plants using fish and bacteria to produce nutrients for the plants. I commented on this article here. Over the past five years, both Urban Organics and the concept of aquaponics have made progress in the world. An article on Urban Organics recently appeared in Outside magazine.

Today’s brewery, tomorrow’s farm

In 2014, Urban Organics was using the Hamm’s brewery on the east side of St. Paul, Minnesota. Since then, they have moved to the Schmidt brewery, which closed as a brewery in 2002. The Hamm’s location is about a tenth of the size of the Schmidt location. Urban Organics General Manager Dave Haider explained, “Breweries are great for aquaponics, as they need a source of water, which we have in the form of well houses on site. They also have strong foundations built to handle large volumes of liquid.” Today’s brewery, tomorrow’s farm.

A growing worldwide idea

It is my understanding that in 2014, the world’s largest aquaponics facility was in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Since that time, aquaponics projects of larger scale have been launched in both the USA and China. Superior Fresh in Wisconsin is scheduled to produce 160,000 pounds of Atlantic salmon each year, and 30,000 heads of lettuce each day. The floating wetlands project in Lake Taihu is not only growing food, but removing the nutrients fueling unwanted algae blooms.

A vote of confidence

Large-scale aquaponics projects have also failed in the past. They have failed in the past due to difficulties with the filtration system. Many aquariums have died painful deaths due to difficulties in managing the levels of nitrites in the water. Likewise, many aquaponics facilities have died painful deaths due to difficulties in managing the levels of nitrites in various stages of the project. In 2014, in the Hamm’s facility, Urban Organics was using a recirculating aquaculture system designed, built and contributed by Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems. Since that time, Pentair, a $7.2 billion global corporation, has purchased Urban Organics outright for an undisclosed sum. I consider this as a vote of confidence that the technical problems that have plagued aquaponics projects in the past can be solved. I consider this a vote of confidence in the future of aquaponics. Today’s brewery, tomorrow’s farm.

A few technical details

In 2014, Urban Organics was using tilapia as the fish. I don’t know why they stopped. An attempt was made to use Atlantic salmon. This attempt failed when the fry contracted a disease. It is unclear to me what would make a particular fish well-suited for aquaponics. But in 2019, Urban Organics is using rainbow trout and arctic char, and reporting success. There was no mention of a hatchery at the Hamm’s facility. The Schmidt facility includes a fish hatchery. There was no mention of insect control in 2014, but in 2019, wasps, ladybugs and mites perform organic pest control. Quite a few refinements have been made to the process over the past five years.

Entering the marketplace

In 2014, Urban Organics was supplying one grocery story in downtown St. Paul. In 2019, their greens mixes appear at supermarkets and co-ops around the Twin Cities. In my local grocery store, the price is comparable to established brands of organic produce. Their char is available at chain of local seafood stores.

A bigger deal than salad

I take particular interest in Urban Organics because it is a way of producing food that cannot be disrupted by climate change. The New Message from God teaches that humanity has changed the climate to the extent that it will begin to change on its own. Over the years, the climate will change in ways unfriendly to traditional agriculture. This paragraph is from the revelation “The Race to Save Human Civilization.”

“Primary here is literally how will you feed the peoples of the world when the world loses 30% of its agriculture, which is what you are really facing, you see? Violent weather, the change in the climate and the impact upon the world’s geologic and biologic systems will create so much imbalance that even if you could find a home for all of the displaced peoples, how would you feed them? And the residents of the receiving nations, how will they respond towards this?”

The New Message from God teaches that “a thousand solutions” are needed to respond to an increasingly difficult world. I consider Urban Organics to be one of those thousand solutions. I offer gratitude for their progress, and best wishes for their future success. Today’s brewery, tomorrow’s farm.

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An Increasingly Difficult World

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Douglas

At the 2018 Encampment of the New Message from God, we engaged with the phrase “a New World reality.” The previous post addressed the “reality” part. This post addresses the “New World” part.

An increasingly difficult world

The New World is the title of the the soon-to-be-published Book 5 of Volume 1 of the New Message from God. I can imagine that some people read the words “New World” and think of great abundance and discovery. Flying cars, vacations on Mars, and so forth. But the New Message is speaking of a world where a 250-year period of explosive growth is coming to an end. The New Message is speaking of an increasingly difficult world. The chapters of The New World include:

The Global Emergency
Being Centered in a Crashing World
The Great Warning
Entering the New World
The Race to Save Human Civilization
The Shock of the Future
Poverty
What Will Save Humanity

I have written a series of posts on The Race to Save Human Civilization. I once thought these teachings spoke of events in the next hundred years or so. As I pondered these teachings at the 2018 Encampment, I reconsidered their time frame. There are relatively few references to events taking place by a certain time. But the New Message teaches that the previous revelation came roughly 1,400 years ago. These teachings may speak of things to come in the seemingly distant future. However, there are signs and harbingers in the world today. And yet, there are things that must be done now to prepare for an increasingly difficult world.

A great warning. An increasingly difficult world.

A world of declining resources

This phrase is used many times in the New Message from God to describe the human future. Another image frequently used to describe this is a growing number of people drinking from a slowly shrinking well. This could mean an absolute decline in resources. This could mean a decline in the amount of resources available for a given amount of money. I can understand the skepticism some people might feel, as certain warnings of declining resources in the past have not come true. But how long can the current arrangement last? A significant increase in the cost of energy would make for an increasingly difficult world.

A sunset. An increasingly difficult world

A world of affected climate

The New Message from God uses this word to describe a climate affected by human activity to such an extent that the climate has begun to change on its own, in ways that will be less hospitable to human activity. The future climate will make for an increasingly difficult world. The future will have many more unexpected weather events. Agriculture will be disrupted by an unexpected climate. Because of this, some currently habitable regions will become uninhabitable. The sea levels will rise to a greater extent than that currently predicted by any scientist. I realize I sound a lot like the doom-mongers I have mocked in the past. But I believe these events are taking place over a longer time-frame than most scientists or politicians consider.

A garbage dump in the future. An increasingly difficult world.

A world with a deteriorated environment

The New Message from God teaches that humanity has affected the chemistry of the atmosphere, the waters and the soils. And not in a good way, either. Therefore, there will be a great deal of work to be done in the future of cleansing the atmosphere, the waters and the soils. There will be a great deal of work to be done in the future of lightening humanity’s environmental impact. All this will make for an increasingly difficult world.

A girl faces the universe. An increasingly difficult world

A world facing intervention

The New Message from God teaches that humanity is facing intervention from extraterrestrial races. This intervention is directly related to humanity’s destructive patterns of environmental use and consumption. Suppose an isolated tribe in the world were discovered to be destroying their environment. Some nation might feel they were doing that tribe a favor by intervening. Humanity is in that situation now.

An increasingly difficult world

I realize this is a collection of negative predictions for humanity’s future. However, I take consolation that a warning is being given with directions for preparation. The good news is that the bad news isn’t all the news. The Book of Proverbs declares “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Proverbs 27:6, King James Version). How shall we prepare? That’s for another post. But the “New World reality” of the New Message from God is a future with an increasingly difficult world.

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Humanity: Right Direction Or Wrong Track?

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Douglas

American public opinion pollsters ask Americans a question on a regular basis. The question is “Is America moving in the right direction, or is it on the wrong track?” This poll is conducted for other countries as well. The respondents don’t give the reasons for their answer. Therefore, this poll doesn’t investigate the accuracy of the facts behind the response. This poll doesn’t measure the logic people employ (or the lack thereof). It asks for a very general perception or feeling about the direction of the country.

Humanity: right direction or wrong track?

I request that anyone who reads these words imagine something with me. Imagine that a public opinion pollster contacted you. But instead of asking you about your country, they asked you about humanity. What if they asked, “Is humanity moving in the right direction, or is it on the wrong track?” I have posed this question to some people in my world. Some of them have responded with bewilderment. Some have asked, “What metric are you using?” I consider that a reasonable question. One way this question might be framed is, “Is humanity becoming more capable or less capable to face challenges and take advantage of opportunities?”

Humanity: right direction or wrong track? Luke Muehlhauser created the above graph in an attempt to identify the most impactful event in human history. He offers a one-sentence summary of human history, “Everything was awful for a very long time, and then the industrial revolution happened.” Muehlhauser’s article suggests that he considers humanity to be moving in the right direction.

Humanity: right direction or wrong track? A group of eight scientists generated the above image. They titled their paper “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice.” 15,364 scientists added their names to this paper in the month since it was published. I could go into detail about the data being presented here. But it is abundantly clear that the authors of this paper believe humanity is on the wrong track.

Humanity: right direction or wrong track? The New Message from God has something to say on this subject. I don’t want to just say that the New Message from God says humanity is on the wrong track. It’s more nuanced than that. After the Industrial Revolution, humanity started consuming many more resources, and having a much greater impact on its environment. This is from the revelation “The Race to Save Human Civilization,” received in 2009:

“Humanity has plundered the world and has destroyed your natural inheritance to such a great degree that the world will change now, becoming a more difficult place for the human family.”

Humanity: right direction or wrong track? I say humanity faces difficult times ahead, as a consequence of its recent success. If I had to say right direction or wrong track, I would say wrong track. But there’s more to it than that.

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How Many Times Must The Warheads Be Dropped?

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Douglas

“Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind” – Bob Dylan, Blowin’ In The Wind

How many times must the warheads be dropped?

I wish to confess my neglect, and offer remediation. What have I neglected? On August 10, 2017, the human family observed 72 years without using a nuclear weapon in warfare. I have had an annual custom of observing this happy occasion here, here and here. I did not observe this in either 2016 or in August of 2017. But humanity has gone 72 years, 3 months and 10 days without using a nuclear weapon in warfare. By “nuclear weapon” I mean either a fission weapon or a fusion weapon. America used fission weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nations of the world have only tested fusion weapons, also called thermonuclear weapons or hydrogen bombs. No nation has used a fusion weapons in warfare since November 1, 1952. My people have refrained from using our most destructive weapon for almost 65 years.

How many times must the warheads be dropped? I regret to inform you that the human race has only gone one month and sixteen days since the last nuclear test, conducted by North Korea. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, has recently been decertified by President Trump. I confess to not knowing whether or not this is a good thing. I feel that all I can do is keep watching.

How many times must the warheads be dropped? I am pleased to share with you the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN’s efforts resulted in a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Yes, I understand that nations with nuclear weapons opposed this treaty. Yes, I understand that the treaty isn’t technically in force, as it requires ratification by 50 nations. We’re currently at 3. Yes, I’m aware that it is unclear who is going to enforce the provisions of this treaty. But we have to start somewhere.

“The man or woman of Knowledge is watching—watching without coming to fixed conclusions, watching without condemning the world, watching without losing hope, watching without becoming jaded or cynical, watching without blaming leaders or individuals or nations, watching the changing landscapes of the world, looking for the signs that the world is giving to indicate how, where and when the Great Waves [of Change] will strike.”

How many times must the warheads be dropped? Hopefully two.

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See That My Grave Is Kept Green

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Douglas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhNJED8yfdE

I didn’t know until today that there was a song called “See That My Grave Is Kept Green.” It was written by Gus Williams in the 1870’s. Bela Lam and the Greene County Singers recorded it in 1927, and the Carter Family recorded it in 1933.

I realize that people have certain traditions and customs about preserving the memory of the dead. And yet, given that humanity is in a race to save human civilization, given that humanity is facing a global emergency, everything has to be open to re-evaluation.

See that my grave is kept green

Oh the day will come to you darling
When no more on earth I’ll be seen
There is one little wish darling grant me
See that my grave is kept green

By “green,” I don’t mean “covered with well-mown, chemically treated grass.” By “green,” I mean something that is pliant, supple and alive. By “green,” I mean something that is contributing to the world long after I’m gone. There is one little wish please grant me, when my time comes to pass. Please grow food on my grave, don’t waste it growing grass.

When from this world I go
Leaving forever the scene
While others are dead oh will you then
See that my grave is kept green

See that my grave is kept green. And yet, I realize some people might not appreciate this arrangement. Perhaps a compromise would be to have my ashes be the nutrient in which the seed of a tree can grow. The Bios Urn and the Spiritree are instances of this. I know some people who go on and on about the need for carbon sequestration, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Who knows, they might be right. But we already have highly efficient carbon sequestration devices. They’re called trees, and planting more of them, and cutting down less of them, generally speaking, is a good thing, in my opinion. Perhaps it would be a good thing if more people became trees after their deaths.

Tell me you’ll think of the happy past
Think of the joys we have seen
This one little promise keep for me
See that my grave’s kept green

algae-lamp See that my grave is kept green

See that my grave is kept green. I would like to offer another alternative. I would like my grave to be lit. Not in a way that consumes energy, but with an algae-powered lamp that absorbs carbon dioxide 200 times more efficiently than a tree. Who knows, maybe one day they will be call Callejas, in honor of the inventor Pierre Calleja.

Oh the days will come to you darling
When no more on earth I’ll be
Oh the days will come to you darling
When no more on earth I’ll be seen
One sweet little wish darling grant me
See that my grave’s kept green
See that my grave’s kept green

In the revelation “The Global Emergency,” the New Message from God teaches:

“Do not think this will be easy. Do not think it will require only a few things to alter the course that humanity is currently on. Do not think there are easy and basic solutions. There are a thousand solutions that will be needed, and you only have a few. You will have to find the others, and it will take great human effort and collaboration to make this possible.”

I’d like to think I’m helping by offering some possibilities.

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I Have A Small But Necessary Part

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Douglas

horseshoe-nail I have a small but necessary part I freely admit that when I first started studying Steps to Knowledge, it did not occur to me what would be asked of me. It told me I have a mission in my life to fulfill. It told me I have come to work in the world. It told me that the world is emerging into the Greater Community of Worlds and that is why I have come. It told me that the world is facing the greatest threshold it has ever faced. It told me I have a small but necessary part in this transition.

I have a small but necessary part

I am sharing this with you because I wish to share something else I wrote to Marshall Vian Summers as part of my participation in the 2016 Messenger’s Vigil of the New Message from God. I wrote:

“The New Message teaching that rings and sings inside me these days is the part in ‘The Global Emergency’ which says ‘It is a race that must be run.’ On my weaker days, I despair that I will make my contribution. I despair that humanity will avoid the great and precipitous decline it faces. And yet, I must do my small but necessary part. I must take the next step in Steps to Knowledge. I must do something to build up the weak pillar. I must follow the next inclination, the next prompt or restraint of Knowledge. I must poke the next hole and plant the next seed.”

I have a small but necessary part. “The Global Emergency” is a revelation which was received in October of 2015. I have written a number of posts on the revelation “The Race to Save Human Civilization,” which was received in 2009. The Global Emergency elaborates on that teaching in this paragraph:

“It is a race to save human civilization. It is a race that must be run. It is the calling for human cooperation and unity to face a reality never seen here on the Earth before in the time of human civilization.”

I have a small but necessary part. I have come to the world to meet certain people. Am I ready for them? Are they ready for me? I don’t know. Abraham Lincoln said “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” I seek to follow in his footsteps. I have come to the world to give certain gifts. Will I succeed in giving them? I don’t know. I have a lot of work in front of me to be the strong contributor the world needs. There must be many strong contributors in the world now, or humanity faces a great and precipitous decline. “Pillars” is a reference to the four pillars that support a person’s life, (health, relationships, work/providership, spiritual development). Steps to Knowledge teaches on more than one occasion about trusting one’s deepest inclinations. Planting the next seed is sharing the New Message from God.

I have a small but necessary part. In the greater scheme of things, I consider myself to be about as important as a horseshoe nail. And yet,

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

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I Prefer To Think We’re Getting Better

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Douglas

While the world has been recalling the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, I prefer to celebrate a different anniversary. Monday, August 10, 2015, marks 70 years without humanity using a nuclear weapon in warfare. Furthermore, humanity has gone 2 years, 5 months and 28 days without a nuclear test. The last confirmed test was conducted by North Korea in February 2013. The Hiroshima Carp baseball team are playing a game in Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium in the above picture. The Clover Garden of Nagasaki is in the picture below.

I prefer to think we’re getting better

There is yet another positive development I wish to consider. The United States tested a hydrogen bomb on November 1, 1952. A hydrogen bomb or a thermonuclear weapon, uses the energy from a primary nuclear fission reaction to compress and ignite a secondary nuclear fusion reaction. The result is greatly increased explosive power when compared to single-stage fission weapons. Therefore, one could refer to atomic bombs as fission weapons, and hydrogen bombs as fusion weapons. A Russian hydrogen bomb tested in 1961 had roughly 1,350–1,570 times the combined power of the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I prefer to think we’re getting better. Russia tested a fusion weapon in 1955. The UK tested a hydrogen bomb in 1957. China tested a fusion bomb in 1967. France tested a hydrogen bomb in 1968. Therefore, humanity has gone 47 years without a nation developing a fusion weapon. Therefore, each of the above nations has gone a number of years without using their most destructive weapon. I consider this to represent a certain evolution on the part of both humanity. Perhaps I shall celebrate the non-use of fusion bombs by these nations in the future.

I prefer to think we’re getting better. There is a certain concern in my world that certain nations with fission weapons (Pakistan and North Korea) will not refrain from using them. There is a certain concern in my world that certain nations (Iran and Saudi Arabia) will acquire fission weapons in the not-too-distant future. What am I going to do about this? Shall I cry out in protest? Shall I advocate certain political positions and policies? Shall I engage and confront certain individuals and organizations?

I prefer to think we’re getting better. I am working on becoming a stronger and better human being. I am taking the Steps to Knowledge. Knowledge is described as “the deeper intelligence that the Creator of all life has placed within each person to guide them, to protect them and to lead them to their greater accomplishments in life.” I am not in denial. I am not simply trying to project a preferred outcome. I am seeing what is transpiring, and I am altering my conclusions regularly as the situation changes. I seek to contribute strength of character and strength of faculties of mind. I am watching—watching without coming to fixed conclusions, watching without condemning the world, watching without losing hope, watching without becoming jaded or cynical, watching without blaming leaders or individuals or nations, watching the changing landscapes of the world.

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I Sing The Waterman Of India

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Douglas

In the New Message from God revelation, “The Race to Save Human Civilization,” there is a sentence describing the actions of man or woman of Knowledge in difficult times.

Here the man or woman of Knowledge is not insisting on solutions, but instead watching and encouraging positive behavior, positive awareness and positive actions.

I consider myself a candidate for the position of “man of Knowledge.” I consider myself a candidate for the position of “man of the deeper intelligence the Creator of all life has placed within each person.” Therefore, I am taking an opportunity to encourage positive behavior, positive awareness and positive actions.

I sing the Waterman of India

First, I discovered this week that the Stockholm Water Prize for 2015 was awarded to Rajendra Singh of India. I was not aware that the Stockholm Water Prize even existed until this week. The prize has been awarded each year for the past 25 years. The prize honors individuals, organizations and institutions whose work contributes to the conservation and protection of water resources. A more tangible token of appreciation of $150,000 is also given to the recipient. I consider the very existence of the Stockholm Water Prize to be a positive development.

I sing the Waterman of India. Who is Rajendra Singh? I understand that earlier in life, he was an Ayurvedic doctor, but the place in which he was practicing was more in need of clean water than of health care. He became a water conservation activist in the early 1980’s. He revived the ancient idea of rainwater harvesting to replenish ground water in the state of Rajasthan. (How big is Rajasthan? It’s larger than the state of New Mexico, and smaller than the state of Montana. Roughly 70 million people live in Rajasthan. Therefore this is a great accomplishment.)

I sing the Waterman of India. How did he do it? The harvesting took place through a series of many small earthen dams. This idea had fallen out of practice during the days of British rule. Rajendra Singh has come to be known as “the waterman of India.” I therefore consider the awarding of the Stockholm Water Prize to Rajendra Singh to be the recognition of a lifetime of achievement.

I sing the Waterman of India. The New Message from God teaches, “There must be many strong contributors in the world now, or humanity faces a great and precipitous decline.” I consider Rajendra Singh to be a strong contributor. I am honored by the strength of Rajendra Singh.

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Denial, Blame, Wishful Thinking, Blind Faith

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Douglas

This is the eleventh post in a series of posts in the New Message from God revelation “The Race To Save Human Civilization,” received by Marshall Vian Summers in 2009. The first post in the series is here. The previous post in the series is here.

Denial, blame, wishful thinking, blind faith

What have we seen so far? Humanity faces wrenching adjustments due to its previous patterns of resource consumption and environmental use. Involuntary migrations will cause great disruption. People not only have to respond to the deeper intelligence within them, but exercise their skill and experience in navigating the difficult times ahead. This is the thirty-eighth paragraph.

“You must have this inner security and the strength of Knowledge to do this, or you will not be able to do it. You will go into denial. You will try to hide. You will try to live under a rock. You will put all your faith in some notion or ideology. You will dismiss the Great Waves as just a negative approach to life. You will be blind and foolish under the guise of being clever and intelligent.”

Denial, blame, wishful thinking, blind faith. The cargo cult of Papua New Guinea, pictured above, is an example of responding to events with a release of faith in an unknown benefactor. I consider this to be an example of what this paragraph is describing. People are reading this and saying “Ah, well, I’m more advanced, I would never do anything like that.” Maybe, but I’m considering an alternative perspective, that if one of these people observed you for a certain period of time, they might say “Here are your superstitions and taboos.”

“Humanity’s stupidity is most tragic when it is hidden behind a veneer of rationality and intelligence. You will see this all around you, of course. You will see the denial. You will see the projection of blame. You will see the wishful thinking. You will see the blind faith in science and technology, good governance or a particular leader.”

Denial, blame, wishful thinking, blind faith. Nobel physicist Richard Feynman coined the phrase “cargo cult science” to describe the infection of denial, projection of blame, wishful thinking and blind faith in the scientific enterprise. This might be a good time to ask “How can I get over denial, blame, wishful thinking, blind faith, etc.?”

“People believe these things because they have no foundation. They have no real inner strength. They can endure hardship in the world, but they do not have the clarity of mind to see what is coming, what is heading their way and what will change their life. So they miss life’s great opportunities. They miss life’s signs. They miss life’s warnings because they cannot look and see with clarity. It is a fundamental problem for each person.”

Denial, blame, wishful thinking, blind faith. An earlier paragraph said that people base their optimism on preferred outcomes. And when those preferred outcomes don’t come out, their optimism collapses like a wet taco. How do we escape the trap of unfounded optimism?

* * *

Mystery of Ascension

A great mystery / Is my true self that I bring / From my ancient home

Tag Archives: The Race to Save Human Civilization

What The Human Family Must Do Now

What the human family must do now

Today’s Brewery, Tomorrow’s Farm

Today’s brewery, tomorrow’s farm

A growing worldwide idea

A vote of confidence

A few technical details

Entering the marketplace

A bigger deal than salad

An Increasingly Difficult World

An increasingly difficult world

A world of declining resources

A world of affected climate

A world with a deteriorated environment

A world facing intervention

An increasingly difficult world

Humanity: Right Direction Or Wrong Track?

Humanity: right direction or wrong track?

How Many Times Must The Warheads Be Dropped?

How many times must the warheads be dropped?

See That My Grave Is Kept Green

See that my grave is kept green

I Have A Small But Necessary Part

I have a small but necessary part

I Prefer To Think We’re Getting Better

I prefer to think we’re getting better

I Sing The Waterman Of India

I sing the Waterman of India

Denial, Blame, Wishful Thinking, Blind Faith

Denial, blame, wishful thinking, blind faith