No one own this planet's lands or its seas, its lakes or streams.
We borrow them. When I came into this world of barren, rocky deserts and verdant forests teeming with life, there were far fewer people to share its abundance.
Since then, desert places have become green; green fields and forests have been taken over by desert. Some say that that this is solely because there are too many people crowded into limited spaces. This is far from true.
What is important to know is that there is ample room and resources for all, yet, only when human talent and ingenuity, human spirit and free will, are applied to the challenges of peaceful living. And to allow all of us to apply our natural gifts is to take the path toward fulfillment of our individual sense of purpose in living.
It is only the gap between the richest and those with the least among us that makes all the difference. There is a fixed quantity of resources and abundance sufficient for all. Yet when a few amass great quantities for themselves this can only be possible by depriving others of their God-given right to share in this planet's resources, its soil, water and life-giving plant energy. Also, it is true, as has been demonstrated over and over, human spirit and ingenuity can be applied to turning present deserts into tomorrow's green farms and forests, increasing the capacity of Earth to provide for us. When enough people apply their free will to achieve this, it will be done.
The billions who share this planet with you now will make decisions that define their roles in how civilization progresses from this point forward. The present gap between the richest and poorest, the most powerful and weakest, will become the decisive factor within a few years from now. Each month that passes, this inequity increases, indicating that we, as collective humanity, are moving towards an untenable lack of balance.
The solution is not in socialism, or communism, as these political, centralized-control philosophies serve to increase the gap and take humanity further along its present direction. Nor is the answer in political opposites of those philosophies, which tend to abdicate personal, individual power to those who seek absolute control. We have conceded more than we dare to those who define "capitalism" as if it were truly free enterprise, and by default have allowed a majority of cultural product to be accumulated under control of a very few.
A new paradigm is needed, one that defines the health of society and culture by the security of the weakest among us. When we no longer have homeless or hungry persons, when we share clean water for all, when terminally ill are cared for with kindness, when all life and its health are valued, when those who so desire are allowed to become economically self-reliant on a piece of land or floating home without dependence upon corporate products sold at a profit . . . then we can say we have a civilized society. All this is achievable within your expected lifespan.
This change of mindset cannot be forced by war, or achieved through dictates of law. It can only come through desire expressed peer to peer, one person to another. Gandhi had a vision for India while under British rule, and communicated that purpose until it came about through the contagion of that vision within the hearts and minds of the people. This is how your future will be shaped, either by concession to those who seek unlimited power and resources at the expense of billions, or towards a new paradigm of civilization similar to that above.
Turning barren lands into beautiful gardens and forest will be very rewarding . . .
