Bradly asserted that The Spirit of Truth functions in organizations such as the military and NGOs and non-profits and this is not true.
I think this is a response to the Spirit of Truth ministry – less “self” interest and more “other than self” interests being demonstrated.
Whatever changes a society is the result of changes to the individuals within that society….society is an aggregational effect and governments, corporations, and NGOs are groups of persons. And the point is that more and more individuals are aggregating their private, group, and public resources for that which does not serve them personally….and do so in response to internal and personalized spiritization – “response to the Spirit of Truth ministry”. A personal response which often IS then or can become collectively responsive and cooperative with the angels of religion, progress, etc. Our world is under the active management of many agents of change and progress that are certainly not mortal or guided by a mortal agenda or our shortcomings. But they must and do work within each status quo to effect such progress.
(1950.3) 180:5.8 But the highest realization and the truest interpretation of the golden rule consists in the consciousness of the spirit of the truth of the enduring and living reality of such a divine declaration. The true cosmic meaning of this rule of universal relationship is revealed only in its spiritual realization, in the interpretation of the law of conduct by the spirit of the Son to the spirit of the Father that indwells the soul of mortal man. And when such spirit-led mortals realize the true meaning of this golden rule, they are filled to overflowing with the assurance of citizenship in a friendly universe, and their ideals of spirit reality are satisfied only when they love their fellows as Jesus loved us all, and that is the reality of the realization of the love of God.
(1950.4) 180:5.9 This same philosophy of the living flexibility and cosmic adaptability of divine truth to the individual requirements and capacity of every son of God, must be perceived before you can hope adequately to understand the Master’s teaching and practice of nonresistance to evil. The Master’s teaching is basically a spiritual pronouncement. Even the material implications of his philosophy cannot be helpfully considered apart from their spiritual correlations. The spirit of the Master’s injunction consists in the nonresistance of all selfish reaction to the universe, coupled with the aggressive and progressive attainment of righteous levels of true spirit values: divine beauty, infinite goodness, and eternal truth — to know God and to become increasingly like him.
(1950.5) 180:5.10 Love, unselfishness, must undergo a constant and living readaptative interpretation of relationships in accordance with the leading of the Spirit of Truth. Love must thereby grasp the ever-changing and enlarging concepts of the highest cosmic good of the individual who is loved. And then love goes on to strike this same attitude concerning all other individuals who could possibly be influenced by the growing and living relationship of one spirit-led mortal’s love for other citizens of the universe. And this entire living adaptation of love must be effected in the light of both the environment of present evil and the eternal goal of the perfection of divine destiny.
Capitalists want access to resources and markets to create more opportunities for the capital at risk potential rewards (increased profits) and they have over the past century realized the barriers and obstacles to expansion – globalization of money, markets, travel, and trade. Capitalist greed has served to break down barriers that politics never did or possibly could. Fascinatingly, the apex of this transition coincided with instant and universal global communications and access to the entire contents of human knowledge (and stupid amusement to be sure – haha!).
Capitalist = greed is simply not true. This is a rally cry for the populist as well as those addicted to the welfare state.
I agree Nelson and should have said “capitalist appetite for profit” as more accurate. Money/capital is not moral or immoral and it has no characteristics except as a method of exchange. However, capitalism is investing capital into risk for potential reward – profit – or it stays under the mattress. No potential for reward means no capital is deployed. It is the one making and choosing the investment that determines morality and motive for the deployment of capital. As nelson suggests, it is this risk/reward opportunity that has delivered up wealth creation and distribution by its need for both labor and customer which moves money through a growing network of investors and owners of commercial enterprise and the responding growing labor pool at the same time.
Wealth creation in the modern world is not a result of hoarding gold or salt or grain or capital….it is its deployment that does that. And that deployment seeks profit or a return on the risk taken with capital. It’s a wonderfully effective incentive. And it is now breaking down nationalist and cultural/language barriers that religion and politics/governments have not successfully penetrated without capital seeking opportunity for profit. And more and more, labor is becoming another source for capital investment and for non-profit deployment both. And such democratization of capital results in more and more people self determining priorities for their capital and income.
But, we are taught, it is only a progressive step toward a service economy – service to others becoming the driving motivation for economic policy and practice. My point was to give evidence that suggests this transformation is underway, albeit only in its infancy. And that this transformation will be the result of personal changes in response to, perhaps as one factor, the ministry of the Spirit of Truth.
Sorry for my clumsy word choices. I’m a big fan of capitalism/profit for its power to change the world. But I’m far more interested in how this system of economy and economic relationships is connecting us all into an integrated cooperative of personal expression and mutual dependence. While there is plenty of money for war still, the cost/benefit factors are changing before our eyes as war becomes too expensive to wage compared to diplomacy and cooperation for mutual benefit. Thanks everyone.
"Live loyally today—grow—and tomorrow will attend to itself. The quickest way for a tadpole to become a frog is to live loyally each moment as a tadpole."
