Time for change

We have so far considered the basic rights of existence on the earth as well as human development to a state of internal harmony and the consequences stemming from these considerations with respect to self-responsibility. At some stage the question arises as to how and when we could apply everything we have discussed to our personal life.

It is naturally the free choice of every person as to whether he would like to develop further towards living the basic rights of existence. If he should affirm that he does, it is again entirely his choice as to how and when and in what way he should start this process. The free choice of everyone is respected but every one of us is also responsible for the consequences of his decision.

The developments in the rich industrial nations in recent years have without doubt resulted in many negative consequences for the environment and for the so-called developing countries. People in the economically developed countries today however have excellent opportunities as never before for progressing their personal development^¹. The times are almost ideal to make a change in our lifestyle, we could therefore speak about a real Time for change.

Why are the preconditions in the industrialized countries today so extremely good for us to personally develop further with respect to the basic rights of existence? We will list only some of the important reasons for the majority of inhabitants of the economically rich industrial nations:

Our existential needs are more than covered. Never before has it been possible to spend such a short time of each day or week in satisfying our existential needs (and many other needs as well). The basic needs, which we briefly discussed during our consideration of the human needs hierarchy, are covered. There would thus be sufficient time available for us to further develop ourselves personally. We only need to apply ourselves with courage to use this time rigorously. We can do this for example by individually reducing our daily or weekly working hours.
The increasing anonymity in our society creates many problems. On the other hand it does make it easier for someone to forge his own path. The pressure from our surroundings to conform to society just like everyone else has hence become significantly lower. It is easier today to go your own way.
The large catchment net of social insurance is better than ever before. We therefore need to concern ourselves significantly less about securing our future: We can live in a more carefree way! This too creates space for further personal developments and considerations about life.
The sensitivity of people to the great problems on the earth (for example environmental pollution, the distribution of food, unrest, epidemics etc.) is constantly increasing. This creates an increasing understanding of those people who want to travel other paths.

The time is therefore virtually ideal for a change of life. Naturally this cannot happen without limitations or without pain. Perhaps we will have to separate ourselves from some things, from objects, from people, and certainly from familiar ways of thinking. The reward that lures is the greatest of all goals for every single human being: Perpetual internal harmony. We would then of course perceive the environment, our fellow human beings and naturally ourselves too in a completely different light and be able to enjoy them.

1 We are in no way suggesting here that the development in the past can be regarded as «good» or even as being a necessary precondition for personal development with respect to the basic rights of existence. We simply note that the preconditions for a change amongst people in the industrially-developed countries are today extremely good.

Stumbling blocks

But why is it still only relatively few people who conscientiously work on the expansion of their awareness, who strive for perpetual harmony? Why do the majority of people hardly give any thought or even no thought at all to their life objectives?

If we were to be able to recognize the stumbling blocks it would often be easier to avoid or recognize them. We would therefore like to suggest some of the reasons why for many people their personal development with respect to the basic rights of existence simply remains just a good intention, or merely a thought, and is at best partially and often not at all converted into reality.

Hectic and pill mentality

A change in personality needs time. We have to change mechanisms which have become automatic over many years – this needs both energy and time. Our attitude to life today is shaped by rapid change, everything seems to change constantly and within a shorter and shorter time. That which doesn’t show an immediate effect is therefore frequently forgotten in favour of other goals. Long term goals no longer seem to be attractive.

The predominant theme is that of economic development. This becomes more and more an end in itself, a spiral, which turns ever faster. We become used to simply consuming, everything can (apparently) be purchased and becomes ever cheaper. What we would really like to do would be to buy pills which we could take over a period of time so that we could automatically develop with respect to the basic rights of existence.

As we have already mentioned in the preceeding chapter, thanks to industrialization and economic development, we should now have lots more time available for our personal development – however we use this available time in general for quite different things: We „devour“ television programmes, films, adventures, travel, sporting events or we «use» this time so that in the future we will have even more money available for consumption. For the majority of us it is therefore high time that we got out of this spiral – in other words it is «time for a change».

We have everything under control

The advances in science and technology have brought about an incredibly strong belief in the rationality of all events amongst many people. What cannot be explained scientifically is frequently not accepted, not spoken about or explained away by other means. In reverse this mentality has led in the case of certain people to everything being viewed as «esoteric» and controlled by the stars. Both attitudes are completely absurd. In our lives there are events which can be explained rationally as well as those which cannot be explained.

Those who deny those occurrences or characteristics in their lives which cannot be rationally explained, automatically shut themselves off from all considerations about the meaning of life, about the reason for and the objectives of our existence and that of other beings.

Those who want to develop personally with respect to the basic rights of existence, must therefore recognize, that there are things on the earth which we can explain and understand scientifically and there are also things on the earth which we (at least to the present day) cannot explain or understand. Both the parts of our world which can be explained as well as those which cannot be explained still have their legitimacy. Both parts are present whether we accept this or not.

Globalization and the mass media

The current idea of «globalization» would like to define the earth as one huge market which should be as uniform as possible. As the most important driving force behind this development, economics is constantly used to present this levelling process as a «natural» development or one which cannot be influenced. The mass media, which because of extensive privatization, has itself become part of the economy, has ever more refined means of influencing its customers and normally joins in strongly with this process.

On the other hand many people are less and less critical of the reporting of such events. Whatever appears on the TV screen, is presented in the newspapers or in books is perceived as «the truth» instead of as subjective reporting by the authors or presenters. More and more people take their objectives and values from the press instead of thinking for themselves. The blame for this cannot of course be simply passed on to the media, but rather within the meaning of self-determination or self-responsibility everyone bears the responsibility of whether he will accept external values or objectives and if so, which ones.

Denial of reincarnation

Much false information has been spread around with respect to every aspect of the rebirth of human beings^¹. Whilst many people and institutions don’t want to know anything about it, others interpret illnesses and accidents incorrectly as «God’s punishment». This finally leads to a feeling of powerlessness, to a feeling that we ourselves cannot change anything or influence anything, in other words to exactly the opposite of self-determination and self-responsibility. Such people – or to put it better such victims – allow themselves to be influenced or even manipulated much more easily.

Those who realize that they will return to this earth at a later stage are much more ready to treat nature and its resources responsibly. A «don’t care what happens after I’ve gone» mentality, in which little responsibility is perceived for those who come later, is totally foreign to such people. Those who know that they will be born again later so as to continue with their personal development at that place where they ended this life are much more prepared to go from step to step on the long path of personal development and to be pleased about every small success.

Whoever on the other hand sees his personal life as an absolute one-off event, is much more inclined to quickly lose the motivation for personal development in the case of failures and resistance. This is especially true with advancing years, when it becomes clear that the great goal in this life may no longer be achieved. If this is the only life and the goal cannot be achieved within it, why indeed should anyone really strive towards it?

1 Earlier in this discourse we pointed out that neither the existence nor the non-existence of incarnation can be scientifically proven. Each person must decide this for himself with the help of his personal intuition.

If a person really cannot identify himself with reincarnation, he will perhaps accept as a transitional solution the idea that his own «ego» is bequeathed to coming generations. That his descendants inherit his remaining personal and other problems and sooner or later will have to solve them.

Words are simpler than deeds

As logical and plausible as development with respect to the basic rights of existence may appear to be, its translation into the practicality of everyday life is not that easy. It is in fact a very serious and demanding undertaking, which demands considerable energy and cannot simply be achieved «on the side».

It is not that difficult to see as an observer what we or others should actually do in order to live the basic rights of existence in a given situation. However it is exactly what we really should do which is generally the main difficulty. The difficulty doesn’t lie in the theory or in the strategy but in carrying it out in practice.

There is a significant number of people who are not sufficiently aware of this distinction. They believe that in themselves they wish to live the basic rights of existence, but in reality they merely talk about it. As we have seen in earlier sections advances in personal development are only possible by actually implementing the basic rights of existence in our own lives. Just talking about it does not produce any development whatsoever.

We should particularly remember this when we find ourselves wanting to help others with their development by offering good advice. It cannot therefore be repeated often enough: Our maximum personal contribution to the general wellbeing of everything on earth consists in our own personal development, in other words in our personal implementation of the basic rights of existence in our lives, how we ourselves live the basic rights of existence in every situation – and not in participating in discussions or offering advice to others!

Missing or incorrect success monitoring

In a separate chapter we have already referred to the need for the regular monitoring of our progress towards successfully achieving our objectives. Since the lack of this monitoring of our progress or the unsuitability of the decisionmaking criteria are frequently the stumbling blocks to living the basic rights of existence we would like to briefly come back to this point.

It is frequently insufficient to simply take the basic rights of existence as the objective for life. As a rule it is necessary – or at least it is very useful - to consider at the same time how we will assess our personal progress towards living the basic rights of existence. It is especially important to be clear that in letting go of the old objectives it is also important to let go of their assessment criteria.

The regular assessment of our progress should ensure that we also really do get closer to our goal. On the basis of this checking process we can also correct our behaviour if necessary. In making these assessments if we make use of criteria which are only suitable for another goal, then sooner or later we will approach the other goal. If we have incompatible objectives, we will therefore probably get further and further from our originally-selected goal.

Many people continue to try to realize their financial objectives simultaneously with living the basic rights of existence or to measure their success at least partially according to monetary criteria. Sooner or later this must lead to frustration.