Share International magazine: May 2007 issue (long)
Raymond Shaw
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MAY 2007 issue Volume 26 Number 4
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This is an abridged, electronic version of SHARE INTERNATIONAL
magazine.
The magazine has a non-paid staff only, carries no
advertisements and is published by SHARE INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATION, a non-profit, non-governmental organization in
association with the Department of Public Information at the
United Nations.
SHARE INTERNATIONAL is a monthly magazine, bringing together the
two major directions of New Age thinking -- the political, and
the spiritual. It covers news, events and comments bearing on
Maitreya's priorities: an adequate supply of the right food;
adequate housing and shelter for all; healthcare and education
as a universal right; the maintenance of ecological balance in
the world.
Abridged hard-copy versions available in Dutch, French, German,
Japanese, Romanian and Spanish.
SHARE INTERNATIONAL's chief editor is Benjamin Creme, British
artist, esotericist and author. His challenging message has
evoked a world-wide response: Maitreya, the World Teacher, is
now among us in full physical presence.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Saving the planet
by the Master -, through Benjamin Creme
The Masters of Wisdom -- a compilation
Signs of the Times
An idea that can bring us together
Interview with Howard Zinn
by Jason Francis
"If a better world is possible, then it should be made a reality"
Interview with Erwin Wagenhofer
by Andrea Bistrich
Voice of the people
Letters to the editor
Questions & Answers
Background Information:
The emergence of the World Teacher -- in brief
Hard-copy subscription information
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(Through these electronic files, the magazine *Share
International* makes available a compilation of its contents.
Permission is given to reproduce these articles in magazine,
newspaper or newsletter format, provided that credit is given to
*Share International* and clippings are sent to: PO Box 41877,
1009 DB Amsterdam, Holland. Copyright (c) 2007 Share
International. All Rights Reserved.)
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"The reality of global warming is now dawning on the minds of
millions, yet, despite the overwhelming evidence some still deny
that the actions of men are the cause. We, your Elder Brothers,
can say with full conviction that the actions of men are
responsible for eighty per cent of global warming. Maitreya, you
will find, will not be long in bringing this urgent problem to
man's attention."
The Master -
SAVING THE PLANET
by the Master -, through Benjamin Creme
When mankind realizes how serious is the ecological imbalance of
their planetary home, they must take the steps so urgently needed
to remedy the situation. If men were to fail to respond with
sufficient resolution they would be guilty of surrendering the
planet to slow but inevitable destruction. What, then, the legacy
to hand on to their children? That this self-destruction should
not prevail all must act together, and make the necessary
sacrifices. This will entail a complete change in attitude to the
integrity of the planet and what are seen as the needs of men
today.
It will not be easy for some to countenance the changes needed but
only by such change can the life of the planet be assured.
Already, deep inroads have been made into the essential stock of
trees on Earth. De-forestation has caused a growing loss of oxygen
and the rise of carbon gases. This is now at a critical stage and
requires immediate action.
Dawning
The reality of global warming is now dawning on the minds of
millions, yet, despite the overwhelming evidence some still deny
that the actions of men are the cause.
We, your Elder Brothers, can say with full conviction that the
actions of men are responsible for eighty per cent of global
warming.
Maitreya, you will find, will not be long in bringing this urgent
problem to man's attention. He will face men with the
alternatives: the beneficial results of action now, on the one
hand, and the destruction which would ensue from doing nothing, or
too little, on the other. Thus, the decision is man's alone.
Rally
When men understand this they will indeed rally to the cause. They
will see that the future for their children depends on action now,
and will elicit from Maitreya and His group the necessary steps to
take. Maitreya will advocate a simpler form of living, one more in
keeping with the reality of the planet's situation. When enough
people are convinced that this is necessary there will be a
growing movement to simplify throughout the planet. This will
proceed with quite unusual speed, so inspired by the need for
change will millions be. Thus will the gravest dangers facing
planet Earth be somewhat countered. This will encourage many and
boost their readiness for further changes.
Faced with the dilemma of necessary change men will come to
realize the inevitability of accepting the principle of sharing.
Only sharing will make these changes practical and possible. Only
through sharing can the bounty of Planet Earth be successfully
used. Only through sharing can this bounty be correctly husbanded.
Only thus can the Planet itself live in harmony with its
environment and with its inhabitants.
THE MASTERS OF WISDOM -- A COMPILATION
We present a selection of quotations on the theme of the Masters
of Wisdom -- from Maitreya (*Messages from Maitreya the Christ*,
and *Maitreya's Teachings -- The Laws of Life*), Benjamin Creme's
Master (*A Master Speaks*), and Benjamin Creme's writings.
This is the first section of the compilation.
*When you see Us* you will know that the New Time, the New Age,
has begun, the time of Sharing and Justice, of Love and
Brotherhood, the time of the Law of God. I am the Instructor of
this New Time. I am its forerunner. I shall release to you that
which will take you quickly home. I shall give you these
instructions which will release in you your divine nature. From My
Brothers will flow a stream of creative fire which will light your
lamps and carry you brightly to God. My Masters know naught but
Love and Joy. Likewise, My friends, this will be your heritage.
(Maitreya, from Message No. 136)
*Whenever mankind is afraid* it turns to God or the Angels for
help and assurance. Thus it is today, in the midst of man's
deepening crisis ... When We, the Brethren, appear as angels, we
do so in accordance with the Law of Recognition. In this way, men
know that they are not alone. When higher evolution permits, We
need no subterfuge and demonstrate Our true appearance. Thus it is
that some see angels while others recognize the Brotherhood.
(Benjamin Creme's Master, from 'The Masters enter man's domain',
*A Master Speaks*)
*Throughout the history of humanity* (which according to the
esoteric teachings is eighteen-and-a-half million years), we have
never been alone. We have been led and guided, taught, stimulated
and protected -- sometimes openly, but often from behind the
scenes -- by a group of, from our point of view, perfected men.
They have gone ahead of us in evolution, and finished the
evolutionary journey on which we are still engaged. Having done
so, by the same steps which we today take to evolve, They have
perfected Themselves, and need no further incarnational experience
on this planet. For Them it remains simply a field of service, a
means by which They take upon Themselves the responsibility of
overseeing our evolution. This group of perfected men is known by
many names: the Masters of Wisdom and the Lords of Compassion, the
Great White Brotherhood, the Society of Illumined Minds, the
Spiritual or Esoteric Hierarchy, the Guides and Elder Brothers of
Humanity.
These Masters have lived, for the most part, in the remote
mountain and desert areas of the world: the Himalaya, the Andes,
the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades, the Carpathians, the Atlas, the
Urals, the Gobi and other deserts. From these mountain and desert
retreats, They have beneficently overseen the evolution of
humanity for countless millennia. Much of the work of the Masters
is carried out by Their disciples, men and women in the world --
people such as da Vinci, Mozart, Lincoln, Einstein and Madame
Curie. By a gradual stimulus of our conscious awareness, the
Masters have brought humanity forward to the point where we now
find ourselves today. Under such stimulus and guidance, our
civilizations have risen, flowered, crystallized, died and been
renewed again age after age. (Benjamin Creme, *Maitreya's Mission
Volume Two*)
*My Masters are now returning* ahead of schedule. This will allow
Them, too, to share in this great and final battle for the world.
We are behind you, My Brothers and I. We know the Way. We send you
Our Strength. Take within you this Armour and show your valour.
(Maitreya, from Message No. 72)
*Soon, it will become apparent that man is not alone*. Never, in
all its long history, has humanity lacked guidance from Those Who
have gone before and Who have mapped the route for man to follow.
Now, as the spiral turns, We take Our places once more among you
and offer to you the benefits of Our achievements. Regard Us as
brothers, eager to help. Look on Us as guides to the future, for
We know well the way. With Our Brotherhood behind you, you cannot
fail. Our inspiration will be yours, and from that source of
strength will flow the knowledge and the power with which to
fulfil your dreams.
(Benjamin Creme's Master, from 'We are not discouraged', *A Master
Speaks*)
*During Atlantean times* the Masters of those days worked openly.
They were the priest-kings, the God-like Beings Who created the
various scientifically advanced civilizations whose knowledge has
been lost. At the destruction of Atlantis the Masters retreated to
the mountains and deserts, leaving humanity to regenerate itself
while They acted as the stimulus behind the scenes. For the first
time since those days the Hierarchy of Masters and initiates is
returning now to work in the world.
(Benjamin Creme, *Maitreya's Mission Volume One*)
*With My Brothers, the Masters of Wisdom*, I shall show you the
way to release your divinity and receive your inheritance. My Plan
is to awaken Mankind to its true worth, its true capacity, and
show it that within all men lives a divine Son of God. If men will
follow Me, I shall take them step by step through the process of
Initiation, whose Seal I guard. In this way they will reveal the
God Who within them dwells. My Masters are preparing the way. They
are choosing Their workers through whom to act, and soon, in the
Centres, the fiat will go forth, the work will commence, and the
New Dispensation for Mankind will begin. You who are here present
are among those who can point the way. Show to your brothers that
there exists for Man a better life, a better future than he could
dream of. Tell them that Maitreya lives, that the Lord of Love
walks abroad, that the Son of Man is returned to the world, to
change that world, through men. Tell them this My friends, and
reveal to them the hope of the future. (Maitreya, from Message No.
24)
*When the Masters establish* Their presence in full view of the
world, a great change will take place in the relationship existing
between humanity and Them. Whereas, until now, They have been
remote and removed from close contact with all but a few
disciples, in the immediate future the Guides of the Race will
foster a deeper and more continuous form of co-operation with
mankind. This process, known as the Externalization of the
Hierarchy, has already begun and several Masters have established
contact with groups on the physical plane. So far, this contact
has been restricted to groups working in the fields of economics,
administration and science, and to a lesser extent in education,
but the time will come when Their inspiration and guidance will be
given freely to all the groups working to rehabilitate the world.
From that time onwards, an entirely new system of communication
will be established between the Inspirers and humanity. (Benjamin
Creme's Master, from 'The Masters in the world', *A Master
Speaks*)
*My Masters are working now* to bring about the transformation of
your social life, the old forms of which are rotten and perished.
Under Their guidance your brothers are preparing the new forms,
the new lines of action, through which may be expressed the new
aspirations of Man in this New Age. (Maitreya, from Message No.
30)
SIGNS OF THE TIME
In His Message of November 1977, Maitreya said: "Those who
search for signs will find them". Ever since, an increasing
number of miraculous phenomena have flooded the world:
appearances, crosses of light, healing wells, weeping icons and
statues.
In May 1988, an associate of Maitreya stated in *Share
International*: "The signs of Maitreya's presence in the world
will continue to increase. He is going to flood the world with
such happenings that the mind can never comprehend it."
>>>Former US governor witnessed UFO
The former US governor of Arizona, Fife Symington, recently
announced that he saw a UFO 10 years ago, although he publicly
ridiculed the sighting at the time. Symington now says that the
aerial phenomenon known as the "Phoenix Lights", which took place
on 13 March 1997, was in fact a UFO. The "lights" were widely
reported as aligned on the leading edge of a large craft that
slowly traversed an area of approximately 300 miles over the US
states of Arizona and Nevada and the Mexican state of Sonora (see
*Share International*, September 1997). Symington was a witness to
the lights, which he knew at the time to be "other-worldly", but
remained a critic of the UFO explanation for 10 years because he
"didn't want people to panic".
As a former US Air Force officer and long-time pilot, he was
trained to identify airborne objects accurately. Symington
recalled: "I'm a pilot and I know just about every machine that
flies. It was bigger than anything that I've ever seen. It remains
a great mystery. Other people saw it, responsible people. I don't
know why people would ridicule it." He added: "It was enormous and
inexplicable. Who knows where it came from? A lot of people saw
it, and I saw it too. It was dramatic. And it couldn't have been
flares [from military aircraft] because it was too symmetrical. It
had a geometric outline, a constant shape." In remarks to CNN he
explained that the UFO "just felt other-worldly. In your gut, you
could just tell it was other-worldly." In reference to the larger
UFO issue, Symington has stated: "I wish that government entities
would stop trying to shut down these [UFO] investigations by
putting out some flakey story." (Source: Associated Press, CNN,
*The New York Times*, USA Today, MSNBC, USA)
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that this was a large spacecraft
from Mars on regular work.)
>>>UFOs detected in Delhi
On the morning of 7 March 2007, air traffic control radar in
Delhi, India, picked up two UFOs moving over the city, and at one
point detected them flying close to the Indian prime minister's
residence. Indian Air Traffic Control officials say the objects
were moving too slowly to be aircraft. The Indian Air Force says
the objects could have been migratory birds, or that the sighting
may have been a radar malfunction.
According to a report by CNN-IBN news in India, the UFOs were
flying seven miles apart from one another over the district of
Safdarjung in Delhi before heading east and disappearing off the
radar. Both Air Traffic Control and the Air Force tried
unsuccessfully to establish radio contact. The UFOs flew above the
Safdarjung Airport, which is located two kilometers from the
Indian prime minister's house as well as other high-security
areas. (Source: www.ibnlive.com)
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that both of these UFOs were
spacecraft from Mars on regular control work.)
>>>Air force jets sent to intercept UFO near London
London Military Air Traffic Control sent jets from a nearby
airforce base to intercept a UFO on 12 January 2007, according to
a report in *The Bury Free Press*, UK. A UFO group based in the UK
has posted an audio recording online which they say proves that
"London Military Air Traffic Control contacted a flight of US Air
Force F-15s from the base, after a UFO was picked up on their
radar on 12 January." *UFO Data Magazine* writer Steve Johnson
says the audio was recorded by amateur radio operators in the
area, who intercepted a call made by London Military Air Traffic
Control to a crew of US F-15 military jets stationed at the local
Royal Air Force air base at Lakenheath.
The voice on the recording tells the American airmen to intercept
an unknown target flying at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet.
The American jets went to investigate, and detected an unknown
object on their radar. The jets made two passes of the object,
once at 17,000 feet and again at 17,700 feet. Pilots described a
"black rock-like object" unlike any aircraft they had seen before.
The craft was seen to come to a complete stop in midair. On the
tape, one pilot said to another: "Did you see that?" The other
pilot replied: "Yes, but I don't want to talk about it."
Steve Johnson of *UFO Data Magazine* said: "We are still looking
into it and we have made a Freedom of Information request to the
Ministry of Defence and have also contacted RAF Lakenheath -- but
they haven't got back to us yet." (Source: *Bury Free Press*, UK)
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms this was a spaceship from Mars
on regular analysis work.)
>>>Report of UFO crash in Somalia
An object that was described by eyewitnesses as looking like "a
satellite or UFO" crashed in a rural area of Somalia. The event
took place near the village of Buulo-Burde, 220 kilometers north
of the Somalia capital Mogadishu, on 21 March 2007. "A large
device flew over us, and some time later we heard a big sound,"
said Ilyas Ali, a villager who lives in the area. The device
occupies an area 100 metres square, and according to Ali, "it
glitters and in [the] nighttime, it turns [on] lights and speaks a
strange language which can't be understood." (Source:
www.somalinet.com)
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that this was a spacecraft from
Mars. It did not crash but landed deliberately.)
>>>UFO sightings in the UK
A witness described seeing an oval, scarlet object with flashing
red lights on its side at 10.40am on 2 March 2007, traversing the
sky above Tottenham High Road, London, England. "It went towards
Spurs [football ground], then it disappeared. I don't know what it
was. The whole thing was all metal and shiny red with lights," she
said.
A few days later a jet-shaped flying object with a double jet
stream was captured on a home video by Leslie Williams, a retired
businessman who was setting up his camcorder on 7 April 2007, to
record a lunar eclipse. He reported that at about 9.15pm the
object suddenly "shot across the face of the moon" above
Manchester Road, Burnley, Lancashire, England. (Source: *Tottenham
and Wood Green and Edmonton Journal*, *Burnley Express*, UK)
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms both sightings to be scout ships
on routine patrol from the planet Mars)
>>>Miracles in India
Two portraits of Jesus on a remote Indian island began bleeding in
March 2007. Eric Nathaniel, a police radio operator in Port Blair
on the Andaman Islands noticed blood trickling down a portrait of
Jesus in his house on 8 March 2007. "We lit candles and prayed all
night and a little later the blood dried but it soon started
trickling down from the hands and heart of another portrait in the
house," Nathaniel said. Thousands of people have since visited
Nathaniel's house to see the portraits.
In another report from India, blood oozed from the eyes of a
statue of Jesus in the yard of a Catholic church on 12 February
2007. The statue at St Joseph the Worker Church in Ghoreghat,
Madhya Pradesh, was first seen weeping by Chandrawati Armo, who,
after cleaning the statue, noticed it shedding blood from both
eyes.
Armo told the church's assistant priest, Father Pappachan. "I
raced to the statue and found blood oozing out of its eyes," he
said. Pappachan smelled and tasted the red substance and was
"convinced it is a miracle." The bleeding statue was also
witnessed by nuns and a villager. The flow of blood stopped, and
the blood on the statue clotted. Clots are also visible on the
statue's hands, according to Father Florentius Kujur, the parish
priest. Many people have visited the church to view the statue.
(Source: *Union of Catholic Asian News*; Reuters)
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that these were miracles
manifested by the Master Jesus.)
From our own correspondents
AN IDEA THAT CAN BRING US TOGETHER
Interview with Howard Zinn
by Jason Francis
Historian, playwright, professor and author of over 25 books,
Howard Zinn has been a lifelong activist for peace and justice.
His opposition to warfare developed after reflecting on his time
spent in the US military during WWII. Later, he participated in
the civil rights movement, serving as an advisor to the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at Spelman College in Atlanta,
Georgia. He is best known as author of *A People's History of the
United States: 1492-Present* (2005). His most recent book, *A
Power Governments Cannot Suppress* (2007), is a collection of his
published essays on such topics as history, class struggle, war
and terrorism, justice and the impact made by ordinary citizens.
Currently, Howard Zinn is professor emeritus at Boston University.
Jason Francis interviewed him for *Share International*.
This is the first section of the interview.
Share International: You say that America's future is linked to an
understanding of its past and that Americans would not be so eager
to go to war if not for our "historical illiteracy". What do
Americans need to learn from our national as well as world
history?
Howard Zinn: They need to learn the history of American foreign
policy. They need to know that there's been a persistent pattern
of American expansionism from the earliest period on; from the
time of the American Revolution to the expansion into the West in
the 19th century; all through the 19th century, moving the
indigenous people out of the plains of the West, committing
massacres, pushing them farther and farther into smaller and
smaller parts of the country and, essentially, taking their land
from them -- actually, something that we today would call ethnic
cleansing. This is just barely mentioned in the history books,
which reduce our relationship with the Indians to a few dramatic
points: Custer's last stand, Pocahontas. That very complex history
of the American annihilation and expulsion of the Indians is lost.
There is the beginning of expansion overseas in 1898 in response
to Spain's occupation of Cuba, replaced by an American occupation
of Cuba. The US took over Puerto Rico and the Philippines, and in
the early 20th century there are the continual Marine invasions of
Central America and the long occupations of Haiti and the
Dominican Republic. After World War II, the US became the number
one imperial power, replacing the imperial powers of the Middle
East, the oil domination by England, the Dutch and French.
Now we're fighting war after war -- in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada,
Panama, Afghanistan, Iraq -- a whole series of wars after World
War II. It is very important to understand we do not bring
democracy or freedom to any of these countries that we occupied.
We have brought misery and death to these people. We became a
military superpower, not a humane superpower but a dominating
superpower, setting up military bases in over 100 countries.
Knowledge of that history would have prepared the American public
for President Bush's insistence that we must go to war after
September 2001 in order to make war on terror, in order to bring
democracy to the Middle East. Knowing that history would have made
the American public very skeptical of these claims that we would,
by going to war, bring freedom and democracy to other parts of the
world. That history of foreign policy is crucial to an
understanding of American history which will prepare us for events
today.
There are other parts of our history -- the class struggles inside
the United States, the domination of this country by business
interests from the time of the framing of the Constitution to the
present day. The importance of economic control in creating
political control, the subjugation of the labor movement, the use
of the government to break strikes, and the long history of labor
struggles in this country against both corporate power and the
government in order to win certain basic rights for working people
-- the eight-hour day, workman's compensation, and a decent
standard of living.
That part of our history, which tells something about class
domination, is extremely important for people to understand; that
behind the political struggles today are economic struggles.
Behind the two-party domination of our politics is the fact that
both parties are tied to corporate interests. The result is that
we don't have a genuine opposition party but instead have two
parties that are basically beholden to the same financial
interests, in contradistinction to the interests of most of the
American people.
SI: What does history teach us about the power of unified peoples
to bring about change even if it means challenging such seemingly
insurmountable odds as the power of government and wealth?
HZ: That is a crucial part of learning history, to learn not only
how we have been led into wars, nor how our foreign policy has
been detrimental to us and other people, but learning how, at
various times, the American people have resisted this combination.
And that it is possible for citizens at certain points in history
to organize social movements that will overcome the power of the
government and the power of corporations.
The history of the labor movement isn't just a history of defeat.
It's a history of very inspiring struggles by working people to
win the eight-hour day, to organize unions, to challenge
corporations. The history of the labor movement shows that it's
possible to face off against corporations that have enormous power
and seem invulnerable, like General Motors and Ford and US Steel
in the 1930s, which seemed absolutely impervious to change. Yet
when they were faced with organized labor unions, with sit-down
strikes, they had to give in -- in spite of all their claims that
they would never give in.
We have learned that black people in this country have at various
times been able to organize movements that brought about very
critical change. I'm thinking of the anti-slavery movement that
took 30 years to develop, from the 1830s to 1860s, but that
eventually became powerful enough to force Lincoln and the
Congress to emancipate or partially emancipate slaves. It was only
a partial emancipation, because blacks still remained subjugated
in the South: It took another social movement in the 1950s and
1960s, which showed that it's possible for apparently powerless
people -- if they organized and persisted, if they committed civil
disobedience and were willing to go to prison and even get beaten
and some killed -- to develop power that would bring about
fundamental change. That's what happened in the south when black
people got together in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the sit-ins,
the freedom rides, the demonstrations in Birmingham and Selma,
Alabama, and other places. That brought about a really miraculous
transformation.
We had the experience in the years of the Vietnam War, of an
apparently tiny antiwar movement growing into a great antiwar
movement. It caused the most powerful military nation in the world
to yield, finally, and to call off the war, to withdraw from
Vietnam in spite of all its claims that it would never withdraw,
never give in. The antiwar movement was successful in doing that.
We've seen other victories by social movements. We've seen women
organizing in the 1960s and 1970s, creating a feminist movement
which has brought about a new consciousness of sexual equality in
this country; also how disabled people were able to organize and
finally get legislation that would give them certain rights. There
is a history in this country of citizens at certain times getting
together and managing to overcome the immense power of the
government and wealthy interests.
SI: Do you see that taking place today with the situation in
Afghanistan and Iraq?
HZ: It's in an early stage; it hasn't happened yet. If you look at
all those movements and observe them at early stages, they look
something like the antiwar movement today. They look as if people
are beginning to speak up but they haven't yet succeeded in
changing policy. If you look at the antiwar movement against the
Vietnam War in 1967 and 1968, it still looked as if it was not
going to bring about anything.
Today, unfortunately, after four years of war in Iraq, the antiwar
movement is only powerful enough to ensure the Democrats in
Congress sponsor pitifully weak legislation calling for
timetables. That will keep us in the war at least another year or
two, and in the meantime give the government more funds for the
war. I do see the antiwar movement today growing. But it has not
grown fast enough or large enough yet to bring about change in
policy.
SI: Could you discuss how your military service in the US Army Air
Corps during World War II helped shape your opposition to war?
HZ: It was only after the war that I looked back on it and
realized that war had corrupted my mind, as it did others', as
happens in wars. People get herded into a kind of collective
mentality, where they don't question what is going on, don't
question what they're doing. That leads to atrocities, to bombings
of civilians that took place in World War II -- some of which I
engaged in. I escaped the prison of the military and then looked
back on the experience and began to think for myself. I learned
about Hiroshima and Nagasaki and reflected on my own experiences.
I looked around at the world and saw that even a so-called 'good
war' had not really changed the world in a fundamental way after
50 million people were dead. So I came to the conclusion that war
is futile and cannot be accepted.
SI: You say in your book: "At the core of unspeakable and
unjustifiable acts of terrorism are justified grievances felt by
millions of people who would not themselves engage in terrorism
but from whose ranks violent desperation springs." What are those
grievances?
HZ: The grievance, for instance, that lies behind the acts of
terrorism -- whether the attacks of 9/11 or suicide bombers in the
Middle East is an anger against foreign occupation. Robert Pape, a
political scientist at the University of Chicago, did a study of
suicide bombings, acts of terrorism, over a 20-year period all
over the world, looking at perhaps 180 such acts of terrorism. He
found that the common denominator was not religious fanaticism, or
anything like that. The common denominator for all these actions,
whether in Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka or the Palestinian
territories, was anger against foreign occupation.
If we understood that in the United States, we would no longer
support the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, or
support our occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, or our military
bases in Japan and other countries. It's so important to
understand the root of terrorism -- the indignation that millions
and millions of people feel, which drives a small fraction of them
to fanatic acts.
"IF A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE, THEN IT SHOULD BE MADE A REALITY"
Interview with Erwin Wagenhofer
by Andrea Bistrich
Worldwide 1 billion people are threatened by starvation. At the
same time 12 billion can be fed by the world's produce. In his
film *We Feed the World* Austrian documentary film producer Erwin
Wagenhofer sets off on the trail of our food. It has led him to
France, Spain, Romania, Brazil and back to Austria. The result is
a sobering, shocking picture of global food production based
solely on profit and quantity: gigantic hot houses in southern
Spain where low-priced tomatoes are shipped 3,000 kilometres to
mid-European supermarkets; mass production of chickens slaughtered
after just eight weeks; the daily destruction of 2 million kilos
of bread in the Austrian capital Vienna; and the industrialization
of traditional European fisheries, even when it means lower
quality products.
In an interview with *Share International* Erwin Wagenhofer speaks
of the injustices brought about by this system of globalized food
production and of those involved.
The following is the first part of the interview.
Share International: In contrast to people who have too little and
starve, we in the industrialized nations should be the happiest
people since we have never really suffered from hunger and thirst.
Yet we are actually far from being happy and content. What is it
that hinders us?
Erwin Wagenhofer: When I look around I do not see many happy
people, even though we today have such immeasurable wealth. My
mother and father, for example, experienced hunger; I am the first
in our family who comes from a generation that has not known
hunger.
Maybe this is due to our considerable need for time to learn to
deal with such material wealth. I believe that we need more time
than we think is required. A human lifespan is not very long, even
if we do live to a 'ripe old age'. In comparison to the world's
history it is really very short. Maybe we should also be more
modest and do everything somewhat more slowly. The pace of life
today is killing us. An example of this in the food sector is fast
food. How are we to function in daily life if we don't even take
the time to eat? This is a terrible thought.
SI: Some say that we will appreciate our wealth only when we have
made sacrifices.
EW: To me this sounds too religious, the assumption that we must
suffer. Suffering always has a cause. This is the reason that the
church constantly talks of guilt and seeks the guilty. Salvation
takes place in the afterlife. I am interested in the *now*.
The Poles were the most pious people and worshipped the Pope as
long as Communism ruled. And now? Within just a few years the
country has developed an unbelievable capitalism with the result
of a loss of solidarity of large sections of society; Poland
joined NATO and is amongst the first advocates of the Iraq war.
I believe another reason for our not knowing how to be happy is
that we are not taught how to be. There is, for example, no course
-- from school to college -- that asks: "What is solidarity? How
do I deal with my life? How do I build correct human
relationships?" Instead things that are taught are only oriented
towards economic values and profitability.
SI: Your documentary *We Feed the World* is about how to deal with
foods in the 21 century and especially asks the question: what
does it have to do with us?
EW: It has a lot to do with us since we stuff ourselves daily with
these products. As the film shows, 90 per cent of people feed
themselves in this way, especially those countries in the OECD
(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). We in
the rich industrial nations are, for example, the ones eating up
the Brazilian rainforest while the people there go hungry.
It can clearly be seen today: our economic system is out of
control. There is constant talk of growth. Why is growth needed?
We already have everything. The population growth in Europe is
minimal -- and this is only due to immigration. Populations are
declining rapidly. At the same time we want constant growth. Who
should buy it all? We don't give it to those who really need it.
SI: The amount of bread thrown away daily in Vienna is the same as
that eaten in Austria's second largest city, Graz. Such
comparisons show that this is happening on our own doorstep and as
consumers we should feel responsible.
EW: That is why the film is called "We Feed the World". That is
exactly the decisive factor. We always blame others, yet as long
as we do that society will not change. We ourselves are
participants -- as consumers, as citizens. The question of guilt
is something for insurance companies, historians or religions. I
am less interested in *why* this has come about than: *how* can we
now improve it? We are also the ones who decide *who* we will
feed. We could feed everyone, but we don't.
"Feed" does not only refer to foodstuffs. Man does not live by
bread alone. We force our unrealistic thoughtforms and
commercialized economic systems on the developing world. We tell
them to adopt our capitalist model and prevent them from
developing their own, which may possibly be better suited to their
country.
Voice of the people
>>>Americans act for peace
The fourth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq on 20 March 2003
drew hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world to
demonstrate against the war, in Canada, Australia, Turkey, and
across Europe, where the largest march -- an estimated 100,000 --
was in Spain.
However, March also saw America mounting a huge number and variety
of peace demonstrations. During the anniversary weekend of 17-18
March, over 1,000 US protests took place nationwide, including a
march on the Pentagon that drew tens of thousands of people
despite freezing rain and snow and a vicious windchill factor.
In another event in Washington, DC, nearly 3,000 people from all
over the US gathered at the Washington National Cathedral in an
event sponsored by more than two dozen religious groups.
Protestors included Christian peace activists, about 100 of whom
were arrested as they prayed for peace in a planned act of civil
disobedience. Participants heard speakers including Celeste
Zappala, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. "I am here tonight
as a witness to the true cost of war," she said, "the betrayal and
madness that is the war in Iraq. We lay before God the sorrow that
lives in all of us because of the war." Over the weekend, more
than 150 Christian and interfaith peace vigils and actions were
held around the country, together with large-scale acts of moral
civil disobedience.
Some active-duty members of the military joined the Washington,
DC, protest, under rules that allow them to demonstrate but limit
what they can say. Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, on active duty
with the Navy, told the crowd that the US people had voted against
the war in the November 2006 elections and "we're here to cash the
check". "Too many people have died and it doesn't solve anything,"
said Ann O'Grady, who had driven through appalling conditions from
Athens, Ohio, with her family. "I feel bad carrying out my daily
activities while people are suffering, Americans and Iraqis."
>>>Demands to cut war funding
But US protestors' actions were not limited to the anniversary
weekend. Throughout March, a wide variety of actions demonstrated
the strength of American antiwar feeling. One major initiative is
an ongoing nationwide attempt to persuade lawmakers to vote
against funding for the Iraq war, with campaigners staging
'occupations' in congressional offices on Capitol Hill and in
their home communities. "We really see it as an extension of
lobbying," Jeff Leys, a co-ordinator of Chicago-based Voices for
Creative Nonviolence, said. "The aim is to keep going back time
and time and time again." The protesters, numbering from a handful
to a few dozen, may stay for minutes or hours before police move
in. They sit, stand, sing, chant, pray, ring bells, read letters
from American troops sent home to their families and perform
antiwar satirical theatre sketches. Among the many political
figures targeted were Presidential hopefuls John McCain and
Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
whose office was occupied and Pacific Heights home the venue for
week-long 'Camp Pelosi', a vigil mounted by protesters with tents,
signs and displays urging her to fight against continued funding
of the war.
In a wide range of events the funding debate was brought to the
fore. Thousands converged on a New York park opposite the United
Nations, carrying placards reading "Drop Bush, Not Bombs" and "Not
one more dollar, not one more death". And, in a protest directed
at major defence contractors Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop
Grumman, Halliburton, General Electric and others, demonstrators
lay down in front of the entrance of the New York Stock Exchange,
chanting "Stop the money, stop the war". Forty-four were arrested.
"US service members and Iraqi civilians are dying so that an elite
few can profit," said teacher Fabian Bouthillette, who served for
two years in the US Navy.
>>>Calls for impeachment
Hundreds of other actions focused on calls for the impeachment of
President Bush. In Vermont, following a four-day tour by antiwar
campaigners including Cindy Sheehan, 36 towns in the state voted
to urge state lawmakers to support a bill currently in the House
Judiciary Committee which calls for Congress to begin impeachment
proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
"This is clearly not a cry of protest, but the start of action --
an impeachment insurrection that will lead to the reclamation of
our Constitution," said impeachment resolution organizer Dan
DeWalt. Protestors on the Capitol steps called for the President's
impeachment, citing "criminal acts" including justifying the US
invasion of Iraq with false information, while in Salt Lake City,
Mayor Rocky Anderson told a state Senate committee that, in stark
contrast to former Presidential impeachments, when it comes to
President Bush, "Never before has there been such a compelling
case for impeachment and removal from office of the president of
the United States".
>>>Grass roots action
Local protests were many and varied, including:
+ Natick, Massachusetts: protesters gathered to support the
'Sherborn Five' -- antiwar campaigners charged with breaching the
peace on 10 January 2007, the day President Bush announced a new
"troop surge" in Iraq. Before sentencing them to 10 hours of
community service each, Judge Singer gave all five time to make a
cogent and hard-hitting statement -- widely reported in the media
-- about the reasons for their actions. "I hope we inspired people
to take to the streets, to fill the jails and get in front of the
judges," said Randa, head of the Peace Abbey in Sherborn.
+ Port of Tacoma: a week of protests against the shipment of Army
equipment for the war in Iraq.
+ Winona, Maryland: Protesters transformed the US Armed Forces
Recruiting Center at the Winona Mall into 'the US Peace Forces
Recruiting Center', under a sign that read "3,210 is too many".
+ Louisville, Kentucky: Volunteers erected 4,000 flags in long
rows at the city's Waterfront Park, in commemoration of US
military and civilian war dead.
+ St Paul, Minnesota: Local protests were timed to include the
nationwide travelling exhibit of shoes "Eyes Wide Open", intended
to represent Iraqi and military war dead.
+ Philadelphia: Demonstration outside a Lockheed Martin plant,
accusing the defence contractor of improperly profiting from the
Iraq war.
+ Dallas, Texas: Here, Bill McDannell, walking across America in
protest at the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, was more than 1,000
miles into his walk, with about 1,500 signatures in a petition to
end the wars, which he believes are immoral. A former Methodist
minister, he began walking in November 2006 and expects to finish
in late June or early July 2007.
+ Orangeburg, South Carolina: Arrival of 'Books not Bombs', a
16-city, month-long 'hip-hop' tour of schools and colleges
organized by bereaved war mother Elaine Johnson. "The purpose is
to educate young children on what is going on about the war and
voting because that will be a big issue when it comes to ending
this war," she said. "It is about their future and their
education."
+ Rockville, Maryland: Parents and peace activists protested
against military recruiting initiatives on high school campuses.
+ Edmonton, Alberta: A peace march was joined by US Army deserter
Kyle Snyder, who deserted in Spring 2005, four-and-a-half months
into his tour of duty. "It was enough for me to make an educated
decision on whether it was right or wrong," he said, describing
seeing a fellow squad member shoot an innocent Iraqi civilian in
the leg -- an incident never investigated by the US Army. "He was
no threat to me, the convoy or the major we were escorting,"
Snyder said. "I don't think the United States' involvement in Iraq
was ever about peacekeeping."
(Source: *The Washington Post*, Associated Press, USA; BBC News,
UK; www.michaelmoore.com, www.answerla.org, www.indymedia.org)
>>>"We will create a new world"
In March 2007, the anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq,
the UK's Stop the War coalition held a 'People's Assembly' at the
Methodist Central Hall close to the Houses of Parliament,
Westminster, London. Participants came from all over the UK
representing 175 organizations. Tony Benn, president of the
coalition, told delegates: "This assembly represents the opinions
of the people far more than those in the Houses of Parliament." He
reminded the audience that the historic hall was the venue which
hosted the inaugural General Assembly of the United Nations in
1946.
As sunshine flooded into the room from the huge windows, Tony Benn
introduced the first speaker, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich,
candidate for the Democratic nomination for American President in
2008. His inspiring, passionate speech drew enthusiastic applause
and set the tone for the day.
"We come together because we understand that the world is truly
one. That the world is interconnected, it is interdependent ... We
understand that human unity is in fact an imperative. All those
things in our life which serve to unite us and to confirm the
transcendent purpose of human unity are things that need to be
celebrated -- such as the United Nations, such as the UN Charter,
which was written with the anticipation and the hope of ending war
for all time....
"... if peace on earth is truly to be accomplished, we must be
exemplars of peace. We have to take that challenge into our own
everyday lives.... When you realize that every day we can be
architects of peace in our lives, in our communities, with
everyone with whom we come in contact, we realise the
transformative power we really have in our hands. That's why what
you represent as members of the Stop the War Coalition is not
simply some kind of a passing response to the failure of
government to respond to this impulse for peace, you represent
something much deeper: not simply rejection of this war, it is the
rejection of war as an instrument of policy. It is to take a stand
together as people of the world to say that war itself must be
made obsolete. It is not acceptable any more to use war and
aggression to solve differences between people and between
nations. We are at that moment in human history where we are
called upon consciously to choose ... I submit to you that the
choice that we can make right now is a choice for human unity ...
"We have proposed to create a Ministry of Peace which looks at the
issues of domestic violence, child abuse, violence in schools, and
creates a structure where we teach our children principles of
peace giving, peace sharing, mutuality, looking at the other
person as an aspect of oneself. We have the power to create
structures of peace in our own communities, in our own homes, in
our own lives. When you think about that then peace in the
microcosm becomes peace in the macrocosm. Then nations who take up
arms against nations will realize that you do not have the
legitimacy which only comes from support of the government.
"... we can link parliamentarians all round the world for peace,
parliamentarians for peace and prosperity, because peace and
prosperity are twins. They go together. War and poverty also go
together. When a nation makes a choice for war that means [less]
for housing health and education. We can't let that happen any
more. We have a right as human beings to security and we have a
right for housing and healthcare and education. We have to insist
that our governments take the direction that affirms those rights
and stop spending money on wars that destroy the hopes of people
everywhere ...
"There is a hunger for peace; there is an essential understanding
that we must take a stand to save the world. We are at a turning
point in human history where we will either decide to act on our
impulse within the human heart to create peace, or we will be
drawn along by impulses of aggression and destruction and that's
basically the choice we have been given. How empowering is it to
know that we can make our choice as individuals for peace? How
empowering is it to know that we have in our hands the chance to
change the world, not just to end war against Iraq, not just to
stop an attack on Iran, not just to create peace between the
Israelis and the Palestinians, but to make peace a chance for
future generations...."
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
When writing to the *Share International* letters page, please
indicate if you wish your name to be withheld. In the absence of
any indication the editors will assume that your name may be
printed. Due to an ever-increasing number of letters received, it
may take many months before your letter is published. Please
refrain from sending your letter more than once -- as this can
cause delays and confusion.
>>>Help at hand
Dear Editor,
On Saturday 11 March 2000, I saw a discarded wooden desk as I
walked along a street in Berkeley, California. Needing just such a
desk for my new apartment, I decided to take it. I had no vehicle
so I carried it for a couple of blocks and dragged it to the
subway.
It was about 5pm as I was dragging this old desk along 11th Street
in downtown Oakland when a Mexican-American man, in his 50s and
with a slight paunch, saw me and asked where I was going. I said:
"A few blocks." He offered me a ride in his very old yellow
workman's pickup truck. We shook hands and introduced ourselves,
though I have forgotten his name. He was someone who had
compassion for me and didn't in any way look down on me for
lugging this desk along the street. He had an utterly relaxed
demeanor, happy to do service and acting as if service were his
very nature. I thanked him and we lifted the desk into the back of
the truck.
I walked around to the door of the truck and saw a dog in the
front seat area. The man asked the dog to climb into the back of
the truck and guided it to a very thin space between the side of
the desk and the side of the truck. I was a bit stunned at how the
dog had been willing to trust its master to jump into that thin
little space.
The man started the car and we began to move down the street. I
said we should turn at Jackson Street; he repeated "Jack-son" in
heavily accented English. A block from Jackson, I indicated we
should turn left. He nodded; somehow he seemed to already know
that we were to turn left.
He said with a smile and a genuine earnestness what a beautiful
day it was. As we approached my building I pointed to a spot where
we could pull over, but he asked if a little further down (nearer
my building) would be better and I said yes. He stopped the truck
and said he would help me get the desk out. Out of the corner of
my eye I saw him jump up into the same thin space the dog had with
surprising agility despite his un-athletic appearance and relative
age. He lifted the desk up and handed it down to me. Remembering
my Bible history I said to the man, after thanking him: "you're a
good Samaritan". He smiled a Mona Lisa, inscrutable smile. I said
goodbye and he said, "see you later". Who was the man and his dog?
S. R., Oakland, California, USA.
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that the man was Maitreya. The
dog was a dog.)
>>>Simple message
Dear Editor,
At Christmas 1996, I was walking through a Barcelona street when I
passed a beggar I had not seen before. He looked Arabic and wore a
tunic and a turban. Although they seemed like mended rags, they
were well ironed and cleaned as if they had just come from the
laundry. The man had a dark complexion and was in his 50s or 60s.
He was still, looking straight ahead and there was a kind of
dignity and humility radiating from him. In his hands he held a
cardboard sign with the word HUNGER in capital letters in Spanish.
I was moved by the scene and at that moment I thought that he may
be Maitreya. I gave him some coins and continued on my way.
Some months later I found him again begging in Barcelona's
Ramblas. It was a sunny day and I was taking a walk. When I saw
him, everything was the same, his perfect rags, his appearance,
his position, only the message on the board he held had changed.
This time the word was POOR, in capital letters in Spanish.
I stopped at a safe distance to take a look as I was sure that he
was Maitreya. I thought of asking him if he knew Maitreya but I
did not dare so I gave him some coins and continued my walk. I
thought that if I met him again then "third time lucky" and
perhaps I would dare to talk to him, but I have not met him since.
After a few days, I told a friend from the Transmission Group
about it and to my surprise she had also met him -- the first
time, on the same day as me, on the opposite side of the street,
and the second time, on the same day and at approximately the same
time as me, she met him at the Ramblas. She also thought he was
Maitreya and has not met him since. Who was the beggar I met
twice?
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that the 'beggar' was Maitreya.)
>>>Crowning glory
Dear Editor,
On 10 February 2000 I took the metro at the Charles Michels
station in the 15th district of Paris. It was a Thursday, about
quarter past eleven in the evening. The weather was dull and my
life at that time was also dull: my body and my mind had been in a
state of crisis for some time. I was in a period of doubt and had
let my spiritual life go; in short I was fed up.
On the stairs to the metro, I thought I recognized a well known
astrophysicist, Hubert Reeves. As I reached the platform, I was
next to him and also with somebody else I felt immediately drawn
to. He was a tall man with dark skin, sitting on a bench holding a
magazine in such a way that his face was hidden. His clothes made
out of denim were perfectly clean but worn-out, but what impressed
me most was his abundant Rasta-style shiny black hair, and the
large cap he wore on top of it. Next to him there were one or two
green bags. As I am a hairdresser, I found his black shiny Rasta
hair quite astonishing. I also found the fact that he held his
magazine in front of his face without moving for at least 10
minutes quite curious. For one short moment, I could see his eyes
full of light and a feeling of well-being went through my whole
body. I then saw what he was reading: it was a magazine of women's
hairstyle photos. As I was myself a 52-year-old hairdresser and as
I was going through a difficult phase in my job, I was filled with
joy. This message at that very moment could only be for me. I was
subject to different feelings; amusement, inner joy and also
interrogation. Perhaps he was a Master, even Maitreya? These
images are engraved in my memory and are still present.
J. M., Paris, France.
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that the man with the shiny
Rasta hair was, indeed, Maitreya.)
>>>Dawning understanding
Dear Editor,
In 1976 I was a harassed, exhausted young mother, helping my
husband in his business and teaching at night. Perhaps I felt
"tired to death". One night I had a dream in which I stood on a
cliff looking out to sea. I was aware that many others were below
on the beach milling around, enjoying the day.
Far out at sea a giant wave rose up and began to come towards the
shore, its height never diminishing. I was transfixed in terror
and although I knew it could kill us all, I was frozen to the
spot. I just watched it come. In the wave's crest I saw the figure
of a man dressed in white. As the distance closed I kept my eyes
on the man's eyes. These beautiful eyes held mine in utter
compassion as the wave finally engulfed us all. Far from feeling
fear, I woke weeping with combined feelings of bliss and
unworthiness. Since that time, death holds little terror. Perhaps
this experience predisposed me several years later to accept the
idea of the return of the Christ. And when I heard the story of
the quiet in Tiananmen Square as the tanks rolled over the bodies
of the students and that Maitreya had intervened so that they did
not experience suffering, I understood completely.
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that the man dressed in white
was Maitreya.)
>>>Pre-cognition
Dear Editor,
I feel prompted to write to you after the Share International
stall at a fair in Ayr, Scotland. I have felt drawn to the
photographs of Maitreya for a long time and it brought back a
dream which I'd had, on 20 May 1993.
This profound dream shook me so much that I wrote it down:
"I am in a hot Arab street on the first floor balcony. There is a
procession coming along the street with an Arabic man with long,
white robes and a long grey beard in the centre. As they walk
past, he looks up, right into my eyes. I feel exposed. He 'knows'
me deep inside. I am spiritually naked and cannot look away.
Something moving happens inside.
This seems to go on for ever, even as they walk on down the
street. As I stand stunned, two other women on the balcony come to
quiz me.
I was hoping that you could shed some light on this profound
experience. I was shaken for days at the time and told many
friends. I also took the trouble to document and date it, which
was not a frequent occurrence. Who was this man? Maitreya? Could
he appear in a dream?
J. B., Ayrshire, UK.
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that the man in the dream was,
indeed, Maitreya.)
>>>Self-portrait
Dear Editor,
About three days before Christmas, my four-month-old baby awakened
me for her nightly feed. She sleeps in a room adjacent to my
bedroom and the usual routine is to take her to the nearby living
room to nurse. I generally sit on a sofa that faces four large
windows enabling me to view a heavily wooded landscape. On this
particular morning, at about 3am, I glanced out and was startled
by a strange sight that seemed to jump out at me.
The leaves in Alabama had fallen a bit later than usual that year,
and had left the image of a man's head imprinted in the empty
branches. It was a dark bearded man who seemed to be peacefully
staring down toward earth. I was not sure who exactly the image
was of. While sitting there somewhat amazed, I felt a feeling of
peace and protection as I stared at the silent image in the
beautiful moonlight. It seemed to be vibrating or moving much like
an image under water. I must add that I had felt a bit worried
about the upcoming millennium. Seeing this image seemed to calm my
fears.
D. M., Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
(Benjamin Creme's Master confirms that the image was created by
Maitreya and was a kind of self-portrait.)
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
Questions dealing with the activities of Maitreya and the
Hierarchy of the Masters of Wisdom, and about the Ageless Wisdom
Teachings, which have not been answered in his books, are
answered by Benjamin Creme in this section. Benjamin Creme does
not seek to set himself up as an arbiter of the authenticity of
other groups' activities and communications. Please refrain
from posing such questions.
Send your written questions to: Share International/Questions,
PO Box 3677, London NW5 1RU, UK.
Q. On a recent British television programme it was claimed that a
large part of global warming is caused by the oceans, and is
entirely natural. Would you please comment?
A. This is a very dangerous idea and widely believed by those who
would gladly accept that we need do nothing to prevent or reduce
our emissions of carbon gases which cause global warming. It is
very important that we learn to cope not only with global warming
but also with the complete changes that are taking place in the
fabric of our planet. There are many scientists on both sides of
this question, and the purveyors of oil are not slow to employ
those who say there is nothing to worry about. According to the
Masters, Who are the only people Who can know with certainty, 80
per cent of the rise in temperature in the world is due to global
warming caused by man. Twenty per cent is due to certain changes
in the relation between the sun and the Earth which Maitreya
Himself has brought about, in part to draw our attention to the
urgency of dealing with this danger to our planetary life.
Q. A recent UK report reveals that drug use among the young is
soaring despite all efforts to counter it. Can you please comment?
A. The distributors and 'pushers' of the drugs work harder than
those (police forces) who try to stop the distribution. They also
work more systematically, and from long experience, more
effectively. The educational effort is only semi-successful in
preventing drug use and although widespread has not justified the
time and money spent on it. The fundamental reason, however, for
the increase in drugs is that through what Maitreya calls the
"blind following of market forces", the government has created a
condition of arid competition as the only beckoning light for
young people; mostly they feel that they have nothing worthwhile
to look forward to and seek the transitory effect of drugs to
alleviate their inner anxieties. They need to be given hope and
sufficient inspiration to meet their innate idealism but find
instead a future empty of such inspiration. They feel at war
within themselves and alienated from a society that they feel
provides them with nothing worthwhile.
The growth of drug use among the young, therefore, will continue
to grow in the present political economic situation. It will take
Maitreya's open presence to inspire the young with the hope and
enthusiasm which they have lost or have never found.
Q. You talk about people power, and there have been a lot of peace
marches. Are they actually having an impact? It seems that people
don't attend them, so do they actually make a difference?
A. There was a march quite recently in London, and the organizers
said that about 100,000 people attended. The police eventually
admitted about 10,000 had taken part. My Master said the
organizers were not far from the truth, it was between 90,000 and
100,000. The police always lie about the numbers taking part in a
march, it is just simple manipulation by the police for
governmental reasons, to make out that the people are under
control. It is to put people off marching because they will say:
"What's the use?" However, you can only see part of the march at
any given time, the bit you are in. You have no idea of its
extent. It is usually that the organizers put the best figure on
it and maybe exaggerate, but this time they don't seem to have
exaggerated at all. It is important to maintain a growing number
of marches, not now and again but continually, and these sustained
demonstrations will have a gradual impact on government thinking.
It is difficult for us to estimate the value of such
demonstrations but the Masters are in no doubt that they are very
powerful levers of change. We must organize them more and more
frequently and with even greater numbers. 'People power' will
transform the world.
Q. Do you have any information about the future of Cuba if and
when Fidel Castro goes?
A. Cuba has been an artificial state for a long time, the result
of two forms of action, one mainly from Castro himself and one
from the United States government. The United States government
has withheld any aid or even trade with Cuba for years. At the
same time Castro -- and he has some very fine qualities -- has
been a long-term dictator in Cuba, and a dictatorship of any kind,
beneficent or otherwise, is no good to anybody. So the people of
Cuba could advance very quickly if America stopped its embargo and
if Castro retired and gave up control of every aspect of Cuban
life.
Dictatorship, even beneficent dictatorship, is no answer to the
needs of humanity. People have to be free. And that freedom has to
be in relation to a sense of justice. In Cuba there is a degree of
justice but no political freedom. Justice and freedom are
intertwined, they are both divine, they are both necessary for the
divinity of every human being.
So I would say the end of Castro's reign will really be a good
thing for the Cuban people in the long term. They will grow into
themselves, think for themselves and have freedom and justice
together.
THE EMERGENCE OF THE WORLD TEACHER -- IN BRIEF
All the great religions posit the idea of a further revelation
to be given by a future Teacher. Christians hope for the return
of the Christ, the Buddhists look for the coming of another
Buddha (the Lord Maitreya), while Muslims await the Imam Mahdi,
the Hindus a reincarnation of Krishna, and the Jews the Messiah.
Students of the esoteric tradition know all these as different
names for the same individual -- the Lord Maitreya, the World
Teacher, the head of the Spiritual Hierarchy of Masters, and they
look for His imminent return now.
In July 1977, Maitreya emerged from His centre in the Himalayas,
when least expected, "like a thief in the night". Since then, He
has lived in London as an ordinary man concerned with modern
problems -- political, economic and social. Since March 1978, He
has been emerging as a spokesman in the Pakistani-Indian
community. He is not a religious leader, but an educator in the
broadest sense -- pointing the way out of the present world
crisis. According to esoteric teaching, Maitreya manifested
Himself 2,000 years ago in Palestine by overshadowing His disciple
Jesus -- now the Master Jesus. This time Maitreya has come
Himself.
Maitreya's spiritual teaching: Maitreya does not intend to build
a new religion around Himself, nor to create followers, but to
teach humanity "the art of Self-realization". The first steps are
"honesty of mind, sincerity of spirit and detachment."
Maitreya's social concern is reflected in His list of priorities:
an adequate supply of the right food, adequate housing and shelter
for all, healthcare and education as a universal right. His
social message can be summarized in a few words: "Share and save
the world." Maitreya knows we will accept His advice and that we
are on the threshold of an era of peace and goodwill.
Since late 1991, Maitreya has been carrying out a series of
appearances like the one in Nairobi, Kenya. There, on 11 June
1988, He appeared miraculously, "out of the blue", at an
open-air prayer/healing meeting. He was photographed addressing
(in their own language) thousands of people who instantly
recognized Him as the Christ. Similar events have now been
witnessed by large numbers in different countries. In this way,
more and more people will receive proof of His presence and,
hopefully, in due course will demand media response. Maitreya
expects this approach to lead to the Day of Declaration, when He
will leave no doubt that He is the World Teacher. Maitreya will
mentally 'overshadow' all of humanity simultaneously. Each of
us will hear His words inwardly, telepathically, in our own
language, and all will know that the World Teacher is now among
us.
The information about Maitreya's emergence has been presented to
the public since 1974 by Benjamin Creme, chief editor of the
magazine *Share International*. His training for this work,
under a Master of Wisdom, began in 1959.
To summarize the historical perspective:
1982, 14 May: Creme reveals during a press conference in Los
Angeles that Maitreya lives in the Asian community in London,
and challenges the media to invite Maitreya to come forward.
Unfortunately, the media do not react.
1987, August: Benjamin Creme announces: "In the coming three
or four months, Maitreya will be working intensively to bring
about a breakthrough in international relationships in the
world." Less than a month later, the breakthrough comes, in the
political meetings between the Americans and the Soviets,
followed by the armaments agreement in December that no one had
thought possible.
1988: Maitreya appears, both in person and in dreams, to
well-known leaders in various countries, and to many ordinary
citizens. Manifestations of crosses of light are reported in
the US media and are seen by many thousands.
1989/2001: Crosses of Light are seen and filmed, from Canada to
Japan and from the Philippines to Slovenia.
1995, Sept/Oct: Peope world-wide witness the miraculous
disappearance of milk offered to statues of Hindu gods.
1991/2002: Maitreya appears miraculously before large groups of
people all over the world. In Tlacote (Mexico), Nordenau
(Germany) and Nadana (India) healing wells charged by Maitreya
attract growing numbers of visitors. By means of these
'miracles', Maitreya seeks to create a climate of hope and
expectancy in which He can emerge as the Teacher for all
humanity.
Since April 1988, through one of Maitreya's closest associates
in the Asian community of London, *Share International* has
received a series of articles. These outline Maitreya's
teachings and draw attention to developments which He expects to
take place in the world.
Outer events have demonstrated Maitreya's insight. As early as
1988, He foresaw the release of Nelson Mandela and the process of
*detente* in South Africa. Again in 1988, when Mrs Thatcher was
at the very peak of her powers, Maitreya said that she would
resign. In the same year He stated that governments everywhere
would have to give way to the "voice of the people", a statement
which found its most impressive proof in Eastern Europe.
Furthermore, Maitreya forecast the cease-fire between Iran and
Iraq; the withdrawal of foreign troops from Angola; the global
*rapprochement* between guerrilla forces and national governments;
the Armenian earthquake in 1988, and those in California and China
in 1989; the internal problems of the Soviet Union; the
establishment of peace in the Lebanon. In 1988 He promised:
"Many people will be healed from AIDS through the practice of
prayer". Dutch television announced in October 1995 that more
that 400 people have been cured of AIDS through prayer in Uganda.
Maitreya also forecast the election of a Democrat as President of
the United States and the positive developments in the relation
between Israel and the Palestinians. (Statement made in 1988:
"The Israeli army, against all expectations, will withdraw from
the West Bank and Gaza and return to its homeland.")
*A major event* which, Maitreya says, we may expect to see in the
near future and which he announced as early as 1988: *an
international stock market crash, beginning in Japan*.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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Order from:
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SHARE INTERNATIONAL TRANSLATIONS
Abridged versions are available in Dutch, French, German,
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please contact:
For the Dutch magazine *Share Nederland*: Share Nederland, PO
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International, PO Box 6254, 35062 Rennes Cedex, France.
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deutscher Sprache): Edition Tetraeder, Postfach 200701, 80007
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Tokyo 194, Japan.
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Ediciones, PO Box 149, 08190 Sant Cugat Valles (Barcelona),
Spain.
**************************END OF FILE***************************
john f winston
"Raymond Shaw" <webste...@telus.net> wrote in message
news:46463e6b...@news.telus.net...JW Thanks for sharing this information with us. I
enjoyed it.