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Separative, selfish materialism

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Posted on: Monday 26 February 2007 11:50:39 am

The six problems join hands between beginning and end, as psychological renewal is a pre-condition for international unity, and international unity calls for psychological renewal.

There is really only one compound problem which those in each problem area are working upon - separative, selfish materialism.

A separative or exclusive attitude of mind divides humans, using some arbitrarily chosen criterion (race, religion, ideology etc.) into "more" or "less" deserving; this leads to a selfish emotional grasping by the "more" deserving; and this may, and often does, eventually work out as an unequal distribution of material goods.

Perhaps the main area where the material aspect, in strictly financial terms, of this problem is least important is religion; but where religion (or anything else) is taken to fanatical extremes, then "holy" wars can arise in which material possessions, and even life itself, are stripped from those on the "other" side.

The Antidote? An inclusive, loving, intelligent attitude (goodwill as love in action) that values every human being as a unique and unrepeatable combination of qualities which has a part to play in the great symphony of life.