Is the New Era coming? (machine translation)
Along with the idea that a near end of the world is coming, in our time it is popular – perhaps to a somewhat lesser extent, but still – the idea that the approach of the New Era is approaching. Sometimes they are linked together, and the second is seen as a direct continuation of the first. This is characteristic of religions and mythologies, in which there is an eschatological element as a prediction of the last battle between the forces of Good and Evil, which will mark the end of the world. The forces of Good, of course, must triumph, and then the era of universal peace and prosperity will come, paradise on earth. A global catastrophe or a series of catastrophes is possible, after which renewal and prosperity should also come. Other options are less formidable, and they are circulated mainly in various neocultures, modern spiritual and semi-spiritual movements. These options are less conceptual. But then the scenarios of events there are more diverse. This is the coming of some great spiritual Teachers sent by some supramundane authorities or hierarchies like the mysterious White Brotherhood, and the evolutionary catharsis associated with the fact that humanity will reach a new level of development, and the onset of the Age of Aquarius, when a new cosmic cycle begins and humanity is transformed, and the Earth’s transition to another universal plane, and even the arrival of aliens on Earth, which will change our lives. There are many options – the essence is the same: something must happen that will sharply raise the spiritual level of people and ultimately turn our world into the same paradise, more or less mystical.
Such aspirations may have a different attitude. For example, they can be ironic over them, as over the manifestation of the eternal dream of a greedy and lazy layman – so that the highest blessings fall into their hands without any labor, but only because the time has come or someone decided to give them. From this point of view, such aspirations look like the transfer to the spiritual soil of a banal consumer approach to life, in the style of “I deserve the best, and I want to get it – preferably, without any effort.” This can be called “spiritual acquisitiveness.” It turns out a kind of paradox – the desire to receive the highest spiritual benefits in a spiritually dependent way, that is, by a way that is not perfecting, but corrupting. What can I say? .. If people who approached spiritual progress like this could steal the highest spiritual achievements, they would certainly do it.
Another possible option is that such aspirations stem from deep pessimism and disbelief in one’s own strengths. Spiritual take-off must happen because natural universal processes lead to this, or because someone comes wise and powerful and organizes everything, but not in any way thanks to the personal efforts of mankind. That is, such efforts, of course, will take place – but as a secondary factor. According to the principle “If you are being led somewhere, then you have to rearrange your legs.” There is no longer irony. All this can cause rather pity and annoyance. In fact, can a society that is subject to such sentiments achieve something serious?
None of the options outlined above inspire sympathy. Each of them reflects certain negative aspects of human nature. Although at first glance it does not look so. On the contrary: it looks like a high spiritual aspiration, like a desire to be renewed – on the scale of all mankind – and become better, more perfect, to find harmony with the highest universal principles. But desire is desire, and reality is reality. The expectation that the universal switch is about to click and everything starts to improve on its own is just one form of the eternal human dream of someone or something that will appear and quickly change the world and people themselves for the better. The same old dream – but in a modern design, sometimes with a claim to scientific. And sometimes so ultramodern that it even looks futuristic. However, in reality, nothing says that there are serious reasons for this dream.
So, the New Era will not come, there will be no renewal, there will be no spiritual leap? Humanity will forever remain in the state of spiritual and moral decline that we are witnessing, which is aggravated and, as you can easily understand, can have only a deplorable ending?
Yes, there will be no spiritual leap at the wave of a higher power or at the click of a universal switch. But in a state of decline, humanity will not remain. Because the Age of Dawn begins.
This concept belongs to the Teaching of the One Temple, and it is not one of the versions of the prediction of the advent of the New Era. The Age of Dawn called our time Emera, the God of Wisdom, who gives the Doctrine to people. The bottom line is that changes for the better on a universal and global scale will happen – but they will not be quick, and people themselves will make them. Although they will do it not without help. It makes sense to recall the old parable about how to feed the hungry better. You can give him fish, or you can teach him fishing. That is, it is far from the same thing – when someone solves your problem for you, or when he only helps you solve it yourself. So is the case with the Teaching. It is given to people as help on their way, as the basis of a science that they have to develop and deepen on their own, as a method by which they have yet to learn to work. This is an indication of the path. Imagine a traveler going somewhere. He receives help – but it is realized not in the fact that he is picked up by a certain force and carries in the right direction, but in the fact that he is indicated in the right direction, landmarks are indicated and a staff is handed on which you can lean. And he overcomes the path himself, knocking his legs to the blood, experiencing hunger and thirst, heat and cold, making his way through forests and swamps, wandering through the deserts, climbing uphill and swimming. It is long, difficult and dangerous. But he will come to the goal a lot of witnesses, more powerful, patient and wise than at the beginning of the journey. And the achievement of the goal will be suffered and deserved for them.
By this analogy, the Doctrine is given to people as help, help in moving towards the goal, but not as what will do the bulk of the work for them. And a sharp change for the better is not to be expected. Moreover: there are many problems, labors and dangers ahead. The negative phenomena characteristic of modern humanity will not go away without a fight. There will be no quick take-off in the wake of people-independent global change. There will be hard and hard work, there will be a struggle with the worst aspects of human nature and the negative phenomena that they generate in society. As a result, people themselves will create a New Era. They will be its creators.
A new era has not yet come. It makes no sense to expect her now. But it will come in the future. I would like to say “in the near future,” but that would be too optimistic. Global change requires global effort. And these efforts are really just beginning. The sun barely appeared over the horizon, and the haze dissipated slowly. The morning will be long. But the day will necessarily come, because nothing can stop the Sun on its way to the zenith.
Let us leave untimely talk about the New Era for now. Welcome to the Age of Dawn.
© Atarkhat, 2016