Teaching for the future

By editor in Teaching Anatomy September 2, 2021

Humanity has a very difficult period now. Over the past centuries our civilization progressed dramatically. The appearance and inner content of civilization have changed. Unsurprisingly, the crisis of worldview has come. Previous ideas about the world have collapsed or are being destroyed right now, new ones are still being formed. Large-scale prospects of cognition and distant horizons unfold before humanity. It is clear that current scientific knowledge is not enough to build a holistic picture of the world. It is paradoxical – but the more humanity learns, the more unstable the ground becomes under our feet. Precisely because with each acquired fact the horizons are still widening, and there are even more gaps in the picture of the world than there were before. Earlier it was easier to live in a small world. It is more interesting to live in a huge and still expanding Universe, but it is more difficult. And since our species is also a part of the world, which has become less understandable, then man has also become less understandable. He is losing himself more and more. Thus, the crisis of world perception was aggravated by the crisis of self-knowledge. This can be seen more than clearly in the life of mankind today.

What will happen next? Of course, some picture of reality will crystallize sooner or later. However, what shall we do until then? And in general, won’t the above-mentioned crisis lead to such catastrophic upheavals that civilization itself will be in decline? Previous worldviews and teachings, from religious to social, in the light of what is happening, do not seem to be a reliable support. Although they are fighting for survival, and even mutating, changing under the influence of new conditions, they are still more a kind of consolidated compendium of past experience than a road to the future. At the same time, each of them is still confidently talking about their upcoming victory. But that’s just fine. Followers of any teaching must be convinced of both its truth and its final triumph. Otherwise, you simply won’t be able to follow it properly.

Followers of the Teaching are also convinced of its truth and its great future. Do they have more serious reasons for this than adherents of other teachings? Yes, a follower of any teaching will tell you that it is precisely his views that are the most serious. There are as many teachings as there are opinions. However, what would an outsider will think about this? The one who will take the trouble to think over and compare these categorical opinions and reasons. Everyone can and do give their reasons – and there is something to compare. It’s like a market, in a good sense of the word.

It is clear that arguments like “Our teaching will win, because it is true, and because we are right,” can be safely disregarded, because, in fact, they do not say anything. This is a statement of confidence, nothing more. The arguments should contain some information, at least at the level of theses, some fundamental points, the prospects of which could be assessed, at least theoretically. In this case, something about which one could say “Yes: this is exactly what humanity will need in the future.” Of course, there may be different opinions about what is needed there. Well, that’s what pluralism is for. It is for the apologists to present their arguments; and then let them evaluate.

Below the arguments in favor of the Teaching are presented. Not to prove anything – only the future course of history itself will prove – but simply to explain why we, its followers, are confident of its future success. The list of argument is not exhaustive; I have selected ten of the most significant ones. And I will try to summarize them briefly. So, what makes The Teaching of the United Temple the optimal worldview for the future of humanity? The following features and principles:

Coverage of both scientific and religious fields. The Teaching of the United Temple is not a religion, it does not recognize the supernatural and stands for scientific knowledge. At the same time, it confirms the existence of many things described in different religions. However, it gives a rational explanation to all this, without mysticism. It clearly and logically explains real phenomena that science has not yet explained or discovered, but will discover and explain in the future. Thus, the Teaching is the third way that can reconcile science and religion and put an end to their long and painful confrontation. Both people with a scientific approach, and people thirsting for penetration into the immaterial and looking for spiritual meanings, all will find what they need in the Teaching. In the future, both of these areas should coexist in harmony and complement each other, and not conflict and try to cancel each other.

Common sense. First of all, the Teaching does not require blind faith in something irrational, mystical, illogical and contradictory. Everything has a rational, sane explanation. If some phenomenon is not explained, then there is not enough information, and you need to work on it, you need to learn, you need to look for an explanation. That being said, the supernatural is not an option. Then, the Teaching fosters a sober approach to life – without excessive idealization, without “rose-colored glasses”, with the understanding that not always and not everything can be put into simple and unambiguous schemes. For example, there are situations when it is impossible to choose from the worst and the best, because the best doesn’t exist (in this particular case), and you have to choose from the worst and what is even worse. Life is a difficult and tough thing, and this must be understood. That eliminates many illusions and teaches us to consider only real options.

Emphasis on education and upbringing. Life is the way people make it. This means that the world will become better when humanity and society become better. When people learn to distinguish between good and evil more confidently and accurately and make the right choice between them, the world will become better. Therefore, among the most important areas of life are education and upbringing brought together. Education is knowledge, and upbringing is the ability to apply what is known correctly (first of all, in the sphere of morality). The level of education and upbringing influences the way people behave in future. Only knowledgeable people striving for good will be able to make society, humanity and civilization better, will be able to create what is called a just and happy future. It is necessary to pay special attention to the training and education of the younger generation. This is the guarantee of life and prosperity of mankind.

Unity of law and spirituality. What is called “secular laws” should not be separated from what is called “spiritual laws”. Let me emphasize: not religious, but spiritual. That is, based on ideas about the highest meaning of human existence and on the moral norms arising from these ideas. In other words, the legislation should be fair when talking about laws and conscience. Law and conscience should not contradict each other. Conscience and morality are inextricably linked; they represent the soul of society, relate to the meaning of its life. It often turns out that the human body lives in society according to one law, and the soul – according to another. This leads to deep contradictions and psychological trauma, which are then projected onto society, making it sick as well. Secular laws and spiritual laws should be one and the same. Accordingly, secular and spiritual power should not be separated. The secular should be an expression and continuation of the spiritual, in order to avoid a catastrophic split between the inner world of a person and everyday social practice.

Nature as the basis for laws. The laws of human society must follow from the laws of Nature, must be their continuation. Humanity is a part of Nature; it has its own place in it and its own function. It can exist normally only when it corresponds to its place, knows its function and knows how to perform it. This means that you need to try to learn the laws of Nature, understand them, and you need to bring the laws of society in accordance with them. A person’s desire, his whim is not the basis for laws, just because everyone has his own whims. If you consider them the highest authority, this will devalue knowledge and become the basis for never-ending conflicts. Therefore, it is necessary to build the laws of society not on private desires or beneficial agreements, but on what corresponds to the laws of Nature. By opposing itself to natural laws, humanity will oppose itself to Nature, which gave birth to it, nourishes and maintains it. It is clear that nothing good will come of confrontation with one’s own nutrient medium. This, incidentally, can be seen from the current state of affairs in the world.

High moral principles. Morality is not something abstract or something that concerns only the “inner life” of a person. It is actually very practical. And it has a lot to do with survival. Immoral and bad deeds are actions that are harmful. Harm to specific people, people in general, the state, the environment, etc. This is deception, violence of all kinds, crimes, wars and so on that breaks people’s lives and kills them. With more and more destructive weapons emerging, immorality is becoming a threat to the very existence of our world. Therefore, high moral principles are a guarantee not only of a safer and happier life for each individual person, but also the survival of mankind. Defending these principles, the Teaching is talking about the normal life of people, without enmity and such terrible suffering, but not any kind of moralizing for the sake of moralizing, and not just someone’s personal improvement. Ultimately, it is a matter of universal survival.

The unity of humanity. The division of humanity into nations and states is the soil on which a huge part, if not the majority, of conflicts between people grows. In order to continue to live and develop further normally, humanity needs to unite. All nations should merge into a single nation, and the process of merging has already begun, in a natural way. The Teaching will contribute to this in every possible way and fight the remnants of the past that hinder this. All states should eventually unite into a single state. Many people already understand today that this is vital in the interests of peace, economic well-being, joint development of science, etc., and are in favor of unification. The Teaching will also contribute to this in every way. Humanity will not be able to build a normal, peaceful future in which it flourishes if it remains divided and warring within itself. Unification is the key to such a future.

Gender equality. The situation when men oppressed women, and sometimes vice versa, has been standard throughout the history of mankind. If there was equality somewhere (more or less), such cases turned out to be an exception. And in our time, this problem is still far from being eliminated. On this basis, conflicts continue to this day, as if the two sexes are two warring peoples striving to enslave each other. This is not normal, because the essence of their existence is love and mutual concern for the sake of happiness and the generation of new life. They are very different – and that’s great. It should be so. But at the same time, they are equal. Neither sex is worse than the other either in intelligence, or in talents and abilities, or in willpower and spirit, or in moral qualities. They are equal in all this and in rights. According to the Teaching, this is exactly what is normal, this is how it should be both today and in the future.

Protection of Nature. The nature of our planet gave birth to us – humans. We are part of it. Our life is connected with its life. However, people often behave as if they do not know this and do not want to know. They destroy nature by being motivated by greed and treating the consequences with an indifference worth hating. The destruction of nature is, in fact, suicide for humanity. It is unacceptable. Now there are many who are fighting for the preservation of nature, trying to protect it. How correct and effective their methods are is a separate question. But one way or another, so far, they are clearly losing. The destruction of nature is proceeding faster than measures are taken to save it. Therefore, much more effort and resources should be directed to change the situation than what is being done at the moment. It is impossible to imagine a decent and prosperous future on a devastated, poisoned planet.

Emphasis on space exploration. According to the Teaching, humanity is destined to eventually become a cosmic race. This is an inevitable stage in its development. It will not be able to exist normally if it does not master other planets. Therefore, space travel and travel to other planets are not only of scientific, industrial, economic importance: it is a question of progress in general, a question of the continuation and development of our civilization. In the future, most of the history of mankind will take place outside the Earth. This needs to be understood and accepted, and we need to work now to bring these perspectives to life. The Teaching stands for active space exploration, for an increase in the number of projects dedicated to this, in general for the fact that this direction is recognized as particularly important, one of the priorities for the modern world. More efforts and resources should be directed to this, it is necessary to create more technical developments in this area. At the same time, this topic should be expanded in education, information sphere, art, etc. It is necessary to prepare humanity for a new, cosmic stage of its development.

These are some important aspects that allow us to consider the Teaching as a worldview and a system of values that will help humanity to develop successfully further, will help overcome serious problems of today and prevent their recurrence in the future. Some of these aspects are present in other teachings and concepts; however, in a single worldview complex, in a coherent and working system, they are united precisely within the framework of the Teaching. Of course, in order to see and understand their interconnections more clearly, one needs to know the Teaching better. But within the framework of this article, the task was not to introduce it more thoroughly. It shows only a few moments, from the point of view of the Teaching, necessary for the future life of mankind. And although their more detailed justification has remained behind the scenes, the reader can be sure: they do not hang in the air, but have a solid base and an extensive ideological context.

As I said at the beginning, the future, historical reality itself, will give the final assessment to everything. But the future is shaped in the present. Already today those bricks are being selected from which it will be built. The Teaching offers its own set of such important elements that can form the basis of tomorrow. And I do not urge you to urgently accept them as a program. I propose to compare them with other options offered by other worldviews and concepts. Compare and estimate, at least in the first approximation, which of this is appropriate in the future and which is not. It can be entertaining at the very least. And as a maximum, it will help to determine what we want for the future in which our descendants will live.