Has America known its finest hour? Are we loosing our religion and sanity as well? What is wrong with our society anyway? These are baffling questions that are frequently being asked by more and more people, even the media.

From environmental pollution to spiritual pollution, from artificial food to artificial joy – these are the side effects of the pursuit of materialism (a by-product of the American Dream, as we know it).  Today, everything is fair game in the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain and personal responsibility, not to mention the absence of morality and a wholesome values system. 

Is America at risk of reaching a point of no return, or worse becoming a third world nation?  According to universal laws, it’s all a simple matter of cause and effect or as it’s been said “as you sow so shall you reap.”  What we are witnessing is the powerful consequences of these laws from which no one is exempt.

We live in a time characterized by a modern battle between good and evil which can be defined as limited awareness (the norm) and integrity and enlightenment (which are the exception). It’s a time when chaos and anarchy are the order of the day.  While technologically we may live in a space age, morally we are still living in the stone age as reflected in our social ills, the failure of our systems and institutions and the growing conflicts both domestically and internationally.

One of the greatest human tragedies is not the lack of resources and/or control over our own circumstances, but rather the lack of awareness.  Whether we realize it or not, the current climate of insanity, including terrorism, is a reflection of a moral and spiritual crisis.  It’s indicative of our denial of our own spiritual roots and the perception that we are separated, which eventually leads to conflicts and even wars.  

An engineer can look at the foundation of a building under construction and tell you its eventual height and even fate of a structure.  Similarly, a society is as strong and free as the pillars of the spirit upon which it’s built.  Spiritual roots are the foundation upon which total prosperity and peace and harmony are built.  When we reject concepts of spirituality, integrity and morality – we also deny the greatest part of our existence (our spirit) which enables us to prosper and experience a fuller life of meaning, purpose, real joy, fulfillment and peace (inner and outer).  By so doing, we also deny our access to the ultimate real and positive power, the ever-present force (God) that builds and doesn’t destroy.  That’s because we are spiritual beings experiencing the human experience and not the other way around.  As such we were designed and meant to live a life of meaning and purpose through spirit and integrity beyond the narrow boundaries of the material world.

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In a materialistic-driven society where vanity, not virtue, is worshipped, all the things we used to hold dear like, religion, marriage, family, loyalty, faithfulness, hard work, and being of service to the community are no longer sacred.  Instead consumerism, in the spirit of “He with the most toys lives,” rather then “He with the most joys lives,” is promoted and driven by profit and greed to the point that even a holiday like Christmas is now more of a marketing concept and devoid of any real meaning. 

The media, especially Hollywood, is also at fault. Rather than celebrating excellence and the human spirit, by promoting positive concepts such as personal responsibility, making a difference, tolerance, kindness, giving and sensitivity to the human condition, the media produces shows and movies that celebrate human weakness, vanity and perversion. These productions promote social ills such as anti-social behavior, excessive self-indulgence and entitlement, instant gratification, greed, corruption, compromised integrity and obsession with external, shallow values, including the obsession with fame, fortune, and youth.  This has led to a significant increase in substance abuse, senseless violence in our schools, and increased teen suicide.

You can blame it all on the pursuit of the American Dream, as we know it, which is an illusion based on a materialistic values system characterized by corruption, greed, compromised integrity and the erosion of morality whereby the love of power overcomes the power of love.  It certainly does not represent the true spirit of America, which was based on perspiration, innovation, risk and reward and where the focus used to be on a strong work ethic, high integrity, family and community.  All of which created a nation of producers with an enviable prosperity that created real joy and fulfillment. 

It’s obvious that America has gone off track and is in desperate need for healing and revival if we are to maintain a free and thriving nation, not to mention our leadership in the international arena.

The solution to restoring our spirits and our economy is through increased awareness and by reconnecting with our spiritual roots.  Awareness can be used as a useful tool to better understand the unity of life, our place in the universe and ourselves. By understanding ourselves better, we come to understand God as the source and the destination.

In other words, everything we do must be driven by spirit and spirit-filled. That’s because we are spiritual beings experiencing the human experience and not the other way around.  As such we were meant and designed to live a life of meaning and purpose by recognizing the unity of life and living in harmony with the universal laws that are characterized by integrity and the honoring of all living things.  In this way we can actually produce real hope, real joy and fulfillment, real peace (both inner and outer), ultimately leading to total prosperity in the true spirit of the American Dream.