Viewpoint
by Dr Brian O'Toole
Guyana Chronicle
June 5, 2001

THE following viewpoint is based on material developed at Nur, the Baha'i University, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

We live in an age in which the world has witnessed dramatic changes that have profoundly altered the nature of society and have submerged it in a state of unprecedented anxiety and confusion.

It is an age in which we can behold the rapid disintegration of the very structures of civilisation. It is an age in which we have become fully aware of the perilous situation of the environment. It is an age in which entrenched ideologies and cherished visions of Utopian societies have proven to be false and are now being abandoned. Moreover, it is an age in which, despite our great scientific and technological advances each day some 40,000 children die from preventable diseases.

This age could be likened to a tapestry of interwoven strands of light and darkness, or promise and despair. In the wake of such horrendous disruptions there has been tremendous advances in science and technology. There has been an explosion of knowledge. There has also been a remarkable awakening on the part of the masses of humanity who were previously presumed to be dormant. These masses are claiming their rightful places within the community of nations that has greatly expanded. With the development of communication at the speed of light the world has contracted into a mere neighbourhood in which people are instantly aware of each other's affairs and have immediate access to one another. However, despite all this, nations are at woeful odds with each other, people are convulsed by economic upheavals, races feel more alienated than ever before and are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear.

Along with these dangers has been the breakdown of institutions, religious and political, which traditionally functioned at the guideposts for the stability of society. There is a fall in culture and a disintegration of values. We have a highly evolved technological civilisation that is facing an increasingly serious crisis.

Disunity is the crux of the problems that severely afflict the planet; it permeates attitudes in all departments of life. It is at the heart of all major conflicts between nations and peoples.

When human beings forget their commitment to moral principles and values, a disintegration process begins in which discipline relaxes, the voice of conscience falls silent, and the sense of decency and shame darkens. Evidence of this is seen in the ethical malaise and corruption among officials at all levels of society, both in public and private institutions.

Disunity at the collective level and corruption and lack of high morals at the individual level are at the very heart of the present-day global crisis.

As outlined above, not everything in this world overview is negative. There are also many strands of light, positive signs that give us hope that mankind will be able to get through this turbulent age and pass from the present stage of collective adolescence to a stage of collective maturity.

Thankfully, there are many signs that humanity is entering into a new stage of its collective life, the stage of maturity. Just as an individual passes from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, humanity has also passed through its collective stages of childhood and adolescence and is now on the threshold of its maturity.

The rebelliousness and upheavals so prevalent in today's society are characteristic of this transition. This age of transition is characterised by two parallel processes that are dramatically molding the fate of humanity. These processes are disintegration and integration. Whilst they seem to be completely opposed to each other in reality they complement each other.

The process of disintegration is a product of the inadequacy of outdated social structures to respond to the growing global crisis which humanity has undergone during the 20th century.

The process of integration originates in those actions that are an expression of the need for unity at all levels of life.

The operation of these twins processes releases forces that are both destructive and constructive.

We are all too familiar with the process of disintegration. Prejudice, the oppression of minorities, crime, corruption and feelings of helplessness are only a few examples.

However, there also exist glimmerings of hopeful purpose to this darkness. The very new suffering of humanity brings about an awareness of the new lessons that we must learn. The process of disintegration tears down those walls that have divided humanity and forces us to work together in the search for solutions to the global problems that affect us all. The process of disintegration serves to plough the soil of hearts and minds so that new seeds may be planted.

The challenge is now given to all of us to see whether we play our role in the process of disintegration or contributing towards the establishment of a new world order.