EVERY MAN'S QUEST

By John McConnell
We, Inc. 1969

Morally and spiritually, man has been living in a cavern, haunted by a feeling -- something sensed in his dreams -- that he was intended for a better world.  Now he sees a glimmer of light; his dreams can now come true and he will soon step out of the darkness into the day. 

In this world of tomorrow, there will be a new respect for man's mind; a reverence for life that will express itself in a deepened awareness of the uniqueness and preciousness of each mind.  As the minds of all men probe the unknown, the importance of each man's role will be more and more appreciated -- for every thought is unique and adds to the total thinking of man.  Even in thoughts of familiar things, the connotation is never the same, influenced as it is by temperament, environment and experience.  From infancy to old age, man's great function -- the one that will lead to the greatest meaning in life -- is the act of thinking.  From this evolves the sharing of his thoughts with his fellows, of feeling the great emotions and acting to fulfill his dreams.

We have made thousands of years of progress through fission -- through conflict, discord and violence.  We have split the atom -- we have split the world.  But this method of progress has run its course.

Now we must turn to the method of fusion through the techniques of agreement and accord -- we must heal the world.

We know that in atomic reactions fission is a source of great energy.  But we discover that atomic fusion is a far greater source.  Our conduct today is based mostly on controversy and competition.  Man still expects to fight in order to win.

The ways of peace are different.  In its Latin roots the word "peace" means "to agree."  In peace, progress comes from a dialogue in which men look for similarities rather than differences.  Not that they fail to acknowledge the differences (in the scientific method we note  both differences and similarities), but the deepest and best communication and creativity occurs when one or more people - with a sense of wonder -- are pursuing together a line of thought.  With this comes  insight into the essence of things.  In this way both  sides win.

And, of course, we know that an experience,  mutually approved, lowers the barriers that separate men.  Then the dialogue between individuals contributes to communication, not just of words, but of real meaning.

Seeking individual peace is not enough.  We must consciously add our faith to the faith of every man.  Then, and only then, can we create the global field of good will that is so desperately needed.  For this task, each man's thought is needed.  Here is an opportunity for each person to contribute to world peace in a way that he cannot help but approve, since "Minute for Peace" provides a vehicle for connecting each man's faith with the faith of all men.

It seems to me that our whole problem of is a matter of energy equivalents.  Our global mind (the electric-mental field which, like the Van Allen belt, surrounds the Earth) has two principle things wrong with it.  On the one hand, individual minds that are the source of energy are disconnected with each other and with their source of being.  On the other hand, their energy is mostly negative energy.  Their thoughts are thoughts of fear and result in hate and violence.  If a sufficient nucleus of human minds can connect with one another in thoughts of good will, peace, trust and love, there can be a chain reaction -- a fever of faith can quickly spread throughout the world of mind.  Then the whole basis of man's conduct and progress will change.  Men will seek the good in each other and see that their similarities are greater that their  differences.  The creative potential of each human mind will be encouraged, as each man's journey is aided by everyman's quest.

John McConnell
www.earthsite.org