Ilchi Lee Blog Online

(from Ilchi.com)

From Ilchi Lee’s book The Twelve Enlightenments

The direction that our human civilization has been headed toward until now was always the outside.  “Stronger, higher, and faster” is not an Olympics motto any more than it is a self-declaration of the human civilization.  Such movement toward the external, the outside, is inevitably expressed through activities defined by possession and domination.  And the results are always more land, more money, more power… an inevitable spiral of “better and more” that leads to competition that divides us into winners and losers.  Since sharing the pie would decrease one’s own piece, monopoly and absolute control drives the day.  On the other hand, a direction toward the inside, toward inner civilization, leads us to strengthen our inner powers of love and peace, which are expressed through actions such as forgiveness, reconciliation, and calmness.  Since the destination of this direction is perfect completion instead of absolute victory, sharing does not decrease my own lot.  My perfection of the soul does not prevent others from reaching their own perfection, and my sense of peace does not lessen because I freely share it with others.  Human civilization, until now, expresses our instinctive desire to grow by worshipping the body and pursuing external powers.  We have come to realize that this direction will not take us forever, that it is not sustainable.  This is not a value judgment of good vs. evil on our current civilization: this is an objective and impartial judgment.  The reason we have to effect a shift in our civilization is not that our civilization is evil or weak, but that it is not sustainable.

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