Nature:


Nature is indeed a strange and fascinating entity. Ostensibly random and without direction or purpose, acting in mindless obedience to the laws by which it is shaped, and exhibiting neither conscience nor remorse for the events that arise within it. And yet, at the heart of each event lies the seed of Divine intention and within the operation of each physical law is deposited a Divine intelligence without which all matter and all phenomena that derive from it would cease to exist.

Many phenomena, although ostensibly random, act in accordance with, and bear eloquent witness to, the pervading presence of universal laws that govern the behaviour and direct the operation of all matter, whether in the observable universe or in those as yet undiscovered.

Nature is guided by an infinite Intelligence, incapable of mistakes, absolute in Its control over all things both visible and invisible, and infinitely patient in the gradual disclosure of Its secrets. What may appear to be bizarre or unique or an anachronism not in keeping with the normal course of events can, in retrospect, be recognized as a self-regulating expression of a perfectly designed, self-contained system, that requires neither intervention or improvement. What may appear to be intervention, or wrath, or the correction of inherent errors, or the remedy for oversights, or the introduction of measures to compensate for flaws in the original design are, in reality, the outer expression of inherent safeguards intrinsic to the original blueprint and not, as is so often mistakenly advanced, Divine attempts to rectify deficiencies in the original design.

When the need arises and the occasion demands, there will appear, with varying degrees of capacity, those who will meet the exigencies of the period in which they appear and who, by virtue of their example, will assist humankind in its advance toward a pre-determined destiny the duration of which can only be measured in infinity. And, there are Those within each epoch Who arise and, as Divine Spokesmen for the age in which They appear, found the great religions, uplift the human spirit, edify the soul, cultivate the morals, enlighten the mind, animate the heart, and inaugurate a new and vital cycle of progress for humankind as a whole.

Interpretation?


There is no doubt that God had a hand in the writing of, not only the Bible, but of the Sacred Scriptures of all the major religions of the world. Inherent in each is the underlying belief that, out of nothingness, God created the entire universe and all living things within it, including humankind within whom He has deposited self-evident truths and upon whom He has conferred the distinctive and inestimable privilege of being in His ‘Image and Likeness’.

It does not matter at what point in time the human species was created or over what extended period it struggled to evolve until it finally shaped an instrument that could finally begin to manifest those distinct and unique attributes by which it was a mirror image of its Creator. Humankind was created, gradually evolved, and was destined to be the crowning point of creation.

It is self-evident that humankind possesses qualities and attributes found nowhere else in nature and of which nature is bereft. Nature is solely concerned with the arena of the physical universe whereas humankind also occupies the realm of the spirit and expresses abstract and intellectual properties that are absent elsewhere in nature. What other organism in nature is able to distinguish between good and evil or right and wrong other than humankind? What other organism can exhibit a conscience or experience a sense of shame except humankind? Where in all of nature, be it the mineral, vegetable, or animal kingdoms can be found an oral and written language except by humankind? Where can be found an oral and written science that unlocks and exposes the jealously guarded secrets of nature except in humankind? Where can be found an oral and written history, not only of its own evolution, but also that of the other kingdoms of nature, except in humankind? Where in all of nature can be found an organism that composes music and constructs instruments of various design by which to express it except in humankind? Where in all of nature can be found an organism that can sculpt from shapeless granite an exquisite masterpiece such as Michelangelo’s Pieta or apply colour to canvas and produce a matchless painting such as Leonardo’s Last Supper? Where in all of nature is there an organism that has reached a point in its evolution whereby it is no longer necessary to evolve and physically adapt to its surroundings, except in humankind? Humankind wishes to fly but does not grow feathers and wings. It discovers the laws of aeronautics and creates the airplane. Humankind wishes to swim and to penetrate the ocean depths but does not grow scales or develop gills. It creates the submarine, the diving bell, and constructs ships. Humankind wishes to see far distances accurately and with great clarity but does not develop the eye of an eagle. It constructs the telescope and binoculars. Humankind wishes to travel quickly over long distances but does not devolve onto four legs with ground eating strides. It develops automobiles and land vehicles that leave the fastest ground creatures far behind. Humankind wishes to penetrate the world of the infinitesimal but does not shrink into this environment. It constructs microscopes that enlarge the atomic world and bring it into the range of his perception. Humankind wishes to process enormous quantities of information in the twinkling of an eye but does not grow a head with a brain casing several times larger than at present. It constructs computers that can do in a few moments what all the brains on the planet combined cannot do in months or even years. It is manifest and self-evident that there is an aspect to humankind that subdues and gains mastery over nature and its mysteries and it is this aspect that is unique and separate from nature regardless of the indisputable fact that it cohabits and lives in partnership with its animal proclivities and engages in a perpetual battle for dominance from cradle to coffin.

A Prayerful Observation:

Seek not recognition from man for his vision is as limited as the perishable treasures he lays up in vain.
Be content, therefore, with the good pleasure of the All-Loving Father Who has bestowed upon you the eye of mercy and has engraved the emblem of justice upon your soul
Let not your heart be troubled if you are encompassed by afflictions while treading the straight path.
Be assured that the All-Loving Father ever tests his children that they may distinguish truth from error and that the faithful may be distinguished from the heedless. Outwardly the test may appear cruel and the wayfarer feeble, albeit, inwardly it is merciful and immeasurable is the strength it bestows upon its recipient.
Falter not in your steps nor be hesitant in your journey to the Beloved One and be not discouraged by the iniquities and transgressions of those who bear His name and commit that which is beneath their noble and lofty station and ill-beseems the good name of the All-Loving Father.
Know that the All-Loving Father is immeasurably exalted above the loftiest description that any of His creatures assign to Him and that His Wisdom will forever remain infinitely beyond the power of the mightiest mind to fathom. The Wisdom of the All-Loving father is All-Encompassing whereas the wisdom of the most excellent of His creatures is frustrated by the confines of its inherent limitations. Can it be believed that the Perfections of the Father are capable of measurement by the imperfections of His creatures or that His Immutable Will is capable of frustration by the vain imaginings and idle fancies of those who bear His name? Such are the conceptions of those who are deluded by their own ego. He is sufficient unto Himself and neither the goodly deeds nor the devoted praise of His reverent servants are capable of scaling the heights of His Presence nor are the transgressions and blasphemy of the heedless ones capable of restraining, even for a moment, the irresistible force of His Divine Purpose. Know of a truth that all these things must come to pass and are the means whereby the wayfarer is guided along their journey and the sincerity of the true seeker is tested. It is not for the creature to test the Beloved One but, rather, for the All-Loving Father to test His creatures, albeit, as a sign of His Loving Kindness and a Bounty from His inexhaustible Mercy He has engraved His Image upon the soul of man and has commanded him to protect its beauty from the dross of human corruption in order that His Reflection may become evident therein.
Do not cast aside an imperishable and everlasting treasure for the transient attractions and perishable treasures of the earth. Do not barter the rose-garden that perfumes the nostrils and delights the vision in exchange for a dwelling place among the heedless wherein ignorance is in abundance and moral sickness is manifest. Do not persist in vaunting your puny intellect over that of the Lord your God and do not defend your mortal pursuits and transgressions lest your mind become confounded, your vision obscured, and your hearing veiled from discerning the radiant melodies issued forth from the Heaven of God’s Mercy as a token of Grace that all mankind may hearken to the Truth and Justice contained therein. Beware! Lest you dispute with the Divine Mariner Who sails His Ark upon the ocean of humanity and casts His Net into the sea of human hearts. From the beginning that has no beginning He has separated the pure wave from the corrupted foam with the sterilizing sword of His Tongue and to the end that has no end He chooses the pure in heart as the repositories for His Wisdom. He does whatever He wills and chooses whomsoever He pleases and to none is given the authority to question the Wisdom of His Purpose.
Reflect with justice upon that which is past and meditate upon it with sincerity that the wisdom contained therein may be revealed to you. All that has come to pass has been in accordance with man’s capacity to bear its weight and can not be attributed to limitation on the part of Those Who revealed its Wisdom. Those Prophets from whom the great religions have evolved, those Dawning-Places of God’s Wisdom, those Chosen Mouthpieces for the All-Loving Father’s Counsel, those Brilliant Orbs from whence the Rays of the Beloved One’s Effulgent Light was shed upon all mankind, have ever been and will continue to be the only refuge for a wayward world bereft of discernment. They are the Eyes wherewith man’s vision is illumined, the Ears wherewith man’s hearing is enabled to detect truth, the Wisdom wherewith man’s intellect is expanded, and the Guiding Light wherewith man’s journey is kept safe and straight.
That Their Messages appear to differ may be ascribed to the varying conditions and needs of the age in which they were manifest and the capacity of the peoples to whom they were revealed. They have ever been and will continue to be the only Stronghold wherein man may reside for Protection. Their Purpose, from the beginning that has no beginning until the end that has no end, will ever be to remove the causes of estrangement and disharmony, to edify the souls, to purify the hearts, to illuminate the minds, to regulate the societies, and to tranquillize the spirits of the peoples and age in which They appeared. That disunity, hatred, and bloodshed have arisen afterward may be ascribed to the vain imaginings and idle fancies of those who have submerged the Ocean of God’s Wisdom in clouds of superstition, ceremony, and ritual.
Can we believe the All-Loving Father capable of violating His Promise? Will He ever leave His children comfortless? Are we to show such little faith and feeble vision? When will the heedless speed out of their rotting sepulchers and attain unto true life? When will they put aside the playthings of the corrupt and robe themselves in the garment of everlasting purity? Why do they busy themselves with that which is beneath their lofty station and neglect that which will enable them to ascend to the heights of an imperishable dominion?
In every age the All-Loving Father has chosen a Stainless Soul to mirror forth His Beauty and reveal His Ordinances that men may attain unto that for which they were created. Know that the physical station of the Messenger of God has ever been a source of controversy and confusion and has acted as a cloud that veils the sight of the ignorant from perceiving the Spiritual Station and Inner Essence thereof. Consider the atrocities and calumnies that were heaped upon these Stainless Souls for no other reason than They exhorted men to worship the one true Father and encouraged men to live in harmony and to abide in loving unity with their fellow man. Reflect upon the actions of those who reviled and scorned Their Message that sought only to remove the mantle of hatred and animosity and replace it with the cloak of love and compassion. Ponder this in your heart! What could have provoked such savage and ruthless behaviour by so many ignorant souls other than the promptings of their own perverted fancies and lustful degeneracy? Albeit, they have passed into the oblivion of shame and have assuredly received that which they deserve, whereas, the Word of the Messengers, those Central Orbs of Unity, continues to guide mankind and will forever be the only Refuge and Asylum within which mankind may abide in peace and security.
Be alert and attentive! Cast your sight in every direction and do not overlook the tiniest atom for the Guiding Flame has once again been lit. Look to It and receive from It the cleansing force that will consume the dross and reveal the pure gold. Do not hesitate for a moment lest it pass you by and leave you in the confusion of your predicament. Do not barter it for the fleeting vanities of this world and do not exchange its inestimable value and transcending quality for that which is worthless and beneath your station.

The team Concept

By Paul Suddess








A team, by the most simple description, may be defined as two or more persons working together toward a common goal.

Hence


 If you have only one person you do not have a team
 If they do not work together you do not have a team
 If they do not share the same objective you do not have a team.
 If they are in conflict and pull against each other you do not have a team
 If you have more than one member competing for the prestige or recognition of team leadership without regard either for the team or its objectives then you do not have a team.
 If you have one or more members who openly or surreptitiously engage in criticism or ridicule of other members you do not have a team.
 If you have one or more members who deliberately conspire or collaborate to reduce or slow down the productivity of the team as a whole in order to expand the time required to achieve the objective then you do not have a team.







A team is not simply a group but is, rather, a cohesive whole in which the component parts fit beautifully together to form a harmony and atmosphere that is uplifting, inspiring, and welcoming to its members both individually and as a whole and which promotes greater productivity and fewer mistakes in the pursuit of its objectives which, of course, is welcomed and to the advantage of the employer. The Team Concept favours both sides without detriment or disadvantage to either. It is an arrangement that is mutually beneficial to all parties involved and which lends itself to the stability and success of any company that faithfully and diligently embraces its principles.

In any team there can be only one ‘team leader’ who is not the boss, who does not give orders, who does not observe while the others work, who is not inherently superior or more intelligent than his co-workers, and who does not convey the impression or impart instructions in the manner of a dictator.

A ‘team leader’ is one who is willing to assume responsibility for coordinating the activities of the team by mutual agreement of its members and who, by virtue of either inherent or trained administrative skills, is equipped to facilitate and to elicit from each of its members those talents, abilities, and expertise which are most needed in the pursuit of the team’s objectives. The ‘team leader’ is an integral and equally involved component of the whole who may be described as the ‘glue’ or ‘binding material’ that keeps the team focussed and efficiently working toward the successful conclusion of its goal.

A ‘team leader’ is supportive, encouraging, sensitive to the differences and/or inexperience of individual members, and is prepared to take those extra steps to assist and/or explain and demonstrate when confusion or uncertainty have become evident.

A ‘team leader’ is a friend not an overlord. A ‘team leader’ is a co-worker not a CEO. A ‘team leader’ exists only as long as the team exists and when its task is completed and the unit is disbanded so too does the ‘team leader’ cease to exist and reverts to the same standing as his or her co-workers.

There are already more than enough dictators and overlords in this world. The graveyards are replete with their victims and the unending list of failed ventures may be accurately laid at their doorstep. What is in short supply and sorely needed is effective and dedicated leadership that is supported by keen and penetrating vision and fueled by selfless devotion to principle and personal integrity.






The Team Concept is remarkably adept at nurturing those inherent qualities with which each and every person, without exception, is endowed at birth and promotes higher standards of ethics and behaviour by appealing to the inter-dependence and gregarious nature of the human personality. Humans cannot live alone and survive unimpaired. Isolation is unhealthy and handicaps the positive development of uniquely human qualities. Confrontation, hostility, and even rage are the expected symptoms when individuals feel isolated and alienated from those around them and, sadly, all too often this anger and resentment is discharged against the most helpless and innocent, namely, family members and business associates.
The progressive and advanced thinking of Japanese industrialists has long recognized this axiom of behaviour and for decades they have employed and cultivated the Team Concept as a critical and essential component of their various enterprises the rewards of which have rendered them successful in whatever venture they have pursued.

The ‘team’ is simply a family in miniature. The family is simply a country in miniature and the country is clearly the world in miniature. It follows, therefore, that what is good for the team is also good for the world. Whatever promotes peace and unity within a team also, by its radiating influence, promotes peace and unity throughout the world.

The Immortal Soul:

It is a fragile thread that connects us to this world. We are at every moment precariously poised upon the precipice of extinction. The duration of our existence at best is brief and at worst is but a momentary flickering of a spark that will never become a flame. The span of our journey is as much a matter of chance as it is of genetic inheritance or conscious calculation and we are ever exposed to the ruthless and merciless demands of our senses. It is a journey that is as beautiful as it is ugly and the distinction between the two, to a large extent, lies both in the mind of the interpreter and the heart of the observer while that selfsame mind and heart are unceasingly subject to the immediate circumstances and events that mold and manipulate them. It is, nonetheless, the joy of humankind that it has been endowed both with the power of vision and the power of discovery whereby it is enabled to rise above the world of the senses and dwell in the heaven of spirit. It requires, however, a conscious effort and vigilant attention of the mind and heart to subdue the raging forces of nature and avoid becoming a slave to the senses. It is not without pain nor is it without sacrifice but the prize is worth the effort.

Why is it that humankind, from as far back as accurate records and story telling traditions indicate, has always entertained the inner conviction that only his outer body dies but that his inner soul lives on forever? This is an assertion that has always been advanced by religion and its most revered and respected proponents and it is also an assertion that has been embraced by most members of the scientific community. Nevertheless, there is also an element within humankind composed of scientists and philosophers who scoff at the idea of God, who refuse to give credence to His existence, who reject the idea of an immortal soul, who assert that death is the end of both the physical and spiritual life, who claim that the entire range of a human person’s existence occupies only the time frame from crib to coffin, who contemptuously state that there is no hereafter and that those who believe that there is have been deluded by religious leaders and spiritual cranks whose only area of expertise is myth and superstition.

However, if we ignore myth and superstition, set aside traditional religious beliefs, subject the question to reason, logic, and empirical examination and then clothe it in the garment of scientific and technological discovery then perhaps we will find that the scales will tip more to one position than to the other and perhaps, also, will advance the irresistible likelihood that humankind, as a whole, has been instinctively, intuitively, and deductively correct from the very beginning. Besides, only in humankind does the faculty exist whereby the question can be conceived, its related data researched, and its various and contending aspects subjected to the rigors of argument. Nowhere in nature does this faculty exist except in humankind and not even nature itself, despite our physically being a part of it, is able to depart from obedience to its own inviolable laws and is incapable of abstract reasoning, conscious deliberation, deductive speculation, or coherent speech. It is a faculty neither exercised nor demonstrated anywhere else in nature and begs the question, “How is it that nature can produce something possessed of qualities and attributes of which nature itself is bereft?” It is the same as imagining that if a person were to take an empty cup and immerse it in the ocean that they could find in the contents of the cup that which is absent in the ocean from which it was derived.

Even the most cynical and irreligiously minded scientist, who disclaims any association with any organized religion will, when the question is appropriately put to them, admit that they have neither an explanation as to how the expanse of the universe originally came into being nor any means by which they can replicate it. They are unable either to describe or define the First Cause, the Primary Motivating Force, the Creator of all things visible and invisible, and yet, are equally unable to deny that an effect must have a Cause, that a creation must have a Creator, and that it takes Intelligence to beget intelligence. Not even the most skeptical scientist would attempt to advance the notion that intelligence came into being as a result of random chance nor would they be so presumptuous as to claim that they have personally created any of the operating principles and underlying laws of nature that they have discovered. Humankind was created in the ‘Image and Likeness’ of God with the primary difference being that God is the Creator whereas humankind is simply creative. God brings something into existence out of nothingness whereas humankind must have something with which to begin. Science is the arena of discovering that which is already there whereas God is the One who put it there.

One of the axioms, that is to say, the self-evident truths that even the simplest of human intellects can readily grasp is that, ‘We did not create ourselves’ and another is that, ‘We did not create the universe in which we live’. These two axioms, without drawing upon any others, are incontrovertible proof of the existence of God. However, they do not describe Him nor do they explain His Existence. They simply testify that He exists and that humankind is a product of his Creative Energy. Knowing that something exists and observing and recording the phenomena that derive from it is not the same as understanding it or comprehending its inner reality. We know that God exists but at the same time have not the capacity nor the means by which to know what He is.

Admitting the existence of God, even though we have neither the tools nor the method by which to grasp His inner Reality and Essence, is the first step toward admitting also of the existence of the human soul, that pre-eminent spiritual substance that distinguishes humankind above and beyond any other creature on planet earth and by which he is in the ‘Image and Likeness’ of his Creator. This term is applied in the same way that we would describe our own image and likeness were we to gaze upon our reflection in a mirror. Although all the characteristics, the shape and form, that identify us outwardly as human are captured in the reflection, nonetheless, we did not descend into the mirror in order to create that reflection and the reflection cannot be said to have the same qualities or attributes that we ourselves possess. It is true that we are in the ‘Image and Likeness’ of God in that we possess all of His attributes but we possess each and every one to a limited degree which is what makes us human whereas God possesses each and every quality and attribute to an absolute degree which is what makes Him God.

If we admit that God exists and that He is the Creator of all things both visible and invisible and, if we admit that He possesses all qualities to an absolute degree, then it necessarily follows that His Creation is absolute, that is to say, it has no boundaries, no limitations, no ending, and no dimensions because as an absolute it will possess all characteristics to an infinite and immeasurable degree. Science readily accepts the postulate of the ‘indestructibility and conservation of matter’ wherein the ‘building blocks of matter’ may disassemble and re-assemble in various shapes and forms but are themselves never destroyed and, hence, are infinite as regards the physical universe. On the other hand, religion postulates that the soul is an indivisible substance not subject to decomposition that was created by God to be eternal and imperishable and which will travel through all of His infinite worlds gradually unfolding the infinite qualities it has in common with Him and by which it will arrive at its intended destiny. There should be no conflict between these two positions that, in essence, are two halves of a whole. God is called the Creator not the Uncreator. Whatsoever He fashions and sets in motion cannot be unfashioned or set in reverse. Nothing whatsoever can frustrate the Will of God and any and all attempts are invariably met with built in safeguards that protect its design and purpose and which impose corrective measures against those who foolishly disregard its warning signs.

Having advanced simple but incontrovertible proof of the existence of God and, similarly, having advanced the self-evident truth that humankind possesses qualities and attributes of which nature is bereft, we are left with the irresistible postulate that these qualities and attributes, not found in nature, are the human soul. Further, since God is an Absolute, the only absolute, it necessarily follows that He does not act with limitation and, having created the soul in His ‘Image and Likeness’ would confer upon it the self same infinite nature and range of qualities that would enable it to pass successfully through an infinite extension of worlds which by His Absolute Nature He would be compelled to create. The human soul is the crowning point of God’s creation and by its very nature is immortal, indestructible, and indivisible.