We are renewed (made new again) through death. This is as true for civilizations as it is for individuals. Reform, modification, more exercise, a better diet, good intentions and cosmetic procedures cannot make us new again. Were it not for death, we’d be zombies sleepwalking through an endless senility.
“Only to the white man was nature a ‘wilderness,’ and only to him was the land ‘infested’ with ‘wild’ animals and ‘savage’ people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.” Chief Luther Standing Bear
Some 5,000 years ago an advanced civilization of five million people occupied the Indus Valley. Its geometrically laid out cities had running water, sophisticated sanitation systems and thriving economies. What they didn’t have were temples or government buildings.
The state of the world reflects our own state of consciousness. In the past, civilizations have risen and fallen. Today, the entire human family is at risk of collapse. This hasn’t happened before.
Men's Work 