Needed Shifts in Global Awareness
"Brother Teasdale was also aware that changes going on in humans at the individual level needed to be reflected in the collective. In an imperiled world, where time might well be of the essence, some of these changes likely need to come to the collective quite directly. This is why Brother Teasdale emphasized the importance of simultaneous individual and collective interspiritual education. Not every individual might be able to access unity consciousness at this moment, but the challenge to the religions is to educate about their shared values and lofty ethical goals, not to emphasize their differences in terms of theologies, creeds, or apocalyptic scenarios.
"Brother Teasdale pointed to needed fundamental shifts in global awareness, some of which were already arising:
"• Appreciation of the interdependence of all realms of human life and the surrounding cosmos
"• Growing ecological awareness, with recognition of the interdependence of humankind and the biosphere, including the rights of all biological species
"• Dedication to nonviolence, with a commitment to transcend militancy and violence tied to national or religious identities
"• Embracing of the shared wisdom in all the world's religious and spiritual traditions, past and present
"• Growing friendship and actual community among the individual followers of the world's religious and spiritual paths
"• Commitment to the depths of the contemplative pursuit and the mutual sharing of the fruits of this ongoing journey
"• Creative cultivation of transnational, transcultural, trans-traditional, and world-centric understanding
"• Receptivity to a cosmic vision, realizing humanity is only one life form and part of a larger community, the universe.
"For Brother Teasdale these elements marked the threshold required for a healthy globalization and the participation of the world's religions through an unfolding Interspiritual Age."
