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Temple News
Revolutionary Journal of Religion and Politics
Spring2000
Vol. 1 No. 1
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I first heard of Cosmic Consciousness from Richard Maurice Bucke, MD in his book Cosmic Consciousness [1]. In it he outlines the evolutionary struggle on our planet which has produced and is still producing self-consciousness and then describes the appearance of a new species that possesses cosmic consciousness, a consciousness that expands to become one with all things. Bucke theorizes that, with increasing frequency, persons like Buddha, Christ, Mohammed, Walt Whitman and others are making their appearance on our planet and by their teaching are helping to transform life. This evolutionary process continues up until today. Bucke studied the lives of these persons and found common characteristics such as:
intuitive understanding elevated moral stature
loss of sense of sin intellectual illumination
sense of immortality no fear of death
definite moment or period of transformation
I believe the appearance of Cosmic Consciousness in the course of evolution is analogous the appearance of bipedalism (ability to walk on two legs). With bipedalism began a major branching away from simple-consciousness animals; dogs and birds, for example, have simple consciousness. This process advanced toward the production of various Homo species and eventually culminated in the development and domination of the self-conscious Homo Sapiens Sapiens species. Self-consciousness enables us to store and manipulate mountains of sense knowledge in powerful little mental bundles called words. This dramatically increases our awareness. Cosmic consciousness is a major branching away from self-consciousness. It enables us to wield mountains of words (ideas) in powerful, life-giving revelations that we call truth.
Just as bipedalism was accompanied with bountiful radiation (branching out of various species to explore new environmental space that has opened), so should we expect radiation with the appearance of cosmic consciousness. [2] Our responsibility is to discern the path that leads forward that is consonant with the laws of Nature. There will likely be inter-species' struggles which will culminate in one species which will eventually "occupy and possess the earth.". [3] Since I know of no other who has yet named this new species that will "occupy and possess the earth", I propose the name Communist and associate with it, the following characteristics:
Are there other species which are cosmic conscious, but which are not Communist. I believe many such species will be discovered. In the interest of further such an investigation, I hypothesize the existence of a species, for which I use the name Daemon, which is associated with these characteristics:
Reaction Individuality
Possessiveness Hate
Pride Dictatorship
Cowardice Evil
Idealism Deceit
Death
I hypothesize that both Communists and Daemonists are cosmic conscious. One, the Daemonists, is reactionary and the other, the Communists, is progressive. Both are currently engaged in mortal struggle, the dimensions of which are envisioned in the Book of Revelation. [4] This struggle or Day of Judgment exposes and will continue to expose the alignment of these forces on our planet.
What does all this mean for us, the people of earth? It means we have to profoundly change our way of thinking about religion and politics. It means we must become profoundly involved in the welfare of our youth-we are the ones who will give birth to and cultivate the species of the future. We must discern and direct all our energies toward the shinning path that leads toward progress.
Furthermore, we must separate ourselves from all who espouse supernaturalism or idealism. Religions and organizations espousing these ideas have done much to shed the blood of God's "little ones." [5] We and God are part of one the same reality.
Finally, to struggle effectively we must have a goal in mind that keeps us on course. Our goal is a communist society, the society of the new species which "is in the act of being born from us." [6] It is the society, which Isaiah spoke of saying:
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together, the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all. The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do. Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. And as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. [7]
TUDEH PARTY OF IRAN STRONGLY CONDEMNS THE NATO AGGRESSION AGAINST YUGOSLAVIA
"The massive bombardment of Yugoslavia, which started on 25th March 1999, has created an unprecedented crisis in the Balkans. Hundreds of thousands of people from Kosovo have left the country for the neighboring Macedonia and Albania. The leaders of NATO are carrying out these bombardments under the disguise of "humanitarian assistance"... Missile attacks against the Zastova car manufacturing plant, in which tens of thousands of workers were staging a sit-in, followed by the bombing of civilian targets including a passenger train, in which hundreds of people were killed or injured, demonstrates the inhumane and criminal nature of NATO's aggression against Yugoslavia. The government of Yugoslavia believes that NATO's real intention is to further disintegrate the country and to break Yugoslavia's resistance to imperialism's "New World Order" in Europe. In the meetings between NATO and Serb's representatives in Paris, the Serbs were presented with a pre-arranged proposal to either accept military presence of NATO in Kosovo or face aerial bombardment. The acceptance of this agreement from Yugoslavia would amount to the capitulation of the country's sovereignty and the acceptance of losing Kosovo to foreign powers... The world progressive forces including the Tudeh Party of Iran and the communist and workers parties the world over have strongly condemned NATO's military adventurism and have given support to the peace movement in the Balkan and Europe. The continuation of the senseless and criminal policy of indiscriminate bombing of the people of Yugoslavia should be immediately stopped. The only way forward to resolving the plight of the Albanian people in Kosovo is through peaceful means and negotiation..."
"For three millennia our main social hypothesis--that the moral and legal way of thinking about and responding to violence (by calling it evil, forbidding it "just say no"--and punishing it) will prevent violence (or at least bring it under control)--has been singularly unsuccessful in reducing the level of violence. Three thousand years should be an adequate length of time to test any hypothesis."
--Dr. James Gilligan, _Violence: Reflections of a National Epidemic (Vintage, 1996)
The psychic ripples of Littleton, Colorado continue to radiate out across the nation, as cases continue to arise of students either calling in threats to their schools, or writing threatening communications on the Internet. Students have been either arrested or expelled for bringing weapons to school, or threatening to do so, in states across the union.
The events reflect the heightened fear and attention of school authorities, but it also reflects the higher incidence of threats coming from students who sense the vulnerability of their most hated adversary (school), and are reacting to this new sensation.
The reactions of state and federal politicians is as ridiculous as it is depressing; more cops, tougher gun laws, more security cameras, and more metal detectors in American schools. None of these things go to the heart of what actually happened in Columbine High School, nor will it likely prevent a depressed, deadly and utterly suicidal youth bent on destruction. Indeed, there have already been school killing cases where young boys laid in wait on the outside of their schools, and slew students as they left. Which of these political "solutions" would have solved this type of problem?
What Littleton, Colorado reflects is something akin to a very real sickness of the soul; a coldness that comes from growing up young, unloved, depressed and in a permanent funk of despair. It is a nastiness that is distinctly American. When I heard that the shooters of Colorado were young boys who felt that they were humiliated by school jocks, I thought of Gilligan's admonition on the impact of humiliation as a cause of violence;
"I have yet to see a serious act of violence that was not provoked by the experience of feeling shamed and humiliated, disrespected and ridiculed, and that did not represent the attempt to prevent or undo this "loss of face"--no matter how severe the punishment, even if it includes death. For we misunderstand these men at our peril, if we do not realize they mean it literally when they say they would rather kill or mutilate others, be killed or mutilate themselves, than live without pride, dignity, or self-respect." [Gilligan J. _Violence_ (1996), p.110]
While Gilligan is here discussing men who are held in maximum security prisons, he could just as easily be describing young men who feel forced to go to society's schools, especially those who regard schools as places of psychological confinement or repression, as opposed to institutions which reflect the idea of freedom.
But what can schools teach in the prisonhouse of nations, except for the way of repression? As French philosopher, Michel Foucault once asked:
"Is it surprising that prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals, which all resemble prisons?" [_Discipline & Punishment_ (1995)]
What is more insane than the President of the United States, and unofficial commander-in-chief of the NATO forces, talking about the danger of TV violence, while soldiers under his command kill hundreds of innocent people, and whitewash officially sanctioned murder under the name of "collateral damage?" What does the danger of video-game style simulated violence mean in the face of curling, acrid smoke rising from the ashes of Waco?
Children, especially bright young men of this generation, see this, and understand this. They are heirs of one of the most violent people on earth, and their spirits burn with the yearning to give voice to their dark urges.
Regrettably, Littleton, although a morbid memorial to all that is fearful of how young America sees its tomorrows, will not be the last.
The late Black nationalist, Malcolm X once warned, when former US President, John F. Kennedy, was slain, that the "chickens have come home to roost."
Littleton, while not the last, will not be the worst.
(c) copyright 1999 by Mumia Abu-Jamal used with permission. http://www.afrikan.net/
"The universe is our greatest teacher." p. 72
"Anything done with limits will not be beneficial for living matter." p. 147
"When you are important to yourself, then you become important to everybody else." p. 207
The good of all people can only come from science and not from politics." p. 56
"We have to reach a new level where no one is above us and no one is below us." p. 209
"There is no natural law that says we depend on one another. There is a natural law that says we communicate with each other." p. 206
We are Communists. We are the most conscious and the most responsible of the masses of people on the planet. We are the stewards of this planet.
We are a living, sharing, and caring community(One-World Family Commune). We are a political party (One-World Family Government). And we are a church (One-World Family Church).
We believe that the universe is alive, that God is the immediate source of this life, that nature is the image (Word) of God, and that love makes everything work for the better. Our work is grounded in scientific communism (historical and dialectical materialism) which is the truth we need to move foreword.
We believe the direction of evolution is towards communist society, away from private ownership and the corrupting influence of money. We are brothers in struggle with communists and their organizations throughout the world.
We believe in majority rule-government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Our immediate goal in the USA is a people's republic under the joint control of all progressive forces in its society.
The proletariat (those who are dispossessed and must sell their labor power to make a living) is privileged to be least affected by the corrupting influence of private ownership. We invite them and others to join us as we march onward toward establishment of communist society on our planet.
jdchafe@hotmail.com
JOSEPH D. CHAFE
PO BOX 3112
ANAHEIM, CA 92803-3112
1.
Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D., Cosmic Consciousness, (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, Inc., first published 1969 by E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.)
2.
The new environmental space here enabling the development of new species is the increased freedom afforded by production.
3.
Same source as Note No. 1 above, p. 384; see also Matthew 5:5.
4.
See the New Living Translation of the bible, © 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, www.tyndale.com. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
5.
See Luke 17:2.
6.
Bucke, see Note 1 above, p. 384.
7.
Isaiah 11:6-9.
8.
Jack Fischel, The Handbook of Complete Logic (© 1993 by Joseph D. Chafe Enterprises, PO Box 3112, Anaheim, CA 92803-3112, jdchafe@hotmail.com.
