The major problems of this World are many and varied. From problems to do with the Environment and Planetary Ecosystem to those to do with Conflicts, Political Organization and Social Injustice. Also from issues relating to the process of Globalization and the coming One World Order, to those deriving from the often incompatible and sometimes contentious doctrines of some of the World's major religions. In isolation these problems may seem at best incredibly difficult and at worst completely intractable. When the inter-locking and mutually reinforcing nature of the problems of this World are taken into account then any solution to any of these main concerns of the present age may seem like an impossible dream. However, when we deeply analyze all the problems of the World and fully understand the causal relationships that exist between them, then we discover a central problem from which all the other problems ultimately derive. Once we identify this critical point and underlying vulnerability, then we can clearly see a way that all the really difficult and major problems of this World do indeed unravel into tractable ones that yield to perfectly feasible solutions. And conversely we also come to realize that without tackling this root cause of the problems of this World, then any proposal at any sort of lasting solution would be futile and doomed to failure.

This section presents the argument that the greatest problems facing the future of humanity, the environment and also the planetary ecosystem have come about, either directly or indirectly, through human activities in the social, economic and political spheres. Furthermore I posit the notion that all human activity ultimately derives from and is shaped by the beliefs and world-views that people in the World hold, i.e. religious views, political views and moral views etc. From this I suggest a good way to change the World and save the planet is to change the way that people behave on a mass scale and that to change behaviour you have to change what people think. To change what people think you have to change what people believe and the only way to change what people believe is to win them over with new and better ideas that are relevant, convincing and compelling.

It is often said that 'The pen is mightier than the sword' (It's also true that the sword often fights on behalf of the pen), and it was the writer Victor Hugo who wrote that 'Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.' Both of these statements testify to the power of the idea. In order to fix the World, fix the ideas of this World.

I believe that all throughout history no ideas have had more powerful and lasting effect on how humans view themselves and on how humans behave than ideas about God and ideas about human destiny. It is these sorts of ideas about the divine and the purpose of human existence that have had the power to bring about revolutionary changes upon entire societies. What we have in the central message promoted on this website i.e. that Everyone is God and the Prophecies are now, is exactly that, a message concerning the nature of God and the destiny of humankind. In this section I will show how it is indeed the case that the time has come for these ideas 'Everyone is God and the Prophecies are now' to fully emerge. And I will discuss in some detail their potential for helping to bring about dramatic and lasting solutions to many of the most urgent and major problems facing the planet and humanity.

But first we'll need to explore the nature of some of the major problems of the World today, examine the relationships that exists between them and highlight some remarkable observations relating to these problems.

In another section of this website I summarize some of the most pressing Problems of the World today and sort them into three separate categories. These categories being firstly problems to do with the Environment and destruction of the planet''s Eco-systems; this would include global warming, the destruction of the rain forests, desertification, water scarcity etc. The second category concerns problems relating to the process of Globalization and the coming One World Order; this would include the potential threat of a coming World tyranny, global terrorism, problems of political and economic integration etc. The third and last category relates to problems arising from the universal decline of Religion and ongoing process of Secularization; which include the rise of religious fundamentalism, spiritual decline and the malaise of the post-modern condition. As a short hand we may label these categories as '1. The Planet and Humanity Peril', '2. Problems of the Coming One World Order' and '3. Problems relating to Beliefs and the Universal Decline in World Religion', respectively.

Something remarkable and interesting about the major problems of the World today is that have an uncanny correspondence with some descriptions about the World made in the Prophecies contained in just about all of the World's main religions. Another section of the website called 'The Prophecies are Now', puts forward the argument that we are currently living in a time like no other. Also that the issues which defiine the present age and the things which make the World we live in today so unique, special and unprecedented; are exactly the general conditions of the World described in some of prophecies contained in most of the major religions of the World. So these general conditions which the prophecies all seem to describe, also seem to closely correspond with the major problems of World today as described above and all of which are totally unprecedent either in extent or in form. So the problems of the World today are also the unprecedented conditions of the World today and these conditions correspond to those described in the Prophecies of World Religion.

To highlight just how special and unique the conditions of World in which we live today are, we could describe for instance the following. For starters, never before in recorded history has the Environment and the Eco-systems of the planet, upon which life on Earth as we know it depend, been so disrupted or threatened to the extent that they are today. And never before has the entire human race, scattered around the globe, been so integrated and so mutually co-dependent that it has become in recent times. This rapid and inexorable process of globalization is driven by trade and cultural exchange; enabled by modern communications and logistical technology and then further cemented by the process of economic and political union. Also as another example, never before have the religions of this world faced the unpredented onslaught of scientific rationalism, the rise of modernity and the technological age. which between them has forced a re-examining of traditionally held beliefs, encouraged the falling away into atheism and the continuing retreat into religious fundamentalism. So indeed we are living in special, unique and unprecedented times. And for those who choose to take seriously the idea of prophecy in the World's religions, this would give another perspective on the problems of the World today. However, this unscientific viewpoint isn't a neccesity for understanding and appreciating the ideas that follow.

The inter-relatedness of the problems of the World

If we think about the problems of the World together in relation to each other then we can see a web of causal relationships and inter-dependencies that exist between them. Some obvious ones would be how ecological destruction is accelerated by population growth and the way that global warming exacerbates the problem of water scarcity in some areas which then puts pressure on agricultural output and food availibility. Also some of the dogmas and doctrines of various World religions can have some adverse effects such as the banning of the use of contraceptives by the Catholic church which can hamper any efforts at controlling population growth and in the case of condom use help the spread of the AIDS virus. A less obvious example of how the problems of the world affect one another would be for instance; how attempts to combat Global Warming by promoting the use of renewable bio-fuels, because of demands this makes on arable land, in turn affects food production, leading to the price increases on basic food commodities that we're now witnessing, which then leads to social unrest etc.

If we now look at the big picture and examine the problems of the World as a whole and think about them in terms of the three broad problem categories described earlier, which we labelled as 1:The Planet and Humanity in Peril, 2:Problems of the Coming One World Order and 3:Problems relating to Beliefs and the Universal Decline in World Religion; then we can identify a definite pattern of causation and see how each of the major problem categories are dependent upon and arise from a more basic underlying problem category, in a chain of cause and effect. We'll be discussing how attempts to tackle the problems of this World are futile, unless we also tackle the root problems from which they derive. Furthermore taking this line of thinking to its conclusion, we'll show how we can then identify a new fundamental underlying problem category from which all the other problem categories have their source and which has a reinforcing and sustaining on them all.

We'll now show how the overall major problem categories of this World can be ordered to show how they derive from one another and then we'll be describing a new root problem category from which all the other problem categories emerge.

How each major problem category of the World is dependent on an underlying problem category

We'll examine the problem categories in more detail, define their scope and describe the sorts of problems they would include and also in turn associate each problem category with a more fundamental one from which it derives.

The Planet and Humanity in Peril

The first problem category we labelled 'The Planet and Humanity in Peril' is fairly self explanatory and would include, as already mentioned, climate change and the ongoing destruction or contamination of the planet's eco-systems. I also include in this category things like over-population, famine, nuclear-proliferation, destruction of arable land through the process of desertification or over farming and water scarcity. This category in the broader sense reflects all those things which have the potential to and do cause human hardship, suffering and loss of life. It is a really a problem category that contains all the obvioius and clearly visible dangers that human kind faces. They are threats with direct and immediate consequences that are manifested as disaster, calamity and death on a large scale.

Problems of the Coming World Order

The second problem category we labelled 'Problems of the Coming One World Order', really concerns all the problems of this World relating to issues of Political, Economic and Social organization and behaviour. This problem category would include problems arising from social divisions, either racial, religious or national etc. but also economic issues to with trade disputes, labour exploitation and Wealth or income disparity. Then are general problems relatiing to tyranny, oppression, social injustice and inequality. It is the case that the coming One World Order or Global Village can be accurately described as a social, economic and political entity; naturally therefore It would seem sensible to group these social, economic and social l problems of the World under a category called 'The problems of the coming One World Order' .

This second problem category differs from the first because it describe things which are less concrete or obvious. For instance it is easier to grasp the meaning of famine, nuclear war or global warming because their adverse effects are easy to imagine; whereas it is somewhat harder to visualize the problematic aspects of social, economic or political behaviour in the same transparent manner. However that does not make this second problem category less important because I would argue the first problem category we called 'The Planet and Humanity in Peril', directly derives from the second. That is, the planet's environment and eco-systems which support human life and just about all the other problems which threaten humankind with partial decimation or even extinction; are a direct consequence of humanity's social, economic and political behaviour.

Certainly not all the problems in the social, economic or political sphere have a direct bearing on problems in the first category, i.e. Trade disputes and Social Iniquity might not have any sort of effect on the state of the planet and the continuation of human life as we know it today. Also at the same time there are things which may affect the planet adversely and/or threaten humanity which have nothing to do with anything relating to human activity, i.e. contributions to global warming made by solar activity or the calamitous dangers of a potential large meteor strike or perhaps some massive volcanic eruption.

But all the same, clearly the most pressing and immediate dangers which threaten humanity together with the eco-systems and environment of this planet, do directly derive from human activity resulting from the social, economic and polical decisions that we make and the things we do based on these decisions. For example, it is widely accepted now that indeed global warming is largely a man made phenomenon and clearly the planet's eco-systems are mainly being destroyed directly through human economic activity i.e. the destruction of the rain forests and other natural habitats. Also famine is totally avoidable with sufficient political will, economic development and sensible population control initiatives; or else is a direct consequence of other man made conditions i.e. war and/or global warming.

If we accept that the problem category we've called 'The planet and humanity in Peril' derives from the second category i.e. problems in the human economic, political and social sphere, which we've grouped together in the category 'Problems of the coming One World Order; then it is easy to see that any serious attempt to solve any of the problems in the first category are severely hampered and face an uphill struggle unless we can address the problems in the second category. On a personal and community level may attempt to save varioius natural habitats in this part of the World or the other, and we may do our very best to live our lives in an as sustainable, ecologically and environmentally sound manner as possible; but if there is no corresponding change in the wider social, economic and political sphere then our efforts may be completely nullified, offset or undone by the larger forces at work in this World.

Conversely if we can solve some of the problems in problem category relating to social, economic and political issues, then attempts to save the planet and safe guard the future of humanity may be made much easier. For example if we can reconcile some of the social, racial and national divisions of this World then firstly this will open up the way for more cooperation and joint efforts in 'saving the planet'. Secondly it could also mean that money and human resources could then be diverted away from military allocation and instead put to the service of more peaceful, life and planet preserving ends. Another example would be if we could change our economic and political systems to take more account of the environment then this too could have far reaching and lasting beneficial consequences for the planet. One idea making the rounds is the implementation of a system whereby there is a proper costing of the environmentally detrimental effects of economic activity. This cost would then be collected and paid back through the creation of an environmental sur-charge and the channelling of the revenues generated from it to funding protective measures that may offset any negative environmental effects. Or else the environment may be taken into account political through the formulation of relevant legislation and importantly its enforcement. However this may involve challenging the interests of politically powerful large corporations that will often put profit considerations over those relating to environmental protection. And it may also involve, in some cases and in some countries, tackling the problem of beaureaucratic corruption, to ensure that environmental legislation is adhered to. Big and difficult problems indeed. So how can we hope to tackle the deficiencies in our systems of social, economic and political organization? The answer lies in recognizing that the problems in our social, economic and political behaviour derive from the problems contained in our third problem category, that we called 'Problems relating to Belief and the Universal Decline of World Religion'.

Problems relating to Personal Belief and the Universal Decline of World Religion

In this sub-section I'm going to show how certain world views and also particular religioius beliefs or the lack of religious belief; have given rise to Problems that have accompanied the rise of Scientific Rationalism and the universal decline in World Religion. Examples would be the Malaise of the Post-modern condition, the rise of Religious Fundamentalism as well as the undermining of spiritual values. Also I would include the rise of a multitude of problematic doctrines and ideas which have filled the void vacated by religious beliefs of old and the abandonment of traditional world views. Examples here would be the doctrine of Selfish Genes accompanied by a narrow interpretation of the process of evolution, and also the Atheist Materialistic outlook accompanied by the idea of a purposeless 'accidental' Universe devoid of any ultimate meaning. These problems are grouped together in our third problem category which we've labelled 'Problems relating to Personal Belief and the Universal Decline of World Religion'.

I'll also show how these problems to do with certain personal beliefs and also religious outlook or lack of, have a direct bearing on the problems in our second category relating to global social, economic and political issues. Of course, personal beliefs profoundly shape human activity in all social, economic and political spheres and therefore without addressing and influencing what people believe; the task of trying to solve the problems in our first problem category, 'The planet and humanity in peril', through changing social, economic and political behaviour, is made much more difficult. While not all personal beliefs, religious or otherwise have a direct bearing on social, economic and political matters and also not all problems in that second problem category arise directly or even indirectly from what people believe or don't. At the same time we can demonstate that some of the issues in our third problem category to do with personal beliefs and the universal decline in World religion, certainly do have a direct effect, either casual or facilitory, on some of the biggest social, economic and political problems of the age. This is what we shall now be discussing.

There are some obvious examples of problems in the third problem category that have direct and immediate effects on issues in the second problem category. For example the rise of Religious Fundamentalism and some of the less tolerant and divisive doctrines of World Religion, seriously hamper the interests of peaceful co-existence. They can and too often are the direct cause of much conflict and strife in this World. Also the retrogressive adherence to archaic doctrines, followed to the letter rather than in spirit, so characteristic of Religious Fundamentalism and also religion in general, can negatively influence human activity in the social sphere, for instance in suppressing the rights of women, thwarting attempts at birth control, burdening whole populations with unnecessary ritual and the limiting of personal freedom in general.

Another obvious effect of the decline in World religion would be problems to do with people's sense of personal well being. There does seem to be a God shaped hole in a lot of people and that if this is not adequate plugged, then a state of malaise and distress may emerge that can even affect a person's mental health. This is discussed more in the section where I summarize The Problems of the World today. It has estimated by the WHO(World Health Authority) that at any one time, around 1.2 billion people have some sort of diagnosable psychiatric condition that is usually stress related. If we consider the fact that study after study has demonstrated the power of religion in helping people to cope with stress, recover from depression and also in preventing people from becoming clinically depressed in the first place; then the decline in religion in recent times may be a contributary factor to the prevalence of mental illness. So here is another obvious example of how what people believe can affect social issues i.e. mental health.

Next we'll consider the 'Selfish Genes' idea and some of the corollary ideas that go along with it. It can easily show how it will almost inevitably lead to a lot of adverse effects on behaviour in the social, economic and political sphere. There is the real danger that the widespread adoption of the idea of selfish genes as a belief about the real nature of things, will encourage and justify selfish behaviour. Now, the doctrine of selfish genes is merely a facet of the broader theory of evolution which is itself incomplete, which completely ignores the complementary role played by the process of cooperation and symbiosis. When the selfish genes idea is mistaken to be all there is to the process of Evolution and some sort of immutable truth about life then some unhealthy ideas can emerge as a natural consequence. For instance, in the field of evolutionary psychology, which tends to adhere to the selfish genes point of view, altruism has been explained as merely existing to serve the function of helping one's own genes to survive. So the idea goes, when we feel anl inclination to help somebody then this is because that other person would in a lot of circumstances, possess many of the same genes that we do and when we're helping that person we're also promoting our some of our own genes. So therefore altruism makes more sense if we help those who are more genetically similar to ourselves over those people who are less so. i.e. if we believe this then we should of course favour ourselves first, then members of our immediate family, then our clan and then our race in that order. Of course this is the perfect scientific rationale for selfishness, nepotism and corruption. It is informative to note that Nazis were influenced by ideas about eugenics or 'racial hygiene' which derived directly from a narrow materialistic interpretion of Evolution and Darwinism. Unless this viewpoint is balanced by evolutionary perspectives that emphasize co-operation and mutual co-dependency, then this one sided way of looking at things will most certainly lead to more greed, selfishness and corruption in the social, economic as well as political realms.

Some of the effects that the problems to do with Belief and the Universal Decline of World religion have had are less obvious. As traditional religious institutions have lost their power, while in some ways this has been a good thing, at the same time the foundation for morality and personal conduct based on spiritual values, has been eroded. And this can still be the case when religion has taken a fundamentalist turn, where spiritual virtues are replaced by strictly imposed and robotically adhered to religious codes of behaviour or when religion exists only as glorified social club with emphasis mainly on the outward visible aspects of observance. In this context and these circumstances certain virtues promoted by religion traditionally such as selflessness, tolerance, humility and a less materialistic outlook in life have most probably declined as the process of secularization has progressed. In the social sphere this has impacted in the way people behave toward one another and in the economic sphere acquisitiveness and unchecked greed would be the natural result of this fall in spiritual values. Also in the political sphere, a politician may deliberate cultivate the image of someone who is spiritual or religious, while all the while acting and implemented policies that are devoid of any real spiritual sense.

In many ways the relative fall of religion has been a good thing, in that often corrupt institutions and superstitious beliefs have lost their hold over people but at the same time some that is good and noble about religion has become lost in the process. If this case for the noble, the virtuous and a foundation for morality can somehow be reinstated then the social, economic and political dividends would be immense. Without it then things social, economically and politically can only degenerate further as the years go by. Also in counter action against the doctrine of self genes which we discuss above, if we can replace this with a view of things which places emphasis on cooperation and selflessness then the corrosive and negative effects of this narrow and limited interpretation of Evolution, upon the social, economic and political spheres, may be averted.

So in looking for a lasting and comprehensive solution to the major problems of this World the question now becomes, How do we alter people's beliefs and world views, in order to change their behaviour socially, economically and politically with the aim of saving the planet, bringing about World peace and also creating a just and harmonious One World Order? The answer lies, as suggested in the introduction, in the power of ideas. And in attempting to answer this question we will now introduce a fourth and core problem category, which we'll call, 'Problems in the Realm of Ideas.'. We'll show that all the problems of this World ultimately derive from problems in the realm of ideas and how it is that certain solutions to some of the timeless problems existing in this category, are the key to solving the problems of this World. So what is the 'Realm of Ideas'? what the problems that exist within it? and what are the solutions in this problem category, that will have such an impact on the World and human affairs?

The Realm of Ideas

The realm of ideas can be understood as the sum total of all the thoughts, theories, ideologies and insights that humankind has ever put to writing or held in mind even if for an instance. It is the domain particularly of assorted thinkers, philosophers, scientists, theologians but it also includes anybody and everybody who has ever held an idea in mind, which means practically anybody who has ever lived, is alive today and will be alive in the future.

This realm of ideas is something that exists in peoples minds but is also supported by physical artifacts and structures. Examples would be the physical apparatus for the transmission of ideas, i.e. books and printing presses, radios and radio stations, TVs and television studios and the entire Internet. We also need to include the means for the long term storage and the providing of a persistent substrate for ideas. For instance books and magazines would be in this category as well as being a means of transmission. But also we could include things such as Computer Data Drives, CDs, DVDs, personal notes, diaries and also purpose built archive centres.

The realm of ideas isn't a static thing but is a dynamic evolving process which new ideas constantly being generated. Sometimes these new ideas emerge spontaneously, but more often than not they are transmitted from person to person, face to face or else through various media i.e. books, TV, films, magazines, internet and radio etc. Once these ideas emerge or are recieved they sometimes transform or mutate for a variety of reasons. Sometimes this is due the some of transmission error. Sometimes we mis-understand things and our mistaken interpretations yet turn out to be interesting or useful and take on a life of their own. Other times ideas may spontaneously alter in a heads to likewise produce new forms that grab our attention and are remembered. Also separate ideas may combine in interesting justapositions for form composite ideas that have in the same way, new and interesting properties. Also these composites may go on to combine with other ideas and so on, changing and being altered along the way. Anyway of describing this process is to say that ideas evolve. A term that can be substituted for 'Idea' would be 'Meme' which seems to be quite popular these days. So this discussion about the 'Realm of Ideas' is equally one about the 'Realm of Memes'.

In much the same way that in the process of genetic evolution, species compete and survive or not so it is in the realm of ideas. While animal species compete for survival and dominance in specific ecological niches, ideas compete with each in order to gain acceptance in the minds and hearts of people.

Now, there are different sorts of ideas. Some of are mundane and everyday, for examples ideas about what to wear, what to eat or what to buy. And more generally there are ideas about how and where to do this or that, anything comprising the necessary activities of basic existence. Other ideas are more abstract. This would include ideas in science, mathematics or philosophy for instance but also literary, musical and other artistic ideas. There are also ideas which physically shape the World around us, in this category would be technological, engineering and architectural ideas and ideas relating to the manufacture of commercial products and the creation of other utilitous or aesthetically pleasing man made structures. Then there are ideas about social, economic and political organization; and also those concerning legal matters and regulation of human behaviour. Finally there are ideas about the purpose of life, who we are and why we are here and then ultimately there are ideas about God.

The Problems in the Realm of Ideas

We have just discussed the nature of the Realm of Ideas, talking a little about how ideas evolve, what form they take and then we described in a few broad categories, some of the kind of ideas that shape our lives and the World around us. An important point which needs to be made right here is the recognition that not all ideas are equally useful or appropriate and some ideas are better than others. We mentioned a little earlier how ideas compete and it is through this process that ideas are selected by human beings as being more true or more beneficient than others. Whether we're talking about artistic, scientific, commercial, lifestyle or political ideas, there's always a process of competition between a selection of different ideas. If the more optimal ideas are chosen and accepted as right or true then there is a dividend which ultimately translates into a feeling of goodness or some sort of satisfaction. When the less optimal ideas are chosen then the goodness or satisfaction factor that results is somewhat less then could be. The problems in the Realm of Ideas relate to situations when the less optimal idea has become dominant and as a consequence a less satisfactory result emerges. But also problems in the Realm of Ideas involve situations where there is a lack of any idea relevent to the problem or question at hand.

******** Unfinished article, last updated 3-7-08 ********

selfish genes/ Materialism/ Atheism/ meaningless&purposeless

Fall of spiritual values - charity, generosity, Golden rule, selflessness, working toward to common good

How to fix, revive, reconcile religions/ counter religious fundamentalism/ give foundation for morality and humanistic values/ counter Selfish Genes, Materialism/ Give meaning and purpose back to life/ give people a way to connect to the transcendent. Launch spiritual revival.

Mazeway resynthesis

Problems in the realm of ideas - always been there but now a critical juncture has been reached

a point of time, esp. one made critical or important by a concurrence of circumstances.

state of science, mathematics, philosophy, religion

Everyone is God - esoteric heart of religion

The battle in the realm of ideas -> the battle for people's hearts and minds

Take the truth into the realm of politics, economics, society and religion

Antinomian nature of religion, facing the forces which will inevitably oppose the truth

Going back to the notion of the power of the idea at the end