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1. In the introduction of his book The Language of God (2006) Francis Collins wrote:
“For me the experience of sequencing the human genome, and uncovering this most remarkable of all texts, was both a stunning scientific achievement and an occasion of worship.
Many will be puzzled by these sentiments, assuming that a rigorous scientist could not also be a serious believer in a transcendent God. This book aims to dispel that notion, by arguing that belief in God can be an entirely rational choice, and that the principles of faith are, in fact, complementary with the principles of science.” (Francis S. Collins, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, New York, Free Press, 2006).
2. “Science’s domain is to explore nature. God’s domain is in the spiritual world, a realm not possible to explore with the tools and language of science. It must be examined with the heart, the mind, and the soul – and the mind must find a way to embrace both realms.” (Collins 2006).
3. “I have no reason to see a discordance between what I know as a scientist who spends all day studying the genome of humans and what I believe as somebody who pays a lot of attention to what the Bible has taught me about God and about Jesus Christ. Those are entirely compatible views. Science is the way – a powerful way, indeed – to study the natural world. Science is not particularly effective – in fact, it’s rather ineffective – in making commentary about the supernatural world. Both worlds, for me, are quite real and quite important. They are investigated in different ways. They coexist. They illuminate each other.” (Collins 2000).
4. To the question, “Are you a mainline Protestant? An Evangelical Protestant? What are you?” Dr. Collins replied:
“I guess I’d call myself a serious Christian. That is someone who believes in the reality of Christ's death and resurrection, and who tries to integrate that into daily life and not just relegate it to something you talk about on Sunday morning.” (Collins 2000).
5. “Science is the only reliable way to understand the natural world, and its tools when properly utilized can generate profound insights into material existence. But science is powerless to answer questions such as ‘Why did the universe come into being?’, ‘What is the meaning of human existence?’, ‘What happens after we die?’. One of the strongest motivations of humankind is to seek answers to profound questions, and we need to bring all the power of both the scientific and spiritual perspectives to bear on understanding what is both seen and unseen.” (Collins 2006).
SIR ISAAC NEWTON (1642-1727), founder of Classical Physics and Infinitesimal Calculus
1. At the end of his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (London, 1687) Newton wrote:
“This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being. This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all; and on account of His dominion He is wont to be called Lord God.” (Newton 1687, Principia).
2. “From His true dominion it follows that the true God is a living, intelligent and powerful Being; and from His other perfections, that He is supreme, or most perfect. He is eternal and infinite, omnipotent and omniscient; that is, His duration reaches from eternity to eternity; His presence from infinity to infinity; He governs all things, and knows all things that are or can be done.” (Newton 1687, Principia; see also Caputo 2000, 88).
3. “God made and governs the world invisibly, and has commanded us to love and worship him, and no other God; to honor our parents and masters, and love our neighbours as ourselves; and to be temperate, just, and peaceable, and to be merciful even to brute beasts. And by the same power by which he gave life at first to every species of animals, he is able to revive the dead, and has revived Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who has gone into the heavens to receive a kingdom, and prepare a place for us, and is next in dignity to God, and may be worshipped as the Lamb of God, and has sent the Holy Ghost to comfort us in his absence, and will at length return and reign over us.” (Newton, as cited in Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by Sir David Brewster, Edinburgh, Thomas Constable and Co., 1855, Vol. II, 354).
4. “Opposite to godliness is atheism in profession, and idolatry in practice. Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind, that it never had many professors.
Can it be by accident that all birds, beasts, and men have their right side and left side alike shaped, (except in their bowels); and just two eyes, and no more, on either side of the face; and just two ears on either side of the head; and a nose with two holes; and either two forelegs, or two wings, or two arms on the shoulders, and two legs on the hips, and no more? Whence arises this uniformity in all their outward shapes but from the counsel and contrivance of an Author?
Whence is it that the eyes of all sorts of living creatures are transparent to the very bottom, and the only transparent members in the body, having on the outside a hard transparent skin, and within transparent humours, with a crystalline lens in the middle, and a pupil before the lens, all of them so finely shaped and fitted for vision, that no artist can mend them? Did blind chance know that there was light, and what was its refraction, and fit the eyes of all creatures, after the most curious manner, to make use of it? These, and suchlike considerations, always have, and ever will prevail with mankind, to believe that there is a Being who made all things, and has all things in his power, and who is therefore to be feared. We are, therefore, to acknowledge one God, infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, the Creator of all things, most wise, most just, most good, most holy. We must love him, fear him, honour him, trust in him, pray to him, give him thanks, praise him, hallow his name, obey his commandments.” (Newton, as cited in Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton by Sir David Brewster, Edinburgh, Thomas Constable and Co., 1855, Vol. II, 347-348).
5. “And when you are convinced, be not ashamed to profess the truth. For otherwise you may become a stumbling block to others, and inherit the lot of those Rulers of the Jews who believed in Christ, but yet were afraid to confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue. Wherefore, when you are convinced, be not ashamed of the truth, but profess it openly and endeavor to convince your Brother also that you may inherit at the resurrection the promise made in Daniel 12:3, that ‘they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever.’
And rejoice if you are counted worthy to suffer in your reputation or any other way for the sake of the Gospel, for then, ‘great is thy reward’!” (Newton, as cited in The Religion of Sir Isaac Newton, Frank E. Manuel – editor, London, Oxford University Press, 1974, 112). 6. “The supreme God exists necessarily, and by the same necessity He exists always and everywhere.” (Newton 1687, Principia; see also Caputo 2000, 88).
7. “Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.” (Newton, as cited in Tiner 1975).
8. “I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.” (Newton, as cited in Tiner 1975).
9. “I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever.” (Newton, as cited in Morris 1982, 26).
A Call for New Chinese Enlightenment
(July 4th Movement)
Benevolence, Civic Duty, Equality, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness under Scientific GOD (First published in Sciurch of Scientific GOD Volume 1 Issue 5)
Released: December 21, 2011 Author: Xin Mao (新毛) You can support/sign this Proposed Declaration by registering, logging-in and writing in the Comment Section of this Essay the date, your full name & place of signing which will be collected, compiled and listed/published.In the spirit of ancient Chinese wisdom and the collective spirits of Chinese sages and pioneers, Laozi, Kong Fuzi, Sun Zhongshan, Mao Zedong & Deng Xiaoping among others, we call all Chinese worldwide to rise up in the pursuit of the Chinese Dream of the 21st Century – benevolence, civic duty, equality, liberty and pursuit of happiness under Scientific GOD. We note here that some aspects of these sacred pursuits might been hindered by our particular history, modern atheism and materialism. Thus, a new enlightenement of all Chinese is the key to accomplish these sacred pursuits and transform Chinese societies. By enlightening and transcending ourselves, we shall transform atheism and materialism to scientific spirituality, curruption to righteousness, injustice to justice, inequality to equality and restriction to liberty. GOD Bless Chinese People! May we all finally arrive at the “Gate of Heavenly Peace and Justice” and start building GOD’s Paradise on Earth. So, let July 4th Movement begin!
Key Words: Chinese Dream, 21st Century, benevolence, civic duty, equality, liberty, pursuit of happiness, enlightenment, July 4th Movement, Mandate of Heaven, Gate of Heavenly Peace, Scientific GOD.Only powerful people have liberty. Sung ZhongshanKnowledge is a matter of science and no dishonesty or conceit
whatsoever is permissible. What is required is definitely the reverse
- honesty and modesty. Mao ZedongDemocracy is our goal, but the country must remain stable. Deng XiaopingPreamble
Over four thousand years ago, our ancestors brought forth on Asia, the Middle Kingdom structured as dynasties and guided by the oracle, Yi Jing, under the Mandate of Heaven. Four thousand years later in 1912, the last dynasty fell and the Chinese Republic was born after the Xinhai Revolution. By the Grace of Heaven (GOD), we now constitute almost one-fourth of the world population and Chinese Societies are rising and advancing in all aspects of material life and on the World Stage.
We hold today that all Chinese are not only obligated to uphold our traditional values of benevolence and civic duty but also entitled to the rights of equality, liberty and pursuit of happiness under Scientific GOD. These rights and duties and their extensions shall be applicable in all aspects of our lives - spiritually, physically, financially, environmentally, scientifically and politically - that to secure, advance and perform these rights and duties and thus perfect Chinese Societies, our Constitutions may be amended time to time, if necessary, and successive governmental, social and corporate structures and institutions shall be established, deriving their just political, social and economical powers and duties from the consent of the people - that whenever any structure or institution becomes inadequate of these ends, it is our duties to modernized it or to abolish it, and to establish new ones, laying the foundation on such principles and organizing the structures in such forms, as to us shall seem most likely to reflect our understanding and knowledge of Scientific GOD and Its Mandate.
The Critical Coming MomentAs societies, we have achieved over the last thirty years unprecedented material wealth, technological advances, military strength and worldwide economical power. But we shall be facing great challenges both within our societies and without, testing whether we shall be able to self-govern with equality and liberty, whether our public and private institutions can be transformed and work in harmony for the benefit of all Chinese and whether we can be among great Nations on Earth playing important roles in world affairs and world peace.
As a people, we shall be engaged in a great struggle, testing whether we can uphold our traditional values and whether our rights of the 21st Century can be realized, protected, sustained and advanced. Many among us shall also be engaged in a silent struggle in our hearts testing whether our yearning for GOD, benevolence and righteousness can conquer our own shortcomings – materialism, hypocrisy, corruption, or excessive capitalism and commercialism.
So, before this critical coming moment, it is appropriate that we Chinese from all walks of life around the world – the religious and the non-religious, the rich and the poor, the executives and the workers, the intellectuals and the laymen – and indeed all who loves Chinese - reflect on the status of our societies and our own belief, morality and conducts as individuals with the great hope of advancing the Chinese Dream of the 21st Century and ushering Chinese and the mankind at large through the “Gate of Heavenly Peace and Justice” and build a new era of unprecedented progress & prosperity under Scientific GOD.
Reflection on Our History & HeritageIt was said that before the advent of our Middle Kingdom, our ancestors lived peacefully with each other and harmoniously with Nature as tribes and clans. Then various dynasties and warring states were born, rose and declined under the Mandate of Heaven – Xia, Shang, Zhou, Warring States, Qing, Han, Three Kingdoms, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming & Qing - creating our long and rich history and cultural heritage.
During the late Qing, our people were under the feudal rule of a corrupted government and the semi-colonial rules of foreign invading forces. Oppressed and exploited, our people rebelled through numerous uprisings. The Xinhai Revolution under the leadership of Song Zhongshan and his generals gave birth to our Republic in 1912 ending over two thousand years of feudal rules.
However, civil wars and Japanese invasion were soon to follow. Again, as a people we fought in the invaders under the leadership of Mao Zedong and his generals and that of Jiang Jieshi and his generals but we also fought among ourselves until 1949 when Communists defeated Nationalists.
Over the last sixty years since the Korea War our societies have lived in peace except occasions of domestic movements and several small border conflicts. Over the last thirty years, the economic reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping and maintained by Communist Government have ushered in the great industrial, technological, economical and financial progress on the Mainland which brought us and rest of the World unprecedented materials goods and thrust our societies to the world stage as a major player.
In short, over the last two hundred years from late Qing Dynasty to the present, we, both as societies and as a people, have endured and suffered so much corruption and humiliation, so many foreign invasions and so many domestic upheavals, yet not only we have survived but thrived. So, each of us should ponder whether this has been the Mandate of Heaven and what should be our roles and destiny in the 21st Century?
The Aftermath of Atheism and MaterialismNo doubt that it has been the economic reforms initiated by Deng, the creativity, productivity and entrepreneurship of our people and the learning and applications of modern sciences and technologies fueled by capitalism of our own style that brought our societies unprecedented material wealth, prosperity and a world-influencing financial system.
However, after all these revolutions and reforms in our recent history, the modern Chinese are not spiritually enlightened or free. After all the revolutions and reforms, the spiritual lives of many among us are sadly crippled by the manacles of atheism and the prisons of materialism. After all the revolutions and reforms, we live on a lonely island of empty spirituality in the midst of a vast ocean of material progress. After all the revolutions and reforms, many among us are confined in the corners of stale faith and find themselves spiritually in exiles on their own land. Indeed, after all the revolutions and reforms, the moralities of many among us are degenerating and some among us become deeply corrupt and are solely driven by money, power and fame.
Further, after the economical reforms, the private material wealth is now concentrated in the hands of so a few wealthy individuals and corrupted government officials. The very wealth has created a deep gulf between the rich and the poor. On the other hand, many Chinese are unable to cope with or adapt to the new environments.
Ancient Chinese WisdomOn a question related to this essay, Yi Jing (I Ching) says:
Hexamgram 18 第 十八 卦: 蠱：元亨，利涉大川。先甲三日，後甲三日。
Kû indicates great progress and success (to him who deals properly with the condition represented by it). There will be advantage in (efforts like that of) crossing the great stream. (He should weigh well, however, the events of) three days before the turning point, and those (to be done) three days after it.
老子: 執大象，天下往。往而不害，安平太。樂與餌，過客止。大道廢，有仁義﹔智 慧出，有大偽…。
Laozi said: To him who holds in his hands the Great Image (of the invisible Tao), the whole world repairs. Men resort to him, and receive no hurt, but (find) rest, peace, and the feeling of ease. When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came, wisdom and shrewdness appeared, and there also appeared great hypocrisy.
老子: 天長地久。天地所以能長且久者，以其不自生，故能長久。是以聖人後其身
而身先，外其身而身存。非以其無私邪？故能成其私。
Laozi said: Heaven is long-enduring and earth continues long. The reason why heaven and earth are able to endure and continue thus long is because they do not live of, or for, themselves. This is how they are able to continue and endure. Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him, and yet that person is preserved. Is it not because he has no personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realized?
子曰：「克己復禮，為仁。一日克己復禮，天下歸仁焉。…」「恭、寬、信、敏、惠。恭則不侮，寬則得眾，信則人任焉，敏則有功，惠則足以使人。」
Confucius said: Love is to conquer self and turn to courtesy. If we could conquer self and turn to courtesy for one day, all below heaven would turn to love. [Love is] modesty and bounty, truth, earnestness and kindness. Modesty escapes insult; bounty wins the many; truth gains men's trust; earnestness brings success; and kindness is enough to make men work.
子曰：「學而時習之，不亦說乎？有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？..」「弟子入則孝，出則弟，謹而信，汎愛眾，而親仁。行有餘力，則以學文。」
Confucius said: To learn and then do, is not that a pleasure? When friends come from afar do we not rejoice? The young should be dutiful at home, modest abroad, careful and true, overflowing in kindness for all, but in brotherhood with love. And if they have strength to spare they should spend it on the arts.
子曰：「天何言哉！四時行焉，百物生焉，天何言哉？」「不怨天，不尤人， 下學而上達。知我者，其天乎！」
Confucius said, What are the words of Heaven? The four seasons pass, the hundred things bear life. What are the words of Heaven? Never murmuring against Heaven, nor finding fault with men; learning from the lowest, cleaving the heights. I am known but to one, but to Heaven.
Scientific GOD RevealedOh GOD, you seem invisible to naked eyes, untouchable by hands, yet you are mathemati-cally omnipresent, omniscient:
“e” is your body, ether, the foundation of existence;
“i” is imagination, a faculty of your mind, the source of creativity;
“0” is initial state of your mind; emptiness, nothingness;
“1=e^(i0)” is your primal state, oneness, unity of existence;
Oh GOD, you seem silent in voice, absent in physical action, yet you are mathematically omnipotent, omni-active:
“+, -, *, /, =” are your operations of existence;
“c, ħ, π” are your measuring units of existence;
“matrix” is your container for governing rules, external/internal world;
Thus, You make the identity revealed to Euler to hold as follows:
(see http://scigod.com/index.php/sgj/article/view/82)
You make primordial distinction to occur as follows:
1=e^(i0)=e^(i0)e^(i0)=e^(iL-iL)e^(iM-iM)=e^(iL)e^(iM)e^(-iL)e^(-iM)=[e^(-iL)e^(-iM)]/[e^(-iL)e^(-iM)]=[e^(iL)e^(iM)]/[e^(iL)e^(iM)…
You create energy-momentum-mass relationship revealed to Einstein as follows:
(see http://scigod.com/index.php/sgj/article/view/82)
You create, sustain & make evolving an elementary particle as follows:
(see http://scigod.com/index.php/sgj/article/view/82)
As an example of your mighty power, you create, sustain & make evolving of an electron revealed to Dirac as follows:
(see http://scigod.com/index.php/sgj/article/view/82)
Let New Chinese Enlightenment BeginIt may be said that our pursuit of Chinese Dream of the 21st Century is hindered by the state of our own consciousness partly due to our particular history, modern atheism and materialism. Thus, a New Enlightenement of all Chinese is the key to accomplish these sacred pursuits and transform Chinese societies. By enlightening and transcending ourselves, we shall transform atheism and materialism to scientific spirituality, curruption to righteousness, injustice to justice, inequality to equality and restriction to liberty.
So, let New Enlightenment begin in each of us from the intellectuals to the laymen! Let New Enlightenment begin in our educational institutes! Let New Enlightenment begin in our financial systems! Let New Enlightenment begin in our corporate systems! Let New Enlightenment begin in our local, provincial and national governments!
When this happens, when we allow New Enlightenment to begin, when we let it to ring from every individual, every institution, every business and every governmental unit, we will be able to speed up that day when Chinese Dream of the 21st Century shall be realized under the Mandate of Heaven (GOD).
Our Sacred PledgesIn a sense, it is high time that each Chinese makes a pledge to our fellow Chinese – A pledge that each of us shall enlighten ourselves and shall work and struggle together with fellow Chinese for equality, liberty and pursuit of happiness in the 21st Century under Scientific GOD.
Each Chinese shall further promises to do his/her best to contribute to Chinese Society. The rich may pay more taxes, if necessary, and shall pledge more of their wealth to help and assist the less fortunate. The less fortunate shall work hard to realize their Chinese Dream.
Each Chinese corporation shall promise to be a moral corporation to Chinese Society. The executives shall strive for common good instead of excessive profit at the costs of the workers and the society and the workers shall strive to contribute their best productivity to the corporation.
Each Chinese educational institution shall promise to be the best Chinese Dream making institution. The administrators and teachers shall strive for producing the best students instead of collecting excessive tuitions and the students shall strive be the best students and future Chinese Dream makers.
Our national and local government promises to all Chinese that they will work in harmony for the prosperity and common good of all Chinese and the advancement of Chinese Societies, not the interests of a few or self-interests. The executives, representatives and judges shall strive to carry out the businesses in their best abilities and the supporting staff shall strive to provide the supporting services to their best abilities.
It may be said that today some among us in Chinese Societies would have defaulted on these Sacred Pledges if made earlier. Instead of honoring these obligations, some among us would have given our fellow Chinese bad checks, checks which would have come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the banks of the Chinese Socieities would be bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there would be insufficient funds in the great vaults of Chinese Societies. So all Chinese individuals, corporations, institutions and Governmental units should make good on these Sacred Pledges — Pledges that will in the long run give our people the security of equality, liberty, basic necessities riches of our economy and the fulfillment of happiness under the Mandate of Heaven (GOD).
Finally, as Societies and a People, we pledge to the World that we shall always work for World Peace, eliminations of hunger and diseases, economical stability and prosperity and mutual benefits of all nations on Earth.
Fierce Urgency for New EnlightenmentLet us remind ourselves the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to be ignorant or hope others to enlighten first. Now is the time to enlighten everyone in Chinese Societies. Now is the time to rise from the darkness and despair of atheistic and materialistic society to a spiritual, benevolent and just society under Scientific GOD. Now is the time to lift Chinese Societies from the quick sands of Godless money, power, fame and corruption to the solid rock of glorious path to prosperity and happiness for all Chinese under Scientific GOD. Now is the time to make progress on equality and liberty for all our people.
It would be fatal for the atheists, materialists and various establishments to overlook the urgency of the moment for New Enlightenment. This sweltering heat of many Chinese’ searching for GOD and the Chinese Dream of the 21st Century will not pass until there is an invigorating atmosphere of enlightenment and ensuing transformational changes in Chinese Societies. This is not an end, but a beginning. The whirlwinds of New Enlightenment will come to wake all Chinese and shake various establishments of Chinese Societies until the bright day of transformational changes, equality and liberty emerges by the Mandate of Heaven.
There is something else that we must say to all Chinese who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the glorious path to Chinese Dream of the 21st Century under Scientific GOD. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for enlightenment, transformational changes, equality and liberty by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our New Enlightenment on the high ground of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our movement to degenerate into physical violence or worse. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting negative forces with positive forces. The marvelous New Enlightenment which shall engulf the Chinese Societies must not lead us to a distrust of all atheists and materialists, for many of them, as evidenced by their sympathy or silence, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. We cannot walk alone.
We must also ask ourselves the soul searching question: Are we really fighting the benefit of all Chinese or our own self-interests? And do we want to go down in history as hypocrites or truth and justice seeking men and women?
GOD Bless Chinese People! May we all finally arrive at “Gate of Heavenly Peace and Justice” and start building GOD’s Paradise on Earth. So, let July 4th Movement begin!
Acknowledgements:
This Essay is fused with adapted languages from the Declaration of Independence and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech “I have a Dream.”
Summary: In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., we call all Americans to rise up in the pursuit of the American Dream of the 21st Century under the Laws of GOD – equality, liberty, justice and civic duty in all aspects of American life, guaranty of basic necessities of food, medicine and shelter, and the pursuit of happiness and World Peace. It is noted that these sacred pursuits are hindered by excessive capitalism and individualism and the state of our own consciousness. Thus, the transformation of the consciousness of all Americans from the rich to the poor is the key to accomplish these sacred pursuits and transform America. By transforming our consciousness and transcending ourselves, we shall transform greed to compassion, hate to love, wealth possession to wealth sharing and war to peace. GOD Bless America!
Preamble
Over 230 years ago, our founding fathers brought forth on America, a new nation conceived in liberty, civic duty and the pursuit of happiness and dedicated to the ideal of equality under the Laws of GOD.
Today we hold these rights, duties and their extensions to be applicable to all Americans in all aspects of our lives - spiritually, physically, financially, environmentally, scientifically and politically - that to secure, advance and perform these rights and duties and thus perfect our Union, our Constitution may be amended time to time, if necessary, and successive governmental, social and corporate structures and institutions shall be established, deriving their just political, social and economical powers and duties from the consent of the people - that whenever any structure or institution becomes inadequate of these ends, it is our duties to modernized it or to abolish it, and to establish new ones, laying the foundation on such principles and organizing the structures in such forms, as to us shall seem most likely to reflect our understanding and knowledge of the evolving Nature and Life under the Laws of GOD.
The Critical Moment in American History
As a country, we are now facing the greatest challenge both domestically and internationally, testing whether our public and private institutions can be transformed and work in harmony for the benefit of all Americans and whether we can still be a Great Nation on Earth and lead the World.
As a people, we are now engaged in a great struggle, testing whether our rights and duties so conceived and dedicated at the birth of our Nation, so implemented, protected and extended through out our history as a Nation can be sustained and be further advanced. Some of us are also engaged in a silent struggle in our hearts testing whether our yearning for love and compassions for fellow Americans and mankind at large can conquer our own shortcomings – selfishness, arrogance, hypocrisy, intolerance, or excessive capitalism, individualism, rivalry and commercialism.
Reflection on American History
So, at this critical moment, it is appropriate that we Americans from all walks of life – the rich and the poor, the executives and the workers, the professionals and the laymen, the religious and the non-religious, Americans by birth and new immigrants– and indeed all who loves America and Her people - reflect on the status of our Nation and our own moralities and conducts as individuals with the great hope of achieving the American Dream of the 21st Century and usher Americans and the mankind at large into a new era of unprecedented progress, prosperity and enlightenment.
Before the advent of our Nation, our people were under the colonial rule and tyranny of a European monarch. Oppressed and exploited by a tyrant, early Americans rebelled. The Declaration of Independent drafted by Thomas Jefferson became the great beacon of light to early Americans, who under the leaderships of George Washington and his generals, bravely fought the Revolutionary War and gave birth to our Republic.
However, a great injustice, slavery, remained and divided our people almost a century later as South and North. Again, as a people we fought and overcame slavery through Civil War and saved our Union under the leaderships of Abraham Lincoln and his generals.
Our people then ushered in the great Industrial, Scientific and Economical Revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries together with the remaining World which brought us and rest of the World unprecedented materials wealth, scientific knowledge and technologies and thrust our Nation to the World Stage as a Great Power and Leader.
As a Nation and a People, we have fought in World Wars and defeated evil powers, endured and overcome the Great Depression, endured and overcome racial segregation and injustice under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Cold War and oversaw the collapse of Godless Communism around the World.
Since September 11, 2001 terrorists attack on our Nation, we are again at a critical moment in our history.
The Aftermath of Excessive Capitalism and Individualism
No doubt that it has been the creativity, productivity and entrepreneurship of our people and the advances of sciences and technologies fueled by capitalism and individualism that brought our Nation unprecedented material wealth, prosperity and a world-influencing pop culture.
But, the very wealth is now concentrated in the hands of so a few wealthy individuals and big banks and corporations and has displaced many among us into poverty and despair. The very wealth has created a deep gulf between the rich and the poor and among the political parties as reflected by increased hostilities and seemingly irreconcilable differences among Americans and in our Congress. The very wealth and prosperity have not stopped hunger and disease in the World and might have produced our arrogance and intolerance in the eyes of the rest of the World along with our Nation’s positive image. The very pop culture might have both positively and negatively influenced the young generations worldwide. On the other hand, many Americans are unable to cope with or adapt to the new environments.
Thus, after all the recent revolutions, many of today’s Americans are not better of than the Americans of yesterday.
After all these revolutions, young generations of Americans are at peril of not being able to realizing their American Dream as their parents did.
After all these revolutions, the spiritual lives of many among us are sadly crippled by the manacles of mechanical view and the prisons of random chance and chaos.
After all these revolutions, some among us including some children still go hungry daily and without shelters at night in the midst of mountains of food and vacant homes.
After all these revolutions, many among us cannot afford medical cares in the midst of a vast ocean of medical advances and modern medicine.
After all these revolutions, many of our educated people cannot find a decent job and is suffocating under the piles of educational debts.
Indeed, after all these revolutions, the moralities of many among us are degenerating, many among us become selfish, mean-spirited, non-collaborative and too commercial, and some among us even become hypocritical, untruthful and are solely driven by money, power and fame.
As a People, many among us are unemployed, our homes and investments have drastically decreased in values, our bank accounts have dried up, our individual and family debts are overburdening us.
As a Nation, our financial system almost collapsed, we are still at war abroad and facing unprecedented economical crisis, national debts and economical inequality at home in the backdrop of a World foreshadowed by the turbulence in the Middle East and the rise of China, India and other countries.
So, at this critical moment, we dramatize these depressing and shameful conditions.
Sacred Pledges
In a sense, it is high time that each American makes a pledge to our fellow Americans – A pledge that each of us shall rise above ourselves and shall work and struggle together with fellow Americans for equality in all aspects of our lives, guaranties of food, medicine and shelter to all Americans and opportunities of cost-effective education and employment afterword through our Constitution, legislations or other meanings.
Each American shall further promises to do his/her best to contribute to American Society. The rich may pay more taxes, if necessary, and shall pledge more of their wealth to help and assist the less fortunate. The less fortunate shall work hard to realize their American Dream.
Each American corporation shall promise to be a moral corporation to American Society. The executives shall strive for common good instead of excessive profit at the costs of the workers and the society and the workers shall strive to contribute their best productivity to the corporation.
Each American educational institution shall promise to be the best American Dream making institution. The administrators and teachers shall strive for producing the best students instead of collecting excessive tuitions and endowments and the students shall strive be the best students and future American Dream makers.
The three respective branches of our Federal and State Government shall promises to all Americans and their respective State Citizens that they will work in harmony for the prosperity and common good of all Americans and the advancement of this cherished Nation and Republic under GOD, not the interests of a few or self-interests. The executives, representatives and judges shall strive to carry out the businesses of our Nation and the respective States in their best abilities and the supporting staff shall strive to provide the supporting services to their best abilities. Let us remember that our Government is of the people, by the people and for the people as Lincoln declared.
It may be said that today some among us in America would have defaulted on these Sacred Pledges if made earlier. Instead of honoring these obligations, some among us would have given Americans bad checks, checks which would have come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the banks of this Great Nation would be bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there would be insufficient funds in the great vaults of America. So all American Citizens, corporations, institutions and Governmental units should make good on these Sacred Pledges — Pledges that will in the long run give our people the security of basic necessities of food, medicine and shelter, riches of the economy and the fulfillment of happiness under GOD.
Finally, as a Nation and a People, we pledge to the World that we shall always work for World Peace, eliminations of hunger and diseases, economical stability and prosperity and mutual benefits of all nations on Earth.
Fierce Urgency, Warning & PrecautionAs Martin Luther King, Jr. once did, let us remind ourselves the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to keep our silence or hope others to take action. Now is the time to make transformational changes in America. Now is the time to rise from the darkness and despair of an excessively capitalistic and individualistic society to a compassionate and morally just society. Now is the time to lift America from the quick sands of corporate greed and personal financial gains at call costs to the solid rock of glorious path under GOD to prosperity and happiness for all Americans. Now is the time to make equality in all aspects of American life a reality for all our people.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. would warn, it would be fatal for American corporations, the financial and educational systems, other social and economic establishments and the wealthy individuals to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering heat of many Americans’ discontents will not pass until there is an invigorating atmosphere of transformational changes, economical equalities and job opportunities in America. This is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that we needed to release our angers and will soon be content will have a rude awakening if the establishments of America return to their businesses as usual. There will be neither silence nor rest in America until all Americans have regained their hopes of American Dream. The whirlwinds of protests and non-violent struggles will come to shake the establishments and current status quo of America until the bright day of transformational changes, economical equalities and job opportunities emerges.
There is something else that we must say to all Americans who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the glorious path to American Dream of the 21st Century. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for transformational changes, economical equalities and job opportunities by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our protest and struggle on the high ground of dignity and discipline as Martin Luther King, Jr. did. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence or worse. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting economical inequality and other injustice of excessive capitalism and individualism with positive forces. The marvelous new struggle which may engulf the establishments of America and the World must not lead us to a distrust of all the wealthy individuals, corporate executives and representatives in the establishments, for many of them, as evidenced by their sympathy or silence, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their yearning for love and compassion to fellow Americans is inextricably bound to our struggles. We cannot walk alone.
At this critical moment, we must also ask ourselves the soul searching question: Are we really fighting the benefit of all Americans or our own self-interests? And do we want to go down in history as hypocrites or equality-seeking men and women? And so, as John F. Kennedy would urge: My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country.
Marching AheadAs we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead as King would do. We cannot turn back. There are those who ask, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the majority of Americans are short-changed by the minority and disadvantaged by the establishments of America. We can never be satisfied, as long as our hard work cannot feed our families nor provide them with medicine or shelter. We can never be satisfied as long as young generations of Americans, loaded with heavy burden of educational debts, cannot find decent jobs and robbed of their American Dream by signs stating "for the rich only." We cannot be satisfied as long as an American wanting to work cannot find a job and another American who has a job feels insecure and is in despair. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until economical equalities roll down like waters and job opportunities rain like a mighty stream.
We are not unmindful that some among us have suffered great trials of unemployment and financial difficulties. Some among us are still in the suffocating environment of hopelessness and despair. Some among us have been battered by the storms of corporate greed and staggered by the winds of layoffs. Some of us have been the veterans of unearned suffering. Continue to hope with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to your work, go back to your study, go back to your business, go back to your place of worship, go back to the backwaters of undesirable jobs, go back to the forgotten paths of entrepreneurship knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair but turn to our family to help each other and pray to GOD for comfort, inner strength and salvation.
We Have a DreamWe say to you today, fellow Americans, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, we still have a dream in the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American Dream of the 21st Century and the struggle for the advancement of our Republic and the mankind at large under the Laws of GOD.
We have a dream that one day all Americans will be better off than today, secure in basic necessities of food, medicine and shelter, prosperous in all aspects and happy in our lives.
We have a dream that one day all wealthy Americans will be compassionate and giving, sharing their wealth with the less fortunate and the Nation.
We have a dream that one day all American corporations will rise up and live out the true meaning of an ideal corporation: morality before profit, employment before dividend, collaboration before monopoly and cooperation before competition.
We have a dream that one day Wall Street will not be a “greed” street but a “moral” street: orderly market, honest investment banking, transparency in financial reporting and no manipulation of market and no insider trading.
We have a dream that one day all educational institutions will provide educations to their students at reasonable costs, use their endowment generally and ensure their students employment opportunities after graduation.
We have a dream that one day even a bigot, sweltering with the heat of anti-immigrants, sweltering with the heat of racism, will be transformed into an oasis pursuing equality for all.
We have a dream that one day, the three respective branches of our Federal and State Government will always work in harmony for the prosperity, common good and advancement of all Americans and this Great Nation under GOD.
We have a dream today. We have a dream as that of Martin Luther King, Jr. “that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of [GOD] shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
So, we have a dream today. We have a dream that one day we will be living in a Paradise on Earth and a peaceful World under GOD for a thousand years to come.
This is our hope. This is the faith that we go on in the pursuit of the American Dream of 21st Century. With this faith as that of Martin Luther King, Jr. “we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of [American economy and finance] into a beautiful symphony of [harmony and prosperity].” With this faith we will be able to work together, to struggle together, to pray together, to stand up for America’s future together, knowing that we will be truly happy one day. This will be the day when everyone will be able to sing as Rumi “I am so tipsy here in this world, I have no tale to tell but tipsiness and rapture."
Let Transformation of Consciousness BeginNo doubt that our pursuit of American Dream of the 21st Century is hindered by the state of our own consciousness from the rich to the poor. Thus, the transformation of our consciousness under GOD is the key to accomplish this sacred pursuit and transform America. By transforming our consciousness and transcending ourselves from the rich to the poor, we shall transform greed into compassion, hate to love, wealth possession to wealth sharing and war to peace.
So, let transformation of consciousness begin in each of us from the rich to the poor! Let transformation of consciousness begin in corporate America! Let transformation of consciousness begin on Wall Street! Let transformation of consciousness begin in all places of business, schools, churches and all institutions!
But not only that, let transformation of consciousness begin in the respective three branches of our Federal and State Government! Let transformation of consciousness begin in the corporations, businesses and government of every nation! From every corner of Earth, let transformation of consciousness begin!
When this happens, when we allow transformation of consciousness to begin, when we let it to ring from every individual, every corporation, every business and every governmental unit, we will be able to speed up that day when American Dream of the 21st Century shall be realized under the Laws of GOD.
Tribute and ResolveLet us now pay tribute to those who have greatly contributed towards the birth, endurance and advancement of our cherished Nation and Republic. But, as Abraham Lincoln would declare, in a larger sense we cannot compose anything proper to honor those heroes. The brave men and women of America, living and dead, who struggled, have already done so, far above one’s poor power to add or detract. The World may be little notice what we say here, but it can never forget what they have done. It is for rest of us, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored we take increased devotion to the cause for which they have given their full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dedicated shall not have fought in vain, that our Nation shall have a new birth, and that American Dream shall endure and advance and shall not vanish in the 21st Century.
GOD Bless America from Sea to Shining Sea!
Acknowledgements:
The layout of this Essay “The American Dream of the 21st Century: A Call for Transformation of America” is based on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech “I have a Dream.” The Essay is also fused with languages from the Declaration of Independence the chief drafter of which was Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It also contains a quote from John F. Kennedy and a verse from “GOD Bless America.”
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1. In his Nobel Lecture (8 December 1978, Les Prix Nobel 1978) Singer said:
“I can never accept the idea that the Universe is a physical or chemical accident, a result of blind evolution. Even though I learned to recognize the lies, the cliches and the idolatries of the human mind, I still cling to some truths which I think all of us might accept some day. There must be a way for man to attain all possible pleasures, all the powers and knowledge that nature can grant him, and still serve God - a God who speaks in deeds, not in words, and whose vocabulary is the Cosmos.” (Singer 1979).
2. “I’m a sceptic. I’m a sceptic about making a better world. When it comes to this business where you tell me that this-or-that regime, one sociological order or another, will bring happiness to people, I know that it will never work, call it by any name you want. People will remain people, and they have remained people under communism and all other kinds of ‘isms.’
But I’m not a sceptic when it comes to belief in God. I do believe. I always did. That there is a plan, a consciousness behind creation, that it’s not an accident.” (Singer, as cited in The Brothers Singer by Clive Sinclair, London, Allison and Busby, 1983, p. 30).
3. In his last interview (1987) Singer stated:
“God is behind everything. Even when we do things against him, he’s also there. No matter what. Like a father who sees his children doing a lot of silly things, bad things. He’s angry with them, he’s punishing them. At the same time, they’re his children.” (Singer, as cited in Green 1998).
4. “Man prays for mercy, but is unwilling to extend it to others. Why should man then expect mercy from God? It’s unfair to expect something that you are not willing to give. It is inconsistent.” (Singer, as cited in Rosen 1987).
5. “The serious writer of our time must be deeply concerned about the problems of his generation. He cannot but see that the power of religion, especially belief in revelation, is weaker today than it was in any other epoch in human history. More and more children grow up without faith in God, without belief in reward and punishment, in the immortality of the soul and even in the validity of ethics. The genuine writer cannot ignore the fact that the family is losing its spiritual foundation.
All the dismal prophecies of Oswald Spengler have become realities since the Second World War. No technological achievements can mitigate the disappointment of modern man, his loneliness, his feeling of inferiority, and his fear of war, revolution and terror. Not only has our generation lost faith in Providence but also in man himself, in his institutions and often in those who are nearest to him.” (Singer 1979).
6. “The material world is a combination of seeing and blindness. The blindness we call Satan. If we would become all seeing, we would not have free choice anymore. Because, if we would see God, if we would see His greatness, there would be no temptation or sin. And since God wanted us to have free will this means that Satan, in other words the principle of evil, must exist. Because what does free choice mean? It means the freedom to choose between good and evil. If there is no evil, there is no freedom.” (Singer, as cited in Farrell 1976, 157).
7. “Life is God’s novel. Let him write it.” (Singer, as cited in Moraes 1975).
1. “The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” [“Der erste Trunk aus dem Becher der Naturwissenschaft macht atheistisch, aber auf dem Grund des Bechers wartet Gott.”] (Heisenberg, as cited in Hildebrand 1988, 10).
2. In his autobiographical article in the journal Truth, Henry Margenau (Professor Emeritus of Physics and Natural Philosophy at Yale University) pointed out: “I have said nothing about the years between 1936 and 1950. There were, however, a few experiences I cannot forget. One was my first meeting with Heisenberg, who came to America soon after the end of the Second World War. Our conversation was intimate and he impressed me by his deep religious conviction. He was a true Christian in every sense of that word.” (Margenau 1985, Vol. 1).
3. In his article Scientific and Religious Truth (1973) Heisenberg affirmed:
“In the history of science, ever since the famous trial of Galileo, it has repeatedly been claimed that scientific truth cannot be reconciled with the religious interpretation of the world. Although I am now convinced that scientific truth is unassailable in its own field, I have never found it possible to dismiss the content of religious thinking as simply part of an outmoded phase in the consciousness of mankind, a part we shall have to give up from now on. Thus in the course of my life I have repeatedly been compelled to ponder on the relationship of these two regions of thought, for I have never been able to doubt the reality of that to which they point.” (Heisenberg 1974, 213).
4. “Where no guiding ideals are left to point the way, the scale of values disappears and with it the meaning of our deeds and sufferings, and at the end can lie only negation and despair.
Religion is therefore the foundation of ethics, and ethics the presupposition of life.” (Heisenberg 1974, 219).
5. Einstein believed in strict causality till the end of his life. In his last surviving letter to Einstein, Heisenberg writes that while in the new quantum mechanics Einstein’s beloved causality principle is baseless, “We can console ourselves that the good Lord God would know the position of the particles, and thus He could let the causality principle continue to have validity.” (Heisenberg, as cited in Holton 2000, vol. 53).
See also Heisenberg’s articles:
- Heisenberg, Werner. 1970. “Erste Gespraeche ueber das Verhaeltnis von Naturwissenschaft und Religion (1927).” Werner Trutwin, ed. Religion-Wissenschaft-Weltbild. Duesseldorf: Patmos-Verlag, pp. 23-31. (Theologisches Forum. Texte fuer den Religionsunterricht 4.)
- Heisenberg, Werner. 1973. “Naturwissenschaftliche und religioese Wahrheit.” Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 24 Maerz, pp. 7-8. (Speech before the Catholic Academy of Bavaria, on acceptance of the Guardini Prize, 23 March 1973).
- Heisenberg, Werner. 1968. “Religion und Naturwissenschaft.” Bayer, Leverkusen. Sofort-Kongress-Dienst 24, 1-2.
- Heisenberg, Werner. 1969. “Kein Chaos, aus dem nicht wieder Ordnung wuerde. Drei Atomphysiker diskutieren ueber Positivismus, Metaphysik und Religion.” Die Zeit 24, No. 34, 29-30.
1. Charles Darwin ended his most fundamental scientific work The Origin of Species (1872, 6th edition) with the words:
“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved.” (Darwin 1928, 463).
2. “Another source of conviction in the existence of God, connected with the reason and not with the feelings, impresses me as having much more weight. This follows from the extreme difficulty or rather impossibility of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe, including man with his capacity of looking far backwards and far into futurity, as the result of blind chance or necessity. When thus reflecting, I feel compelled to look to a First Cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analogous to that of man; and I deserve to be called a Theist.” (Darwin 1995, 60).
3. “To my mind it accords better with what we know of the laws impressed on matter by the Creator, that the production and extinction of the past and present inhabitants of the world should have been due to secondary causes, like those determining the birth and death of the individual.” (Darwin 1928, 462; The Origin of Species).
4. “With respect to the theological view of the question; this is always painful to me. I am bewildered. I had no intention to write atheistically.
I cannot anyhow be contented to view this wonderful universe and especially the nature of man, and to conclude that everything is the result of brute force. I am inclined to look at everything as resulting from designed laws, with the details, whether good or bad, left to the working out of what we may call chance.” (Darwin 1993, 224).
5. In 1879, three years before the end of his life, Darwin wrote that he had “never been an Atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God.” (Darwin, as cited in Bowden 1998, 273).
6. In 1873 Darwin stated: “The impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for the existence of God.” (Darwin, as cited in Bowden 1998, 273).
1. In his speech “The 20th century – Its Promise and Its Realization” at the MIT Mid-Century Convocation, Boston (March 31, 1949) Sir Winston Churchill said:
“Here I speak not only to those who enjoy the blessings and consolation of revealed religion but also to those who face the mysteries of human destiny alone. The flame of Christian ethics is still our highest guide. To guard and cherish it is our first interest, both spiritually and materially. The fulfilment of Spiritual duty in our daily life is vital to our survival. Only by bringing it into perfect application can we hope to solve for ourselves the problems of this world and not of this world alone.
United we stand secure. Let us then move forward together in discharge of our mission and our duty, fearing God and nothing else.” (Churchill 1974, Volume VII, p. 7807ff).
2. “We must indeed be vigilant, we must indeed be firm in upholding the principles we believe to be just, but let us resolve with patience and with courage to work for the day when all the men in all the lands can be brought to cast aside the dark aspirations which some have inherited and others have created. Then at last together we shall be able to strive in freedom for the enjoyment of the blessings which it has pleased God to offer to the human race.” (Churchill 1974, Vol. VIII, p. 8607).
3. “Above all, we have our faith that the universe is ruled by a Supreme Being and in fulfilment of a sublime moral purpose, according to which all our actions are judged.” (Churchill 1974, Vol. VII, p. 7650).
4. “There is another element which should never be banished from our system of education. Here we have freedom of thought as well as freedom of conscience. Here we have been the pioneers of religious toleration. But side by side with all this has been the fact that religion has been a rock in the life and character of the British people upon which they have built their hopes and cast their cares. This fundamental element must never be taken from our schools.” (Churchill 1974, Vol. VII, p. 6762).
5. In his Harvard Address (September 6, 1943) Churchill stated:
“If we are together nothing is impossible. If we are divided all will fail.
Let us rise to the full level of our duty and of our opportunity, and let us thank God for the spiritual rewards He has granted for all forms of valiant and faithful service.” (Churchill 1974, Vol. VII, p. 6827).
6. “The flame of Christian ethics is still our best guide. Its animation and accomplishment is a practical necessity, both spiritually and materially. This is the most vital question of the future. The accomplishment of Christian ethics in our daily life is the final and greatest word which has ever been said. Only on this basis can we reconcile the rights of the individual with the demands of society in a manner which alone can bring happiness and peace to humanity.” (Churchill 1974, Vol. VII, p. 7645).
