When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for the people of this E arth to alter dramatically or eliminate

completely. the oppressive political arr ogance which has divided them from one another and to spiritually unite with the powers of the Earth; remaining separate in traditions, yet equal of respect in accordance with the laws of nature and of natures God who has entitled each of th em a world of understanding and peace. The above is my own version of the beginning to our own, Declaration of Independe nce, with a more global interpretation because I used to believe that mankind wou ld awaken one day and put the interests of the peoples in this world ahead of th e interests of a select few. I always thought the compassion for those strugglin g throughout our world would become a priority and our children, the future of c ivilization, would be cherished and nurtured. We would take care of them and lov e them instead of making them instruments of hatred or war. Mankind, it seems, has not yet evolved as I believed it would. It has, in fact, digressed, becoming even more cruel and self-serving to a level that I, or any p ast generations, could have ever imagined. What can the God of this world think of this and us? How can we consciously cont inue on this path, foolishly thinking that we will not suffer some sort of retri bution for these sins which we continue to commit against each other and this pl anet. The people of this world must understand that our cruelty, hatred, greed, neglect, distrust, and arrogance can only contribute to our own eventual destruc tion. Have we learned so little since the beginning of mankind? Why do we show such tr emendous compassion in times of natural disasters, yet continue to neglect those who are so callously victimized by our own destructive behavior, decisions base d on ignorance, or hateful attitudes. The peoples of this world, especially thos e in a position of leadership; need to cease the teachings of hatred and distrus t if we as a civilization are to survive. The world with all of its technology, knowledge, communication, and innovation ha s become increasingly smaller; yet continues to adhere to the bitter divisions t hat have been allowed to flourish these thousands of years. The ideologies and b eliefs of the past no longer have a place if all they choose to do is perpetuate the long-standing hatreds and divisions set forth by the generations that have come before them. The Human Race, as a whole, can no longer find this acceptable and must strive t o change in order to make this world a better and safer place for future generat ions. Our legacy must not be one of hatred, war, death, neglect, or distrust, in stead we must begin to use our vast knowledge with our own spiritual beliefs, wh ich we have nurtured for so long, to create a more understanding and civilized w orld. The rape of our natural environment, its resources, and our senseless cruelty tow ard one another as human beings can only accelerate our own extinction as a spec ies. Our choices are many, but our chances are few if we ever hope to save us from ou rselves. If we cannot forgive the sins of the past, make significant changes in the present, then we will, most certainly, destroy any hope of a future. Our true purpose in life is to care for one another, unconditionally, if we ever hope to live as the God of our Fathers had intended. As John F. Kennedy once said, Here on Earth, Gods work must truly be our own, and f or Gods sake we must all begin that work now, if not only for ourselves; but for our children, the future of this world. Our very survival depends on the decisio ns and actions we choose to follow today, as nations and as global citizens. Hopefully it can one day bring us together where we truly need to be, helping us live as one people, people of this Earth, mankind united, strong, living the pe ace it has always worked to achieve. One world, under God, with equality and com passion for all. We are all Gods people, caring for one another as God had envisioned, finally uni ting in the belief that we are all equal; we are all one!