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One Universe, One People
by Steven M. Greer
One of the greatest tasks humanity has faced throughout history
is the establishment of peace and unity among differing and diverse
peoples. Superficial, external and cultural distinctions such
as gender, race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion and so forth
have long divided humanity and been the cause of much warfare
and social turmoil. It is only in the last 100 or so years that
humans have seriously begun to explore worldwide our points of
unity and begun to overcome the barriers which have separated
humanity. Central to this evolutionary process has been the dynamic
of at once accepting and celebrating diversity while simultaneously
seeing the fundamental oneness which all humans share. This dynamic
of unity -- seeing with the eye of oneness -- is the essential
foundation for lasting world peace and prosperity, and will be
the motivating principle of the next millennium. The long and
painful process of overcoming prejudice and embracing humanity's
essential oneness, while by no means yet complete, has brought
us to the dawn of a true world-encircling community
of one people. The recognition that mankind is one, that race,
nationality, gender, religion and so on are secondary to our shared
humanness, may well be the crowning achievement of the 20th century.
But what does it mean to be human, essentially human, apart from a purely biological
definition? Our deepest point of unity transcends race, culture, gender, profession,
life roles, even level of intelligence or emotional make-up, since all these attributes
vary widely among people. Rather, the foundation of human oneness is consciousness
itself, the ability to be conscious, self-aware, intelligent sentient beings. All
other human qualities arise from this mother of all attributes. Conscious intelligence
is the root essence from which all other human qualities emanate. It is the universal
and fundamentally pure canvas on which the dazzling array of human life manifests.
The firmest, most enduring and transcendent foundation on which human unity is based
then, is consciousness itself, for we are all sentient beings, conscious, self-aware,
and intelligent. No matter how diverse two people or two cultures may be, this foundation
of consciousness will enable unity to prevail, as it is the simplest yet most profound
common ground which all humans share.
As great as the challenges to unity have been and continue to be for humans, how
much greater might this be for the emerging and embryonic relationship between humans
and extraterrestrial civilizations. The superficial and cultural differences between,
say, an American and a Kenyan tribesman may pale before it! If disunity and conflict
arise when we look only to the differences between humans, how much greater will
the potential disunity and conflict be if we are able only to focus on the points
of difference between humans and extraterrestrial beings. The failed and disastrous
ways of the past -- of seeing only differences and foreign qualities -- must give
way to a new way of seeing, of seeing with the eye of oneness. This eye of oneness
must be directed not only towards our fellow humans, but towards extraterrestrial
people as well, for the same fundamental basis for unity which exists among humans
also exists for the relationship between humans and extraterrestrials.
The term extraterrestrial Intelligence (ETI), so curiously nondescript, wonderfully
lends itself to these concepts of unity. Regardless of planet, star system or galaxy
of origin, and no matter how diverse, ETIs are, essentially, intelligent, conscious,
sentient beings. Humans are essentially intelligent, conscious, sentient beings.
We are, essentially, one. On this basis, we may speak of one people inhabiting one
universe, just as we now envision one people as children of one planet. Differences
are always a matter of degree, but true unity established in consciousness is absolute.
The beings currently visiting earth from other planets, while no doubt different
from humans in both superficial and more profound ways, are nevertheless conscious
intelligent beings. Consciousness is the basis for both human and extraterrestrial
existence and is therefore the foundation for unity and communication between the
various people of the universe. Beliefs may vary, biological processes may vary,
assorted capacities may vary, social systems and technology may vary - but the simple
thread of conscious intelligence which runs through all peoples elegantly weaves
our unity. This essential unity is not subject to the trials of diversity, for it
is pure, immutable and fundamental to the existence of intelligent life itself.
The challenges of establishing unity among the peoples of the universe is a grand
extension of the challenge of establishing unity and peace among the people of the
earth. Diversity, distinction and differences must be met with mutual respect, acceptance
and even celebration, while the deeper foundations of unity are held steadily in
view. The eye of oneness does not exclude or reject the diversity among peoples,
but relates this diversity to a paradigm of universality based in consciousness.
The development of this capacity, of this kind of awareness, is the most important
prerequisite for not only peace and unity among humans, but also for the peace and
unity between humans and other intelligent life in the universe. We must hope and
pray that the errors and shortcomings humanity has manifested in its long and, as
yet, incomplete march to world unity will serve as well-remembered lessons as we
face the task of peacefully interacting with extraterrestrial peoples. The endless
diversity which so outstanding a universe can present will only be endured by minds
established in the calmness of universal consciousness. In the coming decades, centuries
and millennia, it will be increasingly realized that the success of humanity's existence
will be dependent on the development of consciousness more than on any outward progress.
As there is one God which manifests one creation, so there is one God which is the
source of all conscious beings, whether on earth or elsewhere. The great Universal
Intelligence has sent a ray of this light of consciousness throughout all conscious
beings, and we are united to God and to one another through its subtle and all-pervading
effect. It is for these reasons that I state that the reality of man and the reality
of other extraterrestrial peoples are one. Viewed with the eye of differences, we
are diverse and unrelated, but viewed with the eye of oneness, we are more alike
than dissimilar, more kindred than alien. And so it is that we must look to our inner
reality to find not only our oneness with our fellow humans, but our oneness with
other intelligent life in the universe as well. While ephemeral differences may confound
us, our essential oneness in consciousness will never fail us. For there is one universe
inhabited by one people, and we are they.
Steven M. Greer, M.D., is founder and international director of the Center for
the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence [www.cseti.org]. He is widely regarded as the world's foremost
authority on the subject. A lifetime member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the nation's most
prestigious medical honor society, Dr. Greer is an emergency physician in North Carolina.
Copyright (c) 1991 Steven M. Greer
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