Two fundamental areas of thinking confronting the entire world—materiality and spirituality—have engaged humankind in the greatest battle in recorded history.
Materialistically centered and spiritually centered peoples can be found in all cultures; however, materialism flourishes and predominates in Europe and everywhere that Western thought has been adopted.
The measure of success in the Western world is the accumulation of material things or the wherewithal to accumulate things through money. Industriousness is applied to the making of things, i.e., planes, cars, buildings, and appliances. The cultivation of the ability to produce products and accumulate possessions receives the primary focus of Western education; whereas, the indigenous people of Africa, the Americas, and Pacific Islanders such as the Polynesians, maintain a spiritual focus in their cultures instead of on the manufacture of things. The productive ability of the people in these cultures was devoted to the erection of temples, which can be found throughout the non-European world. Family, race consciousness, and spirituality were important aspects of all indigenous societies and superseded the desire or opportunity to own things.
The great battle developing in the world between the forces of materialism and spirituality has an assured outcome, but victory will not come without a price. The forces of spirituality must wean themselves away from Western materialistic habit patterns.
The importance of this battle dwarfs other considerations and after reflection I have decided to devote all of my essays from this point forward to assisting others to break away from the materialistic values, habits, and requirements of Western society and to learn to live a more natural way of life.
The Mission Statement of Men’s Action, Inc. is “To foster a more natural way of life for humankind,” and my efforts will focus on fulfilling its objective.
Many in the West including non-Westerners, who have adopted Western values and think their culture is normal and beneficial to society, will take offense to my views. To those who cannot let go of their values, I send you my love, but the promotion of non-Western spiritual values will predominate my essays from now on.
I have indicated for many years that the receptivity to my message comes primarily from non-Western immigrants and African-Americans, people who have a cultural history of extended family and the patriarchal structure necessary to maintain it. This fact motivated me to write my second book A Gender Hand book for Western Man. A young African-American woman said to me. “Even after they read it they won’t get it.” She was right!
The lack of acceptance by Western thought of my message on gender and family also extends to my holistic healing practice. As most of you know I have studied holistic healing and believe I have received a gift to practice it. I have healed people on the West coast, overseas, and in many areas of New York. I have never met many of the people whom I heal. Most of the people who have been healed by me are non-Western immigrants and African-Americans, people whose fundamental orientation is away from matters material and towards the spiritual. I have been particularly well-received by Dominicans, even though I have had not had any previous affiliation with them.
The response to my healing activities in my neighborhood is, “I don’t believe in that crap” a phrase that I feel exemplifies Western thought’s attitude towards anything non-materialistic.
I have spent better than 20 years sharing my views with my fellow Westerners, and in essence the overall response has been “I don’t believe in that crap.”
I have been a paid weekly columnist for seven ethnic newspapers, healed in Black churches, and lectured at Mosques. Yet, not one white Christian congregation has given me the opportunity to share my message. I understand well Jesus’ statement, “The prophet is not heard in his own land.”
Many Westerners lend support to Men’s Action, but the many are but a miniscule proportion of the Western population, and they must be careful in expressing their views to their fellow employees, friends, and parishioners. I am grateful to all of you who have expressed the courage of your convictions and given my message your support.
Gandhi said, “If you want to change the world you have to start with yourself.” Applying that thinking to those of who want to change the world from its gross materialistic course, we must start with ourselves. We must start learning to live outside of the system. We must learn to live outside of the grossly materialistic medical establishment, educational institutions, communications media, and judicial establishment. We must live to live with little, share a lot, focus on the family, and increase out awareness of the creator.
We are at war now my brothers and sisters, my sons and daughters, let’s each of us do our part to win it. My future essays will focus on what we can do to live outside of the system.
E.G.
