Prayer for Our World Family

In Unity we know that prayer is the only activity that changes facts. As I remembered the events of September 11, 2001, I was reminded how far we have come, and how we have remained unchanged. So much prayer work was done during the events and their aftermath! Unity held it's World Day of Prayer on 9/11 this year, so thousands, and perhaps hundreds of thousands joined in prayer on this day, as did we. We held in prayer all those affected by the events, as well as all humankind. There are no expendable people, including those who were responsible for the attacks. We are all God's kids.

So if prayer changes things, how are we doing?

As a world family, we have progressed in that many more households around the world have the internet. This gives access to information and ideas outside the local culture, along with the opportunity to learn what is happening in the rest of the world. It also offers the opportunity for self education and opening of options for problem solving.

We have made tremendous progress in science and medicine. Just this week the unveiling of the particle accelerator is a tremendous completion. This offers scientists the opportunity to experiment with sub-atomic particles as never before. We have mapped the human genome, and developed more treatments and advances in medicine.

These examples are encouraging. Also, the down side must also be considered. In downtown Manhattan there is still a large hole in the ground after 7 years. The subterranian structures are being built, but 7 years is a long time to have a gaping hole. According to news reports, this is the result of unwise decisions and controversy surrounding how to project.

Another example of how things have not changed much is politics. One candidate talks about a message of hope, while the other couches all the messages in terms of war or fighting. Yet both camps seem to have to tell more about the other guy than what he, himself, will do. Friends, we the human race have collectively created this consciousness. We are the ones who have to change it, if we want change. We have to make it possible for politicians to tell the truth. Wouldn't it be a very different, and perhaps refreshing, world if politicians were only allowed to talk about what they will be doing or what they believe? What if they were forbidden to mention the other candidates or the other parties AT ALL? Some would say then we would never hear the dirt. Maybe, but how much of the dirt that is out there now is fact, and how much is made up, or slanted, or has been spun out of proportion?

What if the old adversarial model were to be abandoned in favor of a model of shared wisdom? What if the model encouraged the best outcome for all concerned? What if it were not about win/lose and we could all win? I truly believe that this is not only possible, but that it is our hope for a future.

In prayer and in peace,
Rev. Martha