Our future happiness depends on decency. That's true in every sense—not just in worldly affairs (people getting along with other people, nations getting along with other nations), but also in other-worldly concerns (What types of spiritual influences do we attract? What will happen to us after we die?)

Our research indicates clearly that when we die and leave the Earth, most of us spend some time in a subtle place called the astral realm that's a lot like the Earth—a sort of buffer zone between our rough-and-tumble physical realm that's driven largely by egos and hormones, and a beautiful place of pure love and wisdom (the ethereal realm) shaped by the soul. The astral realm is like a hybrid state of existence between nature (rugged life forms on Earth with short life spans behaving and evolving erratically because of genetics, inner chemistry, and reactions to a hostile environment) and our true timeless nature (wise, unconditionally loving beings of pure consciousness free of form and structure inhabiting inner realms where centuries can pass by in a heartbeat).

So, there is the physical you with a small spark of intelligence experiencing this fleeting life on Earth, there's the ethereal you (your "higher self"), a brilliant flame of ageless wisdom which is virtually perfect and lives forever, and there's the astral you that comes out to play after you shed the physical body. The astral you still has many of the rugged patterns of thought and behavior that became instilled in you during a lifetime on Earth, and it is these patterns that prevent you from making a quick, smooth transition from physical being straight to ethereal being. You'll have to hang around in the astral realms for awhile after you die, processing the imperfections of your humanness, before you can move into that perfect state of ethereal bliss.

Here on Earth, all sorts of people (ranging from saints to psychopaths) with all sorts of motivations (ranging from empathy and love to selfishness and malice) are thrown into the same pot in a hodge-podge of conflicts and frustration. The astral realm isn't mixed up like that. It is divided into countless worlds in which people of like attitudes live together. At one extreme there are rainbow realms of paradise where people enjoy lives of bliss and service to others, and at the other extreme there are dark, dismal worlds inhabited by people locked up in their own grief or hatred or fear or addiction.

Many variables can determine where you or I will awaken after physical death, but most of them can be summed up in a single word: decency. At the risk of oversimplifying, if we treat ourself and other people decently as a rule, we'll wind up in paradise. If our typical day-to-day behavior lacks decency and we cause pain and suffering to ourself and to others, we will probably wind up in an unpleasant spirit realm for awhile…until we can come to terms with our bad choices.

Behaving decently brings us happiness not just in the next world, but also during our life on Earth. When our choices, by habit, make other people happy, the happiness comes back to us many times over. By the same token, when our actions reflect a lack of decency day in and day out--a callousness toward the pain and suffering of others--our life spirals downward. We may rise in worldly measures such as wealth and power, but the vibration of our spirit becomes slower and coarser, so that inner peace and happiness leech out of our being.

That simple truth boils over into our social groups too. When nations behave decently with each other, accounting for each other's needs, laws and customs, peace and contentment typically prevail, regardless of political and economic conditions, and there is a certain spiritual light which glows around the nation like an aura. But if a nation is preoccupied with its own material and territorial interests while ignoring the needs of its international neighbors, the results include suspicion and tensions which grow over time and can flare up into international conflict. The spirit or oversoul of a selfish nation grows dim.

Achieving world peace could be a fairly simple matter…theoretically. All it would take is a commitment to decency. To get an idea of just how easy it would be (again, theoretically), let's look at the Middle East--probably the toughest nut in the basket. What would it take to bring a genuine, lasting peace to the Middle East?

1. Achieve religious compatibility. How can we expect to avoid mistrust and conflict among one group of people who believe they are God's chosen people and therefore will always be God's favorites, a second group of people who worship God's chosen Prophet in order to be God's favorites, and a third group of people who worship God's chosen son and Savior in order to be God's favorites? As long as those mutually incompatible beliefs form the core of these religions, there can be no lasting peace. So in the name of decency, transform the Middle East from a collection of exclusive, mutually incompatible religious factions, into a land of people who can start blending together spiritually and culturally. Come up with an overriding creed that forms a strong and beautiful bridge among all religions.

2. Overcome oil addiction. How can we expect to avoid a bullying situation imposed on weaker nations that are rich in oil, when stronger nations crave that oil? An oil-reliant nation is like a heroine addict, always craving more for a quick fix, even though the more it uses, the sicker it becomes…the classic definition of "addiction." The right and decent action of any addict is inner work to overcome its desperate reliance. The wrong action is to steal--knocking over a liquor store for money to buy drugs, or unleashing a high-tech Armageddon on a Third World country in order to seize control of its economy and resources. In the name of decency, develop clean energy sources and wean your high-tech societies away from their addiction to fossil fuels.

3. Respect the right of individuals to be free and educated. How can we expect to achieve peace in societies whose people are ignorant and/or subjected to torture, murder, and chronic fear by a ruthless, tyrannical regime? In the name of decency, protect and educate all the people, and allow them to reap the rewards (and consequences) of personal choice and to explore the wonderland of human potential.

4. Respect the right of societies to be stable and vital. How can we expect to achieve peace when some nations (largely in the western world) abuse their freedoms, spreading violence, vulgarity and promiscuity in movies, TV, and other media that numb the intellect, stir the hormones, and offend the sensibilities of other societies (many of them in the Middle East) which try to remain stable through moral teachings within the family and community? In the name of decency, pull in the reins on abused freedoms; help and encourage your societies to purify themselves morally. In today's world, irresponsible freedom is as destructive as tyranny and repression.*

5. Strike a balance. We are not leopards (devoted entirely to ourself), and we're not ants (devoted entirely to the group). We've always been a species struggling to strike some comfortable balance between our rights as individuals to be free and the rights of our social groups to be stable. For most of us it's a difficult compromise to make, but it's the only way people have been able to find a level of peace and happiness on Earth for tens of thousands of years--with some measure of personal liberties tempered with some degree of selfless devotion to their families, communities, and nations. In the name of decency, help your nations, religions, corporations, and other social groups achieve that balance between personal opportunity and social order.

6. Halt terrorism. How can we expect to sustain peace in a region where terrorist networks spread through the tissues of society like cancer, fed by resentment and hatred from past injustices? In the name of decency, forgive your transgressors; let the healing begin.

7. Adopt a global government. How can we hope to achieve peace in a world of semi-autonomous nations, religions, and multinational corporations, all battling each other for wealth, territory, and influence? It's like the Wild West out there. Modern-day, multinational versions of 19^th-Century cattle barons, sheep ranchers, farmers, land speculators, and railroad entrepreneurs are cheating, stealing, lying, and killing each other in an effort to survive and prevail…and human nature being what it is, they won't stop until a higher authority steps in to keep the peace. Contrary to the claims of world-government opponents, a strong and just global authority will enhance the freedom and well-being of people everywhere, and it is the most important and indispensable step to world peace. So vote YES in your heart for a representative world government devoted to the well-being of humanity and the planet…because at some timeless, enlightened place deep within, you know it's the decent thing to do.*

God bless, and may our ethereal guides help us walk the path of decency across this troubled land,

Mark Macy

* I have received mixed reactions to some of these ideas. Some people feel the ideas (especially #4 and #7) have more to do with politics than with decency. I believe that decency has to spread through all levels and all segments of society, including governments, businesses, and families. Decency has to occur within the individual, but that is often an easier process when the social system around that person is committed to decency also.

I believe that here in the States, people and businesses and other groups would still be cheating and killing each other for power and wealth, as in the "Wild West," if there were not a government to maintain law and order and to protect the people. Feuding factions in other countries likewise find peace only when a legitimate government is in place that brings those factions under an umbrella of law--a sort of enforced harmony or resonance. With legitimate governments come certain symbols (e.g. flags and currency), creeds, and laws that help a group of people feel united, reduce suspicion, and promote a "family" feeling. I perceive that as decency through appropriate government regulation. There can also be decency through business ethics, decency through right education, and so on.

When I say, "Vote YES in your heart for a representative world government," I only suggest that people embrace the idea of a legitimate and appropriate world government. I don't suggest that people actually "cast a ballot," because there is no place to vote on world government at the present time… except in people's minds and hearts. I believe that nations will continue to attack each other and kill large groups of people in wars until a world government is formed to maintain a greater degree of law and order, and to protect nations and people. Like any legitimate government, it will help people and their nations (who typically don't resonate together very well) to resonate together more effectively with global creeds, laws, and so on. Then a greater peace will prevail. To me, that seems like promoting decency in a profound way.