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HOPE—THE FOUNDATION OF CIVILIZATION
The concept of human improvement is
vanishing from the American consciousness. Gone are those unifying slogans of
previous presidential campaigns and eras of leadership—the New Deal, the New
Frontier, The Great Society. Historically, our faith that America could conquer any of its
problems while achieving a better society of free men carried our country
forward to great vitality. But, within the last
decade or so, myriad subtle forces have been steadily chipping away at this
spirit, like waves eroding a sand hill. Just exactly
which forces have contributed most to this erosion is difficult to discern.
That this erosion has taken place and is continuing to do so,
is a fact. Less and less do we hear America’s workers, leaders, and
managers speaking of developing men of high character or describing a
glorious future. Rather, we hear descriptions of
impending disasters, such as the breakdown of the educational system, the
burgeoning welfare state, the loss of our technological and productivity lead
over other countries, the decay of our cities, etc. It seems to me the
problem is especially evident in the attitude of the average man. He simply no longer is sure of the desirability of
striving for progress. He no longer shares with his fellow men the broad
vision of a steadily improving society aiming at human greatness. He has
become increasingly preoccupied with, or apathetic towards, the multiplicity
of problems challenging our culture. He has become subject to one of man’s deadliest
enemies—the loss of hope and the corresponding increase of fear —fear of one
another; fear of atomic war; fear of the future.
Yet it is hope, and the vision which hope fosters, that must preceed any great
advances in civilization. The phenomenal progress of the
United States during the last two centuries was due in great measure to the
vision of the Founding Fathers and the tremendous hope they fostered for men
to achieve equality and the ability to govern themselves, Similarly, the two old-world
empires of Greece and Rome had their beginnings in city-states where the hope
was shared that man had the inner disciplines to govern himself effectively.
Even in the great, or at least powerful, nations where man had not had the
opportunity to govern himself, such as modern-day Russia
and China,
the duality of hope for a glorious future has been the motivator of their
citizens. Hope that man can work towards a meaningful future does not arise as a result of great civilizations; but rather, hope is the
foundation upon which great civilizations are built.
Inasmuch as the city of Stelle is the precursor of what is to be
the greatest Civilization yet created by man, one would expect hope to be in
strong evidence among those involved with carrying out the task. And so it is! Those who are now here earnestly working
toward bringing the Brotherhoods’ plan to fruition share an enthusiasm for
the future of Man which is probably equalled in few places on earth. However,
The Stelle Group oftentimes receives letters from individuals who suspect
that Stelle must consist of a despairing group of people trying to escape
from the problems of society or a group who has lost hope that man may yet be
able to resolve those problems. These critics acknowledge the fact that our
world is in trouble and that something needs to be done, yet they have not
come to the point of accepting the information transmitted by the Brotherhoods that Western Civilization is in its final
days, and that a highly advanced one will begin to emerge in only a few
decades. But in light of their not accepting the
information given in The Ultimate
Frontier, it is understandable why they view Stelle as a symptom of their
own despair.
However, despair and its attendants—apathy
and hopelessness—are completely contrary to the emotions that sustain members
of The Stelle Group. In actuality, it is high expectation more than any other
single motivation which provides the fuel for
members of Stelle to continue working toward their twin goals of constructing
the city of Stelle
and attaining personal Initiation in the Brotherhoods. The events awaiting us
in this decade and the next few thereafter are not cause for elation, but
neither are they reasons for despair. Keeping the broad historical perspective
in mind—that the events to come are the outworking of causes initiated by Man
himself in past centuries—we can let these events stimulate our striving to
carry out the Stelle phase of the founding of the Nation of God. And the fact that we do believe in a beneficent future
contributes to our growing sense of surety. As The Great plan unfolds and the
reality of Stelle and the Nation of God becomes ever more tangible to us who
are working toward that end, our hope turns to confidence.
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