2022-02-24-The Supreme Connection

Session

Opening

Dear Michael and Mother Spirit: Welcome, dear parents. We are your loving and wonderfully loved children, and we thank you so much for always being right here with us. You are part of us and our closest companion, right along with our mutual Father.

Tonight, once again, our hearts are heavy with the enormous suffering of others, literally the pain of human bodies being torn apart with high explosives. It’s modern warfare where our news tells us that, for first time since the Second World War, we have a large, mechanized army invading another country with high explosives that do such truly obscene things to human bodies.

Lesson

Michael--thinking of the spirit that you are, and the insights you could give us--what human spirit is this when a person or group of people have this willingness to inflict the most truly unbelievable pain on others to get what they want? It occurs to me that right in our wonderful country--one of the most prosperous countries in human history--we have recently gone through years of something similar. In the summer before this last winter we had eight months of what were nonchalantly called riots, where dozens of people were killed, hundreds wounded, and billions of dollars of other peoples’ property destroyed. This was often someone’s life-time of work so unbelievably destroyed just for the fun of hurting other people.

You once gave us a lesson on the spiritual difference between stealing something--looting something to take home to enjoy or to sell—and simply setting somebody else’s building on fire for whatever temporary joy or power that gave.

Now by this year, sixteen of our major cities are experiencing their worst crime in recent history, including murder. We asked about this before, and you addressed several incidents where youngsters had killed each other for little reason. Now we have a mother of four who was simply shot and killed for nothing. It all seems to be about the same spiritual utter lack of value--destroying of value of a human life. So, if you would please, give us some deeper spiritual understanding of this. Amen.

Michael: Good evening, my dear ones. This is your spiritual father, Michael. When I was young, and among you as Jesus, we also a very hard time under the yoke of the Roman Empire where the slightest resistance was met with the most terrible reprisals upon the people.

This is why, on high, your poor world Urantia is known as the “World of the Cross” for what was done to a Creator Son of God who came among you with teachings of how to live better with each other.

(The Supreme connection)

And so tonight, as we try to understand why people do what they do to each other, I will still--and forever--emphasis that the single greatest cure is the supreme connection among you of love and caring. It’s the willingness to give some of your own life, day by day, for another. For all through these hundreds of thousands of years of nearly incessant warfare, and down to modern times, there have actually been wonderful periods of peace within nations and between nations. Always it has been the love connecting people that gave them the courage to face the hardships deliberately brought upon them by their fellows.

It takes love and courage to stand side-by-side to confront evil people. For again, this is the only solution, my dear ones. It will always be what--as you say--tips the balance between good folks and evil ones, whether in this recent warfare, or the crime you mentioned that is plaguing your cities.

Be careful not to generalize this and get off into abstractions. You have the saying, “Evil wants no opportunity but that good people do nothing.” Again, I remind you there is no such thing as “evil” by itself, just as there is no such thing as impersonal spirit abroad in the universe. These are all the doings of personal beings. It is evil persons—individuals--who want no other opportunity but that good people do nothing.

And yes, you have some recent examples. What you call crime is no more than the willingness of one individual to hurt another, either physically through robbery, rape, or murder, or spiritually through intimidation. This devaluing human life ruins what makes human life so precious and so thoroughly and overwhelmingly enjoyable.

(Freedom vs license)

Mother Spirit and I stress over and over it is the quality of freedom that depends on your own creative spirit in each situation. The physical, mental, and spiritual pain is caused by denying another person this freedom. This brings up another valid truism about the kind of human behavior you call license, which is the refusal to accept responsibility. It’s a person’s refusal to respond to what they themselves are doing to another. Just as a driver’s license gives one the ability to drive around, so does personal license enable a warped ego refusal to respond to the pain they are causing.

And so, above all, whether it is a small or large crime, or even, as you are seeing now, the result of one nation-state using mechanized warfare on another, it is the refusal to empathetically feel and take into account what their license is costing another. This is what is always involved. It is not license using your freedom of opportunity for yourself, but only when you are taking freedom from another.

This is the essence of warfare whether it is taking property, or land, or in olden tribal warfare, stealing each other’s children. It’s always the refusal to feel and acknowledge the pain being caused. My dears, I hesitate to be too graphic but there is no taking account of someone’s pain who is buried under a pile of rubble, taking days to die of their broken legs. There is no other human being alive that can take into account that amount of pain. Now multiply that by hundreds, or thousands.

This is what we are dealing with, Mother Spirit and I, right along with you, this disregard of and distancing from another. It’s the very opposite of loving connection, which is why love is the only thing that can, and always will--in time--win out.

Sometimes it is the love between good people who are willing to stand up against a really overt, obvious aggression, and give their lives and their possible unbelievable pain of wounds to stand up against it. Over and over again you are confronted with how to prevent these tragedies in the first place so you don’t have to pay such a price confronting evil people.

(The essence of civilization)

This is essentially what you call civilization, the slow growth and acceptance of finely articulated rules of behavior, the laws that bodies of free people--the legislatures of different cultures, countries, and nations--have evolved--and keep evolving--as the whole human situation evolves, especially in this highly ever-more-technological age. There’s a wonderful uniting of people all over the world with your technology promoting the evolution of good behavior, the laws that spell out what is not only permissible, but wonderful. These ideals contrast what are the evil aspects of human behavior--what hurts other people whether it is physical, economic, or mental.

Teach the willingness of individuals to freely accord themselves with these laws of decent, loving behavior. For in spite of some of the terrible things that do happen, by far the love and support among people is so enormously greater than this evil men do. It is the determination of your love to really open your minds as to the causes of human tragedy.

Mother Spirit and I have often suggested--on the larger scale of your nations, your countries, your large political organizations--there is such a thing as true democracy. It means One person-One vote including everybody within the political unit having an equal opportunity. We call for a de-centralization of authority, for today you see what happens when a large nation-state reposes authority in just a handful of people, and the kind of warfare they can launch.

(Individuals and organizations)

Look upon each other as Mother Spirit and I see you--unique individuals right from God. Yes, you have your necessary human organizations, for those who choose to live by themselves—you call “hermits”--are extremely rare indeed. People are not only individuals, they also form organizations. So always remember: Organizations are created by men; each individual is created by God. Freedom comes from de-centralization--the spreading out and the assuming of responsibility--the ability to respond--by each and every individual in a political group.

This is the ideal towards which you must always strive, even in your own day-to-day life within. It’s your own de-centralized open-mindedness, your willingness to enjoy contrary notions and ideas to those of your own. Welcome all the different points of view on a subject--the very thing that tyrants and dictators are so terrified of--their many people having their own free information and minds.

(Freedom depends on love & appreciation)

This is the only solution, my dears, when whole peoples accept their responsibility. All through history, the one thing that has stood up against collective tyranny, and ultimately triumphed, has been the human spirit of varied individuals. Their creative spirit has always triumphed over the simple-mindedness of the few. So take courage, my dear ones. Know forever deep in your heart, freedom depends on your love and your appreciation of all these others who share this world with you, in all their wonderful, wonderful God-given variety. They is your real treasure, and this is why and how you will triumph.

Mother Spirit sends you her love, and I bid you: Be in my peace. If you have any questions or comments, Mother Spirit and I are always open and welcome them.

Dialogue

Student: Michael, we know that love is the answer, and that begs a question. The Urantia Book states that all the early peace tribes were slaughtered. Then, in another paper on the government on a neighboring planet, it gives the example on that world similar to ours where they have fought nine fierce defensive conflicts. So while we know that chaos begats chaos, and calm begats calm, if that point has been passed, what are the spiritual penalties for defending your own home land?

(The extreme of appeasement)

Michael: Yes, my son. I’ll say this: a great open-mindedness and a generous heart looks for and welcomes the complexity that is involved in your question. It does not go to one extreme or another. One extreme is what you call appeasement, just doing anything to get along. You accept anything put upon you in the hopes this tyrant, or this criminal, is somehow going to be content. It is a refusal to first of all recognize, then acknowledge this evil person for what they are. This is not something abstract. When you are face-to-face with their willingness to hurt you, or those you love, it is your willingness to stand up against them with whatever that takes to stop them.

All the warfare that has happened been stopped by groups of people who were able to stand up against it and fight for the right--simply being the elimination of this immediate evil in their face. In your own Second World War the quickly conquered territories immediately developed their underground resistance, even in the face of, “You kill one of my soldiers, I will kill ten random people.” Still, they stood against that and ultimately triumphed. This is why your world is progressing. The number of democracies in your world has increased despite the fact you still have large autocratic nation-states.

(Never lose sight of the victims)

In your own country you’ve had some backsliding confronting criminal behavior that creates victims. Never lose sight of their terrible suffering as you try to understand and deal with the people doing these terrible things. Hold uppermost the people who have suffered so enormously disproportionately.

I gave a lesson on the difference between stealing something, which is ages old and why you have locks on your doors and keys for your car, and someone hurting someone else just for the thrill of temporary power--by setting fire to a store and destroying someone else’s livelihood. That is the obscene thing—that ratio right there of one evil person to an innocent one.

I gave a real example of a teenager watching someone going by on a bicycle, then pulling out a gun and shooting and killing him. It was not even an old feud, but just a random stranger. Think of that seemingly casual use of power compared to the loss of a human life. That is what you must continually strive to understand, and deal with, to keep it from happening in the first place.

(The willingness to hurt others)

On a spiritual level--as well as psychological—understanding and confronting evil people requires the most simple definition: The willingness to hurt others for some perceived gain: period. True, there are genuine mental perversions like sadism that require special, individual consideration and safeguarding. But throughout it is your own love and affection, shared with those so dear to you, that keeps evil from cropping up in yourself.

Student #2: Well, evil is not a mystery to us. We have watched it pretty obviously in our culture and in our democracy. There are a lot of strings pulled in the background to keep folks from going to jail. But anyway, we have been working together building circuits of love and energies by praying for each other and working for peace in the world. My question is: what exactly can we do against this evil?

(What in life can be most truly known)

Michael: My dear, never lose sight of these good works and what you have shared with each other. This is the greatest soul wealth a human being can have. God’s greatest aspect is that he chooses to share his creative power and his love with a whole universe of personal beings whose personalities come from him, each as unique as his own. The most God-like thing is to live this way--to love and be loved--and realize this is what you can know most truly.

Student: Well, I do know that. But I want is make a ring of light of God-love-power around the evil to constrain it and prevent it hurting people. If we go into World War III then there will be great learning opportunities, great more teaching about letting go evil and being heroic. It makes me angry that the testing-learning ground isn’t more under our control. If I stand here with a sword of spirit, a sword of light, and a sword of love, and I contend with evil and say, “Thou shall not pass!”--does that do anything? Does it help? What can we do?

Michael: My dear, of course it helps right in your own sphere of influence. First of all, do your best to understand your own immediate family and community. What good laws are there? Who is helping sustain these laws? Who is doing their best to get rid of these laws, or ignore them? Understand you are a political citizen of the realm--your family, your community, your state, your nation. Do your best to be a politically active and enlightened person.

(You are part of a democracy)

You yourself have to evaluate the options being offered to you by different political parties and their different candidates to office. You are one part of a democracy. Do your best to understand what leads to what. It is that simple because you are constantly bombarded by these different points of view as to what can bring about a better world. Your duty as a citizen is to understanding these different points of view.

You can vote—and you have the freedom to gather any number of people together and start your own organization. There are hundreds of organizations of people getting together to bring about what they feel is best. This is your political dimension.

Student: The political dimension--right. But I’m talking about prayer.

Michael: Exactly. Prayer helps you know what to do.

Student: Does prayer do anything against this sort of war we are having?

Michael: Yes. It mainly does its most not against someone, but for you. Prayer is your appeal for help, and one of the greatest prayers is for understanding. First of all, ask God to help you understand your life, and what is happening around you. Then ask for the courage to act upon that. These are the greatest prayers.

Your worship is acknowledging this goodness. Worship is your thankfulness for your own life, and for the life of those you love, and what you are able to share. This is the most wonderful worship--what God gives you the ability to do.

So yes, my dear; as I said, you are not only a single individual, but you are also part of a democratic group. So it does take getting into politics--being interested in that and seeking out the different viewpoints and possibilities that are being offered.

(The critical de-centralization of authority)

This is how things change. You maintain a democracy by being well informed. Then there is no limit to how much you want--and can to d--in terms of organizing and supporting different organizations. As I said, this is the necessary and critical de-centralization of authority. Democracy is not the concentrating of final authority in a central government or state capitol. It is when the people themselves become informed and make their will known.

As one of your greatest presidents said, “It is government of the people.” The people themselves serve in the government. It is “Government by the people.”--with your well-informed elections. It is “Government for the people.”--not just for a self-serving few, but for all the people. It was never more beautifully expressed. So keep working, my dear. Keep loving.

Student #2: Thank you.

Michael: Keep being curious. And be in my love.

Closing

(The obscene results of indiscriminate, irresponsible warfare)

Michael: Well, my dears, it is getting late. Yet in one most critical way, it is never too late. Sometimes a total disregard for the life, and love, and health of others can momentarily triumph. True, your news today is full of mechanized war of the most obscene kind because it is the most indiscriminate. Someone firing a rocket from thirty miles away, or an airplane dropping hundreds of pounds of high explosives on a city at 350 miles per hour is finally incalculable . That in itself is obscene.

But this will give way! People will ultimately choose the kind of government they want. So be of good faith, my dear ones. Always “keep your eye on the ball” of individual freedom where the people get to choose what kind of political organization and lives they want to have. It is something worth fighting for--with love.

Good night.