Addressing the Existential Crisis We Face in Today's World

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Today's topic is the existential
crisis of humanity and the

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evolution of consciousness as a
solution to this crisis.

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First, I'd like to thank you for
your interest in this critical

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issue for the future survival of
our entire human race.

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There's a positive way forward
for humanity as we face the

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intense challenges before us.
When we are under intense

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pressure, we have the impetus to
make needed changes.

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That's the lesson of nature and
the lesson of human history.

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What do we each worry about as
we live our lives?

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We worry about our health and
that of our family.

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We don't generally tie our
health issues to our

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environment, but there is a
clear link.

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We are filling the rivers, the
oceans, the earth and the air

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with toxic chemicals which are
migrating into our bodies.

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We find increasing stress in our
lives as we struggle to survive,

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deal with health and family
issues, and try to deal with the

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increasing climate impacts that
we notice every day.

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We are inundated with constant
news of wars, mass migrations,

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increased homelessness, drug
use, alcoholism, and the

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breakdown of health.
But there's more.

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The ocean fisheries are on the
brink of total collapse,

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threatening the food supply for
billions of people.

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Freshwater aquifers are being
drained and freshwater is

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running out.
The oceans are dying, and with

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it the greatest source of oxygen
we need to live.

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As the problems increase,
tensions increase, and we

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continue to develop ever more
destructive weapons that can

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destroy all life on the planet
many times over at the push of a

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button, so to speak.
Anyone who experienced the

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nuclear bomb drills in schools
in the 1960s carries this fear

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in a very real way.
All of these things have one

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common cause.
Our business and economic

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leaders, religious leaders,
political leaders all try to

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find ways to solve these issues.
But we are met with failure to

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act, gridlock and finger
pointing rather than any real

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answers.
The problems continue to get

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worse.
Our despair deepens.

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So what is the solution if it is
not to be found in technology,

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business, religion, economic
systems, or politics?

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First, we need to step back a
little bit and understand the

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problem from a foundational
perspective.

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In order to do so, let's talk
about consciousness for a

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moment.
When we look at physical matter,

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there's no way or method for
consciousness to arise

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spontaneously.
Rock remains rock.

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When we see life emerge, we find
that certain types of material

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forms have been modified to hold
the energy we call life, and we

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see that each life has encoded
within its material shell a

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specific formulation that makes
it what it is.

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The seed of a dandelion brings
forth a dandelion.

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The seed of a Redwood tree
brings forth a Redwood tree.

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Life is the first major
evolutionary emergence of

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consciousness in the material
world, and it came about with

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encoded data and modified forms
that could carry out that data

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set.
Eventually, life forms evolve

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that could hold a new level of
consciousness, the animal

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consciousness.
Animal consciousness has an

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enhanced vital force, includes
the ability to move and

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eventually utilize at least
rudimentary mental powers to

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carry out the encoded data set
included in animals.

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Out of animal life we see the
development of full mentality

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with the emergence of thinking
mind, the ability to analyze

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developed organized pattern
recognition, create logical step

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by step inferences, develop
complex communication methods

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and create and utilize tools.
And then the ability of self

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reflection and recognition of a
broader world and universe

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arises and we become truly human
in our viewpoint.

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The steps we see here, each with
ever increasingly complex outer

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forms suited to expressing an
ever more complex and coded data

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set, each bring with them a
paradigm shift.

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And with that paradigm shift
comes new opportunities and new

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challenges.
The new level of consciousness

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is tasked with finding ways to
solve the issues created by the

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action of the prior level.
Evolution of consciousness is

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not done.
We believe that the challenges

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facing us in today's world are
basically unable to be solved,

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and thus many people simply have
given up hope.

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And one way or the other,
through despair or through

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uncaring pursuit of personal
enjoyment, they let the problems

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get worse.
A wise man once said that we

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cannot solve the problems we
face with the same level of

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thinking that led to those
problems in the 1st place.

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He was so right.
It is time therefore, to

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understand and embrace the
pattern of the evolution of

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consciousness and take up the
challenge and carry out the

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opportunity to develop a new
paradigm representing the next

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evolutionary stage of
development beyond the mental

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level.
We have explored under the

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oceans, climbed mountains,
searched the jungles and plains

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and frozen regions of the planet
and started exploring outer

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space.
It is time to undertake the

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exploration of inner space and
open ourselves up to the further

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encoded opportunities that lie
within as we become more than

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mind driven human beings and
embrace our greater destiny.

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As the next phase of
consciousness develops and

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manifests, this involves a
paradigm shift.

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Humanity has already started to
undergo this paradigm shift.

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At one point in our history, we
believed that the Earth was

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flat.
It became revolutionary when we

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finally recognized that the
world was round and could be

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circumnavigated.
At another point, we believed

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that the sun revolved around the
earth and we were actually the

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center of all existence.
Those who researched and

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determined otherwise were
treated as heretics and had to

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undergo tremendous suffering in
their day.

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Now we know that the Earth
revolves around the sun, and

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even the sun is not the center
of the universe, but a small

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player in a much larger
universal existence.

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We have not yet caught up with
the implications of these shifts

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in our way of relating to our
lives and the world we live in.

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We still act as if each one of
us is the center of the

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universe.
We work to optimize our own

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situation at the expense of
everyone and everything else.

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This is the strict mental and
vital consciousness at work.

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When we saw the image of the
Earth seen from space, it

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crystallized for many people the
oneness and interdependence of

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all existence.
Many people began to reflect on

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this and open themselves to
another paradigm shift, this

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time away from the mental logic
to a more complete global way of

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seeing things.
This process needs to be

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developed and it is our role as
part of the solution towards

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saving the planet and our
species to begin to implement

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this shift of awareness in the
day-to-day decisions we make and

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the way we evaluate our lives
and our actions.

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From this new viewpoint, we can
find solutions that are not all

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black and white either or, but
which find the solution of

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harmony that begins to heal the
planet and our relations with

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each other.
There are ranges of

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consciousness beyond the mind
that many are beginning to

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recognize.
Scientists are starting to work

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with intuition, inspiration, and
the essential basis of

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consciousness, which is the
source of specific encoding that

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is involved in matter and which
manifests once the conditions

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are ripe.
There are practical steps one

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can take to participate in this
evolutionary development.

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So we ask ourselves, what can we
do about all of this?

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Is there any solution?
The evolution of consciousness

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is an inevitable development,
but will it occur quickly enough

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to forestall the damage that has
already occurred and is

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accelerating as we speak?
Individuals who become awake to

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this possibility and aid the
process and help speed it up.

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And that is where you and I come
into this picture.

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You can find out more.
Sri Aurobindo has been a leading

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researcher in this field.
The book Integral Yoga,

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Shriorobindo's Teaching and
Method of Practice, is a great

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guidebook for understanding both
the concept and the

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implementation of the practice
to begin to realize these next

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stages of consciousness beyond
the mind into one's own life.

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Another great introductory text
is Shriorobindo, or The

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Adventure of Consciousness by
SAT Prem.

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We can also practice integrating
the new global perspective of

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oneness into our lives.
It may begin as a purely mental

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practice, but eventually you
begin to see and respond based

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on that unity of the entire
creation.

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You will notice your reaction to
events and beings changing as

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you do this, with a growing and
greater understanding taking

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place of more rigid mental
viewpoints.

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Take up practices, whether they
are part of a spiritual or

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religious path or a spiritual
endeavor, or a scientific

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seeking or artistic path that
opens up your receptivity to

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intuition, inspiration, insights
that are not driven by the

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fragmented and stepwise process
of the logical mental intellect.

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Begin to look at the major
issues the world faces and see

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how they can be addressed with a
sense of harmony and balance

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instead of fixed ideological
approaches.

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This may involve technology or
not.

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All human endeavors have their
place in the massive adjustments

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we need to make in order for
humanities to survive and

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thrive.
Whatever you are doing in your

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life, your career and your
relationships, try to bring

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compassion, goodwill,
understanding and harmony based

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on the interrelated nature of
all your approach to these

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things.
Encourage and support others who

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are trying to solve the issues
and focus time, attention and

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where possible funds into
approaches that rely on building

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a harmonious balance rather than
A1 sided approach with

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unintended consequences.
Look into organizations that are

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working to make a difference,
for instance Oroville

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International USA.
You can find it at AVIU sa.org.

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Oroville aspires to be a
laboratory of spiritual and

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material research to address the
existential problems of humanity

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from a new perspective and
standpoint.

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For more information and for a
brief daily study, you can visit

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theblog@shriorobindostudies.wordpress.com
or the YouTube site at Santosh

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Krinsky 871, or you can visit
ourwebsite@holisticinstitute.org.

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If you're interested in books to
find out more, you can visit

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lotuspress@lotuspress.com.
Their publications are also

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available in most cases, both in
print and as ebooks, and the

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ebooks are widely available on
Amazon, Apple iTunes and Google

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Play.
These may look like small or

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simple things, but be assured as
you begin to make changes in

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your life and the focus of your
time, attention, energy and

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resources, things begin to
change around you.

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Every individual who takes up
this effort makes a real

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difference and helps us to reach
the tipping point where humanity

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can begin to solve the problems
rather than make them worse.

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It is not a matter of converting
anybody or proselytizing, but in

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effectuating real change
inwardly.

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It is not as easy as it sounds,
but it is far more rewarding

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than the endless round of
entertainment and avoidance that

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we normally engage in when we
confront the endless challenges

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of the world that are vital and
mental elements have created.

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Thank you for your caring, your
interest and your efforts.