To help humanity in its task of global transformation, Maitreya the World Teacher has formulated certain priorities. They cover the essential needs of every man, woman and child: an adequate supply of food; housing for all; health care and education as universal rights. Other top priorities include the restoration of the environment and the establishment of peace.

The key to achieving these goals is a more equitable sharing of the world’s food and resources. According to Maitreya: “Without sharing there can be no justice; without justice there can be no peace; without peace, there can be no future.”

Humanity at a crossroads

Humanity is at a crossroads. One path into the future leads to increasing social and economic division, environmental destruction, war and planetary peril. The other path leads to increasing social harmony, economic and environmental balance, and a golden era of peace.

Fortunately, at this critical point in history, we have in our midst a group of extraordinary spiritual teachers to help guide us along the path to peace. But we must willingly accept this guidance and take action to resolve our most dangerous global problems.

Among the most dangerous is the growing disparity between the world’s ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots.’ For example:

• The richest 20 percent of the world’s population accounts for three-quarters of world income. The poorest 40 percent accounts for 5 percent of global income.
• Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.
• At any given time, close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
• Of the 1.9 billion children in the developing world, there are:
  • 640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)
  • 400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)
  • 270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Around 27-28 percent of all children in developing countries are estimated to be stunted or underweight.
• Even in the US, the world’s wealthiest country, 43.6 million people — 14.6 percent of the population — are living in poverty.

(Source: www.globalissues.org)

This growing divide between the wealthy and the poor threatens us all, as the resulting crime, social unrest, civil war and environmental degradation do not respect national or local boundaries.

Global consumption

The greed of a few has placed the future of the planet in jeopardy. In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%. A UN Human Development Report concludes that the “runaway growth in consumption is placing unprecedented pressure on the environment.” This report and others cite the destruction of the world’s forests; depletion of the world’s fisheries and fresh water supplies; pollution of air and water; depletion of the world’s topsoil; desertification; species extinction; a dramatic increase in fossil fuel burning and resulting global warming trends. The list of growing environmental problems is nearly endless.

Some of the earth’s life support systems are already nearing the “point of no return,” says Worldwatch’s Brian Halwell. “We cannot sustain this level of consumption forever.”

Sharing is the answer

What could cause humanity, particularly those in the developed world, to change to a less destructive, more sustainable lifestyle before it is too late?

The writing is already on the wall, according to former US Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Alan Greenspan. “It is not credible that the United States can remain an oasis of prosperity unaffected by a world that is experiencing greatly increased stress,” Greenspan says. But the “stress” of collapsing economies in Asia and Russia ― and increasing turmoil in Latin America and Eastern Europe ― not only affects the oasis of the United States, but the rest of the world as well. The world economy is “in a mess,” concedes a senior official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Efforts by the Federal Reserve and the IMF to prop up the global economy are dwarfed by the sheer size of the ‘global casino’ that has contributed to the problems in the first place. Some $1,5 trillion in currency changes hands electronically every day in search of speculative profits unrelated to any exchange of real goods and services. This flow of capital, when shifted away from countries like Thailand and Indonesia, has caused severe economic hardships, which have rippled across the globe. With Japan, the world’s second largest economy, already in deep recession, the outlook is not bright.

When the US’s “oasis of prosperity” begins to dry up, as it must in the current global financial crisis, stock markets in the West will plunge. This collapse will provide an opportunity for governments to re-evaluate their economic priorities, says futurist Benjamin Creme. The nations of the world will meet together to discuss how to cope with the future in an orderly fashion.

Solutions at hand

Fortunately, the answers to these seemingly intractable problems are readily available.

For many years, Creme has spoken and written about the presence in the world today of a group of great spiritual teachers, known in the East as the Masters of Wisdom. At their head is Maitreya, who, Creme says, is here to inspire humanity to see itself as one interdependent family.

Maitreya will help us to see that the world’s food, raw materials, energy and technological resources belong to everyone and must be shared equitably. These resources, Maitreya says, are given by divine right for the sustenance of all humanity, not for the use and misuse by a relative few. He will recommend a re-ordering of economic priorities so that adequate food, housing, education and health care become universal rights.

The next steps

The immediate priority will be the saving of millions of people now starving to death in the developing world. Maitreya will propose a crash program of aid on a world scale to alleviate this suffering.

As humanity begins to accept the Principle of Sharing, and people call on governments to implement this principle, each country will make an inventory of its assets and needs. These statistics will provide a United Nations agency, set up for this purpose, with the information required for a rational redistribution of the world’s resources. That which each country has in excess of its needs will be put aside, in trust for the world.

The plans for such a redistribution program ― drawn up by economists, financiers and industrialists of great achievement ― are already in existence, awaiting only the demand of humanity for their implementation. A sophisticated form of barter, on a global scale, will eventually replace the present economic system.

There will be opposition to such plans from some of the more privileged members of society who will see a loss of their traditional status and power. But the need for change will become so obvious that they will find themselves increasingly powerless to halt the momentum.

Another top priority will be saving, protecting, and healing the environment. This will require the creation of economic systems based on the principles of sustainability and sufficiency, rather than the present system of overproduction and waste. The goal is to supply the needs of all while maintaining the planet’s health.

With the transformation of economic structures, people throughout the world will increasingly be able to live decent, dignified lives. The incidence of large families will diminish, particularly in the developing world, where it is mainly an insurance for old age. The earth’s population will gradually decline to a more natural level.

Humanity’s choice

The bright future ahead for humanity is dependent on the decisions we make today. Maitreya and the Masters will advise and guide, but the future rests in our hands.

Maitreya will present humanity with two alternative scenarios of the future ― either to continue in the selfish, greedy ways of the past and destroy ourselves, or to accept the Principle of Sharing and create a brilliant new civilization where all may participate as full members of the human family.

Maitreya is in no doubt about the choice humanity will make. He says: “The success of my mission depends on you: you must make the choice ― whether you share and learn to live peacefully as true men, or perish utterly. My heart tells me your answer, your choice, and is glad.”