James O’Dea - Find Your Voice
Patricia January 16th, 2008
Best New Year’s Resolution for Peace 2008
I find Jame’s O’Dea’s letter Find Your Voice in 2008 (below) extremely useful. James is the President of The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) founded by astronaut Edgar Mitchell and former director of Amnesty Internationale’s Washington DC office. IONS is a leader in research and education on the science of Consciousness. Mitchell founded IONS as a result of a profound experience he had when aboad the Appolo moon-flight. Mitchell said he became full of a sense of oneness and bliss and no sense of being a separate body-mind. He briefly wondered if the other astronauts were having the same experience (they did not). This experience was life changing and Mitchell has pursued the science of conciousness through IONS work.
I met James and heard him speak in Dubrovnik. IONS was a co-sponsor of the Peace conference. His topic Evidence of a World Transforming: From Disintegration to Re-enchantment was inspiring. What I appreciate about James is his voice of optimism coupled with a passionate understanding of the complexities of this planet’s and mankind’s needs at this time in history.
The IONS Shift Report is a valuable resource for anyone interested in exploring this topic further.
Find Your Voice in 2008
When we understand that the core impulse of every religion is good and noble, we find our way to unity and peace. Underneath them all is the human quest for truth. In the year ahead, be a voice that honors and respects that quest; be a voice for interfaith dialogue and reconciliation.
When we understand that human rights are universal and indivisible, then we can celebrate and affirm the historical and cultural diversity of all of Earth’s peoples without compromise. In the year ahead, be a voice for the fullest expression and implementation of human rights by all nations.
When we understand the interdependence of all life on Earth, we thrive in the context of creative collaboration with each other and with Nature. Only resourceful collective action can prevent severe environmental degradation, toxic poisoning and climate imbalance. In the year ahead, be an urgent voice for ecological and sustainable development.
When we understand how paradigms change, we can explore a future that is radically different, a future that supports our highest values. Human civilization requires that scientific exploration serve our highest evolutionary potential, not the paradigms of crude materialism, militarism, and exploitation. In the year ahead, be a voice for scientific explorations that help us shift to higher creativity and more evolved consciousness.
When we understand the nature of choice and the power of intention, we will choose our leaders wisely. We cannot have enlightened societies without visionary, compassionate and emotionally intelligent leaders. In the year ahead, be a voice for choosing leaders who are worthy exemplars of these qualities.
When we understand the potential within each human being we will wake up to the importance of developing the inner life. In every age, mystics, sages, and teachers have shown us how to go deep within and, by doing so, experience the great gift of awareness itself. In the year ahead, listen to the voice within.
The world is waiting for you to find your voice.
Yours,
James O’Dea, President
Institute of Noetic Sciences