Has America known its finest hour? Are we loosing our religion 
and sanity as well? What is wrong with our society anyway? These 
are baffling questions that are frequently being asked by more 
and more people, even the media. 

From environmental pollution to spiritual pollution, from 
artificial food to artificial joy - these are the side effects of 
the pursuit of materialism (a by-product of the American Dream, 
as we know it).  Today, everything is fair game in the pursuit 
of pleasure and avoidance of pain and personal responsibility, 
not to mention the absence of morality and a wholesome values 
system.  

Is America at risk of reaching a point of no return, or worse 
becoming a third world nation?  According to universal laws, 
it's all a simple matter of cause and effect or as it's been 
said "as you sow so shall you reap."  What we are witnessing 
is the powerful consequences of these laws from which no one 
is exempt. 

We live in a time characterized by a modern battle between good 
and evil which can be defined as limited awareness (the norm) 
and integrity and enlightenment (which are the exception). It's 
a time when chaos and anarchy are the order of the day.  While 
technologically we may live in a space age, morally we are still 
living in the stone age as reflected in our social ills, the 
failure of our systems and institutions and the growing 
conflicts both domestically and internationally. 

One of the greatest human tragedies is not the lack of resources 
and/or control over our own circumstances, but rather the lack 
of awareness.  Whether we realize it or not, the current climate 
of insanity, including terrorism, is a reflection of a moral and 
spiritual crisis.  It's indicative of our denial of our own 
spiritual roots and the perception that we are separated, which 
eventually leads to conflicts and even wars.   

An engineer can look at the foundation of a building under 
construction and tell you its eventual height and even fate of 
a structure.  Similarly, a society is as strong and free as the 
pillars of the spirit upon which it's built.  Spiritual roots 
are the foundation upon which total prosperity and peace and 
harmony are built.  When we reject concepts of spirituality, 
integrity and morality - we also deny the greatest part of our 
existence (our spirit) which enables us to prosper and 
experience a fuller life of meaning, purpose, real joy, 
fulfillment and peace (inner and outer).  By so doing, we also 
deny our access to the ultimate real and positive power, the 
ever-present force (God) that builds and doesn't destroy.  
That's because we are spiritual beings experiencing the human 
experience and not the other way around.  As such we were 
designed and meant to live a life of meaning and purpose 
through spirit and integrity beyond the narrow boundaries 
of the material world. 
 
In a materialistic-driven society where vanity, not virtue, is 
worshipped, all the things we used to hold dear like, religion, 
marriage, family, loyalty, faithfulness, hard work, and being 
of service to the community are no longer sacred.  Instead 
consumerism, in the spirit of "He with the most toys lives," 
rather then "He with the most joys lives," is promoted and 
driven by profit and greed to the point that even a holiday 
like Christmas is now more of a marketing concept and devoid 
of any real meaning.  

The media, especially Hollywood, is also at fault. Rather than 
celebrating excellence and the human spirit, by promoting 
positive concepts such as personal responsibility, making a 
difference, tolerance, kindness, giving and sensitivity to 
the human condition, the media produces shows and movies 
that celebrate human weakness, vanity and perversion. These 
productions promote social ills such as anti-social behavior, 
excessive self-indulgence and entitlement, instant gratification,
greed, corruption, compromised integrity and obsession with 
external, shallow values, including the obsession with fame, 
fortune, and youth.  This has led to a significant increase 
in substance abuse, senseless violence in our schools, and 
increased teen suicide. 

You can blame it all on the pursuit of the American Dream, as we 
know it, which is an illusion based on a materialistic values 
system characterized by corruption, greed, compromised integrity 
and the erosion of morality whereby the love of power overcomes 
the power of love.  It certainly does not represent the true 
spirit of America, which was based on perspiration, innovation, 
risk and reward and where the focus used to be on a strong work 
ethic, high integrity, family and community.  All of which 
created a nation of producers with an enviable prosperity that 
created real joy and fulfillment.  

It's obvious that America has gone off track and is in desperate 
need for healing and revival if we are to maintain a free and 
thriving nation, not to mention our leadership in the 
international arena. The solution to restoring our spirits and 
our economy is through increased awareness and by reconnecting 
with our spiritual roots.  Awareness can be used as a useful 
tool to better understand the unity of life, our place in the 
universe and ourselves. By understanding ourselves better, we 
come to understand God as the source and the destination.

In other words, everything we do must be driven by spirit 
and spirit-filled. That's because we are spiritual beings 
experiencing the human experience and not the other way around. 
As such we were meant and designed to live a life of meaning and 
purpose by recognizing the unity of life and living in harmony 
with the universal laws that are characterized by integrity and 
the honoring of all living things.  In this way we can actually 
produce real hope, real joy and fulfillment, real peace (both 
inner and outer), ultimately leading to total prosperity in the 
true spirit of the American Dream.