The New America Papers Summary:
An awakened future on our horizon
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Service
An overwhelming majority of Americans "would like to be more personally involved in creating a better world at whatever local or global level." The New America Papers shows where there are segments of our population who may not be inclined to vote but who do, nonetheless, donate money and time as they can. Donating and volunteering are two of the basic indicators of serving others for a greater good. Service to others represents another layer to connection of self with society. Service for the highest good of all and the enlightenment of humanity is yet another layer.
The research included in The New America Papers shows that the sense of a sacred interconnectedness is not related to whether a person identifies with organized religion or a religious practice. So that it can be encouraged on the widest possible social scale, spirituality cannot be so confounded with religion that, by mis-association, it gets bound up in the confused history of "separation of church and state." Spirituality is more closely associated with "awakening" to a higher consciousness and a more integral and encompassing view of the interconnectedness of life. Spirituality is a very large context that helps us embrace our diverse connection with one another, as is the value of service to one another and our planet. A new type of leadership that is guided by a widely-encompassing spirituality can help usher in a new era in which war, conflict, and adversity can eventually become anachronisms.
Taken together, connection, service, and spirituality provide a strong basis for engaging the vast majority of Americans around a higher common denominator than we have ever had, one that transcends individual belief systems, dogma, and doctrines. We are already "primed" to engage in a national dialogue and embrace innovative, societal structures founded on tolerance, compassion, a universal connectedness, and a belief in working toward the greater common good.
