Wow. Great insights from all. Thank you. @Riktare: That's a good point. We could probably raise these issues during global religious conferences or The parliament of the World's religions etc.. Maybe we don't even have to go that big, we could simply, on an individual level, raise these issues within our social circles, be it religious or secular.
@Agon D. Onter You make an excellent point. As you will see from the quotes that I found below, the revelators stress the importance of the home in resolving these issues.
@fanofVan You bring out some interesting points. Indeed, the world does live in seemingly 3 different epochs, but the world is also easily influenced by each other's lifestyles thanks to the internet and to globalization in general.
Also, to your point on "the acceleration of the rate-of-change!" , I believe 2000 Years ago, Rodan spoke of this:
160:1.3.The more complex civilization becomes, the more difficult will become the art of living. The more rapid the changes in social usage, the more complicated will become the task of character development. Every ten generations mankind must learn anew the art of living if progress is to continue. And if man becomes so ingenious that he more rapidly adds to the complexities of society, the art of living will need to be remastered in less time, perhaps every single generation. If the evolution of the art of living fails to keep pace with the technique of existence, humanity will quickly revert to the simple urge of living—the attainment of the satisfaction of present desires. Thus will humanity remain immature; society will fail in growing up to full maturity.
This just further shows how important this issue is. It really is "the greatest threat" to our existence as is stated in the quotes below.
-- I also found the following quotes which could shed some more light on this topic for further analysis.
84:8.2.Originally, property was the basic institution of self-maintenance, while marriage functioned as the unique institution of self-perpetuation. Although food satisfaction, play, and humor, along with periodic sex indulgence, were means of self-gratification, it remains a fact that the evolving mores have failed to build any distinct institution of self-gratification. And it is due to this failure to evolve specialized techniques of pleasurable enjoyment that all human institutions are so completely shot through with this pleasure pursuit. Property accumulation is becoming an instrument for augmenting all forms of self-gratification, while marriage is often viewed only as a means of pleasure. And this overindulgence, this widely spread pleasure mania, now constitutes the greatest threat that has ever been leveled at the social evolutionary institution of family life, the home.
84:8.4.There is real danger in the combination of restlessness, curiosity, adventure, and pleasure-abandon characteristic of the post-Andite races. The hunger of the soul cannot be satisfied with physical pleasures; the love of home and children is not augmented by the unwise pursuit of pleasure. Though you exhaust the resources of art, color, sound, rhythm, music, and adornment of person, you cannot hope thereby to elevate the soul or to nourish the spirit. Vanity and fashion cannot minister to home building and child culture; pride and rivalry are powerless to enhance the survival qualities of succeeding generations.
84:8.5.Advancing celestial beings all enjoy rest and the ministry of the reversion directors. All efforts to obtain wholesome diversion and to engage in uplifting play are sound; refreshing sleep, rest, recreation, and all pastimes which prevent the boredom of monotony are worth while. Competitive games, storytelling, and even the taste of good food may serve as forms of self-gratification. (When you use salt to savor food, pause to consider that, for almost a million years, man could obtain salt only by dipping his food in ashes.)
84:8.6.Let man enjoy himself; let the human race find pleasure in a thousand and one ways; let evolutionary mankind explore all forms of legitimate self-gratification, the fruits of the long upward biologic struggle. Man has well earned some of his present-day joys and pleasures. But look you well to the goal of destiny! Pleasures are indeed suicidal if they succeed in destroying property, which has become the institution of self-maintenance; and self-gratifications have indeed cost a fatal price if they bring about the collapse of marriage, the decadence of family life, and the destruction of the home—man's supreme evolutionary acquirement and civilization's only hope of survival. ----
As I reflect upon your answers and the quotes, I believe that to start solving this issue we must start with:
1. Ourselves 2. Our HOMES 3. Our Schools 4. Awareness campaigns through our religious institutions and secular institutions who are specialized in social progress.
This is obviously a long-term project, but we could start building the cornerstones in this generation.
_________________ Mark, 9:5.7 Too often, all too often, you mar your minds by insincerity and sear them with unrighteousness;
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