A Will of Iron

Do you remember this song, We are the World? It was a very famous and powerful song in its time, partly because so many vocal artists participated, but also because it was an attempt to create a feeling of community and focus on an area of the world in crisis. It was a call for individuals to listen to their hearts, and join together, not only in singing but working together, to strive to make the world a better place, one person and one act at a time.
These feelings and desires usually arise out of crisis. Our movement for religious renewal, the movement of the Red Cross and the movement of Amnesty International, all speak to this.
Today, we are witnessing unrest on a global scale in many areas: political, social, economic, environmental, which in turn is echoed by the Earth itself - weather patterns, earthquakes, flooding, fires, drought. Something new is needed.
In spite of all the good intentions of the United Nations Assembly, many are starting to question its efficacy. Abuses of human rights continue, even in civilized countries like Canada. We are still a long ways from the ideals of the Charter of Human Rights. Why?
This is because our governments lack the political will to embrace these ideals. If there is to be change, it must come from a grassroots movement, from a groundswell of humanity.
Take for example the current crisis in mining interests in South Africa, Latin and South America. An international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights was signed and ratified by over 160 states in 1966. An interesting point is that the United States and South Africa are some of the few holdouts to ratifying this covenant, to this day.
A report is submitted every 5 years by each state and reviewed by a committee of 18 members, who are elected every 4 years. The problem is, this committee has no teeth. An optional protocol to this covenant was created in 2009 which would recognize the competence of the committee to consider complaints from individuals. So far, only 8 parties have signed and ratified this protocol, which requires 10 before it can come into effect. The desire is there, but not the will.
Where governments lack willpower, it must then come from the people. More and more, our ability to show compassion, empathy, love, patience and forgiveness, must come to the fore. This does not come out of ourselves, but out of the working of the Holy Spirit in us. It is the working of the heart. We are beginning to hear and learn more about the unbelievable nature of heart forces. Believe it or not, the heart creates electrical and magnetic waves that can extend many kilometres. Your positive im"pulses" can literally have an effect at a great distance.
What we do as individuals impacts our personal lives; what we do as a collective humanity affects not only the present but the future.
One of my most favorite activities in August is star-gazing. In particular, the Perseid meteor shower. Out of curiosity, I wondered if Rudolf Steiner had anything to say about this particular annual cosmic event. It turns out he did:
It is the cosmic manifestation of the iron of the Archangel Michael's sword, whose purpose is to wage war on, and drive out, anxiety, fear and hate, from our blood, which emotions in turn create illusion and cloud Universal Truth.
Change must come about now through nonviolence, through overcoming hate with love, fear with compassion, anxiety with empathy, woundedness with healing.
Pretty heavy stuff.
Sparky