The news today – and every day – is: the world is becoming more and more hellish. Endless conflict, fighting, terrorism and war. Why is this? Why are people acting in these ways? What are they trying to gain? Can’t they see what suffering they are causing? Don’t they care?

We need to go within and ask ourselves these questions. We each need to question the way we are living in this world and the effect we are having on the world and our fellow inhabitants.

With only a very few, wonderful exceptions, everyone is living their lives with the same basic motivation. Each of us is living for our own happiness. We make plans and act according to the criterion “Will this make me happy?” “Which option will make me more happy?” We enter into relationships because we think the other person will be able to assist us in attaining happiness.

So we are all living for ourselves, and our extended selves (family, friends, dependents, community, nation, creed, race, species). We want to be happy. This is natural. Happiness is our actual birthright.

The problem is in how we interpret this basic need. Being happy – as we mistakenly understand it – means: enjoying this world.

We are not concerned with other people, except for their ability to help us enjoy. Most of us are not concerned with taking care of this planet, and if we are, it’s usually because we’re thinking: the better the earth’s condition, the better we can enjoy it.

To enjoy something, you have to control it. You see the apple in the store and want to enjoy it. To acquire control of it, you have to buy it.

So every one of us is in this enjoyer consciousness. We all want to enjoy. Which means that we all want to control. Everyone is acting every day, trying to gain control over things, over ideas, over people. Whatever (or whomever) it is that we want, we are thinking, “This is mine. I am the owner. I am the controller.”

Now multiply that by the population of this planet – and look at the effect. Look at the condition of the world today. Look at what its people are doing. Look at the anger, the neglect, the hatred, the chaos, the wars, the destruction.

You cannot avoid connecting the dots. The hellish condition of the planet today is directly due to the consciousness of its inhabitants – because they are acting according to that consciousness. And the result of acting under a self-centered, enjoyer consciousness can only be destruction, because it inevitably leads to conflict with all the other self-centered would-be enjoyers.

If two people both want something, they must either make some agreement, or fight over it. That’s the headline today – and every day.

So look what we are doing! In our pursuit of happiness, we are destroying this world which was given to us to take care of. In our pursuit of happiness, we are killing our brothers and sisters – of all species – who were also given this world. It’s their birthright as well as ours.

This planet does not belong to us. It is to be shared, not fought over. We are not the owners.

The only way that the chaos presently engulfing the world can be overcome is if people will give up this self-centered enjoyer consciousness. There is no other solution. No political plan, no economic incentive, no special interest group, no work of art, no act of terrorism – nothing else can work. How is that to be done?

We must stop living for ourselves and discover the actual goal of life. Becoming the controller and enjoyer of this world is not the goal, and there is no life and no happiness in the attempt. The proof is all around you – take a look! And begin to ask the real questions: “Who am I? What is my essential nature? What am I doing in this world? What is my true purpose?”

If you want the answers to these questions, they can be found through the process of Mantra Meditation. Our purpose is to share this information freely, as it was shared with us. We invite you to begin today.