I used to think that it sounded silly to exhort people to dream "wonderful dreams" and then invest themselves fully in the manifestation. The idea sounded almost too simplistic, even trivial, what with such social ills as racism, sexism, and now terrorism, and any number of other isms vying for our attention, nipping at our minds, and tugging our emotions. But perhaps that's why daring to dream more wonderfully, and endeavoring earnestly to create the reality would indeed be the prescription that could solve what ails us. As much as we talk about finding global solutions, it's sounding ever more reasonable that the solution begins within each of us, upon the canvas of our own consciousness, through which we create and experience our lives as human beings.

I support and advocate what might be termed, a humanistic position. It recognizes and acknowledges our human beingness as the true litmus test and determinant of life potential in this world. Because we are human, we do not fly like birds or extract oxygen from water through gills to breathe like fish. At birth, human infants do not break through eggshells laid by our mothers and fertilized by our fathers, as birds and some reptiles do. While we share many similarities with the animal kingdom, we are worlds apart in the range, nature, quality, and scope of experiences that are available to actualize. We have only scratched the surface. When some of our "brightest minds" likens us to various species of animals, we feel justified in rationalizing animalistic behavior toward each other.

By animalistic behavior, I'm not referring to sex, which is an essential and at its essence, a very spiritual part of the human experience when love is involved. I speak of the animalistic ways that we try to conquer those who disagree with us (if we think we can), or because they look or behave differently, try to rationalize their extermination instead of understanding our oneness, respecting all, and resolving conflicts. We're used to expressing ourselves through belligerence, finding ever more clever ways to kill while remaining very guarded and skeptical about expressing more ways to love, not only each other, but ourselves. Animals don't have these perception and consciousness options available to them. I do not speculate upon whether animals have consciousness, as some people might assert, but human beings sit at the top of the experiential chain on Earth, at this time in its 4.6 billion-year history.

On the other hand, human beings can do things that no other family of creatures on planet Earth does. We can emulate or otherwise create sounds and behaviors like that of any animal, and much, much more. Animals are essentially "hard wired" to operate within and under certain behavioral schemas. By way of contrast, after gaining enough experiences and a measure of independence, human beings have the ability to assess the continued desirability of the behavioral schema that we have grown accustomed to experiencing, and if we so choose, have the power to change the nature and quality of said experience. The new experiences that we eventually elect may go completely counter to, or beyond any experience that our family, or forebears had embraced before. What we envisage and create may indeed go beyond anything any human being has experienced.

Humans have the power to put aside longstanding rivalries that have decimated other groups (who we oftentimes don't want to remember or acknowledge, are our kindred). We have the ability to realize that we may all benefit more through cooperation than through conflict. Yet, the benefits won't happen until after we change our attitude and behavior and see the benefits in our mind, and feel it in our heart. Considerations such as these are the cornerstones of a humanistic ideology.

I harp on humanism because it has become fairly obvious we can elect to change many aspects of our personal philosophies through the course of our lives and feel that we are right each time. One day we are atheist and the next, a "light" goes on and we can be orthodox Christian, Muslim, or Jew. We crusade against abortion one day, and then later, crusade for the right to choose, demonizing people who, a short time ago, we saw as heroes. We can change affiliations of politics and citizenship. Depending on the shading of their skin and other individual factors, some humans can be "white" or "mixed" and identify as black, or "black" or "mixed" and identify as white. We can change back and forth, if it serves us. But all the while we will be human, and that will not change as long as we express ourselves on Earth through our physical presences. So the only real "race" issue we have on the planet, in my opinion, is whether we will elect to be human, or not. Will we use our power to celebrate the joyful and illumined light that we can bring into this world, or to be an instrument for darkness, fear, and despair?

Embracing humanity liberates us in many ways. It doesn't require renouncing one's culture, but it extends the range of behaviors and experiences that we give ourselves permission to explore. For example, since "black" people have excelled in the arts and sports, they are given credit for being creative types; musicians, singers, dancers, and athletes. They are considered great workers but not necessarily leaders, except of other "blacks." Finally, in this stereotypical assessment, blacks are often thought to be monolithic in their thinking, for some acknowledged "leaders" are assumed to speak for the entire group. While this is far from the truth, the perception is nonetheless a persistent one. The problem that this approach exacerbates is the unspoken idea that experiential areas where "black" people are not prominent, if not predominant, are so because of an inherent inability that is perhaps genetic, intelligence related. The areas of quantum physics, higher mathematics, linguistics, and archaeology are examples that come to mind. These perceptions are further "supported" by such benchmarks as SAT scores and general rankings of scholarship achievement. Some social scientists, who believe that humanity is broken down into discrete racial groups, suggest that people from various Asiatic nations and cultures may be higher on the "intelligence" scale than "whites," who are above blacks, and so on. While I respect and understand how this argument seems reasonable, I nonetheless reject it.

What the test scores and scholarship rankings do tell us is the degree of motivation that the various students are demonstrating, not their innate ability or inability. Coincidentally, what the economic scale of achievement between various groups of people indicate is the extent to which people value their energies, and the extent to which they have made their ideas and efforts -- in the form of goods and services -- valuable to others by sharing them and risking that they will be either embraced or left alone by others.

Embracing our humanness, and our innate power to learn and literally weave a golden life even though we were born in experiential straw, is our birthright. We have the right and privilege to be inspired by any and all human beings who do inspiring work. They do not have to look like us, speak our language, come from our country, or from our neighborhood. They need only have done something that we have given ourselves permission to find interesting, to the extent that we want to learn, and ultimately explore and experience on a deeper scale.

If more people understood the great gift that our innate humanity offers and explored the possibilities, we would be better able to end famine around the world, as well as hatred, and war. We might be inclined to see the planet Earth as being big enough to provide for all our needs while we are here, as we become more adept at joyfully and openly forming positive and meaningful relationships with each other.

While tradition and culture are very important elements to protect, there is little honor in maintaining behavioral patterns that continue giving life to famine, ignorance, limitation, fear, animosity, or disease. There is little honor where a few people hoard power and privilege to the strangulation of the dignity and sovereignty of many. This is standard practice in many, if not all of the poorest countries. Yet, when fear and conflict are at the forefront of our thoughts, there will appear to be little reason to do things differently.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we understood our human power well enough to exercise that power to lift ourselves up, but were also willing to feel beyond our fears and prejudices enough to care for others? How many of us are waiting for the proverbial "White Knight" -- someone who will come in and make our lives better? How many of us are waiting for a Savior? How many of us are resigning ourselves that "everything will be all right way over yonder?" This kind of thinking requires no changes on the perceiver's part, and keeps things just the way they are… for the believer. If you're okay with that, then it's all right by me. But many of us are doing such things and complaining that it's not okay. For those people, it's time for a change.

I love life, and I love humanity. I speak as though these are two items, when in truth, there is only one. Life has no meaning without other human beings. We can have all the riches in the world, all the food, wonderful clothing and shelter that our hearts could ever desire, and have absolutely nothing of meaning if they could not be shared with someone else that we loved and respected. The world in which we live is large enough for us to all have such meaningful relationships and experiences. But we must choose to make Wonderful experiences real for ourselves. They begin with Wonderful Dreams, which are created by caring for, and being inspired, and where it is possible, guided by the examples of like-minded others. It is also done as we understand that our humanness -- not our blackness, whiteness, brownness, redness, yellowness, or "mixedness" -- empowers us, and a negative attitude, which will toxically color our words and actions, will disempower.

My wish is that from now on, we explore and demonstrate our humanity, and that we practice being good both to ourselves, and toward each other. This will require a solemn commitment, and daily practice. However, everyone can now be a potential partner, teacher, guide to, or co-creator of a new life. Give it birth.

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