When did we lose the final memory of our sustaining Reality? At what point did we relinquish our understanding of the Eternal Natural Way? When did we lose our precious connection to Dharma?
Was it when all the ancient sacred temples of the past became the archeological ruins of today? Was it when the medicinal arts, consisting of healing herbs and plants, was replaced by the synthetic poisons we now call pharmaceuticals? Was it when animals went from being our beloved companions to becoming our tortured food? Was is when good conduct and ethical behavior ceased to be a universal value and became, instead, merely a matter of subjective opinion and moral relativism? Was it when nature was no longer seen as a manifestation of God’s loving abundance, but instead seen as a lifeless commodity? Was it when the gods ceased to be beings whom we could speak with face-to-face, and instead became the subject of “myth”. Was it when the bliss of love was replaced by the orgiastic carnival of lust? Was it when works of art stopped being manifestations of beauty and meaning, and became instead exhibitions of narcissistic psychosis on canvas? Was it when we lost the innate human ability to use philosophical discernment and reason, and instead began using our amorphous feelings to make important life decisions? Was it when we sacrificed natural diversity, hierarchy, social sophistication, qualitative depth and personhood upon the altar of artificially imposed conformity and radical egalitarianism? Was it when we abandoned our innate necessity for the expansiveness of freedom and liberty, and submitted instead to the ever-intrusive shackles of the welfare state? Was it when the study of the history of religion eclipsed the impetus to make religious history? Was is when we began to worship dog more than we worship God? Was it when the uninformed opinions of worthless celebrities became more authoritative sources of truth for us than the sacred teachings of the liberated sages? Was it when we merely settled for mediocrity, rather than strove for the very greatest that the cosmos has to offer? When did Reality recede from our vision, and reality television take its place?
We can once again reestablish our cherished connection with Dharma, with a way of living that leads to health, joy, abundance, meaning and spiritual fulfillment for ourselves and for all sentient beings. We can heal ourselves and our Earth by once again relearning and reclaiming the Eternal Natural Way. We must begin to restore reality now.