“Jimmy Porter: I must say its pretty dreary living in the American age, apart from if you’re an American of course. “

This is a quote from the movie Look Back in Anger. Richard Burton is playing the role of Jimmy Porter. The movie is based on the famous John Osborne play, set in postwar England among the British working classes.

Walt Disney and The Disney Company we noted Disney and the Disney imagination and enterprises, for example, is an achievement of the American Age. However, it should be noted that the Disney’s are Canadian immigrants, Canadian farmer coming to America to realize in America dreams that might have been unrealized if the Disneys had stayed in Canada. Maybe Walt Disney would have continued to be a farmer. America might have had many theme parks, but none like Disneyland. Or, perhaps, another great imaginer would have invented a land named after them rather than Disney. It might have been very similar to Disneyland.

Even though this is “The American Age” we should note that many immigrants from all over the world, including the English, have contributed to the genius of “The American Age.” In fact, although Englishman Jimmy Porter is complaining about the dreariness of the American age for every nationality but Americans, nevertheless the English, along with the Spanish and the French as the first colonials helped to launch this American Age. Others, the natives and the enslaved and many of the disenfranchised, along with the more powerful immigrant groups, again, contributed to the American genius.

Some of the ideas of the American Age are truly new. Some are old ideas that are renewed and the best and greatest version of the ideas.

“The Roman Age,” “The Egyptian Age,” “The Greek Age,” “The British (Empire) Age,” all of these ages help the various peoples to realize their dreams and imaginations. Many of them have helped, along with America, to build their ages with the genius of other peoples, including Jews, Africans, Indians, Chinese and others.

Recently some of us rewatched Ben Hur, the famous movie starring Charleston Heston, playing a Jew in the Roman Age, during the time of the Christ. Ben Hur is the central character of this story, a wealthy Jew, who meets the Christ, and there is an interweaving of the storylines. The story is set during “The Roman Age,” when the Romans are the great power. You witness both the greatness of the Romans and the corruption of the Romans. You witness the power of the Romans for greatness and the Romans abuse of their power.

That is always the problem with “ages.” Yes, the people have their great achievements, and have many means of demonstrating that they are the “great people.” Nevertheless, the problem for all of the “ages” is how to be honorable and how to avoid the corruptions that come with great power and great authority.

During the Roman Age the only power that seemed to be able to intervene on the abuses of Roman power is what the “natives” might refer to as The Great Spirit. Usually when no worldly power can intervene, the power that does intervene if the Spirit. Sometimes this Spiritual power is the power that comes from the people themselves. Recently on Book TV an English writer – we didn’t note her name – lectured these American warriors on Christianity like you lecture children to remember what Christ said. In reality, this English lecturer is correct, although Americans can certain lecture the British, who whenever it’s time for them to go to war in the interest of the Brits, also forget their Christianity. Nevertheless, Christians, whether Americans, Brits, Spanish or others are a New Testament people who have agreed to this New Covenant with the Christ. This, as Frederick Douglass noted, is True Christianity. Whenever Christians want to go to war, they mostly evoke Old Testament theology. Old Testament theology is not New Testament theology.

We are witnessing currently the corruptions and abuses of warfare and the rationalizations for war. We are witness those for and against war. Old warriors of older generations and old peacemakers of older generations are also expressing their opinions about the current war. Certainly war is part of human history. Even great Spiritual leaders like Moses and St. Joan have had to enter the arena of warfare. Nevertheless war can be abusive and corrupt and dishonorable also.

When Moses made his appearance, nonviolence had been the mode, then Moses appears and makes it clear that now the mode is war. Arjuna also represents a Spiritual warrior. There are priest-warriors in other traditions.

Nevertheless, we still have to consider when is war honorable and when it is dishonorable and abusive, when is war corruption. There are some religions that consider all wars corrupt. Other religions integrate warfare into spiritual doctrine when these religionists deem war necessary. Others deliberately corrupt their religions to accommodate warfare. Yet others look to the state and not religion for validation. That’s why, for some nation, in times of war, the state and the authorities of the state decide upon warfare and not any religion. Then those true religionists become conscientious objectors, if this status is allowed.

At some point humans are going to have to deal with the question of war and confront the corruptions and abuses of their own civilizations and peoples, not simply looking for others to scapegoat. And war cannot be just a matter of national perspective. For now, the victors often point to the others as “war criminals.” Perhaps in a future society war itself shall be criminalized, and all who participate in warfare might be perceived as criminals. As for now, we continue to perceive the others as the criminals and ourselves just or justified. Most Americans, for example, don’t want to know about their war from the point of view of the others. Americans should watch international television, even their so-called enemies international TV and their so-called friends international television, and witness their war not just from the American perspective on warfare.

Although many American like watching Dancing with the Stars and American Idol and the general fare of American TV, and many of these shows are entertaining, and perhaps we can agree that Emmitt Smith is an American Wonder and gratulate him, and perhaps we watch all the money-making shows that are top-rated – Deal or No Deal and now Show Me the Money, with the great Bill Shatner, nevertheless we can sometimes watch other than American TV. Of course, from previous generations American media has learned not to show American too much of the war and to show them more of the money. Now what about asking these Americans to show the money when it’s time to reconstruct some of these nations that they destroy, like when they helped in the reconstruction of Japan or Italy? Or even their allies.

Much of this has been written and discussed for centuries, and so we can’t add anything new. Most of these stories are the same old stories told with different peoples and different generations, the same stories told and retold.

Generally when there is an “Age” there is a The Great Teacher for that “Age.” Who shall be The Great Teacher for “The American Age.” And should that The Great Teacher make an appearance, shall the American listen, like the Romans were required to listen….

Who shall be The Great Teacher for this Age?

During the time of the great mystic poet Rumi, Rumi appeared to be the only person to recognize The Great Teacher….

Is it possible in this modern and/or postmodern age, very different from the ancient world and its ancient spiritual notions, that The Great Teacher comes into the world, and in this modern age goes unrecognized, unnoticed?

The words of The Great Teachers, the Buddhas, the Krishnas, the Christs, nevertheless continue to be pertinent to our age. Maybe we should all just reread their works. The Great Teachers seem to keep repeating the same thing, mostly some version of The Golden Rule, even though in different literatures and different traditions, in sacred texts known and unknown.

Christians when they want to go to war always quote from the Old Testament, as we have mentioned. We recall when Americans were making their logic for war, asking a prominent Baptist minister whether to go to war. So this minister quotes the Old Testament. Christians are not an Old Testament people, as we have mentioned. They are a New Testament people. Even though the Old Testament is part of the Christian Bible and the Christian theology along with the new. Nevertheless, those who are genuine and authentic Christians must realize that Christianity is a new covenant, as we have mentioned.

Americans can be Old Testament Christians if they want to be. But that is not authentic Christianity, nor the abuses of the Crusades.

Conflicts and disagreements are necessary. People can not agree on just anything and everything. Everything is not acceptable.

The same people who teach individuals conflict resolution might have to at some point deal with nations. Everything is not acceptable. Whether it’s the Romans or the Christians or the Jews or the Muslims. Everything is not acceptable.

Haven’t you watched the show the Nanny, where she comes into these families and teaches people to behave. Then the families all thank Nanny.

Who is the Nanny for these national and human conflicts? These conflicts of religions and civilizations? There is a phrase called “internecine war.” If Christianity and Buddhism are correct, and other religions that adhere to the highest principles, then are not all wars internecine wars?

Traditionally, The Great Teacher has been masculine, although there have been feminine great teachers in certain of the Eastern traditions, although many are not necessarily recognized in the West.

A mother teacher guide mentor and visionary sublime guide of auroville india

To quote from this article by Chockalingam Eswaramurthi

THE real genius who not only propounded great ideas but also put them into practice, the visionary who dared to launch the process of transfiguring the vision into ground reality, is widely known as the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Auroville, the `city of dawn’ which she designed for a new community of seekers from all over the world aspiring to transcend racial prejudices, religious differences as well as egoistic preferences and become the fore runners of a spiritual future. The whole nation celebrates her 125 th Birth day.

However, The Great Teacher need not be either/or, as we need both masculine The Great Teachers and feminine The Great Teachers.

Reread the texts of The Great Teachers.