The Mahatma considered the following traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity. Read them carefully. Can you think of examples of where or when you have seen these traits expressed in our society by our citizens? How about by those who run our corporations or our politicians?

• Wealth without Work
• Pleasure without Conscience
• Science without Humanity
• Knowledge without Character
• Politics without Principle
• Commerce without Morality
• Worship without Sacrifice

These traits seem, to me, to be widespread in our society. Yet, do we want the consequences that seem to accompany them?

If not, the antidote to ailing spirits and a troubled society would appear to be the practice of their opposites:

• Wealth through providing real service, not just through things like manipulating stock prices
• Pleasure that has a conscience, that is aware others are not so fortunate and does not victimize
• Science that operates with a view toward compassion, not just experimentation for its own sake
• Knowledge that is learned as a function of building character, not an assemblage of vapid soundbites
• Politics that is based upon moral principle, upon the concept of compassionate service and justice
• Commerce conducted with for the good of all with an eye to fairness and morality
• Worship that includes spiritual practice, sacred service to others and an attempt to live Christ’s teachings

Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi:

Gandhi in London in 1931

“Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. ” [Read more →]