The End Of An Era?

WED., DEC. 30, 1998, 9:38 AM
OFFICE, PULLIAM

You, and others on this earth who figure time the way you do, will soon be into 1999, the last year of the 20th century. (Of course there are some who feel that the 21st century does not commence until the year 2100. Ways of counting are of little concern to Me.) Your life has been lived during ¾ of this century, so this is “your era”. Will the next one be just a continuation or become radically different?

(Before I go on with some answer to My question, I’ll comment on My first statement. You, and most of the middle-class of your culture are quite “time conscious”… and the “business” of this earth (9:47 / 9:50) requires consistency in regard to time. Yet there are folk living today whose time concepts are different from the “norm”. Even you are more frequently losing track of what day, even month, it is.)

This has been an era of much “progress”. You live life somewhat differently than you did as a boy… and then as a young man. Yet you have resisted, passively, going “on-line” and becoming “literate” for this next era. It has not seemed important to you, and I approve of your stance and behavior. This pen and paper way is certainly inappropriate for the new era, but quite suitable for you and Me. Son John Patrick continues to “translate” these Teachings into one page, computer printed form, and We can be thankful for such a “service”… but you needn’t consider doing this yourself… yet.

The last portion of this century has been called “The Information Age”. Information is gathered and distributed incredibly faster than earlier in the era. Yet I don’t see that the earth scene is better, from My spiritual perspective, than when “life was slower”. Only a few people can truly “digest” increased amounts of information, so “more” and “faster” benefits a diminishing few. Newer technologies may be some kind of remedy to this… or may simply amplify the “problem”.

(10:09 / 11:35)

You just have been happily interrupted by former student, Veronica, and her husband. So, this is still an era when you can reconnect with former students, but you do see an end to this, for you soon will have no more “former students” graduating from this program. You have purposely extended the era of you as a professor, the status of Emeritus being the way. You know that eventually there will be an end to this, but value and appreciate these friendships, as they still are evident.

Though there were important advances during earlier eras (before this one of “yours”) there seems to be an acceleration at this time, although it still isn’t clear which advances will mature and be perceived as being of more good than harm. A few of these will be relevant to your remaining life, while many will not. Many new medications will be developed and utilized, but it is unlikely that any of these will be needed by you. I assume you will have the will to live out your life as naturally as possible, accepting the transition that death is as it comes to you… without expensive and intrusive attempts to maintain physical life.

For this has been an era in which many, diverse life-saving and life-prolonging substance and actions have been developed. An increasing number of elderly in this culture and others, technologically similar, are living on past the time when death would come naturally. Most in the medical profession see this as a notable, marvelous advance. Then I tell you that this next era must be less committed to the goal of longer life for “everyone”. Some drug substances now seen as valuable may eventually be judged to be more harmful than good. Some of my small forms of life may display their adaptability in mutation, reviving what has been called “survival of the fittest”. Also pollutions of various kinds (and combinations) will increase… food and water shortages, too… all in the next era.