World Goodwill recently restarted its Interviews with servers. These are available to listen to online as MP3 files at http://www.worldgoodwill.org/meetings_interviews. We welcomed back one of our previous interviewees, John Bunzl, to remind us of the work of the Simultaneous Policy Organisation, and its relevance to global challenges.

John Bunzl summarised the Simultaneous Policy as a means whereby citizens in democratic countries can use their votes in a new way to drive politicians and governments to tackle some of the most urgent issues threatening us today – such as climate change, financial market chaos and so on. Explaining that international competition normally prevents governments from addressing these issues, John indicated that this problem is solved if a way can be created to make action by all governments simultaneous. This is what the Simultaneous Policy aims for, and it seeks to give voters a way to bring this about. The thinking behind this concerns the need to shift consciousness towards a more global perspective. John noted that if serious efforts are not made to tackle world problems now by democratic means, there is a danger we will slide towards an authoritarianism even more influenced by corporations. Also discussed was the difficulty of coordinating a coherent response by NGOs to world problems, and the factors handicapping the United Nations. John cited Ken Wilber’s point that the material side of globalisation – technology and economics – has moved faster than people’s consciousness, and we are now struggling to deal with the consequences.

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The purpose of all speech is to clothe thought and thus make our thoughts available for others.When we speak we evoke a thought and make it present, and we bring that which is concealed within us into audible expression.Speech reveals, and right speech can create a form of beneficent purpose, just as wrong speech can produce a form which has a malignant objective.Without realizing this, however, ceaselessly and irresponsibly, day after day, we speak; we use words; we multiply sounds; and surround ourselves with form worlds of our own creation.Is it not essential, therefore, that before we speak we should think, thus remembering the injunction, "You must attain to knowledge, ere you can attain to speech"?Having thought, let us then choose the right words to express the right thought, attempting to give correct pronunciation, proper values, and true tonal quality to every word we utter.

Then will our spoken word create a thought form which will embody the idea we have in our minds.Then too will our words carry no discord, but will add their quota to that great harmonizing chord or unifying word which it is the function of mankind ultimately to utter.Wrong speech separates, and it is interesting to bear in mind that the word, the symbol of unity, is divine, whereas speech in its many diversifications is human.

As evolution proceeds, and the human family rises into its true position in the great plan of the universe, right and correct speech will be increasingly cultivated, because we shall think more before we utter words, or, as a great teacher has said, "through meditation we shall rectify the mistakes of wrong speech;" and the significance of word forms, true and correct sounds, and vocal quality will become ever more apparent.

Alice Bailey, A Treatise on White Magic

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For information on World Invocation Day, 27 May 2010, please go to www.worldinvocationday.info