Free My Country Is Called Earth by Lawrence John Brown

We don’t have to overcome all of our challenges immediately. A little progress today, a little more next week, a little more the following week—if we keep that up, we will have made a tremendous improvement in only a few years. That is the law of compounding, used in banking and finance. It can serve us here too—the key is that we need to keep making progress.
     
    6. You : You have a right to be here. You are a unique, worthy creature. Without you the universe would be different. Being an important creature, you are given great power: the power to create your own life. In the words of Jane Roberts: “You get what you concentrate on.” Or as Jesus said, “Seek and you shall find” and “As you sow, so shall you reap.” In your interactions with others, try the Golden Rule stated in negative terms: Don’t do to others what you would not want done to you.
     
    7. Ideals : The ideals of our new mythology could be these beliefs: God is all there is. Man is part of nature. All men and women are responsible for their actions.
     
    8. The End Does Not Justify The Means : Often in the past people have twisted good ideals into an excuse to repress people. That will not happen in the future if we remember that the methods used to achieve a just society must never violate the principles of justice. These words of Jane Roberts should be the first commandment of the new age: “Thou shall not kill even in the pursuit of your ideals.”
     
    9. The Abyss : We are standing near a great void. Every step we take closer to the edge is our decision. In the words of Abraham Lincoln: “If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the authors and the finishers.”
     
    10. The Final Word : Peace.
     
     
    Saturday, July 4, 2076

    When the sun rose that morning I was just getting to sleep. I had spent the night reading Exellon’s book and trying to reconcile his opinions with my world view.
    Around noon Edward came by to check on me. Together we walked over to Exellon’s cabin. As we reached his home, we noticed the door was open. We walked inside and found Exellon in bed, speaking to a person who was busy writing down his words. Edward whispered to me, “He’s giving his protocol statement. That is what people do when they feel they are near death. We read the statements at their funerals. Let’s move closer so we can hear what he is saying.”
     
    If I had the time, I would explain how disarmament was achieved. But I wonder if I should not quit here. For with the awakening of the love in the hearts of men, the Age of Light became a foregone conclusion. As the great Gandhi said, “In the long run, no force can prevail against love and truth.”
     
    The success of this nation—its ability to offer each citizen the opportunity to develop his potential—is testament to the wisdom of our Founding Fathers in making dignity, freedom, and justice our basic principles. America has fulfilled her destined role as model to the world.
     
    Exellon fell asleep, so we left. At the special dinner that night one of the members gave the blessing. I was told it was called The Communion Prayer: “We thank the corn, the rice, the wheat, the beans and all the other vegetables, the watermelons, the apples in the pies, and Ferdinand, our beloved bull, for dying so that we may live. One day we will become food for the living.”
    After we ate, we gathered on the grass of the softball field, where a small platform had been set up. There were several boring speeches and then Exellon was wheeled to the stage. He began:
     
    I know you all wish I would hurry up and finish, but I have something to say, and you’re going to listen. Besides, the show can’t start until I give the signal, because I’m chairman of the fireworks committee.
     
    Now that I have everyone’s attention, I want to make it clear that I expect the orchards to be given as much water after I’m gone as they received while I was here. I know some of you have been trying to