Knowledge is the food which nourishes our human existence. Mental
and spiritual growth is a process which requires questioning what we
believe we know, and seeking additional information to broaden what
we think we know. The opportunities to expand our horizons are
seemingly limitless, but are available only to those who are
receptive to new possibilities. When we cease to pursue deeper
understandings we stagnate and wither. Clearer, brighter, more
intense explanations of our human existence can be gained through
personal interactions with our natural environment or through
interpretations of others' revealed experiences.

Humans make decisions based on their current view of the world.
Certainly other paths would have been pursued had we known two
hundred years ago what we believe we know today. This is not a
condemnation, but merely a statement of the reality that humanity
has traveled only one path to reach our current state of affairs.

As humans age, the manner in which they acquire information greatly
varies. When we are young we learn much from our direct experiences
such as the pain of a bee sting, the dampness of water and the heat
of fire. As we grow older, our foundation of basic information has
been formed and we rely more on others' perspectives to provide
additional insights.

The basic problem with this paradigm is that broadly accepted views
of others' perspectives are not easily challenged or corrected until
much damage (slavery, holocaust, global warming) has occurred. Once
the damage reaches epic proportions there is a period of individual
enlightenment (Blacks and Jews are human beings / burning of fossil
fuels creates carbon dioxide) where individuals choose to make
changes in their own lives.

In order to attain a new level of human sophistication, it will be
necessary for individuals to understand they are solely responsible
for their own ideas, perspectives and actions at all times. It is
unacceptable to allow one's views to be based on the reports of the
media, or the studies of scientists working for a particular
organization, or from the church they choose to attend, or the
country or government to which they were born.

Are there incorrect perspectives being perpetrated on humanity
today? Can individuals rise to question all that is being thrust
upon them? Can individuals once again directly experience their
natural environment to seek their own truth? Of course the answer is
yes. The more salient question is, When?