Reflection: The act of reflecting, as in casting back a light or heat, mirroring, or giving back or showing an image; the state of being reflected in this way. Over 50 years ago I actively joined an extremely dogmatic spiritual cult which purported to have the monopoly on the Absolute Truth. I was a proactive member, living in the ashrams the first seven years and then served the next 43 years from my private residences. I’ve recently stepped back from that institutional identity, however, the basic underlying philosophical principle that we are ‘simultaneously and inconceivably one with and different from the ultimate reality’ (Achinta Bheda Abheda Tattva) I still feel is the best view I’ve discovered in this lifetime. Roughly 25 years ago I began to notice that reading the regular news, USA Today for example, was almost a direct reflection of what was happening within our Spiritual Movement. It finally dawned on me that the material reflects the spiritual and vice versa. Now, to bring this into context. Our planet finds itself embroiled in conflict essentially between the One (the so-called ‘greatest country in the world’ the United States of America) and the Many (the 200 or so nations which compose the United Nations). This is the philosophical argument between Monism and Pluralism. The primary opposite of pluralism in philosophy is monism. While pluralism posits that reality, truth, or value consists of multiple independent elements, substances, or principles, monism argues that everything is fundamentally unified and derived from a single ultimate source or reality. In summation: what I found to be the solution to my philosophical angst from early childhood is that we are simultaneously one and different (monism and pluralism simultaneous but inconceivable) and that is exactly what is behind this global tension which is bringing humanity to the brink of extinction. The leaders of the USA and its proxies are going to have to come to terms with the fact that humans are social animals and to survive we have to learn cooperation to persevere.