God Arises
The Life We Seek
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inclined, society cannot prosper as a whole; no
society can survive the stresses and strains of
clashing personal interests. Far from working
together in the interests of the community at large,
self-seekers are at each other’s throats, hot in
pursuit of their own selfish ends.
Materialistic philosophies which propound one
theory for society and quite another for the
individual will inevitably render ineffective any
attempts to improve society.
When the accepted aim of life is the attainment of
material prosperity, people feel free to satisfy their
desires as they please. But the world we live in is a
finite one, full of limitations. Here it is impossible
for each and every individual to satisfy his or her
own urges without this having an adverse effect
upon others. In consequence, when self-centered
people set out ruthlessly to fulfill their desires, they
become a source of trouble, even danger, to others.
People who are obliged to live on low incomes
frequently feel deprived vis-à-vis others and,
therefore, deeply frustrated. All too often, they then
take to satisfying their desires by dishonest
