Do we ever want the world to stop long enough so that we could get off? Where is mankind going? Are any of us convinced we are truly on the right path? Don't we want to do more than merely survive? Inevitably every human being yearns to find out where he came from, who he is, why he is here, and where he is going. Some turn to religion, researching spiritual "explanations" for the answers. Others shun the spiritual dimension and look for that which is logical, searching books on ethics and morals, and often labeling man's afflictions with psychological tags. It is as if we desire to place blame on someone or at least something else, for although we may at times allow guilt to overtake us, a great deal of the time we do all within our power to escape responsibility. The question is, where does this leave us? We seem at odds with ourselves, and feel somewhat uncomfortable about the state of both our psyche and spirit. But a further complication is that man finds it hard to pinpoint their very definitions. ^{1, 2}

Throughout history, numerous and diverse religions such as animism, shamanism, and sun worship, as well as philosophical perspectives such as humanism and materialism have sprung up. Despite these trends, the Bible is still the best-selling book of all time. Yet Freud's works and that of a multitude of his colleagues, both past and contemporary, compete for space on library and bookstore shelves. For many people these two schools-the scientific and the spiritual-are at opposite poles, and "never the twain shall meet." So questions remain, and although answers have been offered, they are for many quite unsatisfactory, and thus people continue their quest for "real" truth.

Psychology is a science, concerned with the intricacies of human character and human behavior. While the practice of religion denotes a commitment and service to God, perhaps in a broad sense, it could be considered as focusing on man's spiritual character and behavior. Before psychology (which in Greek translates literally as "study of the soul") was raised to a science, study of the psyche was considered something equivalent to hocus-pocus. Yet today psychology neglects researching the spiritual realm as a way to detect causes of human behavior, or to find solutions for any resulting disorders. It seems most psychologists negate the existence and influence of the spiritual world as an avenue to discover the cause for illness and behavioral deviations, or as a means to explain evil, the fear of death, etc. Rejecting this possibility, the sciences have defined probable answers and confined them to such physical "tangibles" as biochemical imbalance, and the conditioning one receives as a child-relying primarily on pragmatic approaches. Since these theories quite possibly exclude the belief that man is made in the image of God and should function as a divine being, they are quite lopsided, and do not tell the whole story.

A psychologist assumes his patient has tensions, and as a means of treatment, may trigger certain questions in an attempt to detect the source of those pressures. Again, the majority of psychologists look for answers exclusively in the physical realm. But their discoveries are only partial, at best. Coupled with research into the physical arena, an investigation of the spiritual realm is needed specifically disclosing how the spirit functions, and the relationship of man's body and spirit to both the physical and spiritual worlds.

Those with a religious perspective point out that the salve to heal our sicknesses and tensions is true and unconditional love, something which does not come purely from the id, the ego, or the super ego, nor is it liberated through psychoanalysis. Rather, they claim it lies in an entirely different direction -- within the realm of God.

Although scientists research that which has not been evidenced thus far, relatively few have tried exploring the unseen world. There is little precedent for it; many people are uncertain and even afraid of what they might uncover. Mass media has done a convincing job in portraying through vivid images what might happen to those who venture into the spiritual realm. And the impressions conveyed in such works as The Amityville Horror or The Exorcist certainly do tend to stick in the mind!

Once a scientist formulates a hypothesis, he generally follows a certain line of thinking to achieve a particular result. Yet he can never be absolutely certain that his initial conjecture is correct. If a million scientists each took a divergent theory, one million answers might "result." If a researcher is uncertain about which direction to take because he is ignorant about the will of God for this world, the nation, the society, the family, and the individual, then whatever conclusions he might reach will be wholly incomplete and unsatisfactory.

In Christianity alone there are hundreds of denominations all "propagating" their belief of the right way to relate to God. In addition Buddhists, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Confucianists, and followers of other religions practice various ways of relating to God. In a sense, all are testing out certain assumptions about the nature of God, and in doing so rely upon the traditions and rituals, which may be based upon certain points of doctrine. But does anyone really know how to connect to God? How God Himself wishes us to relate to Him? The hypotheses are numerous, but can they be proved? People who lived during a certain age believed God was reflected and manifested within the elements of nature. Their descendants continued to adhere to the faith until someone with greater insight introduced a new message or a higher truth about God. Those deductions replaced the old ones, and thus we have spiraled to greater heights of understanding. But the world is still so chaotic that it stands to reason we must be missing something.

So many aspects of life -- from the value of human life to the problem of world hunger-need to be viewed from a different perspective. That outlook should be seen from God's, rather than man's, viewpoint. Although psychology may not concern itself with the earth-shaking problems of ecology or world peace, it could play a part in expediting solutions. However, if man lacks the awareness of what constitutes human responsibility, or that of true and total psychological or spiritual well-being, such aspirations may remain stunted.

The growth and development of material goods and technology is astounding, but due to human behavior, the benefits are tragically unequally distributed. In terms of researching human nature, or human "psychology;" the reason could be defined in the following way: the essence which makes life worth living-love, and by this is meant love for God, love for our fellow man-is virtually absent. Science has advanced tremendously, but the spiritual evolution of mankind has lagged far behind. The transformation of human hearts must take place. People have to become reasonable, not just cling to reason. When the greed stops-from the individual to the national level-mankind will discover that many of the resources to heal this world are lying dormant within the human heart, and that eventually man will tap those inner resources to conquer his problems, spanning from spiritual starvation to the elimination of air and water pollution. Eventually there must come an awareness that not all problems need fall totally on the shoulders of humanity, but instead that God is more than willing to lend a helping hand, and in fact is waiting for man to "seek and knock." We, as the human family, must ask His assistance and indeed believe it will come through the mutual cooperation of the physical and spiritual realms, and then willingly take up the responsibility to restore man's past mistakes.

1 "Psyche" refers to more than simply the brain, the thought, and intellect. It also encompasses the "soul," the personality, and thus is something through which emotions, intellect, and will can function. It is the aspect which makes a person unique. The term "spirit " within the context of this work uses the terminology of the Principle*. The Principle explains that as man possesses a physical mind and a physical body, so too, man has a spirit mind and a spirit body. Both function in relationship to one another, but whereas the physical mind and body are stimulated by the physical environment and that which affects man's physical senses, man's spiritual mind and body are stimulated by the spiritual environment, which effects man's spiritual senses. This work maintains that psyche and spirit are not wholly independent from one another. Rather, they always work in conjunction, and each is certainly influenced by the other.

2 *The term "the Principle" is used throughout this work. It refers to the text of Divine Principle, published by HSA-UWC, 1973, and/or Outline off the Principle, published by HSA-UWC, 1980.

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