by Guardian in Chief Richard A. London
Given in the Blue Star Memorial Temple
September 20, 2026
At sundown this evening begins Yom Kippur, the holiest and most solemn day of the year in Judaism, known as the “Day of Atonement.” It’s a time for Jewish people to seek forgiveness from God for their sins and make amends with people they have wronged. Jewish tradition teaches that God seals each person’s fate, in the “Book of Life” for the coming year, on Yom Kippur, the last day of the “Ten Days of Awe and Repentance,” which began last weekend with Rosh Hashanah, the 5787th Jewish New Year.
Perhaps it is my Jewish upbringing and then my affinity for the Temple Teachings, that has allowed me to discover my deep connection between what I would now pronounce as the “Day of At-Onement” and the following quote from the 2026 Master’s Message, “As Sisters and Brothers in the human family, your ability to thrive depends now more than ever on living in accordance with the Laws of Centralization, Unity, Polarity, Cycles, Karma, and Reincarnation. There is no misusing the sacredness of intellect; there is no debating with the Creative Law, the Highest Law cognizable by the aspiring student of Life. My Kindred Hearts, do you not yet realize your accountability to that Law of life and growth?”
Last Sunday’s Part One of this Talk concluded with, “So how does the resiliency that comes from unity in diversity apply to Humanity and does that resiliency require knowledge and acceptance of the Law of Karma?”
In the simplest of terms, one’s resiliency is as strong as one’s obedience or oneness with the aforementioned Laws. While not an all-inclusive list of Laws, despite the authority imbued within the Laws of Centralization, Unity, Polarity, and Cycles, humanity has developed the capabilities to violate these more physical Laws of life and continues to remain confident in its ability to adapt or accept the consequences of insubordination.
On the other hand, learning to modify or circumvent the more spiritual Laws of Reincarnation and Karma is of another matter. You see, while every other living thing and creature’s resiliency is fully dependent on their instincts, humanity’s resiliency, by virtue of the endowment of human self-consciousness, the Laws of Reincarnation and Karma must therefore mandate Trust and Accountability, requiring human beings to intentionally embrace the necessity for Hope and Responsibility.
Personally, I find deep correspondences between the aforementioned Book of Life and the Akashic Records. Both seem to indicate; there is no escaping the Law of Karma and the subsequent administration of the Holistic Purview of Divine Justice.
But alas, “the devil is in the details.”
According to the “Law of the Jungle,” euphemistically known as Nature, there is what is known as “Survival of the Fittest.” As difficult as it may be for some of us to observe the predator prey relational dynamics in nature, most organisms and creatures find themselves driven by instinct rather than by choice, when it comes to making their livings. Whether instinctively hardwired or taught by one’s parents, how one comes to learn while remaining healthy is vital to one’s ability for making a living.
In the jungle, it takes work to live and for the most part, we human beings may be the only creature on earth to come up with workarounds as a means for escaping the need to work. There are also humanity’s unintentional or disrespectful intrusions into the various environments of life that have ended up perverting the failsafe protections that once upon a time prevented the fittest from becoming too greedy. While acuity, hunger, and fear may be keys to survival in the jungle, I still can find many examples of love in nature, but few, if any examples of unbridled hate. Usefulness and responsibility are infused into the survival instinct of nearly every living thing and creature. I look forward to a time when more human beings have Faith in the sacredness of Mother Nature.
History tells us that there can be cyclical times driven by attitudes and expectations that may stimulate a mindset when “enough is never enough.”
During certain times ambitions can take us to the point of encountering pushback from the Law of Diminishing Returns. That’s when we may notice clichés along the lines of; “it’s just business,” “it’s just politics” or “it’s just human nature,” providing sanctuary for the denial of responsibility. When it comes to our individual take on religion, science and economics, there are still some of us, whether in positions of leadership or not, whose true motives are cloaked; thereby, “allowing the conduct of public affairs for private advantage,” which when ungoverned tends towards diminishing the resiliency that comes from unity in diversity. Resiliency without gratitude is unattainable, for without gratitude, there is no knowing when enough is enough.
We live in a finite world where some of us seem to have acquired infinite appetites that apparently can only be temporarily satisfied and usually at the expense of the rest of us. From our preferred “isms” to our preferred “schisms;” theories and studies abound. Perhaps this is the price for progress, but I reiterate my concerns to just what ends? How we choose to think and what we choose to say and do; is why we find ourselves where we are. How we manage our ever-fluctuating cycles of production, consumption and decomposition are determining factors to the future fate of our children’s children.
The diversity within our humanity and how we all may choose to get along, continues to be one of our challenges for the 21st Century. I’m fond of the quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Inspired by MLK’s quote, I would like to suggest that the content of our character is foundational to the resiliency that comes from unity in diversity.
There is a cornucopia of North Star strategies for aspiring to the essence of a principled character that inspires a brother-sisterhood attitude for getting along. Some of us may be guided by the “Ten Commandments,” “The Four Noble Truths,” Rotary International’s “Four-Way Test,” the “Scout Oath,” Don Miguel Ruiz’s “Four Agreements” or Marshall Rosenberg’s “Nonviolent Communication,” to name a few. I’m also especially fond of the Josephson Institute of Ethics’ “Six Pillars of Character” which are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness and Citizenship. And then, my personal grounding is anchored to the Temple Teachings and the Ten Rules of Discipleship.
I may be accused of being an idealist, but I would propose that there is a commonsense ideal for humanity and that the evolutionary goal for humanity is to eventually embrace such an ideal, whatever it may be, so long as it is in accordance with the aforementioned Laws. You may be certain that there can be no sustainable economic system not founded on the respect, loyalty, and commitment to such an ideal.
What are the options when the cells and organs of one’s body have become intolerant to consuming or to thinking about one particular thing or another? Perhaps an ideal goal for a future worth living would be for that individual to choose to participate in a program that leads them to some combination of abstinence and transformation. A choice that hopefully leads to something akin to soul searching, personality assessment, and a change in behavior with an emphasis on gratitude.
Not unlike the Biblical times leading up to the Tower of Babel, can you imagine all of humanity speaking the same language, finding solace in similar religious-like views or sharing similar politics? I believe that without sharing a common essence of the meaning and purpose of an ideal, we risk choking out the resiliency that comes from the unity in diversity within our various groups, communities and environments.
From chopping wood and carrying water to flipping a switch and turning a faucet, from the printing press to artificial intelligence, we human beings are quite the clever creature. While disease and financial insecurity may be at the root of our greatest fears, there seems to be an age-old tendency to scapegoat and blame others for our woes. Yet we are capable of a compassion that transcends all other creatures on this earth. There are many examples of organisms instinctively looking out for their kin, but none to the extent of the human potential and capacity to love and to care. Be it informally or through the likes of a United Way, there are a multitude of environments for individual and group-opportunities to share in the power of caring.
As our earth turns, our hearts can beat, our lungs can breathe and our eyes can blink without a second thought. We have been given the miracle of unity in diversity within our own individual bodies as have all other creatures in nature living by the Law of the Jungle. Disconcerting is that the condition of that proverbial Jungle may now be the grounds for our greatest concerns.
I believe that when we try to win at the expense of what is true, we end up propagandizing at the expense of honesty, which ends up being at the expense of our humanity. The consequence of which is leading us back into the jungle and increasing our dependency on the lower-side of our animal selves. The resulting suspicion and distrust, the seeds to judging and blaming, are leading us back to a jungle that is not nearly as pristine and vibrant as was the jungle which, from once upon a time, we all knew to be our origin, our home.
The extreme gulf between the fewer “haves” and the many “have-nots” continues waxing, while the humanness and sustainability of institutionalize forms of compassion are waning. Yet, we seem to ignore the unintentional consequences for attempting to level the economic playing field, without a greater emphasis on “tough love.” The kind of love that tempers the sincere impulse to discern or to extend compassion, by way of permission, advice, understanding, forgiveness or charity, thereby making less likely the conjuring up of those debilitating forms of detrimental and habitual enabling, be it towards the titans of industry or to those of us struggling to overcome the myriad of systemic and personal barriers that have been accumulating over many lifetimes. To do this without abandoning the need for more common courtesies and kindfulness cannot be overstated. To demand redemption, without an authentic acknowledgment and acceptance of how our past behaviors, within this lifetime and previous ones, are accountable for where we are and what we have, denies the realities of the Laws of Karma and Reincarnation. Despite the ongoing controversial nature of these two Laws and their impacts on the resiliency that comes from unity in diversity, the Temple Teachings make quite clear that both Laws are as impactful as is the Law of Gravity.
Ironically, neighbors who hate one another, can find themselves risking their lives to save that same infuriating neighbor in times of disaster. It is my belief that we can no longer rely on emergencies as the catalyst for triggering the resiliency that comes from unity in diversity.
Must our inability to find consensus within our scientific, religious and economic beliefs make dysfunction and chaos, if not disaster, our last resort for finding common ground? It makes common sense that the ways and means by which we choose to get along will have a healthier impact on our individual and group environmental resiliencies as opposed to inflaming the burning desire for the subliminal elements of retribution that fester and keep us apart.
I believe that if humanity is to thrive, individually we need to be living more compassionately, thinking more preventively and acting more responsibly. If humanity is to survive, we need to realize individually that the content of our character is foundational, that our proficiency in the basics of education, financial stability and health is essential and that our resiliency is key to sustainability. This is my ideal.
From Simon and Garfunkel’s song, “I Am a Rock,” with its proclamation of being an island, proudly isolated and untouchable, to the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,” both inspire our ability to tune into what appears to be the diversity of the higher realms of our individualized cultural ideals. Paradoxically, there is also the possibility that both songs may hamper the practicalities for grounding our Unity in Community.
To my way of understanding there is the kind of love that boils down to the formula of (CPR) 2. This is an ideal recipe for every human being to aspire towards, no matter their standing or station in life.
Every individual needs to value the ingredients of Compassion, Prevention and Responsibility while their Character, Proficiency and Resiliency contributes to the amalgamation of our unique individualities tempered by our aspirational melting pot.
As is the certainty of only ever finding one of me in any group of we, every individual needs to discover their own steps towards becoming more CPR Squared.
(CPR) 2 equals the combined trinity of the attributes of [Compassion, Prevention, and Responsibility] multiplied by the combined trinity of the attributes of [Character, Proficiency, and Resiliency]. These attributes are exponentially more powerful when combined and multiplied together. On the Plane of Forces, being CPR Squared may be thought of as a correspondence to living by the Golden Rule.
In a corresponding cosmic way, the cells, organs and systems that make up our bodies are also driven by the Golden Rule. Would it not follow that while in the process of all individuals making their livings, be it by working for themselves, working with or for others, no matter the organization, corporation, institution, or division of government, all were endeavoring to be CPR Squared, would it not become possible for those various group efforts to become CPR Squared as well?
The iconic United Way logo represents the Symbol of Humanity in red, the Rainbow of Hope in gold, and the Hand of Support in blue. Correspondingly, it is our compassion and character that defines our humanity. Thinking preventively and being proficient in the basics of living gives us hope. It is responsibility and resiliency that affords us the choice of supporting ourselves, our families and beyond.
When an organism or creature has the privilege of choice, it is endowed with the opportunity to eventually realize the necessity for responsible stewardship of itself and its surroundings, whether alone or within a group, no matter its environment.
Unrelenting pressure is taking its toll on the resiliency of our land, water and air. By taking for granted those most precious qualities of life, we may end up regretting not taking better care of those controversial “good old days.” Especially disconcerting, has been our inability to correlate how some aspects of misguided propaganda and commercialism could be polluting our physical and mental health, while distorting the resiliency for our capacity to love one another and our ability for making respectable livings.
Regardless of how overwhelming it may seem, I remain optimistic that many of the root causes for humanity’s woes plaguing our existence, could and would be alleviated, if not eliminated, by more of us consciously aligning ourselves with the principles and thereby practicing, if not mastering the technique of becoming more CPR Squared.
There are those of us who have learned how to circumvent various Laws of the Jungle, especially when it comes to “Survival of the Fittest” on the individual or micro level. My deep concern is that “Survival of the Fittest” is a law that also applies to the macro or to humankind as a whole.
Strategies to implement missions to accomplish visions can destabilize the common good when motives and intent are compelled by insatiable selfishness. The aspiration for benign growth needs to take precedent over malignant growth if we as individuals and as groups of communities are to thrive in balance, let alone survive.
Humanity’s diversity has been defined by some to include race, caste, color, religion, creed, gender, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, marital and military status. 139 years ago, United Way came into existence when diverse religious groups chose to find common ground around helping people in need. As government and institutional budgets around the world continue their tightening, it will become ever more difficult to find the lifesaving ropes for pulling ourselves out of the aforementioned quicksand. We the people, as individuals need to improve our proficiencies for preventing our stepping into that quicksand, no matter where we may be standing within our various environments of life.
Too many mental weak links and harmful actions are taking their toll on the connections and containers that have historically held us together within our various environments. The increasing polarization and distribution of selfishly motivated misinformation is exacerbating the struggle to find the meaningful and purposeful threads for humanity to be interweaving a uniquely blended tapestry. A tapestry of vibrant colors, textures, and depths exemplifying the Unity in Diversity necessary for living and working together.
There needs to be a Central Concept, a Great Unifier if you will, to unite our VEEBA, our individual values, emotions, expectations, beliefs and attitudes, if our intrinsic and extrinsic experiences of life are to afford us the capacity for flourishing. I have come to believe that over time, “the means will justify the ends.” That means accepting our Individual Responsibility for keeping the Light of Hope shining bright.
Knowledge and acceptance of the Law of Karma is essential if the Resiliency the comes from Unity in Diversity is to have the opportunity to serve the Wellbeing of Humanity.
I’ll close by paraphrasing: We the People, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, need to ordain and establish our individual capacities for aspiring towards becoming more CPR Squared.
One way or another, our macro and micro environments along with their corresponding constitutions, will always depend on “the Resiliency that Comes from Unity in Diversity.“
If CPR can save one person at a time, then CPR Squared saving our humanity, one family at a time, does not seem that farfetched. In other words, let us continue endeavoring to realize the Presence of the Avatar, as a living Power in our lives.
— Richard A. London, Sixth Guardian in Chief