We stumble on identity. We cobble together a self, using the imperfect plans laid down by the ego. We are motivated by memories of what hurt in the past and what felt good, which impel us to repeat the good things, and avoid the bad. As a result, "I" is a product of accident, fickle likes and dislikes, old conditioning, and the countless voices of other people who told us what to do and how to be. At bottom, this whole structure is totally unreliable and, in fact, unreal.

If we ... talk in terms of a universe that is constantly evolving, you can join the evolutionary flow or not. The choice is yours. Either way, evolution will proceed, but if you opt out, it won't proceed through you.

One way to achieve consciousness-raising is ... to become involved in our planet. Its past present and future. In this way develop the awareness that we are not simply members of some community religion or nation. Or simply a part of a specific place or a specific time. But that we are member of this entire human family, creatures of this entire planet, part of a dynamic continuity - an ongoing forward-thrusting evolution whose origins go back to the animals the forests the oceans but whose potentials are suddenly infinite.

"What do you wish from me?" the master asked.

"I wish to be your student and become the finest karate student in the land." the boy replied. "How long must I study?"

"Ten years at leastI", replied the master.

"Ten years is a long time," said the boy. "What if I study twice as hard as all your other students?"

"Twenty years," replied the master.

"Twenty years! What if I practise day and night with all my effort?"

"Thirty years," was the masters reply.

"How is it that each time I say I will word harder, you tell me that it will take longer?" the boy asked.

"The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed on your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find to find the way."

The point of education is to create a flourishing society in which as many people as possible have wonderful lives filled with freedom, happiness and fulfillment... Whatever the method, it needs the movement from memorization to learning how to think... It means teaching them to be conscious! Conscious! Conscious! Conscious!