Editor: We have just finished celebrating our entry into a new year 鈥� the most recent one in a many-thousands-of-years process during which we have been learning how to organize and govern ourselves in ever-larger and more complex social structures: families, tribes, neighbourhoods, cities, states/provinces/regions and nations.

Clearly we are approaching the end of this particular process because there is no larger social unit possible on planet Earth than a global community.

Our earliest attempts in this task are manifested in the League of Nations and the United Nations. As we consciously, or unconsciously, continue the struggle to build a just and equitable global civilization we will undoubtedly continue to face many daunting individual and collective challenges.

It will probably take many centuries for us to learn how to construct and operate a just, harmonious, smoothly functioning and ever-advancing global civilization and our successes in this enterprise will require us to continuously identify thoughts, opinions, beliefs, actions and administrative structures that are obsolete and unhelpful in the process, and willingly shed them as a snake does with a skin that no longer serves the needs of its growing body.

Other processes are simultaneously proceeding along their own pathways and ever-shortening time scale.

One of the more exciting and obvious ones is the process of science and technology. In less than 100 years we have learned to fly to the moon and co-operate in building and maintaining the International Space Station, connect most of the world鈥檚 citizens electronically, replace non-functioning human body parts, build robots, etc.

It isn鈥檛 that long ago that White Rock had a train station and its tallest buildings were three storeys high. Now we have a growing number of 鈥渟kyscrapers,鈥� instant mobile and wireless communication with anyone on the planet and bots developing their own artificial intelligence.

Our curiosity and continuous investigations, testing and explorations in all fields of research and development swiftly lead us into new and never-ending discoveries and possibilities.

Another equally important process that especially comes to mind at this time of year is our active reflection and meditation on our individual and collective physical, social and moral responsibilities and spiritual development.

My constant prayer is that in the process of our becoming ever-more spiritually mature and with an increasing understanding of God鈥檚 curriculum and teaching style, that the human race will become one spiritually united family and shed forever the disunity and prejudices currently destroying our world.

Failing such a transformation, more and more people will continue to think we鈥檇 be better off without religion.

Merrill Muttart,

White Rock