Imagine a world in which your only desire was to fulfill the desires of your friends, neighbors, relatives and even those of your enemies, in order to meet the needs of those in need so that need would be no more.
Imagine yourself contributing to this more beautiful world that our hearts know is possible not out of any sense of guilt or gain, but because you have been trained by your community in special methods that liberate you from slavery to your own pleasure-seeking, so that you derive more pleasure from others' pleasure than from those of your own egoism.
Imagine a planet in which every watershed, valley, mountain, forests, trees, lake, coastline, prairie, and river had just as many rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of existence as all of the other disenfranchised earthlings (the very young, the very old, the infirm, the imprisoned, and animals and plants).
And now imagine the same planet where the advantaged and the powerful were endowed not only with the basic Right to Life, but they were also privileged with a special set of sacred obligations to care for and defend all those who had natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of existence, but no voice to defend those rights.
Imagine an interconnected community upheld by a central tenet: to teach and educate its citizens how to use their precious human lives and common resources not only to support their own lives and those of their loved ones, but above all to serve the powerless, the voiceless, and the marginalized through your service, your talents, your genius, or and your skill.
Imagine an economy in which you were rewarded not for your cunning, calculation, and self-interest, but for committing yourself to the most challenging thing you can do, which you love doing the most, and which does the most good for all.
Imagine a political process in which there was a Party of Understanding, a Party of Listening, and a Party of Mindfulness, and the members of these political parties gathered in conventions of mutual aid and education, in which special events were held for the dialogue and interpersonal connection to learn as much as we could about the lives, needs, virtues and values of the other parties.
Imagine a society in which you realized your highest human potential in and through serving the needs of your neighbor, fulfilling the desire of others, bringing pleasure and gratification to the needy, caring for the Earth, strengthening the moral infrastructure and integrity of the community, because you know in your depth of your heart that the other is none other but your true self, and that helping the weakest and most vulnerable members of the community gives you the greatest opportunity to be the best version of yourself.
Imagine a culture in which the greatest works of music, art, poetry, drama, dance, film, and sports were created for the upliftment and edification of the audience, the community, and the ecosystem, rather than for the ego of the artist.
Imagine a faith in which the holiest sacraments were those through which your own sacred human gifts passed from your head, heart, and hands to benefit those of the other celebrants, the community at large, and the whole planetary biosystem.
Imagine a Church, the only purpose of which was to organize people and coordinate events so the most connections between the most people were made for the express purpose of enhancing and cultivating the innate human potential of all of its members. Imagine yourself as a key congregant in this Church, contributing to this more beautiful faith that our hearts know is possible, not out of any sense of sin or guilt or duty, but because the Church has lovingly trained you in special methods that liberate you from slavery to your own self-seeking, so that you derive more pleasure from the good and growth of others than from your own, in as much as you know that that the good and growth of others is a direct function of your own. Imagine a creed that sparked your imagination rather than stifled your mind; that encouraged your creativity, rather than narrowed your vision; that emboldened you to take take heart in, "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy" and in believing that those things were the most real, and the most worthy of our love and devotion.
Imagine a religion, the only aim of which was to accentuate whatever was Good, True, and Beautiful about every other great human religion, so that all religions would play together like the exquisite lines of harmony in a great cosmic symphony.