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05/06/2002 Archived Entry: "Einstein’s Prophecy - 4/2/02"

Where does the hate and cruelty come from? Why is it so endemic? There was a time when I thought it all flowed, in the USA, from the all-pervasive presence of alcoholism, consequent dysfunctional homes, and abused childhoods. Perhaps there is some connection, maybe even a substantial one. But cruelty is a worldwide problem, including cultures where there is no alcoholism.

I have begun to see that anger derives from fear. Is that true for hate, as well? Most likely.

I was thinking about the genesis of hate and cruelty this morning, after reading the morning paper, which I have been doing for many, many years. Maybe I should stop reading the paper every day, perhaps once a week would do. I noticed, several years ago, when I went to India for six months, that when I came back, it did not seem like anything had changed, that I had not missed anything. This morning there was more news about Israel tearing into Palestine, and, of course, more bombings in Israel. There was also that bizarre picture of John Walker Lindh, looking like he was tied up in some S&M bondage flick. Is that how we treated all the Taliban we captured? We are sowing some pretty terrible seeds.

In 1982, I organized a three day 3500 person Meeting of the Ways conference at Stanford University bringing together people from the spiritual and anti-war communities, which Joanna Macy later referred to as an historic event. A 15 part PBS series called "How Then Shall We Live?" was created based primarily on the conference. During the conference, a dignified elderly man approached the staff, asking to speak, saying that he had a message from Albert Einstein. As this was a very successful conference (one session had 35 well attended workshops at the same time) "everybody and his brother" was trying to get last minute spots to speak or lead a workshop, it took a couple of days for the man to work his way up the chain of command, until he and his request reached me. I was sufficiently impressed by him that I gave him a spot just prior to the major plenary session of the Conference, which featured Yogi Bhajan, Swami Satchidananda, Baba Ram Dass, Daniel Ellsberg, and Joanna Macy.

His speech was as follows:

PROFESSOR WILLIAM HERMANS: Einstein's Last Words
Delivered at the Meeting of the Ways Conference - Stanford 1982

"I was, my friends, a volunteer in the first World War and survived it through a vow on the battlefield of Verdun, "God save me and I will serve you as long as I live." One million French and German soldiers were killed on the battlefield within 9 months, but I'm still alive and speak to you now, 86 years old.

Mr. Einstein [and I] had contact in 1921, when I was in Berlin, a student to prepare for a position in the League of Nations in Geneva. Einstein knew about my past and I visited him as often as I could in Berlin and later in Princeton, and this is what he said to me shortly before his death in 1954 in Princeton:

"Billy Hermans," (we spoke German together when we were intimate friends), "mark this. We go toward a third World War and this war will break out in the Middle East." I was amazed. I said, "You know I was in the first World War and then served on the American side as an officer in the second World War. Now we must regard this. What then?" "What then?", he said. "Nothing, what then. One fourth of mankind will survive this war and they will live in caves, and then the fourth World War will come and then they will fight it out with clubs."

I said, "Dr. Einstein, that is impossible. We must do something together." "No," he said, "I am done. I soon will die, but if you want to do something for the world, try to found two things. Since you made a vow at Verdun, you may well have been chosen for that part."

And now I will tell you what Einstein wanted me to do. Now, still I am alive at 86. "Found", he said, "a world youth parliament. The Russians, the Chinese, the black people in Africa - everyone has to become a member. If those will not become a member now but later, you must start now - a world youth parliament." The second thing I should found was a cosmic religion. He said, "Religions, for 2000 years, have forfeited their purpose. They made a pact always with political powers to grow their own religious power. You found a world parliament and a cosmic religion."

This, to do, may be someone among you here, my friends, who will help me. I'm still alive and I have my son here, too, who will follow the Einstein admonition to found two things to save ourselves of a third World War. The two things, a cosmic religion including all existing religions, but a religion of absolute love. A religion that starts not now of difference between Christian and Jew and Moslem, between black and white - a religion of absolute love. The second thing we found is a world youth parliament. I thank you for listening."

Here we are with the fires brewing throughout the Middle East. Perhaps an invasion of Iraq in the wings, and then, what?

I would like to understand more about the genesis of hate. The work before us is so vast. It is necessary to transcend one’s ego completely, to wholly and unequivocally give oneself to the work and to the flow of Infinite Energy. So that it may flow through each of us struggling to work for change; struggling to grow enough, as individuals, and as a collective pool of energy, to be able to make a timely difference.