There was a moment, even if too brief, when people the whole world over held their breath together. There was a feeling of unity that transcended national pride or competition or merely personal accomplishment. I'm referring to the night or morning or afternoon—depending on where on the globe one was at that moment—when Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the surface of the moon. The President of the United States voiced that feeling of unity for all of us when he talked to Neil Armstrong shortly after the landing and said, in part, "For one priceless moment in the whole history of man, all the people on this earth are truly one." ^{Richard Nixon, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Washington: United State Government Printing Office, 1971), p. 530 .}

What made that moment priceless was not only the tremendous technical achievement but the fact that it proved humanity can experience a deep agreement of sentiment, regardless of politics, religion, or culture. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say there was an expression of love that not many had known before.

Yet, all too quickly the feelings of unity dissolved, and headlines in the news media the following day confirmed this. It was as if we had been given only a brief glimpse of the kind of vision of God's reign that the Apostle Paul realized nineteen centuries ago. Paul wrote that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." ^{Acts 17:26.}

That passage from the New Testament may have been a hard statement for the people of Paul's own time to comprehend. It could seem almost ludicrous today, when there appears to be a heightened urgency on the part of many peoples to establish their own cultural or national identity—even to resort to arms if that is what it takes. This type of struggle for identity, for individuality, to be respected, can bring about strong division lines, factions, prejudice, intolerance. Persecution and hatred more often than not join forces to promote such "claim staking."

When the first few pictures of planet Earth taken from space began coming in, two things were obvious: 1. It is so beautiful! 2. It is, in many ways, smaller than we have envisioned. In the book An Agenda for the 21st Century, one of the individuals interviewed, Norman Cousins, makes this assertion: "The division of the human species into national tribes has outlived its usefulness." He also remarks: "So we move into the 21st century, where the entire human race has all the requirements of a tribe. Geographically, it's in a compressed area. Sociologically and economically, it has to interact—and there are aspects not only of interaction but of interdependence that have to be addressed. But it lacks the adequate institutions to make the unit workable and viable." ^{Quoted in Rushworth M. Kidder, An Agenda for the 21st Century (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1987), pp. 38, 41 .}

Other contributors to that book stress their individual convictions that in order for this "tribe"—mankind—to survive, some adjustments are needed in the present course of things. For instance: higher morality and ethics, a greater awareness of the whole of mankind, better education, more trust, compassion, dignity, obedience. Interestingly enough, these contributors were not religionists, preachers, or ministers!

This reminds me of what the Bible tells us about Moses' concern for his people's survival; he felt some provision was needed to allow them to reach their final destination before they were destroyed. Through prayer and trust in God, he perceived that only a higher order, established on spiritually based morals, ethics, and law, would ensure the progress and welfare of his people. The Ten Commandments pointed the way. Experience proved Moses right. The children of Israel whom Moses led through the desert did survive.

About thirteen hundred years after Moses, his prophecy "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken" ^{Deut. 18:15.} was fulfilled in the coming of Christ Jesus. The Saviour imparted the spiritual understanding that guarantees obedience through pure love, making disobedience an impossibility.

Christ Jesus built on the foundation of the Mosaic law, specifically the First Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," God, Spirit. Jesus' teachings and work provided the spiritual truth that made the law a power to heal and save. The Master's very life explained that the one God is infinite Love, the one and only Father of all; and that to obey God is to obey the law of Love. Jesus expounded on this in the Sermon on the Mount, which contains the Lord's Prayer and the Golden Rule.

Let's consider again the spectacular event of the moon landing. If humanity was able to unite for a brief half-hour, one hour—however long people sat in front of the television or listened to the radio—didn't that point to the possibility of more lasting unity? Don't people everywhere have a heart that is able to look away from "self" long enough to become as one? As more and more we learn the spiritual nature of true unity—that all of God's children are actually created in the spiritual likeness of their Maker—we'll understand what brotherhood really means. In man's spiritual identity all the necessary ingredients are already present for unity. And through prayer we can see unifying experiences happen again and again, until that time when unity becomes the norm.

Spiritual unity in no way sacrifices true individuality, identity, or the uniqueness of the individual. It enhances that uniqueness. This is precisely what the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount promote.

Allowing for each others' individual good enables us to discover our own. Unselfed care for others is based on the knowledge that God is the Father, provider, and source of all life. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes: "Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.' " ^{Science and Health, p. 13.}

God has made all His children to live together in peace and love. God's law of progress supports our every effort to demonstrate this unity. We have the means, through prayer, and the God-given power to realize it. The full view of true brotherhood will exceed all the beauty and awe even the earth and moon can display.

Olga M. Chaffee