It's so easy to become deeply interested—even engrossed—in specific events when sharp international antagonisms arise. The hostage-taking in Iran, the unsuccessful rescue attempt by the United States, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan—these developments, and new confrontations daily, have drawn such intense public scrutiny that much of the world seems preoccupied with analyzing the minute details of each event. One of the dangers is in not adequately recognizing the larger implications: the apparent drift into positions that make war more difficult to avoid.

Those who through prayer are contributing to the solution of present turmoil need to deal very specifically with this danger. Conflicting religious beliefs, blind nationalism, growing frustrations, pride, rigidity, fear—all these elements of mortal consciousness need to be expressly confronted and nullified with exact and powerful spiritual truths. Our growing acceptance of the action of divine Truth will contribute to a full-fledged solution.

The Christian metaphysician stands back and views the larger sweep of events. But when he surveys the trend of history, he sees not only severe challenges in the realm of material forces but also something immensely encouraging. The power of Truth acting on human consciousness, though it may have stirred the illusion of evil to adopt ever more extreme forms, has also impelled, at point after point, an increasing recognition of the one infinite divine Mind.

The natural drift toward divine Mind has been given impulse by powerful influxes of spirituality. Moses' leading his people to freedom and providing the Ten Commandments, Christ Jesus' full demonstration of man's perfect relationship to God, Truth's revelation of Christian Science to Mary Baker Eddy—all these events have fostered this movement of thought toward the one Mind. In fact, they have increased its impetus, driving thought even more radically and swiftly toward an admission that God alone is power. And yet sometimes that natural drift would seem to be thwarted by opposing mental currents.

When there is an intense focus on the concept of many minds rather than the gentle yielding to one divine Mind, people find themselves—whether a family of individuals or a family of nations—moving away from peace and toward conflict. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "When we realize that there is one Mind, the divine law of loving our neighbor as ourselves is unfolded; whereas a belief in many ruling minds hinders man's normal drift towards the one Mind, one God, and leads human thought into opposite channels where selfishness reigns." ^{Science and Health, p. 205;}

We have in the Middle East, and specifically in the Iranian situation, a distinct example of aggravated emphasis on "many ruling minds." Aside from the sharp differences between Iran and the United States, there is division and strife among various factions within Iran itself. Through scientific, Christian prayer, the metaphysician aids in reestablishing mankind's normal movement away from war and toward one Mind. With deep humility and unwavering conviction, he insists that God truly is infinite—the only Mind.

He rejects the aggressive evidence that Mind is fragmented into many mortal entities, each a rival in pursuit of its own personal or selfish ends. The nature of mortal mind—that arrogant insistence on a mind opposed to God—is to counterfeit or reverse a natural spiritual tendency. The normal flow of human consciousness toward a recognition of omnipotent Mind cannot be dammed or diverted when we maintain a steady course of discerning Mind's allness; thought cannot be driven in an opposite direction—toward an assumption of the disintegration of God's oneness and the roiling of controversy and warfare.

The Christ, Truth, urges in human consciousness the spiritual facts of being, and each individual who strives to perceive God's supremacy feels this irrepressible impulsion to accept the oneness of Mind. The Bible reveals God's nature: "He is in one mind, and who can turn him?" ^{Job 23:13;} The fact is that God alone is Mind. The harmony of His oneness is inherently expressed in His universe of ideas. Man is not a fragmentation of God, nor is he producing a disintegration of this one Mind. Man is God's enlightened expression, the irreversible evidence that Mind's immortal wholeness is intact.

Mind, by its nature, includes wisdom, intelligence, perception. The substance of Mind is the very essence of man's existence. It governs his actions. Man is the unimpeachable reflection of every facet of Mind. There is no loss of control within God's allness. There is no drifting away from this oneness into the superstition of many ruling minds. Mind is infinit. It is unopposed, supreme.

In her book Unity of Good Mrs. Eddy presents a colloquy between Good and Evil. Again and again the statements of Good bring out the allness and oneness of divine Mind. Good states at one point: "I am the infinite All. From me proceedeth all Mind, all consciousness, all individuality, all being. My Mind is divine good, and cannot drift into evil. To believe in minds many is to depart from the supreme sense of harmony." ^{Unity of Good, p. 24.}

Divine Mind and its ideas, its entire creation, are fixed in perfection. Mind never slides away from perfection into uncertainty or contention. It is this eternal reality, this spiritual fact, that the Christ is constantly urging upon consciousness. For this reason the normal drift of human thought is toward infinite good, the peace and security of one Mind, rather than the reverse—Mind drifting toward evil, fragmentation and conflict.

We can love the Christ and respond to its message. We can yield to its assertion and acknowledge the oneness of Mind, the allness of immortal Being. Inevitably this must reverse the action of the carnal mind, which would focus thought on a gross distortion of reality: the belief in antagonistic, hostile mentalities.

Mind eternally preserves its idea, man. Man permanently expresses the unity and harmony of Mind. Our deep love for and immovable conviction of the genuineness of these truths can help hold mankind on a course of increasing demonstration of the presence, power, and government of divine Mind. In reality, there is no legitimate power capable of interrupting this process, of reversing it, or of shattering Mind's oneness. The world urgently needs our profound recognition that God is Mind. Humanity deserves our unwavering conviction that divine Mind rules uninterruptedly.

Steadfastness in this realization and refusal to be intimidated by the suggestion of many ruling minds will contribute immeasurably to shifting us away from the drift toward war and bring more clearly to light "man's normal drift towards the one Mind." Mind is supreme, and no event on the human scene can overturn that fact