We are a species out of control.

On18 January 2007 The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight - to 11.55 In their stated reasons the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) did not mention that the Bush Administration now allows for nuclear weapons to be introduced into a conventional conflict on the recommendation of US field military commanders.
The official announcement of the latest move is :

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) http://www.thebulletin.org/ will move the minute hand of the "Doomsday Clock" on January 17, 2007 [to 5 minutes to midnight]...the first such change to the Clock since February 2002. The major new step reflects growing concerns about a "Second Nuclear Age" marked by grave threats, including: nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea, unsecured nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere, the continuing "launch-ready" status of 2,000 of the 25,000 nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and Russia, escalating terrorism, and new pressure from climate change for expanded civilian nuclear power that could increase proliferation risks.

Despite the Cold War ending in 1989 both Russia and America still have 2,000 nuclear missiles, in total on hair-trigger alert pointed at 240 major metropolitan areas in the northern hemisphere.

President Bush wishes to spend $3.5 trillion in the next ten years on the US military.

Dr Helen Caldicott, the brilliant pediatrician and author of many books on the nuclear problem and founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility has stated that the Earth is acutely ill. We are in the intensive care unit. She also stated that the cause of the nuclear race and the Star Wars and all the murder and violence is man's psyche.

The majority of the population is also in blissful ignorance that nuclear weapons are still in existence let alone in the highest state of alert ever. 6.5 billion beings are still at risk from nuclear Armageddon and they don't even realise it.

In this respect I believe that the Consciousness which enables us to understand the true nature of reality and the true nature of the universe and which is part of the perennial and spiritual tradition can enable us to overcome our current exploitation of the environment and ourselves and our inhumanity to each other.

One of the most misused and maligned factors on this planet is in fact the human mind. We do not give enough value to the significance to the human psyche nor do we understand the nature of human consciousness. It is only in the past forty years that understanding the brain and its biofeedback role in connection to the body has come into view in the speciality - psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

Social imprinting and brain entrainment occurs in the first 12 months of life when the whole of the cerebral cortex is reshaped and half of the neurons are lost. It is in this Milieu that the future personality evolves which is to be the "productive" member of society. Shaping the brain has a powerful emphasis on the developing human psyche.

We have great problems in our world in terms of young people who often feel hopelessly depressed about the future because intimately and intuitively they are aware of the profound threats to their survival. They are brought up on a diet of violence and with parents who are concerned about acquisition of material objects rather than good parental care.

Parental care is often handed out to kindergartens and school factories rather than the parents taking responsibility for their children. There is also the loss of extended family.

It has been found that children who have been brought up with grandparents have a much greater opportunity of being successful in their lives. Early parenting has a tremendous affect on future illness.

Our future in our global society is determined by our future generations.

The rapaciousness of our society and its constant need for consumerism and material wealth means that the children are not being listened to. This creates feelings of lack of self esteem, lack of self care, feelings of worthlessness in our adolescence. Australia has the highest rate of juvenile suicide in the world.

Peoples infantile desires are also exploited by large transnational corporations and for political motives and this only weakens the fabric of society to create within the context of the human species a huge cauldron of anger and aggression which is now fuelling itself into the current crisis we are seeing around us. We are seeing this in humanity not only in terms of world conflicts but in terms of the way people react to each other on a daily basis. This is because we are losing our values and the real nature of who we are.

We have to know that human beings have the birthright of happiness and fulfillment based on creativity and higher consciousness.

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Dr Michael Ellis

Dr Michael Ellis is a medical doctor, futurist, and peace worker, living in Melbourne.

Dr Ellis is Founder of The Medical Renaissance Group. The aim of The Medical Renaissance Group is to create a new kind of medicine which integrates mind, body and spirit, society and the environment.

He is also Founder of the Centre for Change which aims to create an openness of dialogue for men and women of goodwill, in order that we can find a way out of the current global crisis. It also aims to contribute to the creation of a planetary peace culture, which affirms our deepest respect for all life which makes up the biosphere.

Dr Ellis has higher qualifications in general medicine, paediatrics and nutritional medicine.

He has a special interest in mind-body medicine and in optimizing the physical, mental and emotional health of the individual. He is a Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, Swinburne University, where he is particularly interested in brain longevity and the prevention of dementia.