In the universal quest for happiness and—for many faiths—the hope for an eternal life in heaven, John E. Wade II's How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth (Pelican Publishing, 2010) appears to address solutions for both. Wade has compiled over one-hundred essays and articles, combining them into ten categories that he suggests are characteristics of heaven on earth.
Of course, the subject of heaven — what it is, what it's like, how does one qualify to be admitted, and whether it even exists — is widely discussed and debated among nearly all cultures and beliefs. Wade adopts the assumption that these ten categories or qualities characterize heaven and the included essays describing how humankind can achieve these qualities will bring heaven on earth to all.
Who is John E. Wade II?
John E. Wade II, editor of How to Achieve Heaven on Earth: 101 Insightful Essays From the World's Greatest Thinkers, Leaders and Writers, is an author, investor, philanthropist, and founder of the nonprofit organization called Soldiers of Love.
An active member of his church and civic organizations in his area, Wade holds an M.A. from the University of Georgia and has worked in a range of fields. His extensive travels, including visits to China, India, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Brazil, inspired him to collect the essays in this work.
Wade suggests the rallying cause of "I will try to love and help create a heaven on earth," will inspire readers and followers of his Soldiers of Love charity to build a heaven on earth.
Ten Qualities Characterizing Heaven on Earth
Wade suggests the following ten qualities for a heavenly life on earth:
- Peace
- Security
- Freedom
- Democracy
- Prosperity
- Spiritual Harmony
- Racial Harmony
- Ecological Harmony
- Health
- Moral Purpose and Meaning
Whether the preceding qualities fully characterize heaven is a question no one can answer, but achieving these qualities as individuals and a population would seem to make for a pleasant, harmonious living environment.
Peace: Wade, and others, have maintained that world-wide peace requires the spreading of democracy. In an essay adapted from Tony Blair's speech of May 30, 2008, Blair notes that historically democracies seldom wage wars with other democracies. While spreading democracy worldwide is a huge and lengthy political process, individuals can, of course, choose to be peaceful in their individual lives.
Security and Prosperity: If relatively secure from threats, people are free to channel energy into personal and community efforts. The combination of democracy, freedom, and capitalism foster prosperity for all.
Freedom: Freedom is prized by all humans whether they currently possess it or not. Individuals who foster freedom within their own spheres of influence can contribute to the happiness of others.
Harmony and Self Care
Spiritual, Racial, and Ecological Harmony comprise three of Wade's suggested heaven-on-earth qualities. Wade indicates, "We must move beyond religious tolerance to real respect among all the world's loving spiritual beliefs and practices." Individuals can contribute to the spread of spiritual and racial harmony by adopting an attitude of acceptance of the beliefs of others, and refraining from judging differing beliefs, cultures, and appearances as wrong.
Ecologically, the physical environment of earth is safe — human behavior will not destroy it — though human behavior may render the earth unfit to support continuing human life. Respect for the earth's environment fosters better living conditions for future generations.
Wade implores people to embody physical, mental, and spiritual habits that promote good health. Finding Moral Purpose and Meaning is a quality that each person must individually accomplish. A meaningful life is a more pleasant, fulfilling life. Scientists are finding that a life of meaning is a factor among those having long and healthy lives.
Inspiring and Provocative Essays
The one-hundred-and-one essays Wade includes are inspiring and provocative. Wade's contributors include an impressive list of well-known figures, including President Barack Obama, former president George W. Bush, former British premier Tony Blair, entrepreneur Ted Turner, former vice-president and environmentalist Al Gore, and self-help author Marianne Williamson. Their essays and speeches and those of several of the other contributors are interesting, provocative, and inspiring, though not always a close fit to the topical category in which they're placed.
What is Heaven on Earth?
How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth concludes with eighteen articles devoted to the topic of how individuals can achieve a heaven on earth. Several of these attempt to respond to the obvious question of what is heaven.
Among the more interesting is an observation from Hans Ucko that the Hebrew word for heaven, "shamayim," contains the two Hebrew words for "fire" and "water." Ucko notes that rabbis studying this question conclude that heavenly peace is the peaceful coexistence of opposites.
Readers may also wish to learn more about How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
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