Episode:Civilization—Early Development (Part 1)

From Symmetry of Soul


The history of mankind spans a long, long forward struggle from a status that was little better than an animal existence, through the intervening ages, and down to the later times when a real, though imperfect, civilization had evolved among the higher races. And the superior qualities of civilization are preserved only by the enlightened conservation of social inheritance.

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Keywords: Urantia, Evolution, Society, Culture, Civilization

Summary by Kermit

Commentary after review

The first forty-five minutes of the broadcast was taken up with some comments and discussion of the SoS team’s individual takeaways from our immediately concluded long Thought Adjuster arc. One of our SoS team reminded us of the Solitary Messenger author’s admonitions against ascribing human content of our inner life to TA communication, and overzealous efforts at character building. Creators cause growth; creatures supply favorable conditions for such growth. The TA arc provided significant insights into the nature and function of human personality, and the inscrutable activity of personality in identifying with the mortal self.

It is entirely understandable that upon learning of the TA’s presence in one’s mind, an individual will be highly motivated trying to build a relationship with this divine gift. We are reminded in [140:8.27, p. 1583] that Jesus never taught character building, he taught character growth. In elaborating on this point, we recalled that the “holy grail” of TA fusion is preceded by the acquirement of the seven psychic circles. Further, that these circles are not made so much as they are grown in you. And even further that these circles represent cosmic levels of development rather than levels of spiritual development. The journey towards union with the TA is not a religious journey, but a philosophic one. Thus personal spiritual choice does not advance circle attainment. The agent of growth, the personal and purposive action of God the Mother, grows you. The creature can supply favorable conditions for growth. We examined some of these conditions that are available to us mortals which favor growth. These favorable conditions include adopting personal attitudes of loyalty, humility, sincerity, and patience. The very consideration of these qualities is a step towards reflective thinking, a key to cosmic thinking. Recall that moving up the levels of meaning to mercy and love starts with being just, honest and law abiding. And still other insights were shared.

Paper 68. The Dawn of Civilization

We began our new arc on Civilization with paper 68. Papers 68 – 71 are authored by the Melchizedek order of local universe sonship. We speculated as to the identity of the author of paper 68, referred to as “a Melchizedek sometime stationed on Urantia”, inasmuch as we are familiar with a number of Melchizedeks with a history of service on Urantia. For example there are the Melchizedek receivers initially brought into service at the time of the planetary rebellion and recalled upon the Adamic default, and the very early serving Melchizedek observers, planetary overseers from the times of Andon and Fonta up to the arrival of the Planetary Prince. Suffice it to say, we can be assured that this author is intimately familiar with the unique history of Urantia.

Up front in this study, we explored the meaning of the sequential terms society, culture, and civilization which will be used in various ways going forward in this arc.

  • Society speaks to the aspect of collective behavior predicated on the 5th adjutant, the spirit of counsel, the social impulse.
  • Culture (from the root cult) is tied to the influence of the 6th adjutant, the spirit of worship, the religious impulse (the quality of unity in collective behavior).
  • Civilization brings in the 7th adjutant, the spirit of wisdom, the philosophic impulse, with encircuitment in the Holy Spirit, the objective consciousness of the three cosmic intuitions and the power of choice. Civilization involves the exercise of the power of choice to go beyond what we are naturally as a collection of adjutant mindal selves and connotes the greater aspects of collective behavior e.g., science, philosophy, and religion.

Civilization is not biologically inherent. The cultural achievements, which constitute the superior qualities of civilization, are preserved only by the enlightened conservation of social inheritance. This last statement led to a discussion we’ve had before on SoS concerning the meaning of the words preserve and conserve in relation to truth and fact. Preserve involves bringing something from the past into the present, conserve, taking something from the present into the future. Check out the details in the archive.

It was the Dalamatia teachers of the Planetary Prince’s staff who first initiated cooperative social evolution on Urantia. These early social teachings differentially benefited the blue, red, and black man. More recently the yellow race and white race have presented the most advanced social development on Urantia. The etiology of the composite black and white races was very briefly explained, for unlike the red and yellow races, they are not separate and distinct Sangik colored races.

68:1. Protective Socialization

In [50:5.1, p. 576] we call attention to the first three of the seven stages of progressing civilization: the nutrition epoch, the security age, and the material comfort era. We begin the story with protective socialization as early man moved out of the nutrition epoch into the security age. He was not naturally social. However, through painful experience the early races learned that “in union there is strength.” Today the lack of natural brotherly attraction remains a formidable barrier to the immediate realization of the brotherhood of man.

Thus was primitive society based on the enhanced safety of association, notwithstanding this lack of brotherly attraction. This push and pull of the forces of isolation fear and reluctant cooperation has marked the agelong cycles of evolving human society. In this way has civilization become man’s insurance against violent death, the premiums for which are submission to society’s numerous law demands.

Primitive humans learned that something superadditive emerged from the organization of groups of individuals. This led to the recognition of the benefits of cooperation in meeting the difficulties of time and supposed perils of eternity. Those who early organized into primitive society possessed greater survivability causing civilization to progress even in the face of man’s many blunders and setbacks. In early times humans have progressed in spite of themselves. With increasing personality actualization there is greater potential for positive AND negative outcomes for civilization.

To illustrate the relatively recent emergence of contemporary cultural society, the revelators hold up the survival of primitive social conditions observable today among the Australian natives; and the Bushmen and Pygmies of Africa. Here is eloquent testimony to the fact that the natural (primitive) individualistic (selfish) tendency of man cannot successfully compete with the more potent and powerful organizations and associations of social progression. Such is the world we would have but for the combined teaching of the corporeal staff of the Planetary Prince and the later efforts of the Adamic mission.

The revelators dismiss the modern phrase “back to nature” as a delusion of ignorance. The only basis in our history for referring to a distant past “golden age”, is the fact of Dalamatia and Eden. And these societies were a far cry from the realization of utopian dreams.

Notes by Brad

  • The author of this paper is not a named Melchizedek, suggesting this is not one of the 12 Melchizedek receivers, though that isn't certain.
    • As a reminder, the Melchizedek receivers are related to the government installed here after rebellion and default.