We must examine our civilization, as it is today–the result of thousands of years of assiduous effort on the part of humankind. Materially, civilization has achieved such great progress that its brilliant accomplishments completely dazzle us. Our contemporaries have extolled and glorified material civilization. Looking beneath the surface, however, we often find that affairs are completely at odds with appearances. I am referring to the spiritual aspect of civilization, where we see almost no progress. To the contrary, ancient people seem to have been superior to us. Could we but measure good and evil on scales, evil would regrettably outweigh good.

The negative influence of this situation staggers the imagination. Think of war, for example, the greatest misery of humankind, of disease, of poverty, of the intractable problem of crime, and of the sad events that accompany natural calamities. Far from being on the decrease, all these things definitely show a tendency to increase.

Humankind’s spiritual and moral fiber has been undermined. People have chased after only the things they could see and have become slaves of science. Humankind has been forced to the brink of catastrophe, and our very future is at stake.

From what I have said, it would seem the human race has forgotten its first and most cherished desires, attaining happiness and establishing an ideal world, and now finds itself in a predicament from which there is no escape. Ironically, the more material progress civilization makes, the further away its happiness seems to be–like a seesaw: when one side goes up, the other comes down.

Humankind first tried to create a paradise on earth through spiritual civilization, but when that seemed unlikely to ensure the realization of a paradise, humankind began to think the goal could be attained through material science. The effort has brought humankind to the brink of its own destruction.

The future of the world is the most urgent question we face today. Past errors must be recognized and a new start made. A new form of civilization that is biased toward neither the spiritual nor the material but instead unites them must be created.

Thus, we stand at the turning point between the old civilization and the new, the point we refer to as the great worldwide transitional period. I do not think humanity has ever experienced such a great change. The situation we face is indeed unprecedented. Of course, limited human intellect cannot perceive even an inkling of what the new civilization will be like.

The basic requirement for establishing paradise on earth–the goal of this movement–is the spiritual growth of individuals. Since the world is a collection of individuals, paradise on earth will become a reality when the numbers of such qualified individuals increase sufficiently.

–Mokichi Okada, November 20, 1950