The late Robin Williams in the opening soliloquy of the film Patch Adams said, ” All of life is coming home – salesmen, secretaries, coalminers, beekeepers, sword swallowers, all of us, the restless hearts of the world, are trying to find a way home.” He then defined home as the dictionary defines it: “A place of origin or goal of destination.” Of course one wonders if he really made it home.

He was able to play Patch Adams yet he needed help to find his own way home
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It is as if the whole of humanity has been on an incredible journey and is now trying to find its way home to its intended pattern of life. Home is not necessarily a geographical place; it is a spiritual place where we can come to a settled understanding of what really matters. It is a place where we know and are known deeply, and share a sense of alignment with the Divine Being’s unfolding purpose, which leads us to what is called a state of shalom.

Peace is about coming home.

Peace is not about the absence of conflict, but about all things integrating and moving into the pattern they were originally designed for. Some believe an outcome of the move to shalom is that many of us are subconsciously moving upwards to what is called an integral consciousness. As people reach out for new spiritual frameworks from which to recognise and understand their experiences, a growing number are reviewing their lives in the context of non-materialistic values.

Prayer is more common than most would expect.

80% of Australians say they pray while only 70% say they believe in God. Makes you wonder who 10% of them are praying to? While it might be true that fewer than half of all Americans regularly attend religious services, (43%) 90% pray, and 96% believe in God or a universal spirit.

Deborah Howell, Washington bureau chief of Newhouse News Service recently commented on the television industry, “The news media is finally getting it. Religion and spirituality are the most important aspects of most people’s lives.” It seems as the baby boomers get older and are confronted by their own mortality they too are becoming sensitised to the spiritual dimensions of life.