World poverty and a widening gap between rich and poor are serious threats to world peace that would be corrected by the disclosure and peaceful application of these technologies (see above). The real threat of war over a shrinking supply of fossil fuels in the next 10-20 years further underscores the need for this disclosure. What happens when the 4 billion people living in poverty want cars, electricity and other modern conveniences - all of which depend on fossil fuels? To any thinking person, it is obvious that we must transition quickly to the use of these now classified technologies - they are powerful solutions already sitting on a shelf.
Of course, a number of insiders have pointed out that these technologies are not your grandfather’s Oldsmobile: They are technological advances, like any other, that could be put to violent uses by terrorists, bellicose nations and madmen. But here we enter a catch 22: If these technologies are not forthcoming soon, we will face a certain meltdown in human civilization and the environment; if they are disclosed, immensely powerful new technologies will be out there for possible destructive uses.
In the near future, it is prudent to view humanity as likely to use any new technology violently. This means that international agencies must be created to ensure - and enforce - the exclusive peaceful use of such devices. The technologies exist today to link every such device to a GPS (Global Positioning System) monitor that could disable or render useless any device tampered with or used for anything but peaceful power generation and propulsion. These technologies should be regulated and monitored. And the international community must mature to a level of competence to ensure their exclusive peaceful use.
Any other use should be met with overwhelming resistance by every other nation on Earth.
Such a pact is the necessary next step. Maybe someday, humanity will live in peace without the need for such controls. But for now, the situation is like that of chained dogs - some strong leashes are warranted and are essential.
But such concerns cannot be a rationale for further delaying the disclosure of these technologies. We have the knowledge and means to ensure their safe and peaceful use - and these must be applied soon if we are to avoid further degradation of the environment and an escalation of world poverty and conflict.
In the final analysis, then, we are faced with a social and spiritual crisis that transcends any technological or scientific challenge. The technological solutions exist - but do we possess the will, wisdom and courage to apply them for the common good? The more one contemplates this matter the more it is obvious that we have one possible future: Peace. Peace on Earth and peace in space - a universal Peace, wisely enforced; for every other path leads to ruin
This then is the greatest challenge of the current era. Can our spiritual and social resources rise to this challenge? Nothing less than the destiny of the human race hangs in the balance.
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