During the Renaissance, Europe re-discovered what it had lost for a thousand years. The astonishing artistic and literary treasures of the Greeks and Romans were unearthed, admired and imitated, as well as what today we call the "scientific" achievements of these ancient civilizations.

But the ancients looked on this scientific work very differently from the way we do today. They felt that they were discovering how the world -- and how man or woman -- worked. After the Renaissance, we used science very differently. We used it to change the way the world worked; and the results have been very mixed.

We can extend our lives by decades, though with what quality is doubtful. We can grow food in such abundance that much is thrown away, while nearly a billion people go hungry as you read these words. We have become selfish and self-centered, interested solely in our own entertainment in a world that, for all its wonders, bores us so much that we must escape into so-called "reality" shows on TV. It now seems clear that our passion for getting and getting will result in the destruction of the very planet we inhabit. We have gained the whole world ... and lost our souls.

Perhaps there is not much we can do to stop this process. Most of the religions of the world seem to envision a time when this "generation" will pass away. But one thing is certain: We cannot effect any external change unless there is a deep internal change first. By meditating within the framework of Steps 10 and 11, we can ensure that, whether or not we lose the world, we do save our souls.