By Alice Wood, UAI multimedia chair, Wisconsin, United States
Editor’s Note: Urantia Foundation, Urantia Association, and the Urantia Book Fellowship have been collaborating to bring the readership co-sponsored online events. Many presenters for this 24-hour session were trustees and current or former associate trustees. It concluded with a question and answer period hosted by the presidents of the three organizations.
Urantia Book students from around the world were brought together remotely during Urantia Association’s second worldwide 24-Hour Online Event. The first event of this type was held in March as a response to the social isolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic (and was aptly titled “A Reward of Isolation”). The second conference began on May 2 at midnight GMT (1:00 a.m. British Summer Time) and continued for 24 hours with a different presenter for each hour of the day.
This format has been celebrated by Urantia Association president, Chris Wood. “Participation in the wider Urantia community used to be limited to those who could afford to attend a conference—pay for the plane ticket, hotel, and get the time off from work. Now it’s opened up to anyone who has an internet connection, which still isn’t everybody, but it’s a lot more equitable.”
Topics during the event ranged from presentations directly related to the teachings of The Urantia Book (with titles such as, “Evolutionary Timeline” and “Assertiveness ‘Jesus Style’”), to group meditations, and a presentation on interfaith activities. They covered a wide panorama of subjects. As Geri Johnson, of Hawaii, put it when she transitioned from the previous presentation to her own, “We are going to go from the global to the personal.”
Geri gave her presentation on establishing conversations about spirituality with people. She offered valuable “go-to” questions such as, “What is your faith background and how does that work for you?” People had an opportunity to discuss conversations that they have had with others, during which I learned that I am not the only person to take advantage of the captive audience of a masseuse.
Zooming in from her home in Israel, Sandra Burga-Cisneros shared a presentation on the chemistry of a brain that is under stress and the solution that is found in self-kindness, common humanity, and self-awareness—mindfulness.
Dr. James Perry and Sherry Cathcart Chavis, both in the United States, presented “Brotherly and Fatherly Love During COVID-19.” Participants had an opportunity to share the many ways that they continue to serve others while sheltering at home. Sherry made the observation, “This state of affairs has brought out a level of love and concern and caring for others that should always be present. This can be my attitude every day of my life.”
To begin his presentation titled “Self-Control: The Path to Divinity,” Luis Morales, of Argentina, led a meditation with beautiful scenery on the screen and his own music to listen to, which he composes under the name Dipti Bhakti. Later in the presentation, participants were treated to a video of his four-month-old baby, who was giggling and kicking his legs, seemingly at random in the way that babies do, and this was used as metaphor for the ways in which we learn to control our own movements—we learn the self-control that is needed for Adjuster fusion.
The presentation that had me laughing in my head (muted though I was) took place during the time slot attributed to Merritt Horn, though poor Merritt couldn’t get a word in edgewise on his own topic. When one presents with such a controversial title as “Is The Urantia Book Scripture?,” one can only expect to hear everyone give voice to their thoughts.
People have eagerly asked when the next 24-hour event will be, and the Association anticipates hosting them regularly. However, the March and May conferences were held in close succession due to the fact that so many people have been living in isolation; going forward, the Association hopes to schedule these events a few times per year. No events are scheduled yet, but I hope you will join in the next one.
Urantia Association’s Second 24-Hour Online Event