What is it?

The Third Millennium

Dates cause much confusion, not least of all because there was no year 'zero' to mark the transition from 'Before Christ' - B.C.(E.) dates to Anno Domini (Year of Our Lord) - A.D. ones! The result is a calendar which has much adjustment and uncertainty. The First Millennium (from year 1 A.D. to 999 A.D.), the Second Millennium (1000 A.D. to 1999 A.D.), and now the Third Millennium (2000 A.D. to 2999 A.D.).

What is the significance of the Third Millennium? As time is a 'continuum' (at least in terms of how its passing is measured) the significance is nothing more than marking the start of a particular size of 'chunk' of time. In terms of how people react to things of 'significance', the turning of the Millennium is seen as something with intrinsic and magical characteristics all of its own.

'Millennium Madness' might be a good way to describe some of the more extreme claims for the significance of the New Millennium, but there is no doubt that it provides an opportunity to mark personal milestones and milestones for Humanity in a very particular way.

What will mankind achieve in the next thousand years? With almost total certainty, mankind will take a step towards another planet in the Solar System. With similar certainty there is likely to be a truly 'global' economy which will help to minimise the feast/famine profit/loss greed-based mentality which is now hampering progress towards a peaceful world. Boundary disputes between nations will continue for a while, with genocide-related regimes supported by those who hope to gain at the expense of others, but the eventual end of the 'nation state' will highlight the futility of fighting over lines on a map, even for administrative purposes.

The needs of the individual: the feeling of 'emptiness' and 'lacking' in those who 'have everything' will be understood at last as a deficient condition resulting in a need to 'have' rather than a balanced need just to 'be'. Selfishness and self-centred activity will not be outlawed but will be viewed as much of a social problem as drugs (which themselves are only a manifestation in an extremely self-centred individual). Education will include 'consequences' and 'enlightenment' as ground-rules for conducting a happy life contributing to the needs of others as much as self.

Religion in its many forms will remain a source of stife until the real mechanisms which result in 'divine manifestations' are fully understood and explained. A move away from dogma towards unity will happen, but will be a slow process. The key to the transition will be understanding 'mystical' activity which is currently dismissed by orthodox science.

A sustainable lifestyle will emerge which is more aware of the environment and natural forces which at present appear to rage unchecked around the globe, producing 'natural' disasters as a consequences of mankind's misplaced attempts to control rather than co-exist with 'nature' in the broadest sense. In all, a sensitive, aware, back-to-basics approach to life married with the opportunities provided by using technology to do more than support selfish activity will transform the World in the Third Millennium....