The New Thought Movement     Paglatl and the other mystics were not as concerned with the social nature of belief or with moral codes as with personal union with the Godhead. Other organizations filled in this gap. One of the most prominent of the past hundred years is the New Thought Movement. This is not an organization, per se, nor does it have a single founder, rather, it is a philosophical movement within the Nunga artaduku that was shaped by many thinkers.   The essence of the New Thought Movement is the notion of personal responsibility for the corporate good. Taking the idea that each individual is a representative of Prabaset in the battle against evil, the movement developed the concept that each person has an obligation to ensure that good befall the most people possible. This premise has given rise to systems of thought and organizations which seek to work out this idea in diverse ways: eg. organizations which work for social justice or provide charity relief.   One of the most influencial New Thought organizations is the Perfect Freedom Society, which posits that one can only serve others when one is perfectly free from evil influences, and that the way to individual perfect freedom is to institute in public life the virtues shown in the Ninety-Nine Qualities. This is a rather cerebral organization, somewhat like Confuscianism, and like that system, takes the principles implicit in the Ninety-Nine Qualities and attempts to write from them a prescription for living in society. The emphasis is not so much on personal ethical development through devotional practices (which is the focus of other, non-New Thought organizations), but on a corporate response to the challenges of the Ninety-Nine Qualities. This organization has many members in the upper levels of government throughout Tihzanthy. It thus has much influence on public policy, rather than being an object of popular devotion.   A more popular expression of the New Thought ethos is embodied in a series of maxims involving the word selemat. While generally glossed as 'peace', this word in New Thought circles has come to stand for a whole array of qualities revolving around the concept of the inner peace that comes from a balanced or ordered life; those with this inner sense of selemat are able to extend that peace and balance to the rest of society. The word is used in a variety of phrases, always paired with the postposition -av 'by means of', for example selemat opleshtav 'peace in eating', selemat ospitav 'peace in sleeping'. The implication is that one can achieve inner peace through the mindful performance of even the most mundane tasks. These maxims have become very well-known in Kadanë society and are used by many who do not otherwise consider themselves part of the New Thought movement.

© 2000, Terrence Donnelly