By D. Witte

A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help.

Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.”

The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me.”

So, the rowboat went on.

Then a motorboat came by. “The fellow in the motorboat shouted, “Jump in, I can save you.”

To this the stranded man said, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.”

So, the motorboat went on.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, “Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety.”

To this the stranded man again replied, “No thanks, I’m praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith.”

So, the helicopter reluctantly flew away.

Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, “I had faith in you but you didn’t save me, you let me drown. I don’t understand why!”

To this God replied, “I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?”

We could compare humanity to the man in a flood. We have certainly been flooded with overwhelming challenges, (viruses and floods and wildfires) the sense of loss uncertainty and fear is experienced by many. The man on the roof refused the offers of help. All he had to do was accept it, but, time and again he refused in hopes of his vision of rescue. 

That guy is no different than most of humanity holding a religious belief in a Savior. In Hindu belief, the oldest religion, they believe in Kalki, the tenth avatar of Hindu god Vishnu.

In Zoroastrianism, there are three saviors who each will rise in a thousand years. The last one is an eschatological savior figure who will destroy evil and will bring about the renovation of the world. He is called Saoshyant.

In Buddhist belief the Lotus Sutra, we read about the future Buddha of this world, called Maitreya, who will be a successor to the present Buddha.

The Taoist belief is in Li Hong to appear at the end of the world cycle to rescue the chosen people. 

The Jewish belief in the savior is manifested in the idea of the coming of Moshiach (i.e., Messiah). This person is believed to be a descendant of King David, who will “gather the Jews from all over the world and bring them back to the land of Israel.”

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is himself the savior of humankind, and his second coming, who will make this world a better place and free it from oppression and injustice.

In Islam, the belief in the savior is that Allah never leaves His creatures, and sends righteous leaders who continue the path. Inman Mahdi is a messianic figure who is believed to appear at the end of time to establish justice and truth. The Mahdi is a descendant of Muhammad and is expected to appear shortly before Jesus.

We see almost all world religions have preached for centuries the return of a savior, the liberator of the human beings and redeemer, in the End-Time. The names are different, but the promise has been the same throughout history. What if we are so blinded by our particular belief in a Savior, that we don’t recognize help is already here? All we must do is prove our faith by reaching out to help. 

What if the religions of the past were predicting that Humanity itself will evolve to be the “Savior.” The guy next door could be a “Savior.” We certainly have the potential. We have the ability. We have the assurance. Maybe we just need to tweak our perspective a little to realize, we support the Savior spirit by reaching out to help. We rescue ourselves by stepping away from materialism and back to spirituality. Away from greed and lack and back to sharing and caring. Away from politics and back to common sense living and cooperation. Politics can’t save us. History has shown there is no Savior in that arena. “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

These aren’t just inspiring words. We put flesh on them by doing things like taking our power back. Let your heart guide you. You can make things better. We have many gifts of time and talent. Think about what you have to offer. Teach what you know. Be a creator. Even small things help. Like volunteering at your local school or food panty? Or by offering rides? Find your “people” (group), to work together with your vision to make things better. There is power in connection in the Aquarian Age.

Another way to make things better is to move away from big corporate interests who only have their own wellbeing in mind. Support locally owned and operated businesses who in turn support your neighborhoods. Switch to banking at a community-based credit union. 

Eat a well-rounded diet, free of additives that are proven to compromise our health. Cut out fast foods that are addictive. Grow your own food. Buy from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or join a community garden.

Do what you can to care for yourself and others. Free yourself from the addiction to technology. That will give you lots of time to help others and enjoy their company. See what you can do. There is no deed too small, because it is our choice to accept responsibility or fall victim to circumstance. “Together we can,” create a better world.