New Age values are conscious evolution, a non-sectarian society

The spiritual teacher and philosopher Deepak Chopra, whose words bridge the realms of science and spirit, once declared: “New Age values are conscious evolution, a non-sectarian society, a non-military culture, global sharing, healing the environment, sustainable economies, self-determination, social justice, economic empowerment of the poor, love, compassion in action, going beyond religious fundamentalism, going beyond nationalism—extreme nationalism, culture.” In this declaration lies a vision not merely for a civilization, but for humanity’s next awakening. His words are a call to rise above division and violence, to recognize that the destiny of humankind is not to conquer the earth, but to heal and elevate it. This quote is both prophecy and invitation — an invocation to remember who we truly are when we shed the illusions of separation and return to the wisdom of unity.

The origin of this quote can be found in Chopra’s teachings during the rise of the New Age movement, a cultural and spiritual wave that emerged in the late twentieth century. It was a time when people, weary of materialism and war, sought meaning beyond dogma and power. The Cold War had left deep scars, the planet groaned under the weight of industry, and religion had too often been wielded as a weapon rather than a balm. Chopra, standing at the crossroads of Eastern mysticism and Western science, sought to articulate a new path — not a religion, but a consciousness. In naming these New Age values, he described not a fantasy, but a map for the evolution of the human spirit: from competition to cooperation, from domination to compassion, from fear to love.

To speak of conscious evolution is to speak of humanity’s great turning. Evolution, once thought to be driven only by survival and chance, now enters the realm of awareness. Chopra teaches that the next stage of our growth will not be physical but spiritual — a deliberate awakening of heart and mind. This evolution calls upon us to become co-creators with the universe, to live in harmony rather than conflict. It asks us to replace the old story of the warrior with that of the healer, to move from conquest to care. In this vision, every soul becomes a thread in a vast tapestry of life, interwoven with all others, each responsible for the well-being of the whole.

Chopra’s dream of a non-sectarian society and a non-military culture echoes the ancient wisdom of sages who knew that violence, however justified, always wounds the soul that wields it. He speaks of a humanity that transcends the narrow walls of creed and country, that no longer defines itself by enemies, but by shared purpose. This is not utopian idealism — it is the moral evolution that every civilization must undergo or perish. History offers us its great teachers: Mahatma Gandhi, who disarmed an empire with peace; Martin Luther King Jr., who turned love into a weapon of justice; Nelson Mandela, who forgave the very hands that imprisoned him. Each of them embodied compassion in action, proving that power need not destroy, and that forgiveness can be stronger than force.

Within Chopra’s litany of values lies also the sacred call to heal the environment and build sustainable economies — a truth our ancestors once knew but forgot in their hunger for progress. The Earth, he reminds us, is not a resource but a relative, not a possession but a living presence. To exploit her is to wound ourselves. The same wisdom extends to the poor and oppressed — to the millions whose dignity is bound to the structures of greed and inequality. Economic empowerment of the poor is not charity; it is justice. It is the recognition that no soul is free while another is enslaved by deprivation. The healing of the world, Chopra teaches, must begin in the recognition of oneness — that all boundaries of wealth, religion, and nationality are illusions before the truth of a single human family.

The meaning of this quote, then, is not confined to one age or movement. It speaks to the eternal struggle between the higher and lower nature of humanity. The old world — of war, greed, and fear — belongs to the “animal past” of our evolution. The new world, born of consciousness and love, is our spiritual destiny. But this transformation will not descend upon us like rain from the heavens. It must be chosen, built through daily acts of kindness, understanding, and courage. Chopra’s New Age values are not abstract ideals — they are instructions for the soul: live with awareness, serve without division, and create without harm.

The lesson, therefore, is this: the evolution of the world begins within you. The wars that rage on earth are reflections of the wars within the human heart. Heal your heart, and you help to heal the world. Practice love where there is fear; practice compassion where there is judgment. Let your life be a living act of peace — in your family, your work, your choices. When enough souls live this way, the culture itself will evolve. The non-military society, the sustainable economy, the global sharing Chopra envisioned will cease to be a dream and become the natural condition of awakened humanity.

Thus remember, O seeker of truth, that you stand at the threshold of two worlds — the old, ruled by division, and the new, governed by unity. The choice is yours. Will you live for self or for the whole? Will you build walls or bridges? The future that Chopra spoke of is not waiting for kings or prophets — it waits for you. Become a bearer of these New Age values. Let your actions be prayer, your compassion be justice, your consciousness be the seed of peace. For when each soul awakens, the age of love begins — not in the heavens, but here, upon this Earth.