Since I was writing the February column at the beginning of January, I had a bright idea. Why not share some New Year's messages posted on Spiritual sites or shared via e-mail? The task turned out to be much more difficult than expected. There was nothing like the outpouring of messages that occurred when the clock ticked over into the new century.

I did receive a lovely email from Marshall Stewart Ball. I went into detail about Marshall and his website (http://www.marshallball.com) in a much earlier column. Marshall, now 15, is a brilliant youth who touches people's hearts through a veil of silence by writing inspired poetry. Although he can neither speak nor walk and depends on others for physical help, he is a constant source of inspiration and guidance for people in matters of the mind and of the heart. If you haven't visited his site, I urge you to do so. Here is Marshall's New Year's 2002 message:

A Good Beginning

Manage to give love.
Vacant feelings are useless.
Decide managing feelings.
Real feelings need love.
Angels begin to find peace
when we manage love.

Another New Year's message came via the January 1, 2002 issue of Mind Chatter, an e-mail newsletter that I get from the Centerpointe Research Institute (http://www.centerpointe.com). Two quotes stood out and provide valuable food for thought for the new year:

Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared. --Henri Nouwen

Never forget that life can only be nobly inspired and rightly lived if you take it bravely and gallantly, as a splendid adventure in which you are setting out into an unknown country, to meet many a joy, to find many a comrade, to win and lose many a battle. -- Annie Besant

And then there is Guy Spiro's New Year's message that was published in the January 2002 issue of The Monthly Aspectarian and also appears at http://www.lightworks.com. Guy reminds us that despite all that has happened since 9/11, "the Aquarian awakening of individual consciousness is occurring and there is no going back."

I thought I could plug in a few words in a search engine and connect with other messages, but I was wrong. Then I remembered the Dalai Lama's Millennium Message and decided to re-read it. I found it at http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen011700.stm. It was written two years ago, but is still very relevant--and it was meant to be. When he wrote it, the Dalai Lama remarked that there was nothing special about a new millennium. He stated that the ticking over of zeroes doesn't change anything. "If we really want the next millennium to be happier, more peaceful and more harmonious," he said, "we will have to make the effort to make it so." That advice, so apropos for the new century, is just as relevant for a new year like 2002. The Dalai Lama listed six arenas of effort. They are worth reviewing as we enter into yet another new year. So here they are:

The Dalai Lama's Six Arenas of Effort:

1. "While engaging in material progress and taking care of physical well-being, we need to pay equal attention to developing peace of mind."

2. "We need to develop more altruism and a sense of caring and responsibility for others... One could call this "secular ethics," as it consists of basic human qualities such as kindness, compassion, sincerity, and honesty."

3. "We must seriously consider the concept of non-violence," starting, said the Dalai Lama, with internal disarmament. "By internal disarmament I mean ridding ourselves of all the negative emotions that result in violence." Only from there, he said, can we work toward eliminating nuclear weapons, stopping arms trade, total demilitarization. "Human problems will, of course, always remain, but ... the next century should be one of dialogue and discussion rather than one of war and bloodshed."

4. "We need to address the issue of the gap between the rich and the poor, both globally and nationally. This inequality... is not only morally wrong, but practically also a source of problems. Equally important is the issue of freedom. As long as there is no freedom in many parts of the world, there can be no real peace."

5. "We need to take care of our earth and of our environment."

6. "Lastly, one of the greatest challenges today is the population explosion. Unless we are able to tackle this issue effectively we will be confronted with the problem of natural resources being inadequate for all the human beings on this earth."

Do you have a favorite spiritual or personal growth web site that you'd like me to review? Please drop me an e-mail at Monty764@aol.com. And remember, I also want to hear your story about how the Internet and the World Wide Web have impacted your journey toward self-realization. A short e-mail questionnaire is available by contacting Monty764@aol.com. Just fill it out and e-mail it back. Your contribution will help me complete my Spirituality & the Internet Research Project and in turn will help others who are undertaking a similar pilgrimage.