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Many people are justifiably concerned that their way of life is permanently at risk from climate changes, war and pollution. The problem lies in the way we think. Humanity has misunderstood the nature of reality and is now facing the inevitable consequences of having ignored all the signs that indicated that a new way had to be found. If we are collectively to change how we think, there needs to be some way that explains all of our experiences and is reasonably satisfactory to everyone. The 7 Words System offers this. It is defined by the use of 7 primary words'No, Hello, Thanks, Goodbye, Please, Sorry, Yes'and their 28 related keywords.

Each of us has our own individual strengths and weaknesses. Some are strong with No, weak with Hello; some good at Goodbye, and reluctant to say Sorry. A questionnaire has been devised, researched and statistically validated, which has the capacity to lead a person very quickly to an incisive degree of self-awareness. It can also be used as a tool for practitioners in one-to-one sessions of psychotherapy, also in group work and in relationship counselling.

Words are powerful. They shape the way we think and therefore how we act. If we misuse them by the employment of propaganda, deceit and sensationalism, then the mind becomes confused. Such confusion and the related suspicion can never lead to harmony and trust'it leads to conflict. To end war we must speak truth.

We can look differently at all aspects of life when we look through the lens of 7. We can see what is actually going on in any system and in any communication by analyzing its components into each of the 7 words. Life is constantly changing; empires come and go and beliefs constantly shift'and yet there are some fundamentals that never change. These are universal laws'and one of them is the law of 7. Intuitively we have understood the mystery of this number and it appears in our collective mythology repeatedly'including even the days of the week, which were created as seven without solid reasoning.

In personal development, corporate management, and in the context of our career decisions, there are many benefits. Employment profiling is useful for both employer and employee'if you are weak on Hello then it may be inappropriate to become a receptionist. The 7 stages of management are made clear'and are applied in personal and business strategies as a way to effect changes quickly, clearly and cleanly without omitting any essential aspects of the process.

At a higher level, we can see that there are new ways to comprehend global issues and therefore new approaches to address the major problems of our times.

War relates to No
Media Corruption relates to Hello
Poverty relates to Thank You
Environmental Issues relate to Goodbye
Human Rights relate to Please
Tyranny relates to Sorry
Persecution relates to Yes

Looking from the 7 Words perspective, we learn to see agreement between things that seemed very different, for example science and religion, Islam and Christianity'and we encourage people to develop their capacity for optimistic reframing through self-analysis and meditation. We can also understand our history in a new way, in which the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions are understood as stages of the development of humanity's consciousness. This enables us to put into new perspective the current crisis we are facing, to learn what we need to do and to begin the reorientation necessary to create a wholesome future together on Earth.

' James Burgess 2007