Anyone can realistically see it: humanity has entered a critical phase, and unless drastic changes are made — globally — we are facing extinction caused by our own destructive attitude toward the environment and other living beings.

It is high time that anyone who can help, does help. And if there are great souls who are meant to incarnate on Earth and help guide humanity back to the right path, then now is the time for their arrival. Because if they do not incarnate within the next few decades, they may have nowhere to incarnate — as humanity may no longer exist, due to the self-destruction we ourselves have been accelerating for the past hundred years.

New Data to Incorporate:

• A comprehensive global analysis by Eawag and the University of Zurich, covering nearly 100,000 sites, found that sites affected by human activity have on average 20% fewer species, with reptiles, amphibians, and mammals hit hardest.The Guardian

• A recent study published in Nature highlights that 24% of freshwater species (including fish, crustaceans, insects) face high extinction risk, driven by pollution, dams, water extraction, agriculture, invasive species, and overharvesting.Reuters

• The first-ever UN report on migratory species reveals that 44% of such species are in population decline, over 22% are threatened with extinction, and 97% of migratory fish face imminent danger. It also found that over half of key biodiversity areas lack protected status, and 58% of monitored sites experience unsustainable human pressure.

In addition to providing comprehensive insights on the state of nature, ecosystems and how nature underpins all human activity, the study also discusses progress on key international goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

One in four species at risk of extinction

Human activities are now threatening more species than ever before. Around 25% of all plant and animal species are considered vulnerable, meaning that up to one million species could face extinction in the coming decades — unless urgent and transformative action is taken to reduce the key drivers of biodiversity loss.

If no strong measures are implemented, the global extinction rate will continue to accelerate — already estimated to be tens to hundreds of times higher than the natural average over the past 10 million years.

Despite many local conservation initiatives, including those led by indigenous communities, the outlook remains dire. By 2022, 595 globally recognized livestock breeds were classified as extinct — about 7% of all known breeds — while 2,360 more were considered at risk of disappearing. ScienceDirect

Similarly, the decline in genetic diversity is affecting crop resilience. Reductions in the diversity of cultivated crops, their wild relatives, and domestic breeds are weakening agriculture’s ability to withstand future climate shifts, pest outbreaks, and disease. This erosion undermines long-term food security.

While more food, energy, and materials are being produced than ever before, this expansion is increasingly happening at nature’s expense, compromising its ability to sustain these contributions in the future. The biosphere — the living system upon which humanity depends — is declining faster than at any time in human history.

Anyone can realistically see it: humanity has entered a critical phase, and unless drastic changes are made — on a global level — we are facing extinction caused by our own destructive attitude toward the environment and other living beings.

It is high time that anyone who can help, does help. And if there are great souls who are meant to incarnate on Earth and help guide humanity back to the right path, then now is the time for their arrival. Because if they do not incarnate within the next few decades, they may have nowhere to incarnate — as humanity may no longer exist, due to the self-destruction we ourselves have been accelerating for the past hundred years.

They say that the Buddha announced his next appearance would come at a time when Dharma is violated. Dharma — translated as cosmic order and law — is clearly disrupted in today’s world. Humanity, due to its ignorance, has severely broken the balance with natural law. Of course, a small part of humanity sees this and struggles to restore harmony between man and nature. To that small group, any help is welcome — especially help from those who know how to refresh the unconscious human mind.

The help of those who are already spiritually conscious is indispensable. This means that, if the Buddha truly spoke of returning to Earth, he or she may already be among us. What is especially important is that the Buddha described this return not in the form of a guru, avatar, messiah, saint or any similar authority — but simply in the form of a friend.

Many believed themselves to be the incarnated Buddha — Meher Baba among them. Osho, who speaks in the video below about the Buddha’s return, said that he wanted to be just a friend to his students — but they projected upon him the roles of master, guru and Bhagavan.

However, if the Buddha does not return as an authority figure but as a friend, then this likely does not refer to a single individual — but to many people who realize that being a true friend is the highest role a human being can take. These individuals understand that the roles of guru, avatar, saint, priest, father, mother, child, brother, sister, husband, wife, teacher, etc. — are all meaningless if they lack the inner quality of true friendship.

If we consider the view that an enlightened being merges with cosmic consciousness after death and thus loses individuality, then it becomes clear — as Osho also states in the video — that the Buddha cannot return in the literal, reincarnated sense. Therefore, the Buddha’s statement should not be taken literally. His prediction of the age of friends in spirituality may simply be an expression of common sense.

I came to the same realization when I noticed that, on one side, we have many so-called ordinary people who are highly self-aware, and on the other, so-called spiritual teachers and authorities who are often less self-aware than those same ordinary individuals. Logically, such spiritual authorities actually hinder the development of sincere seekers.

The Buddha saw this clearly 25 centuries ago — that spiritual authorities would become an obstacle to human development. I experienced this firsthand, and I continue to see it in other spiritual seekers, even if they cannot yet recognize it themselves. Perhaps they feel — at least unconsciously — that their spiritual authority is blinding them, but because they see no better alternative, they remain in the role of followers.

However, today they do have an alternative. Instead of a spiritual authority, they can choose a spiritual friend, because the time of spiritual friendship has come — just as the Buddha foretold.

I realized long ago that authority in spirituality limits the freedom of the spirit. In earlier times, this could not have been otherwise — there were simply not enough evolutionarily developed ordinary people who could stand without authority. But now, such people exist. People who can think for themselves. People who no longer need a spiritual master — but only a spiritual friend to support them in the areas where they lack experience in life and on the spiritual path.