Missionaries

 Christianity thinks of itself as "missionary."  It brings Jesus to those living in darkness.  But what it brings is European culture and economic thinking wrapped in religion.  Europeans think of property as a commodity to be bought and sold.  Our constitution has right to own property written into it.  But the Natives of what we call North America, Indians, believed that we are part of the earth and it is part of us.  Very non-dualistic.  In our modern Western World, many people on a spiritual path are hungry for non-duality, Oneness, equality.  Yes, the tribes and peoples fought sometimes with one another.  We are not perfect.  But when they sold us land, such as Manhattan Island to the Dutch, it was not for gain of things, trinkets, but for the sake of peace. So if you are meditating in an attempt to find some inner unity and oneness with the world about you, ask yourself how much time and energy you put into having, and owning stuff.  Sometimes less is more.