“Through animals, fire, wind, water, electricity, and other undiscovered sources of energy, man has liberated, and will continue to liberate, himself from the necessity for unremitting toil.” 81:2.14 (902.4)
Human history is a story of liberation. At first, survival demanded endless toil—struggling against the elements, working the land with no rest, bound by necessity. Yet slowly, through curiosity and courage, humanity learned to harness the world around us. Fire, wind, water, animals, and eventually electricity became allies in our journey. Each discovery freed us a little more, granting us time and space to think, create, and grow beyond mere survival.
But this progress was never just about physical comfort. It opened the door for higher living—for reflection, communion, and the pursuit of spiritual truth. Liberation from toil creates space for liberation of the soul. Every time humanity discovers a new way to transcend limitation, it is also invited to ask: What will we now do with our freedom? Will we deepen our connection with God, with each other, with the unfolding of higher purpose?
True progress, then, is more than technological. It is moral and spiritual. We are freed from toil so that we may live for meaning. We are invited to use the gifts of human ingenuity not for self-indulgence but for service, compassion, and creation in partnership with the Divine. This is how civilization advances—not only in what it builds, but in what it becomes.
