Fifty years ago, the Club of Rome published Limits to Growth, the first actual assessment of the global, consumption-driven, limitless growth economic model. That assessment predicted that if growth and consumption continued at the pace of the 1970s, the world would begin facing resource and energy shortages sometime right about now. Humanity failed to heed the warning and here we are — this is really what’s behind the supply chain issues that are so front and center in news and politics.
For as long as I've known what the Club of Rome knew, I've seen little overall shift in the behavior of humans. If anything, it's worsened, and rather than reason with cause, we are now divided and blame each other rather than taking stock, taking responsibility. I fear it will become much worse before it can begin to get better, and potentially too late for it to ever harmonize again.
I really feel you here. And, I truly believe there is a chance for the pressures of these times to bring about an evolutionary step in humanity's collective consciousness. I do believe we are now in an apocalyptic time, but that is not too scary to me since the root word of apocalypse means "unveiling" or uncovering what was hidden. We needed that to happen.
I too have been deeply aware of the many attempts to raise awareness/consciousness about the terminal human conditions we find ourselves within. As I reflect back I see one major aspect to our collective dysfunction that directly influences our inability to address our own demise. "Double speak" has been at the heart of Christianity for 2000 years and thus all governments, institutions and efforts to address our shadows. When love is spoken while hate is practiced it's no wonder that everything that follows is a ruse. I see no evolution when words and actions have no meaning consistant with their dictionary definations. I believe 'double speak' is at the root of our dysfunction.
"Our opportunity is to harness this pressure to bring about an evolution in collective consciousness that leads to healthier, more beautiful ways of being." How to go from preaching about needing to change to discovering what we might do to create it? Governments aren't going to fix themselves -- late stage capitalism has them bowing to the influence of money. So, even after experiences of adversity that wake us up, what can we the people do? It's the question I lead with and wish others would, too.
Hi Suzanne. Sorry for the late response -- I've been travelling in internet limited areas. Your question is really the heart of it; what can we actually do given the enormity of the challenge. What I am sharing with people is a few steps. One, decolonize our minds from the programming we are immersed in by reflecting very deeply on what is "Enough", for us personally, and societally. Two, adopt radical non-consumerism. What I mean by this isn't going into an deprived level of existence but rather to be intentional about our "stuff" -- why we get it, where we get it, can we use it for a long time. Three, talk about all of this! Have uncomfortable conversations, question the status quo paradigm. A huge part of creating a world that works better for all of us is to shift the story by challenging the current story that isn't working any more but that we are all immersed in.
My thoughts run not to what each of us personally can do with our thinking process and our consumer habits but what kind of efforts can be made where we become an actual force, the good guys with a voice that we don't have now where we are just individual gadflies. Like creating an ad hoc Wisdom Council of the most admired people where if they came out with what we could do everyone would listen. Get one person to start. Maybe Chris Hedges. Or Oprah even. The first person picks the second person, the two of them pick the third and so on till they get a good bunch and they deliberate on what they would do if they ran the country. And have a Suggestion Box for them where the rest of us offer ideas and dialogue about them amongst us so we're all in the game.
One more thing I thought of yesterday that I don't have connections to deliver to the powers that be and maybe you do:
WILD IDEA. A trial won't put off Trump’s followers, where we will stay divided even if we get our pounds of flesh, but how about an intervention? Get him to show up on some fabrication and get the Republicans testifying against him to sit in a circle with him and read him chapter and verse. For what the country needs, offer him total immunity from all prosecutions to admit he lost and whatever he’d say about that – omg, a Trumpian mea culpa would be something to behold. But he is speaking for the good of the country, to unite us. He might love being that kinky hero.
Yes? Can you deliver this idea to anyone who would be able to run with it?
For as long as I've known what the Club of Rome knew, I've seen little overall shift in the behavior of humans. If anything, it's worsened, and rather than reason with cause, we are now divided and blame each other rather than taking stock, taking responsibility. I fear it will become much worse before it can begin to get better, and potentially too late for it to ever harmonize again.
Hi JD.
I really feel you here. And, I truly believe there is a chance for the pressures of these times to bring about an evolutionary step in humanity's collective consciousness. I do believe we are now in an apocalyptic time, but that is not too scary to me since the root word of apocalypse means "unveiling" or uncovering what was hidden. We needed that to happen.
I too have been deeply aware of the many attempts to raise awareness/consciousness about the terminal human conditions we find ourselves within. As I reflect back I see one major aspect to our collective dysfunction that directly influences our inability to address our own demise. "Double speak" has been at the heart of Christianity for 2000 years and thus all governments, institutions and efforts to address our shadows. When love is spoken while hate is practiced it's no wonder that everything that follows is a ruse. I see no evolution when words and actions have no meaning consistant with their dictionary definations. I believe 'double speak' is at the root of our dysfunction.
Certainly getting to the point of walking the talk is a part of the way past the "dis-ease." Thanks for posting and be well in these wild times!
"Our opportunity is to harness this pressure to bring about an evolution in collective consciousness that leads to healthier, more beautiful ways of being." How to go from preaching about needing to change to discovering what we might do to create it? Governments aren't going to fix themselves -- late stage capitalism has them bowing to the influence of money. So, even after experiences of adversity that wake us up, what can we the people do? It's the question I lead with and wish others would, too.
Hi Suzanne. Sorry for the late response -- I've been travelling in internet limited areas. Your question is really the heart of it; what can we actually do given the enormity of the challenge. What I am sharing with people is a few steps. One, decolonize our minds from the programming we are immersed in by reflecting very deeply on what is "Enough", for us personally, and societally. Two, adopt radical non-consumerism. What I mean by this isn't going into an deprived level of existence but rather to be intentional about our "stuff" -- why we get it, where we get it, can we use it for a long time. Three, talk about all of this! Have uncomfortable conversations, question the status quo paradigm. A huge part of creating a world that works better for all of us is to shift the story by challenging the current story that isn't working any more but that we are all immersed in.
My thoughts run not to what each of us personally can do with our thinking process and our consumer habits but what kind of efforts can be made where we become an actual force, the good guys with a voice that we don't have now where we are just individual gadflies. Like creating an ad hoc Wisdom Council of the most admired people where if they came out with what we could do everyone would listen. Get one person to start. Maybe Chris Hedges. Or Oprah even. The first person picks the second person, the two of them pick the third and so on till they get a good bunch and they deliberate on what they would do if they ran the country. And have a Suggestion Box for them where the rest of us offer ideas and dialogue about them amongst us so we're all in the game.
One more thing I thought of yesterday that I don't have connections to deliver to the powers that be and maybe you do:
WILD IDEA. A trial won't put off Trump’s followers, where we will stay divided even if we get our pounds of flesh, but how about an intervention? Get him to show up on some fabrication and get the Republicans testifying against him to sit in a circle with him and read him chapter and verse. For what the country needs, offer him total immunity from all prosecutions to admit he lost and whatever he’d say about that – omg, a Trumpian mea culpa would be something to behold. But he is speaking for the good of the country, to unite us. He might love being that kinky hero.
Yes? Can you deliver this idea to anyone who would be able to run with it?