Crisis. What crisis
As a student of history (and I mean a homegrown student, not a graduate of any school of history), it occurs to me that there have been many times in the history of Universe, and specifically in the history of humankind in Universe, when we have been faced with unprecedented crises that portended the end of life as we know it.
Currently, we have the impending event of 2012. Whatever this date holds, it correlates with the other major issues, such as the converging crises of the economy, the environment and peak oil.
Yet I wonder what it felt like for millions of people around the world in 1941/42/43/44? Did this not seem like the end of the world? Son’s and daughters dying in strange places, the threat of takeover of nations by Germans or Japanese, (not to mention how life was experienced by the Japanese and Germans), rationing, bombing, fear 24/7. I cannot imagine it, but I could imagine that it was very scary.
Then the Cold War and the constant fear of nuclear annihilation. Children trained at schools to ‘duck for cover!’
We can wind back the clock to many points in history and find apocalyptic events. How would life have been when the black plague was killing millions? Or when the inquisition was in full assault? Some estimate that up to 6 million women and girls were killed over a period of history for being witches! (using intuition, herbs to heal, regular women’s stuff, etc.)
I am not saying we are in unprecedented times. Each crisis is unique. However, it seems to me that in each critical period, there is an egoic response that owns the crisis as being the very biggest, most serious of all of history’s crises.
If we truly believe we live in an evolving, emergent Universe, then expecting and experiencing change is the norm. The difference with our current era is that for the first time, we are becoming conscious of our consciousness.
This is a good thing, a healthy next step. It offers more hope than ever before, not more fear.
If I were God, and if the role of Universe was to determine if humans could evolve to a level where there was 100 percent success for all in eternally regenerative Universe, then I would probably create a confluence of such events that demanded that we transcend our “I”, our individual survival oriented small egoic self, and discover that the only way we can actually rise above the potential impending disasters, is to collaborate.
Therefore, I look upon this era as an exciting time. Pandora’s box has been open for a long time now. The contagion and pestilence have been running riot for thousands of years. And the whisper of hope is calling from the depths, stronger than ever before because it now brings with it consciousness.
Enough talk about the crisis in this and that. This is fear talking. And the perpetuation of fear. We do not need any more fear, unless it serves to motivate you.
Yes, we have work to do. It’s good work. It is learning from our mistakes and building new models that render the old obsolete. Let’s focus on the opportunity and creativity that this time brings. It asks the best from us. We all have something to contribute that is of value at this time, whether it is raising healthy, resilient children or finding a cure for malaria.
Instead of getting sucked into the noise of fear and impending doom, let us roll up our sleeves and get to work on creating the kind of systems, structures, tools, businesses, communities, families and relationships that support the whole.
And when we are done, and have grown lazy and complacent again, as sure as the sun rises, there will be another crisis. Hallelujah. It’s called evolution!
