I’ve written quite a few entries arguing that trauma is a root cause of our problems as a civilization, species and planet. There are many other threads from this theme that I could discuss in more detail, but I want to change tack. I’d like to focus for a while on practical ways that we can create a better future. And for this, I need to draw you, my readers, into more active involvement. I hope this post will ignite a blaze of creative ideas for “Creating the Future” on our Pod “On the Wisdom Trail”. And I hope your ideas will inspire me with new topics for this blog that in turn will fuel your creativity ...

I actually wrote the draft of this entry before Humanly Possible started the thread about “Small, sensible adjustments we can all make” in “On the Wisdom Trail”. In that she posed the challenge slightly differently when she wrote: “I would like to discuss what small, sensible, rapidly achievable adjustments we can all make in our day to day lives that will take us, as individuals, as well as humanity as a whole, further along the wisdom trail. There is so much “out there” about the big changes that are needed/wanted, but just as charity begins at home, so does wisdom and change.”

In this post, I have focused on several big themes that I hope will help draw out the myriad “small, rapidly achievable adjustments we can all make.” In my next post, I plan to start looking at those little things in more detail.

Global awakening

The world is changing. Lots of wonderful things are happening. But the transformation is still too slow. The crisis of our civilization and planet is deepening rapidly whilst most people bury their heads in the sands of denial. It’s imperative that those of us who are aware of the seriousness of our situation break through the wall of denial, wake up others, and take the lead before it is too late.

I’m reminded of a story. A man went to borrow his neighbour’s donkey. His friend assured him that this donkey was a great and willing worker. “All you have to do”, he said, “is speak nicely to him.” So the man led the donkey home, and loaded it for the journey to market. Then he picked up the lead rope and said “Come on, good donkey.” But the donkey just stood there. He tried again with the same result. He pulled and tugged on the rope and tried everything he could think of, but the donkey remained rooted to the spot, its head drooping and its eyes half closed.

So the man went back to his neighbour. “You said your donkey was a willing worker, but he won’t move.” “I’ll come and see what I can do” replied the neighbour. So he walked over to where the donkey stood gently dozing in the sunshine. He picked up a large piece of wood and hit him over the head with it. Then he said “Come on, good donkey”, and the donkey obediently started to walk. “But”, said the man, “I thought you said all you have to do is ask nicely.” “Ah yes,” was the reply, “but first you have to get his attention.”

That is the first challenge for those of us who are already aware. We have to awaken the mass of humanity to our danger. Once that is achieved, effective action will be relatively easy. When Britain finally confronted Hitler and declared war on Germany, the country moved to a war footing with incredible speed. Dramatic changes happened in months rather than decades. But the enemy and the danger it posed were obvious. We need to rediscover that kind of awareness and energy, and be willing to change and work together for a common goal. But this time, the danger is not so immediate and obvious, and, as cartoon character Pogo once said, “I have seen the enemy, and he is us.” Somehow, the whole of humanity needs to be united in a common cause.

In my less optimistic moments, I think it will take the equivalent of invasion or civil war to wake us - repeated disasters like New Orleans and the recent floods in England and South Asia; raging forest fires like in Greece; rapid, painful rises in energy costs that seriously affect our standard of living; and more terrorist attacks like 9/11. But if we wait for disaster, I fear the response will be the same as now: a climate of fear in which the haves retreat behind defensive walls, seeking to shut out the have-nots, and creating an even more deeply divided world still headed for catastrophe. So how can we stimulate the awakening to our common humanity and fate? What can we do as individuals and communities? Please post your ideas on the “Creating the Future” discussion thread.

Key strategies for change

Alongside the challenge of awakening humanity is that of working out what we can each do to create a better future. In recent posts, I’ve suggested a few broad strategies for tackling the planetary crisis, including the need to:

•    Adopt a new worldview that integrates modern science with ancient wisdom traditions, and returns meaning and purpose to life. This is discussed in depth in my book The Science of Oneness. Also see my blog articles on:
From Information to Wisdom,
The Danger of Truth,
Individualism and Violence,
Meaning, Purpose and Trauma,

•    Seek to follow a path of wisdom, not cleverness

•    Reduce the creation of fresh trauma by moving towards partnership parenting and a global partnership culture.

•    Heal existing trauma through individual therapy and growth work.

•    Re-create a culture in which relationships, not things, are primary.

•    Shift our individual and cultural goal from materialism to self-actualization.


To these I can add several other strategies as seed thoughts.

A holistic approach

Success will come only if we adopt a holistic approach in which all issues are tackled together. We will not achieve ecologically sustainable development or peaceful co-existence while many live in fear, poverty and ill-health, or are exploited, oppressed, and discriminated against.

Vision

We need a vision of the future that inspires people to action. As generally understood, “sustainability” is about constraints and forced adaptation for survival; about the minimum changes needed to avoid catastrophe. But sustainability will only come about if it is envisioned and promoted as an achievable path to a better, more fulfilling life. As a friend of mine is fond of saying: “If it ain’t fun, it ain’t sustainable.”

Leadership

Leadership is sadly lacking in our world of spin-doctors and sound-bites. I well remember how inspired even British students were by John Kennedy’s vision, and the devastation we felt when he was killed. Had he lived, his charisma may well have been tarnished by harsh political realities, but for a brief time he brought us hope.

Charisma in difficult times is a dangerous cocktail as history shows only too clearly. And yet we desperately need leaders who can project and inspire vision. But we need leaders who believe in returning power to the grassroots, rather than centralising power and control in faceless, unaccountable corporations and agencies. We need Taoist leaders who succeed when the people say “We did it ourselves.”

Empowerment

There is a great fount of energy, creativity and wisdom in ordinary people and communities. This must be stimulated and tapped through empowerment and facilitation. Our salvation, I deeply believe, lies in a mass movement of peaceful revolution and transformation that harnesses the power of intention (or manifestation) and meditation (or prayer). The vision and energy to create a better future is coming not from corporations and governments, but from an uprising of individuals and communities; and from a coalescence of NGO’s across national borders and myriad issues. (See my ‘future history’ on “How we beat climate change”.)


Often, as an individual, I feel powerless to change the world. I have to remind myself frequently that this is not true, and that a tiny seed of faith can move mountains. I find reassurance in the science of complex systems which shows how tiny disturbances can trigger mighty transformations. We will never know exactly what effect we have, but we can be sure that our little contribution might just be the pebble that starts the avalanche, or the last atom that ignites the explosive critical mass.

Balancing responsibilities and rights

Our culture puts a lot of emphasis on rights. Human rights in general, the rights of ethnic and racial groups, the rights of those with disabilities, the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, sexual orientation, and on and on. We tend to forget that rights bring responsibilities – not only to protect our own rights, but also the equal rights of others. We need to move back towards a culture in which assertion of rights is balanced by a universal acceptance and fulfilment of reciprocal responsibilities.

Release fear

It was US President Franklin D. Roosevelt who said, in his inaugural speech, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear has gripped the world in the wake of terrorist acts, and to that extent the terrorists have won. Fear is leading democracies ever-deeper into the denial of individual freedoms and rights, and the institution of police state methods. Fear is a product of trauma. As noted above, we need to heal trauma, release fear, and move forward boldly, with courage.
 
Reconciliation and forgiveness

Related to the release of fear and healing of trauma is the issue of reconciliation and forgiveness, at both the personal and social levels. I have already listed the need to heal individual trauma. But if we are to achieve peace, there is also a need to heal collective trauma through the processes of reconciliation and forgiveness. Without such healing, conflict can erupt again, sometimes many generations later, when old emotional wounds are reopened. A good example of a healing process, no matter what its limitations, is the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which has inspired many other efforts around the world. Many individuals and non-profit organisations are also working on reconciliation in trouble spots such as Northern Ireland and Croatia.


Alternative media.

The media are dominated by big corporations with vested interests in maintaining a culture of passive consumers. As a result, important information on world events is often swamped by a focus on titillating trivia. An important aspect of awakening and stimulating action is to promote existing alternative media and create new outlets.

Relationship with nature

Increasingly people live in cities, isolated from nature, unaware of her processes and the services she provides, and disconnected from her Spirit. When we do venture into the wild, we carry our technological security blankets in the form of clothing, shelter, food, phones and other gadgets. Shut off in this way, we are unobservant and insensitive to nature’s needs and the damage we are doing.

As Tom Brown Jr’s Apache ‘Grandfather’ said: “man does not hear the crying and bleeding of the earth, trees, and rocks, any more than he hears the crying of dying animals. He is too removed from the soils of Creation to communicate with that Creation, thus the pain of what he is doing goes unnoticed.” Ecological sustainability will be hard to achieve without renewing our relationship with Creation.

Conclusions

With a little more thought, I could extend this list of strategies for the future. But I prefer to hand over to you at this point. What do you think are the most important issues and strategies? What have I missed? What are you doing, or could you do, no matter how small, to promote your key issues and strategies? What would you like to encourage others to do?

Please share your ideas in “On the wisdom trail.”


Let’s go for it.

I'm off for two weeks holiday, and won't be back on-line until 24th September. I look forward to catching up with you all then.

As a parting gift, I offer you a short science-fiction story. Light (or perhaps not so light) holiday reading!

Over a decade ago, I had been studying the behaviour of complex systems. This relatively new field of knowledge, as it was then, clearly had major implications for government, planners, and all those seeking to bring some kind of order to the creative, sensitive, self-organising, evolving world we live in. I also came across articles about ways to control the brain, a plan to implant micro-chips in criminals so they could be tracked by satellite, and other ideas that seemed to come straight out of George Orwell’s “1984”. My imagination took off, and out poured this story that seems as relevant today as it was then. Perhaps even more relevant.

I hope you enjoy it, and perhaps pause for thought too.

God’s in His Heaven

The Global Order Director, or GOD for short, leant forward in his chair, gazing intently at the swirling holographic patterns of colour before him. Following the movement of his eyes, the image rotated and expanded so that he could see the present state of the planetery system more clearly. He noted with satisfaction that it was near the middle of the undulating green plateau of a large stability zone, well away from the rugged brown mountains and black crevasses of bordering catastrophes. Even as he watched, an eddying whirlpool of chaos dissipated and drifted away in response to incoming data from the all-seeing satellites and myriad sensors.

Content that there was no immediate danger, he asked to be shown projections of the future. His brow furrowed as the computer revealed a tree-like structure, each branch of which depicted an alternative future for the earth. For weeks now, he had been agonizing over a parting of the ways that was drawing rapidly nearer. The model showed two dramatically different paths for humanity. And, once that fork was passed, there would be no second chance because nowhere in the future did the branches rejoin. Left to itself, there was no telling which way the system would go. It would depend on tiny random events close to the division. Only GOD could ensure that it would go one way or the other, by introducing his own, deliberate disturbance. But should he? And which path should he choose?

As he gazed vacantly before him, pondering his dilemma, a part of his mind recited the old nursery rhyme:

“For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”

Starting out of his revery, he zoomed in for a closer look just before the division of the lines. As he had done so many times already, he tried changing this or that, desperately searching for a way out, a way of avoiding this irrevocable choice. But it was no use. He could change the pattern of the branches after the trunk had split, but he could find no way of preventing the split, or of getting from one branch to the other afterwards.

Frustrated, GOD sank back in his chair and called up a picture of the global weather. After a moment’s study, he quietly removed a butterfly from the air above Beijing, and watched as the simulation showed a wild storm developing above New York. He grinned to himself, and brushed his hand through his hair. His skill had not deserted him. And serve those b’s right if they got soaked next week.

Returning to his problem, GOD began the tedious search for the key to the future. Starting some months before the fork, he slipped into virtual reality where he could experience the future as if he was there. For a while, he roamed aimlessly from place to place in high-speed time, observing what was happening, and studying the state of the world through the virtual-media. Every now and then, he would jump back and go through a period again, more slowly or in a different place. Gradually, understanding grew until he was sure where and when the critical events would take place. Slowing time to a more normal pace, he entered the simulation again and again until he could pin-point the tiny, unobtrusive interventions that would tip the balance one way or the other.

With a sigh, GOD realised he would have to consult the ANGELS, more correctly known as the Ambassadors of the Nations to the Global Environmental, Economic, Legal and Social System Simulation. Why did he have to be saddled with this quarrelsome tribe of politicians? They never seemed to understand what the simulation showed so clearly. Still less could they agree on what to do when real decisions were needed. And, of course, they couldn’t really control events despite being the elected global assembly. World affairs were simply too complex, and the means of control too subtle, for anyone who had not made global order his life. How could they possibly stop him making tiny, unauthorised, adjustments here or there?

And it wasn’t even as if he needed their help. He had trained for this job for three decades. He had been relentlessly watched and tested for any signs of racial or cultural prejudice, instability or megalomania. And he had passed. If he had a failing, it was being proud of having passed. Being proud of his skill, and of the responsibility he bore. After all, he was queen of the hive. The future of the world rested on his capable shoulders.

The meeting with the ANGELS was much as he’d anticipated. Some wanted to continue down the path towards a more efficient, productive, planned society. But others were attracted to the anarchic alternative. As usual, they couldn’t reach consensus, but the majority clearly favoured the status quo. After all, if anarchy took over, GOD and the very ANGELS themselves would be redundant, with all their privileges.

The decision made, GOD returned to his room and re-entered the future. Quickly he relocated the key point, and set the computer to make the necessary adjustment when the time came. It was all very simple really. Ever since genetic engineers had given everyone a SOUL, or Sensor Of hUman Life, satellites could keep track of the whole population. Introduced originally as a means of protecting health, fighting crime and catching tax cheats, it now provided the global simulation with the data it needed. Not only that, it enabled GOD to control the world. Signals from the computer could subtly change the mood of any individual. All he’d had to do was make John Smith more aggressive in a meeting next week to change the whole course of human history. John Smith would never know, and nor would anyone else.

Well satisfied with his efforts, GOD lay back and relaxed.

******************************

A few months later, GOD was far from relaxed. Something was wrong. John Smith had done just as expected, and the world had taken the chosen path. But now it was starting to deviate, and it wasn’t responding properly to GOD’s interventions. Somewhere, somehow, things must be happening that were not being monitored. Somewhere, somehow, there must be a human without a SOUL. And GOD was powerless to do anything about it. The DEViant IndividuaL wasn’t using banks, shops or transport, and so there wasn’t even the shadow of an invisible person in the database. GOD traced the source of the disturbances to central Africa, but the zone of uncertainty was so vast that his agents had little hope of finding the DEVIL.

Months passed. GOD became increasingly despondent. Everything he’d worked for all his life was disintegrating. The skill of which he’d been so proud was useless. His only solace was in the virtual world of the simulation - a world in which he was still in control. He spent more and more time there, wandering at will, enjoying the sights and sounds and smells; the friendships with virtual people. It was the first real holiday he’d had, and he didn’t want it to end, ever. His computer fed and cleaned him, and exercised his muscles. He had no need of the real world any more.