The difficulty we find ourselves in at the present time is that our global society is in the midst of a dramatic shift - as significant as was the Enlightenment shift from a heliocentric worldview to a humanistic one - from religion to science as the main body of knowledge. This mind-set of the separation between mind and body, the Cartesian view of a mechanistic, clock-work universe, governed by fundamental laws, is shifting.

We are moving towards an understanding that in order for our planet to cope with the changes on a global level, we need - as a species - to incorporate a way of thinking that sees global society as an interlinked web, where every action affects an outcome, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Progress is not linear - nor constant or inevitable.

Information is the new energy that propels us forward - and this new lingua franca is becoming more widely dispersed and available, thus empowering people to see themselves as agents of change.

We need a change in our perception - new biology tells that in contrast to stories of evolution through competition and strength, evolution works on symbiotic relationships and co-operation. Inter-cellular communication and genes transfer is done through co-operation in information sharing. Shouldn't this be the metaphor for the new global society? Afterall: 'As Above, So Below'.

Evolution uses the same models in all spheres of development. Man's hubris has denied this up until now. If we wish to push further towards an enlightened evolution, we must embrace this model and feed ourselves through shared information.

Change begins with one's own mind-set and worldview. As the Delphic inscription read: 'Know Thyself'

This is a beginning.

Power is prevalent in society. It thrives upon the material energies produced. Yet there are degrees of power, and power is just as comfortable within a spiritual domain as is humility. For true power is the power to empower others.

It doesn't dominate - it lifts. It doesn't protect its greed: it patiently awaits until the receiver is able to share it.

The master becomes the servant as power empowers those beneath to raise themselves, and thus continue the Work.

One of the most difficult areas of our lives is in the need to find a connection, and belonging with one's sense of existence. It almost feels as if we are disparate parts, floating like loose corks upon a never-ending ocean. This is an existence without vision, without faith. The sense of belonging which exists as a fundamental aspect of each of our lives is inherent within. It is often the recognition that is lacking.

The lack often comes from a cruelty towards oneself. We are harsh towards ourselves, and too negative towards our weaknesses. We act like judge and jury upon our own faults: and we consider this a duty to reprimand ourselves. Not so. It is often an unconscious desire to cause some suffering towards ourselves that creates our inner tensions. If we do not suffer, we are not truly experiencing our faults and weaknesses. This needs to be overcome. We are a species undergoing a tremendous and now rapid evolution. We need to be mindful, aware, and observant. Yet as a self-guide, not as a jailer.

Our sense of connection comes from understanding our place within the grand web of all living systems. All parts of the physical world make a unified whole. A whole that is greater than its parts, yet incorporating all. Through feeling an inclusion in all natural processes, we can also feel an involvement.

There is no separateness. Every manifestation is in communion. Every affect has its myriad effects. Every thought and emotion its plethora of counterparts. Life is inclusion. And faith is courage in this.

LISTENING

Living to learn the expression
of us, of ourselves.
Much longing, unfulfilled, lingers
in the air, stilled, craving meaning.

We grow in order to understand
our own purposefulness,
asking questions relentlessly
as we tentatively step forwards.

Words mask our truer voices:
in learning, let not our greed
diminish our loving.

23.47
22.3.03

We are at a crucial stage in our development and the time for thinking about responsibilities, yet not acting upon them is past. As President Harry Truman once famously declared: ‘The buck stops here.’ Well, that buck was on the desk of one man – today’s buck reaches to every one of us, irrespective of country, race, gender, religion, or status. This new ‘buck’ is the collective choice we face concerning the future evolution not only of our species, but also of the Earth and all living forms included.

Every epoch has fashioned a corresponding mind-set, and frames of consciousness that have provided a functional use. The earlier mythic conceptions of a sacred world dominated by unseen forces and humankind’s integral relationship with powerful nature developed into a theistic consciousness. Here, divine authority on earth was conscripted into hierarchical dynastic rule as a governing device. This theistic mind-set became assimilated into the Logos concept of a divinely ordered cosmos with an ultimate prime-mover. This belief of an ordered cosmos soon evolved into the Enlightenment’s mechanistic ‘clockwork’ view of the universe where science sought to prove that natural laws held the world under linear domination. This materialistic mind-set has brought us up to the present moment. Now it is no longer of functional use. Rather, if it carries us any further, we are liable to become its victims.

An evolution of consciousness is required. I don’t mean this in any mystico-esoteric sense. I mean it in a very real and practical way. For the past 300 years society has provided us with a worldview and belief-system that sees the ideas of ‘survival of the fittest’, the sense of competition, and of conquest, colonisation, and consumption, as the main ideals. This materialistic conception has seen a rapid contamination of the world we share and has placed us on an evolutionary path to extinction. The next shift must involve a conscious decision to evolve our understanding, worldview, and wisdom, through intensive evolution rather than an extensive one. Intensive evolution replaces such obsolete material beliefs with ones concentrating on connection, communication, and consciousness. The energy inherent in inter-connectedness works on an exponential scale: that is, it develops at ever increasing rates. This is why in history most of our profound innovations have been the work of single, or minority, action. A conscious action produces an exponentially increased effect. Ghandi was right when he said: ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ When you change yourself, you change the immediate world around you; those close to you, and the events you participate in.

An increased degree of communication through connection fosters an increased involvement of consciousness – and consciousness evolves through use, and latent properties are more likely to emerge when stimulated, just like a car operates better when warmed up. Again, this lies more in the realm of common sense than ‘strange goings-on’. Our era has shifted where we need to unburden ourselves of these obsolete and superstitious beliefs. True knowledge is sense that is not yet common, rather than esoteric or otherworldly. Science today, with its quantum theories of the ‘zero-point’ and ‘quantum vacuum’ provides greater understanding of our place in the present universe than at any time in our recorded history. Should we not be making use of this information? It is time to educate ourselves and to do our duty by changing ourselves first.

Thus, human contact and communication --> co-operation. Co-operation gives us Synergy. And synergy is the effect of combined action which is greater than the sum of its parts. As a whole, with unity, we can achieve things beyond that available to us as individuals. The next shift on our evolutionary path requires an evolution in consciousness, and we can all play our part. It requires inner-reflection, mindfulness, co-operation, and living in a harmonious and respectful way with others and with our environment. It doesn’t require any great sacrifices or burning of books: simply, it is living in accordance with our developmental needs rather than our wants. As one thinker has put it: ‘Live simply so that others may simply live.’ And living simply is evolving ourselves – our conscious awareness and understanding - to be in a harmonious relationship within a grander cosmic harmony. The ‘buck’ stops with us. Let’s do a good job of it.


For a more detailed discussion of these ideas, see: Ervin Laszlo, ‘Macroshift’ (2001)