Rumors of a Mayan-predicted collapse were not all bad: they prompted
many of us to reflect on where we are headed as human beings on a changing planet.
Storms, weather catastrophes, unusually warm temperatures, all point to
possibilities we may not entirely understand. A corporate culture stained by
the domination of profit over product, or service, or morals for that matter,
and the related corruption and greed that can breed, suggest a devolution of
who we are as a community and a country.
And so: Are we going to burn up natural resources and continue
to clog our collective arteries with excess, bury ourselves in acquisition and
materialistic “success,” blinded by the unquenchable desire for more? Or are we going to open up our consciousness and
slow down, recognize that success can be many things, reach out to neighbors
literal and figurative, and begin to make the world a better place?
I like to think that the end of the Mayan calendar marks not
an abrupt end to the world as we know it, but a slow shift. That “world as we
know it,” the one that prompts us to tell our question-authority-and-the-status-quo
children, “well, that’s just the way the world is, you have to learn to play
the game,” well, maybe it is time to end
that world, and replace it with something that speaks to our better selves.
Hope moves me to believe that is possible.
What if Dec. 21 was about the tide shifting imperceptibly, a
sort of tipping point so that yes, we have enough momentum to pull ourselves
out of the destructive continuum that has propelled us in recent years, and begin
to live our lives with more awareness of the big picture: the universe around
us. What if it was about leaving behind the old world, and beginning a new one?
It’s hard for me to name the global signs that this may be
beginning: perhaps if I did some research, I would discover them. But I do see
them in my little bubble, here in Takoma Park and by extension, parts of the
Washington, D.C. area. There is a strong interfaith community here, for
example, to counter the devastating wars prompted by religious fervor. There is
an embrace of all people, of all ethnicities and sexualities and abilities or
lack thereof. There is strong community built around people who care for one
another and know their neighbors. There is an ethic around growing (and
purchasing) locally grown food, and promoting sustainable ways to grow it. Some
of the things we take for granted are, actually, miracles: 20 years ago I would
never have believed that the local grocery store chain would offer free range
eggs, or that every piece of plastic I use could be recycled at my curb, or
that my Community Center would be powered by solar panels and wind energy. It
is progress.
It is true: these small steps do not begin to address the heartbreak
around the world – the wars, and poverty, violence and disaster. But they may
address our lives right here and now, on a scale we can begin to understand. And
if we can live good lives at home, perhaps that will impact the rest of the
world in some subterranean way. We can be the subconscious of the world. And,
if we are strong at home, we can begin to reach out and help others become
their best selves as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment