paulchefurka | Once I understood and accepted that the disintegration of our civilization is already underway, I spent a number of years trying to get people to change their beliefs and their behaviour. I felt that if they made the changes I was proposing they could make a "good" outcome more likely. I was disappointed when my exhortations and hectoring fell on mostly deaf ears - whenever I wasn't just preaching to the choir, that is. It was Cassandra's dilemma too.The more I tried to promote change, however, the more I suffered. But the suffering didn't spring simply from the pain of disappointment. It went much deeper than that, and eventually precipitated my Dark Night of the Soul. The Buddha was right when he taught that all suffering springs from attachment. In my case the attachment was to a particular outcome - my vision of a sustainable, just, ecologically conscious society that made room for all living things on the planet, not just our relatives and friends. When that outcome was thwarted through public indifference and even hostility, I suffered mightily.
Fortunately, I went through a transformation about three years ago. The shift was complete enough that it enabled me to detach from outcomes while still remaining committed to the awareness of what's going on. At the same time I adopted the position that this reality is co-created by all its participants, and that at some level the nature of reality and our individual roles in it have been consciously chosen by us all. At that point, I realized that I had been working at cross purposes to the reality that was unfolding. The ongoing transformation, even if it becomes a collapse of civilization, is not meant to be stopped. Rather, it is the vessel within which our conscious awareness is being nurtured, developed and annealed. This leads to the rather uncomfortable conclusion that the collapse is not to be lamented or prevented, but rather to be celebrated and engaged. It will come as no surprise to those on similar journeys that when I surrendered to this understanding, my suffering ceased.
From that perspective, I decided that the most useful thing I can do - something that is aligned with the point of the exercise rather than in opposition to it - is simply to contribute my little bits of awareness to the field. I try to do it without expectation or attachment, without trying to elicit a particular response or outcome. Just put the awareness out there. Those who aren't ready for it yet will ignore or reject it, those who don't yet see it but are ready may awaken a bit more, those who are already aware may find some fresh nuance to play with. Whatever role my observations and discussions play in the unfoldment is the part they are meant to play. This is what I call "vocal witnessing".
I still care very deeply about what's happening, but I now remain relatively unattached to how it might unfold in the future. As a result I avoid talking about solutions as much as possible, largely because I don't think there are any - at least at the level most people think of "solutions" (like new policies or new technologies) The point of all this apparently catastrophic unfoldment is not for us to "solve the problem", but for for us to wake up.
I agree completely with the writer Charles Eisenstein ("The Ascent of Humanity") and other observers - we do not have a soluble problem, we have an insoluble predicament. Because of that, our most useful response will be at right angles to the problem space. That means that the door out of this mess isn't going to be opened by a new version of our old ways (new legislation, clean energy and more recycling) although that will play a role. The real doorway out will be found by shifting into a completely new way of being - the revolution of consciousness that so many of us know in our bones is just around the corner.
These days I'm putting all my chips on abetting that r/evolution of human consciousness, by acting as a vocal witness to the unfolding collapse.
8 comments:
This article puts forward, clearly and articulately, my own thoughts regarding the coming Great Filter.
The words from many of these articles put forward the many words I know in my bones, but have no way to communicate for myself. Thank you for giving me a place where this voice has a place to speak, even if only with you.
BD's here to keep you company too...,
Seriously though, this "vocal witness to the unfolding collapse" bidnis is NOT an acceptable stance.
The dopamine hegemony will end and something will take its place. Best to be about the deadly serious business of designing and implementing - to the fullest extent possible - what will take its place.
The old heads in this space haven't yet thrown in the towel, the very folks who made Chefurka aware of the crisis. If Jay Hanson an'em can still be holding out for an America 2.0, still driving toward an emergent though ill-defined goal around that signpost up ahead, then every single one of us who are yet a long way from old and have children to look after - simply.cannot.accept - failure as an option.
Here's the thing, we are a tiny minority which collectively has an inordinate amount of knowledge, skill, and ability to utilize and to shape the utilization of tools with an as yet unmeasured capacity and potential to "move the crowd".
So far, we are for the most part just talking amongst ourselves - rather than setting our shoulders to the task of using these tools to move masses of others. Oh, and I don't believe the street corner soapboxing of the blogosphere really counts, thus my disgust with chefurka's "vocal witness" gas.
You raise a great point, since the populist motion carries the seeds of constant crisis. Romney declares Barack Obama has failed America what a joke. The failure was carried out decades ago. And the same players are acting as the problem solvers – what a fuck-in illusion
Lol, BD keep me company... he does amuse me much like a mouse amuses a cat. At first.
CNu: The dopamine hegemony will end and something will take its place. Best
to be about the deadly serious business of designing and implementing -
to the fullest extent possible - what will take its place.
Only for those aware that DH is the problem. Others, like Chefurka, are going to get stuck between Depression and Acceptance not knowing where any solutions might lie. But you (and a few others) know what I'm doing about all that, as I chronicle them on my own blog.
CNu: we are a tiny minority which collectively has an inordinate amount of
knowledge, skill, and ability to utilize and to shape the utilization of
tools with an as yet unmeasured capacity and potential to "move the
crowd"
I'm seriously inclined to say, "let the crowd receive the Royal Reaming From The Rear as they justly deserve." I'm not taking my focus beyond me 'n mine.
Every so often though, I do find someone who will listen but secretly (or not so secretly) thinks I'm a nutter. When the time comes, they'll be receptive -- if it's not too late. To me, they're the only ones to hold out any hope for and they are very rare.
CNu: I don't believe the street corner soapboxing of the blogosphere really counts
Neither do I. Part of the reason why my RSS feed is chock full of people actually doing stuff and then opining on what they've done rather than blathering about magical thinking and sending spittle in all directions.
I watch the old heads with a great deal of trepidation because they're not angling on ways and means, or establishing the rudimentary micro-insurgent networks required to push that valuable know how out into the P2P/viral flux. You know what I'm perpetrating on the under, so you know where I stand with regard to that.
Once a proper delivery framework is established, all manner of paradigm shifting content can be gracefully put into broad public circulation.
It's not rocket science brah. http://youtu.be/cmzDLzqQ-A0
Keep the faith, everything else is - as you've noted - merely conversation...,
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