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Personal Wisdom:
When you hear the term “consciousness shift”, what does that mean to you?
Have you been involved in a shift of consciousness? From what? To what?
What is the relationship between shifting consciousness and changing the systems and structures that make up a society?
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Societal Wisdom:
What will society look/ act like when a significant number of people within it have shifted their consciousness?
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Greetings;
For most of you, the above quote makes complete sense. You say, “of course”. Now… let’s push that a little further…
First of all, I hope you read the words “Western materialistic paradigm” and translated that into “Breaker consciousness”. While Breaker thinking is indeed in the West, it is also in the East (and North and South…). While it is indeed “mechanistic”, it also has carryovers into how we experience the non-material world.
And yes, we do need to “rise to a new level of consciousness”. Many of us have been very serious about this, and for a long time. If I asked you to name the people who have been talking about consciousness shift, you can all name people who have been talking about a shift in consciousness for a decade or more.
But… that’s not enough. Once the consciousness shifts, we still need to have a conversation about the SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES of a radically transformed society. This is a conversation that we seem to be deeply afraid of, even those of us who accept the notion of a “transformed consciousness”.
Three stories…
- Even after the fledgling United States won its independence from England, the majority of voting Americans were still royalists. They deeply believed that the only possible form of government is one where a monarch tells everyone else what to do. The only change they was to select their monarch… basically trading one “King George” for another. Fortunately, there were others in the new government who understood that they needed brand-new systems and structures, not importing, adopting and reforming dysfunctional systems.
- When former Czech President Vaclav Havel was a political prisoner, wheeling a laundry cart in a Soviet-controlled prison filled with dissenters, he ran into a friend and had a few minutes to talk before the guards discovered them. They did not talk about how bad the prison was. They talked about the nature of the society that they would create when they got out.
A few years later, Havel was taken out of the prison and became President. The other prisoner became the Foreign Secretary.
- In the late 90’s, I was invited by President Havel to be one of 40 delegates to “Forum 2000” in Prague. The other 40 delegates included Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Members of Parliament from half a dozen countries, a few Nobel Laureates…
During our 4 day debate, the MP from Australia made what sounded like a reasonable remark. He said, “In globalization, there will be winners and losers. Our task is to lessen the impact of globalization on the losers.” I immediately asked him, “Is it possible for you to imagine a world where there ARE no losers?
Can you imagine a world that can work for all?”
From the blank expressions from most of the other delegates, they could NOT imagine such a world. From the thunderous applause of the 200 observers, they
COULD.
Can you? When you have the time, when you can pause from pushing the laundry carts in your prison (or whatever else occupies your time), do you talk about the society that we need to create? Can you STOP talking about the problems, and start talking about your visions?
Can we start a dialog around how we will create the systems and structures that will feed, house, and provide energy for literally billions of humans around the world? Can we stop sounding like “royalists” (that’s what the Progressives and Conservatives sound like to me) and start the process of inventing new systems and structures, ones that reflect our “rise to a new level of consciousness”?
I surely hope so… soon.
Peace,
Sharif
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Transformation Exercises:
This week’s “Transformation” exercise:
This week’s exercise is very simple: go to one of the prior six Praxis “Transformation” exercises and actually DO it, as opposed to glossing over it, or telling yourself that you will get around to it later.
Looking at the Praxis exercises is about as useful as looking at the exercise weights sitting on the floor – they are useless unless and until you pick them up.
Picking up the Praxis exercise is “a radical inner transformation”. You are the hope of humanity at this critical juncture in our evolution. Let’s get ready.
A Note about the “Transformation” Theme:
Beginning in September, the three Praxis themes will change. We will come back to the issue of “Transformation” in subsequent months – this is a nearly bottomless topic! I have
quite a backlog built up in some of the other themes, so we’ll switch and come back to “Transformation” later.
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Confession – Consciousness Exercises: I went back and reviewed the exercises I did and did not complete. Interestingly, I did not complete the first consciousness exercise, changing my meditation practice, or the last one, unraveling the “ego” thought from the essence of personality. I meant to complete the exercises, I just didn’t do it.
………I get it, “A radical inner transformation” is simply not going to happen without my participation. Thanks for the reminder. We must all do our part.
Many of the exercises remain undone because it is not so easy to integrate any new practice–and this has been a summer of new or returning practices for me. I have found over 10 hours a week to exercise, but I haven’t found the time to practice my music–instrumental or vocal.
I have found as much time as ever to write, but I have not focused on a goal and worked to write that/those piece(s).
I have not been able to consistently meditate or exercise in the first hour after I wake.
I have 40 minutes here before I must board my plane. Let me see if I can find an exercise that I meant to do.