My First Blog Post From The Spring Of 2015 As Read On Found My New Normal Pod Cast

Written March 2015 

 

 

Today we live in a world that has just met itself. 

 

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This planet has been here 4.6 million years.  The human race, 200 thousand years.   We have been an Industrialized World for a total of 230 years, and a Technological World for forty years. 

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In the last 100 years things have changed quickly. The world is now in what one would call a globalized state. In the time continuum of evolution, we have honestly just met ourselves. But many still have yet to face the truth of "no man is an island". We might appear independent and self sufficient and want to do so, but the truth is that we really are not. Community is a necessity and we  all have always been present within one, and yes even in this world of tech and isolation all of us are interconnected with one another and our dependence upon our peers is very apparent.

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As globalization intrudes upon our independent states we realize how connected we all are.  We realize this, slowly for some, in an instantaneous moment for others.  It can be intimidating for many of us.  Our Global Personality, and some are still growing into it, or their own version of, as it can be ever changing.  Waking up to where we are at today, can be a scary time.  I want it too not be. I want it to enlighten us and inspire us to find solutions.

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The idea of “Six Degrees of Separation” has been around for a very long time. As people come into contact with each other, we find that we run into people who bear similarities to us in looks, style, and shared experiences. We encounter these connections online, at the shopping mall, on the phone, and even in stores. Gone are the days when a different culture meant unfamiliar clothing, food, and languages—nowadays we communicate with everyone on a global level.

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Two hundred years ago there would have been no phone to call your Mother on Sunday, no car to take you to school, and no work to travel to.  Work was just down the street or out your front door in the fields.  Many people and families were self-sustainable off the land that they lived on, so it was unnecessary to have a job elsewhere.  Facebook and Twitter were so far away from even being thought of, they were like stars in other galaxies.

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Our communities, cultures, and combined life experiences are colliding and we can choose to have it be an exciting time or a scary time.  Life is about choice.  We must choose our perspective.

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I have just broken over, what I hope to be my half way point, in the Adventure Race we call life.  This is different than it would have been for someone 200 years ago.  200 years ago, depending on my socio-economic situation I could very well be near the end of my life at 40.

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The tangible, tactile things, that help us and guide us through our daily lives, are advanced beyond our wildest dreams.   But the question that I ask myself is, “ Are our souls different than they would have been 200 years ago?”

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I understand this is a question that is hard to find a definitive answer to, if not totally impossible.  The science of our souls is yet to be mapped.

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What I do know is that things have changed drastically in our world over the last 200 years. It only leads to the conclusion that our souls may have as well.  I believe that this is something that one can only look at individually, but it is interesting to pose to a larger group and can possibly be studied by looking at what societies are becoming around the world.

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The term 'Middle Path', along with 'The Fight for Middle Earth' and 'Battling Towards Life' all express the idea of leading a sustainable life, on both a personal level and a global one. For me, these phrases mean maintaining autonomy while still fostering meaningful interactions with others. Everyone has their own interpretation of these age-old slogans and mantras; thus, it is not my place to speak on behalf of others.

 

We were born with the right to freedom, and I believe that also applies to our planet. As we try to dominate one another and attempt to manage the planet's resources, some of us forget to pay attention to our own personal development and individual journeys. We keep track of what we possess--our money, possessions, and our opinions of others--and judge how they act, but in the process we ignore who we have become. Busy throwing shit on one another and not even noticing our own stench. I believe this is a dangerous way of living.

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I know it is slowly taking a toll on me, and possibly yourself, and I believe our planet as well. Our cultures, and sadly to say our communities.  As societies, communities, cultures, and individuals tremor under this judgement, we become further and further separated from ourselves and our actions become less gentle, less kinder, more obstinate, set in our ways, eventually ending in violent retribution.   

 

When are we going to stop bickering about who is the boss or who is right, and start working together as a global community to sustain ourselves?

 

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Picture yourself being someone else, and having an acquaintance with the new version of you. It's not a shallow introduction, but an intense one; lasting only moments, yet conveying much knowledge about your counterpart. A fast-paced encounter that quickly expands your understanding of the person in front of you.

 

Would you like yourself today? 

 

Have you made a conscious effort to harm or manipulate someone else today?

 

People often assume that they are doing a good deed when in reality they are attempting to exercise control. In truth, the ones they are damaging the most is their own spirit, and this sentiment can be seen throughout the world. The earth mirrors the soul that humanity has created.

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I know personally when I meet myself.  Stopping for a moment, breathing deep, allowing myself to catch up with me, it can be a shock. Not because of only the dark parts of myself that I hide away, but more so because of the good parts I forget to recognize.   

 

Some of my apoplectic behaviors that I am reminded of and their consequences can be a tad ego smashing, I must admit.  I choose to do my best to acknowledge these behaviors when presented to me, and promptly forgive myself, leaving guilt and shame in the ditch, carrying on the road of authentic behavior. 

 

Ego may keep us alive through the tough times, but it also keeps us very distant from who we were meant to be. 

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The base message, that I am trying to relay in the above paragraphs is that, we are all amazing people.  Bad behavior does not make a bad person, and at any time you or I can choose to do better.  And if we fail, we need to remember that sometimes trying is all that we have.  Then we must make another choice and that is to have acceptance around our fallibility. 

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Society has insisted that we focus on our flaws, on the things that we have done wrong, thus encouraging more harmful behavior as we seek out the only attention many of us have ever gotten; negative attention.  So if for a moment we stopped the train, took a good long look at ourselves, and took ownership for the things we have created in our lives, possibly could have done better, and said OK, so this is life.  Now we have owned that, when we own that it allows us to find the solution.   So to reiterate...The solution is owning our mistakes, forgiving ourselves and then allowing ourselves to acknowledge  the amazing things we have done. 

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How many days no matter the struggle, have you put one foot in front of the other, gotten out of bed and done one nice thing for someone.  I am sure that it is almost every day of your life.  Whether you know it or not.  If we magnify this part of us, the good part that is the base of our being.  Could we magnify this part rather than the part of us that is full of shame and blame?  Could we as a society relax some, and maybe not be continuously on the defensive, not always need to control the conversation, always need to be correct.  Is it always necessary to win. 

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If we changed our perspective we could start to strive to do those good things for others, to think of things that could cure diseases, think of solutions to allow all of us to live the life of a free adventurer. 

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Now imagine if we did this with ourselves and then the world.  As I said earlier, we are just meeting ourselves.  In all reality we have had changes that are stupendous in the last 200 years.  Yes we have done some bad things to this planet, yes we have hurt ourselves, but when was the last time you sat back and looked at what has happened that has been fantastic in the last 200 years.  Polio vaccine, unions, steam engines, combustible engines, solar power, financial contributions to cultures that are struggling, forward movement against patriarchy, computers, technology in general, and these are just some of the beginning pieces.  Change is always an amazing thing; many of us are uncomfortable with it.  But change is a gift. 

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Even the terrible, shameful pieces of Humanities history such as The Plague of the 1300's, or our two World Wars, brought about some amazing gifts that we are utilizing and sharing with each other; with ancestors of the victims of these horrible situations.  Without disease and famine in Eurasia, humans would never have been motivated to look for land with more room.  And although what happened during World War One and World War Two were disgusting, horrid tragedies, the science and forced technological development have aloud us to move forward in leaps and bounds over the last century. There are so many amazing building blocks that we have put in place that could be part of an amazing solution to how we are going to move forward in our lives and on our planet.  The possibilities are truly endless.  I  believe that if Humanity relaxes and starts living in the solution more will be revealed to us when we are ready. 

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Can you believe that in 7 years from now there will be the beginning of a human colony on Mars.   And this is no joke.  There really could be. They are actively working diligently on this project today.   http://www.mars-one.com/   They are aiming for first humans to be there for 2022.  Now can you imagine where that will take us over the next 200 years.  Someday planet earth, if we take care of it, if we take care of ourselves, if we let go of control of others just a little bit, could be a place where we, the human species come for holidays. 

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We are all one, whether we choose to accept this today or not.  We are not just one with each other but with this planet.  No matter our skin color, no matter our education level, no matter the money we make, or don’t make, and definitely no matter the God we choose to worship.  We are all one.  And this is a gift that so many of us are choosing to throw away, and this is a shame.

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We can put our grievances aside, and no matter what has happened, we can seek to heal ourselves and heal others around us.  To forgive, but always remember while still letting go of the pain and hurt.   We individually do matter, and need to make moves and choices in our lives, that show others we respect ourselves.  As we do this and grow into ourselves and each of us find our new normal, looking for solutions to the problems, activating change, the communities within our cities, will grow, our societies will truly blossom.  This growth and blossoming will not just be for them, or for me, it will be for all.  With each positive step we take for ourselves we will heal, and create one more person in the world that is trying to make a difference.

As we look to each other may you “Find Your New Normal”, I have found mine.  I hope the future honors who we are, who we were, and what together we can become. ---

-------Written ---- January 2015

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Awakening is not always a dream, but can be interesting if we find something to pin our normal to.  Reality has arrived.

----Written----July 2020