It’s so easy to find ourselves living with a sense of despair as we contemplate what is happening to our planet, especially when we consider events such as the continuing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But despair equates to disempowerment–a place which leaves us fearful, hopeless, and victim-bound. So how can we awaken our sense of hope and empowerment? Much lies in looking at our humanity–who we are, where we’ve been, and what we’re made of. As I prepared last week for the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium facilitator training, I was deeply inspired by the prerequisite reading, which spoke of these human aspects and qualities.
The following paragraphs are taken from The Optimism of Uncertainty by Howard Zinn: “Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware of such moments!) but as an endless succession of surprises, moving zigzag toward a more decent society. We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don’t “win,” there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope.
“An optimist isn’t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places–and there are so many–where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” The Optimism of Uncertainty by Howard Zinn; November 6, 2004
The following is excerpted from the twelve Principles of Spiritual Leadership by Will Keepin. I have chosen the two that speak to me most deeply today:
“The first principle is that the motivation underlying our activism for social change must be transformed from anger and despair to compassion and love. This is a major challenge for the environmental movement, for example. This is not to deny the legitimacy of noble anger or outrage at injustice of any kind. Rather, we seek to work for love, rather than against evil. We need to adopt compassion and love as our foundational intention, and do whatever inner work is required to implement this intention. Even if our outer actions remain the same, there is a major difference in results if our underlying intention supports love rather than defeating evil. The Dalai Lama says, ‘A positive future can never emerge from the mind of anger and despair.’
“The ninth principle is: do not insulate yourself from the pain of the world. We must allow our hearts to be broken-broken open-by the pain of the world. As that happens, as we let that pain in, we become the vehicles for transformation. If we block the pain, we are actually preventing our own participation in the world’s attempt to heal itself. As we allow our hearts to break open, the pain that comes is the medicine by which the Earth heals itself, and we become the agents of that healing. This is a vital principle that is quite alien to our usual Western ways of thinking.” Principles of Spiritual Leadership Adapted from a presentation given by Will Keepin at Schumacher College Totnes, England, July 17, 1997
Lastly, for today, I include an excerpt from First Draft of a Manifesto For Our Times by Vicki Robin: “You’ve heard the bad news. Yes, it’s bad. Everywhere you look, problems are multiplying faster than technology can wipe them up, faster than laws can contain them, faster than wisdom can put them in perspective. Everyday people – you and me – feel disconnected and powerless. But there’s good news. We’re a healthy species. We’re a young species. We’re designed for success. And every single one of us is a member of the species, so we all have the capacity to think and feel and experiment our way into a future that’s healthy for all life. Here are some principles you can count on. (For today, I’ve included the first four of Ms. Robin’s principles.)
“1. We’re not dumb. Ask anyone what the biggest challenges facing the world are in the next decade and you’ll get the same list. We know what’s wrong. We even know a bit of what “right” would look like. It’s a child’s vision of happiness: sunshine, family, flowers, friends, good stuff to do. The problem seems to be a sense of powerlessness. We’re up against a wall. There is no door. We want to do what’s right but every day we contribute to what’s wrong by doing what we must – driving our cars, working for large corporations, buying food grown with poisons, sending our kids to inadequate schools, watching stupid, violent TV programs to numb out. There must be a way to put into practice what we want to be real, what we know to be right. Therefore, we are people committed to creating a door in the wall and opening it so that everyone can have a decent life.”
2. We are not greedy. We are a generous species, given half a chance. Once we know we have enough and feel secure that it won’t be taken away (which is totally possible in the world as it is), simple playground fairness tells us we won’t ever be really happy until everyone has enough. Physical appetite teaches us that over-consuming leads to belly aches. You can’t get enough of what you don’t really want. Once you have enough to meet your real and perceived needs, you can liberate yourself from building personal material security and devote yourself to assuring the collective material security for all life. In this context, barter, sharing, gifting, generosity all make sense and are a source of real wealth. Therefore, we are people who pledge to understand and have compassion for our needs, to fill them wisely and to devote the ample overflow of intelligence, care, attention, creativity, love and inventiveness to contributing to the health, sanity and sustainability of life on earth.
3. Good work and good works. We’re a helpful bunch. We like to work (but not all the time, for Heaven’s sakes!). The purpose of work is not just to make money. CEO’s know that. Child care workers know that. Unpaid volunteers know that. We work to learn, to participate in the work of the world, to challenge ourselves, to pass the time, to get out and meet people, to prove ourselves, to play. Therefore, we are people who pledge ourselves, to the best of our ability, to work for the good of the world while assuring our own well-being and that we meet our financial obligations.
4. Success. We are not the “best” species, but we are a wonderful species – full of creativity, compassion, tenacity and devotion. The fact that we are, in this moment, contributing to a major die-off of other species and degradation of the biosphere isn’t proof that we are bad. It shows that we are immature and need to grow up. The young of any species must learn the consequences of their actions. As a young species, our task is to face the dark side of our expansiveness and become collectively as wise as our great wise ones: Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, and Confucius – to name just a few. We are people who pledge ourselves to face our errors, to correct our errors and to become wise and generous companions to other people, cultures and species.“
It is through taking the best of what we are as human beings–and there is so much to celebrate about being human–to continue awakening. Through that awakening–through our questioning, curiosity and inquiry–combined with our creativity, compassion, tenacity and devotion, we can realize a world of sustainability, justice and spiritual fulfillment for all!
One great way to continue awakening is to attend the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, which takes place in many locations around the world. Please go to the Awakening the Dreamer website to find a location near you. I, along with my team, will soon be offering symposiums between Denver and Colorado Springs and I will definitely post those times and dates as they get finalized.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
