This world system is like a patient on an emergency room table that is bleeding out and there are fifty or more people in the room arguing about how to save the patient. Some are doctors and some are not. Some are experts in their field and some are not. And some are…well…no one even knows how they got in the operating room to begin with. Most of them, qualified or not, are sure they know the answer to the problem. Some just don’t care, it’s like they were dropped off here, not even asked whether they even wanted to be here or not…all they know is someone every now and then screams out at them, “Don’t you care?” This makes some of them feel a little guilty and for some, it just makes them angry, I mean after all, they didn’t ask to be here in the first place.
There is no shortage of people who are just sure they know the solution:
—The environmentalists argue it is all about conservation.
–The politician and the warlord argue it is all about political dominance and control.
–The minority argues it is all about equal rights.
–The rich argue it is all about money.
–The selfish argue it is all about self-gratification with no consequences.
–The animal rights activists argue it is all about the animals.
–The religious argue it is all about bowing before the god they have created.
Did I leave anyone out? This world is in a mess, to put it mildly. The patient is bleeding out and losing consciousness fast. The patient is fighting to live. That is the only way it knows. The truth of the matter is that everyone in the room has made their cuts into the patient. Some mean well. Some could care less, it is all about them after all, they reason.
Everyone named above and probably more that could be added have one thing in common. They are all takers. They float around space on this rock called Earth, part of and contributing to a system that is completely unsustainable and taking anything within their reach with no consideration to others or the consequences of taking what is not theirs to take, not caring or considering if what they took was meant for someone else, let alone how it will affect future generations. As a wise Native American said, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”
Some people seek an explanation with things like the Zodiac and all the various forms of divination in our time. In my opinion, though, it is only part of the grand illusion people want to have that they are in control of things. Truth is we have no control. All we can do is trust in our inner strength, discipline ourselves to have good minds and mental health, live by a code, prepare where possible but don’t worry, respond to situations appropriately and hope for the best. We can’t control what will come but we need not be obsessed with it and worry about it. Live in the present mindfulness. Humans are all about control. Personally, I don’t like to believe in anything that claims to have control over me against my will. I think things only have the power over us we give to them. My philosophy is not to give my power away to anyone or anything.
Crystal balls, palm readers, tarot cards and divination is nothing new. In ancient times they used to split open animals and read their entrails. Casting bones and runes is another. It is endless. Fact is it is what it is. We should live in the present and enjoy life. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. The only point in time we have any control over is the present.
The Jewish culture before Christ was living amid so many beliefs and so-called prophets that it caused Moses to make this statement: “If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22). In other words, a true prophet or system of divination must be 100% accurate ALL the time or they are a false prophet or system. Pretty tough standard to live up to but it makes sense. It would shut down most people and systems, right? I know human beings have a need for explanation. We need to know why. Why do we do what we do? Why are we like this? Where did we come from? Where are we going? I think that’s the reason why we have religions, prophets and zodiacs. It’s all to answer the big question: Why? That being said I am fascinated that the Bible is the only book that has that record, that I know of. Example: Over 300 prophecies about Jesus hundreds of years before they took place about his birth, life and death and 100% of them came to pass. This is one of many reasons I regard the Bible so highly. What are the odds? Read it for yourself without the misinterpretations of tradition and religion and I think you will agree that what it says is relevant to today.
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” —-Buddha
The wisest people ever known like Jesus and even the Buddha were right in trying to get people to not worry about the future, and to live in a state of mindfulness and awareness and to live in the present; Hard to do for sure. The fact is there are way too many variables in this life that we have no control over. We can be the greatest person ever and enter some jerk in our life and affect our lives as well as theirs. We can eat healthy and still catch some genetic or environmental caused disease. We could really go crazy worrying if we wanted to and if we wanted to justify it on some level we could. But what kind of life would that be?
Whether people want to admit it or not this world is the sum of all the bad choices made by humans collectively. We are reaping what we have sown collectively and those who have not contributed to the condition we are in as a culture and planet are suffering also whether they like it or not. It isn’t hopeless though but it also isn’t likely change will be affected on a worldwide scale. We can build community where we live and make a difference locally in hopes it will spread.
The Dalai Lama when asked about what surprised him most about humanity, answered “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die and then dies having never really lived.”
Ultimately though we must look out for ourselves individually though or we will be no good to any collective cause. We must choose to be examples of what the world should be as near as possible and project that into the real world. With the internet and resources we have in our high-tech world, we have the opportunity to be an influence on a larger scale than ever before. It is so important we blog, teach, reach out, etc. more than ever before but also to balance that with just being happy and enjoying life.
I don’t think it will ever be a utopia though. History has proven that. It will mostly be an uphill struggle. But we can create cities upon a hill. Look what the United States has accomplished. With all our problems if you compare the United States to the rest of the world it is a haven and example to the world of what tolerance can be and proof that people of many beliefs can live within the same borders. Like what is printed on our money “E. Pluribus Unum” which translates ‘out of many, one’. It can be done as long as there is a core that is not violated and if violated then deal with the offending element. That is what the Constitution was written for. No core beliefs, no final word to judge by and we have the anarchy the rest of the world is experiencing.
I don’t believe that we are too far gone and this world system can be fixed. That’s the glass half full. I also doubt that people are willing to do what needs to be done. That’s the glass half empty. Whether a glass is half full or half empty to you they both describe the same state and are equally true. So, one could make the argument, “Why bother?” which is a completely sensible conclusion and action to take. It will be what it will be regardless. My hope is that enough of us will contribute to cause us as human beings to do what needs to be done for the sake of all life on this planet and that includes every human, animal and plant. And as we journey through space on this rock we call Earth, we will also look out for ourselves and others where we can. On one hand ‘It Is What It Is’ but that doesn’t mean to lose hope. Anyway, see you in the operating room.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In