Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
My thinking and reading for the past couple of years – since Brexit and Trump really – trying to fathom just what’s going on in our crazy, chaotic world has led me through fear and anxiety and has brought many surprises, but my biggest surprise of all has left me feeling much more hopeful. I’ve at last come to see a much brighter future because worldwide people are:
Challenging the status quo which got us into this mess and are saying ‘enough is enough’
Standing firm and protesting (even giving up their lives) when their lands and their way of life are threatened by fracking, logging, corporate agribusiness and the other obscenities which the modern world has dreamed up
Changing the way they live after seeing that striving for excessive material consumption doesn’t necessarily do much for our all-round well-being or for the natural environment.
Connecting up by sharing goods and services and creating an alternative culture where identity is tied up in a different world of minimalism, permaculture, repair cafes and community food-growing.
Research is increasingly showing that once our basic needs are met, more wealth does not necessarily bring happiness, especially if working long hours, commuting long distances and holding down a stressful job means less time with family and friends and less time spent doing the things we enjoy. We could well end up suffering from Affluenza, Stuffocation, or Status Anxiety!
A shift is taking place which some people, such as Integral Philosopher Steve McIntosh, see as representing the evolution of human consciousness, with community and co-operation taking over from individualism and competition.
In trying to understand how big changes do happen, I’m indebted to Paul Mason’s ‘Post capitalism: A Guide to our future’:
‘Taking a lesson from history we know that change occurs when certain circumstances come together and interact’ …
The old system fails: Ours doesn’t look too healthy does it?
Outside threats can’t be met by the current system: Climate change, environmental degradation and population explosion seem to be pretty pressing problems which our current system shows no sign of dealing with
New technology makes change possible: Many people see the transformative power of networking through information technology and social media. A future where our lives are powered by sustainable energy is coming closer.
Human consciousness develops: Many philosophers, psychologists, evolutionary biologists and sociologists believe this is already happening. I’m reminded: ‘Each stage of consciousness arises in response to the essential problems of its time in history.’
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- Why, then, is this change such a long time coming, I wonder? An answer comes from the British Medical Association, no less, which described the ‘Politics of Fear’: If we are constantly drip fed stories of gloom and doom we are likely to become ill. Keeping us fearful of each other is a very effective means of control. Fear is being used as a political tool.So, as we move further into the New Year, I’ve decided to set aside fear and set my sights on the good news. Because personal change and political change go hand in hand I’ll seek out the all those people who are changing the way they live and all those groups who are working towards bringing about system change.At the grass roots, Healthy Life Essex is a good source of useful, positive, information. I’ve also subscribed to Positive News which, even when times are hard, gives me a regular boost of good news stories to counteract the gloom and doom which daily hits the headlines.
This is one of a series of articles by author Eileen Peck, questioning the challenges in today’s world and looking at possible solutions.