OFF THE BEATEN PATH
Never have I heard so much chatter about “human consciousness” as I have this past year; 2021 marks the beginning of a 200 year era that welcomes ‘community care’ versus our previous earth focus on ‘building and constructing’. It is time to forge a new path; one that honors the truth of our history, without worshiping what was broken from the start.
We have been ever-expanding since the first human walked on this planet; but we all know that what goes up must come down. There must come a time of contraction (or a state of equilibrium); our planet however, is on target to collapse. We already see scarcity of food, of farmland, of clean water, and billions of people living in extreme poverty. We have lost sight of our values, as this is obvious when 30,000 children under five are dying from avoidable diseases. We too easily look away, hiding in our busy lives, chasing our tales looking for bigger profits each quarter.
I am not denying the value of money… it can alleviate pain and suffering, and it makes life more comfortable. However, the problem is that big money now creates more problems than it heals; our current path is simply not sustainable. I believe this is why ‘being of service’ to another person brings such gratitude and appreciation. This is the marker we need to aspire to; finding inspiration within our community. Instead of seeking wealth and power, our future lies in building strong communities.
Something Covid provided (for us non-essential humans) was time to contemplate, time to be bored, and time to fill to our heart’s content. What we found was a nation split by politics and truth… leaving Facebook our most often used tool to air our grievances. Control over our lives came into question with rapid fire, and we have been forced to reconcile that our lives are not our own. We have simply been taking a walk down a structured pathway.
Some of us rebelled violently, some of us got sick, and some of us stayed inside. But most of us have chosen to see life through a different lens, and to question our choices more than ever before. What also came into clear focus, was how we must respect nature before nature destroys us. I believe that nature has so much more to offer; not the least of which being a more organic meandering that embraces the learning turns of life… choosing life and diversity above all else. Each life cycle embraced like no other… gracefully adjusting, sensing, and designing without a blueprint.
The idea I am putting forth here, is to approach this new age with fresh eyes; to finally throw down the heavy lens we have been sold, and to venture a little off the beaten path with genuine faith in our new story. Wendell Berry said it best:
“We can only ask what’s right and good,
and then go on out and do it.”
Can we break from tradition, and start life from a clean slate? To see each other with fresh eyes again, to see our way forward with a willing suspension of disbelief in what we can create together? I am calling Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘poetic faith’ into action here for the year of 2021 and beyond… are you in?