In the “developed” world the surface of life is changing
at a furious rate. New ideas,
technologies, inventions, products and behaviors crash over us and suck us
powerfully into an ocean of novelty. We
can hardly get our collective breath.
And, the rate of change is accelerating.
Our video game has been speeded up to such an extent that the images are
beginning to blur. Human generations can
hardly find a common language to use to connect with each other as they are
immersed in technologies whose generations are unfolding in months rather than
decades. We are dancing faster and
faster.
We think this must be progress. There are so many good things wrapped up in
it. If we are among the winners, we live
longer, most of our children get to grow up and we live abundant, easy
lives. If anything, we have too much of
everything. We are fat and we suffer
from the diseases of wealth.
Sure, we work longer hours for fewer dollars and live from
paycheck to paycheck and feel no security.
We are contract or temporary workers.
We live with anxiety. Our
intimate relationships, if we have any, are strained. We live in “starter houses” with “starter
mates”. Marriages have become revolving doors.
We expect to “upgrade” several times in life. Computers, phones, cars, houses, locations,
jobs, spouses and the myriad of things that we fill our lives with are all up
for grabs. Easy come, easy go.
But, Homo Sapiens is physically, biochemically and
emotionally the same creature that lived as a hunter/gatherer on the African
savanna all of those ages ago. We have
conquered our planet and climbed to the top of the food chain, leaving a huge
swath of extinctions of fellow creatures in our path. Now, we are flirting with our own extinction
and looking for ways to escape the rock that we have long called home.
It doesn’t have to be this way, people. We don’t need to be this way. We need to change, deeply, inwardly. I am here to tell you that we can do that. Let’s start now.
