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| ~ ∞ ~ Towards an Era of Transformation 2/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ |
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This brings us to an important point: our view of the world profoundly impacts how we live and interact with the world and with each other. Our collective worldview in its current form is rigid, inflexible, and in many ways – old, outdated and outmoded.
This is reflected in the structures of our systems and mechanisms by which they operate. Many of the problems we face are directly linked to, and partly, if not solely, caused by these outdated and outmoded structures which promote inequality, ruthless competition and social injustice among many other things.
When we look at today’s world, we cannot say it’s one of peace and joy. Rather, we find that we live in the midst of self-imposed chaos. It should be obvious to all of us that something is seriously lacking in the way we humans are going about things, but for some reason – it isn’t, which brings about the question: Are we really so deep in denial that we fail to see the obvious?
Indeed, there is no doubt about it – humanity is at a crossroads where a decision has to be made: Do we move forward towards a bright future, or do we follow the old worldview and plunge deeper into oblivion by continuing our old ways and repeating our past mistakes? The choice is ours to make; we are truly free to choose ourselves – it is always up to us to create the world we want to live in.
If we choose the path of conscious transformation, an exciting and bright future is ahead for us. But the question is: Do we have the will – both individually, and collectively, to implement the required changes in attitude and lifestyle? One thing is certain: whichever path we choose, it will surely determine the fate of our species for a long time to come.
It is evident that this juncture represents an opportunity to create a totally different kind of social and economic structures. It goes without saying that we should use this opportunity to create systems based on non-centralized, distributed and emergent approaches.
Having said that, it is worth pointing out that for the first time in human history, we have everything we need to make life beautiful for all of humanity; and hence it is our personal and collective responsibility to change ourselves if we want to see humanity moving towards this goal.
To create a better future for humanity, we need a better understanding of what it means to be human. Therefore, we should explore different approaches and perspectives about how we are in the world, how we relate to where we are, and how we act towards other people. Other such explorations would include such considerations as why we are the way we are, and what it all means for who we as individuals and as a species want to become.
One thing we humans should all agree on is that we are a collective human species – even though we are fundamentally different from each other, we can do well to appreciate our differences. We may be different on the surface, but underneath, at the very core, we are all the same – human, awareness, consciousness – see?
We are all on a journey, slowly discovering more of our True Self, gradually getting to the core of who we truly are; it is our journey from birth that shapes us and makes us what we are today, but it is the same core essence within each of us – the Human Spirit that ultimately unites us.
If we would be willing to acknowledge this truth, we would agree that all people are equal and that we should live in peace with each other. In other words, we should treat all we meet with respect and love – this is the point in our spiritual journey where we begin to reclaim our humanity.
As we check our hearts, as we come to understand our well-being, as we come to recognize and acknowledge that the good of others is also the good of oneself, we grow spiritually – it is an essential part of transformation, progress and growth, you see?
If we break free from old ways of thinking and seeing, we can change ourselves – both individually and collectively. What makes the difference is how skillfully we learn to utilize everything we have already discovered.
So the question becomes: Do we continue on the path we have been following, or do we open up to a transforming insight from the combined wisdom of science and the world’s spiritual traditions, taking the path less traveled – the path that can lead us to peace, harmony and balance?
This book demonstrates that such a wide-reaching conscious transformation is possible – through the realization that everything and everyone is interconnected, and that every action affects the whole and vice versa. But obviously, this is not enough in itself – action is needed, as well. If we make a conscious choice to pursue personal growth, learning from one another and supporting each other to grow – then, over time, the world begins to reflect that growth and change.
As we learn that we need each other, that the good of others is also the good of oneself, that all things living in harmony live long, and they prosper – so shall it be: a new paradigm, a new worldview, a new reality, a new world with a prosperous and blossoming humanity. And so does transformation happen, you see?
Let us conclude this chapter with the following thoughts. As we go through this process of transformation, one of the first things we come across on our journey is a new paradigm, which is followed by a new worldview. As indicated earlier, with this transformation comes a new paradigm that will lead us in a direction to discover more sustainable ways of living.
The emergence of this new paradigm at this critical juncture in human history is highly significant. You see, this process will inevitably lead us to a completely different kind of worldview – a view where the perspective is shifted from the parts to the whole, while also acknowledging the individual parts as an integral part of the whole.
We can already see that a new kind of worldview has slowly begun to emerge – a view that turns out to be closely related to the views of mystics of all ages and traditions. This kind of view can be called a holistic approach – seeing the world as an integrated whole.
What’s amazing about this kind of holistic worldview is that it blends together the wisdom of ancient spiritual traditions with the new discoveries in quantum physics and modern science. At the most fundamental level, we are talking about returning to the ways of our ancestors by living in harmony with nature – gently adjusting our lifestyle to bring us back into balance.
If we combine holistic principles with modern technology; if we adjust our lifestyle to reflect higher values, morals, ideals, and principles; if we replace greed, competition, consumption, quantity, and domination with solidarity, cooperation, conservation, quality, and partnership, we would be well on our way toward a more sustainable world, with a healthier and more balanced way of life, wouldn’t we?
In conclusion, when one has the understanding that we are part of the whole and the whole is part of us, then we start living in a new way, you see? We will go more into details in later chapters, but first we need to briefly examine how we currently see life – this is done in the next chapter, titled “Outdated View of Life (Mechanistic Machine).”
This groundwork is necessary for the gradual growth in understanding of ourselves as an integral part of the whole. In this way, we can better understand the upcoming sections – in particular those dealing with the ideas of consciousness, awareness, and existence in general.
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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
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Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"
