stop, lead, love

Listen. I know you’re busy. But it’s time to stop, look up from your endless pile of work, and make a change. What we are doing right now is self-destructive. Most of us were taught to keep our heads down, mind our own business, work hard, and be responsible. But in doing that, we are supporting a structure that is severely broken. So, we might as well stop. If our efforts are contributing to a system that is harmful—violent, unsustainable, and unjust—we have no choice but to unplug from it. Let’s find new ways to support ourselves and support each other. The status quo just won’t do. Not anymore.

This week, an alliance of 15,000 scientists from around the world issued a dire warning. In a letter to humanity, they wrote, “Soon, it will be too late to shift course from our failing trajectory, and time is running out.” These scientists cited climate change, deforestation, mass species extinction, ocean “dead zones,” and lack of access to fresh water as problems that are likely to bring down human civilization. Add to those problems: war, economic and social injustice, the potential for nuclear annihilation, and the prevalence of tyranny and oppression. Like it or not, we are complicit in this state of affairs. As long as we just keep doing what we have been doing up to now, we are contributing to the demise not just of our own species but of millions of others.
So, where do we go from here? I offer this three-step plan:

1. Stop! Every day that we drive into work, do our job, go home and watch TV, we are losing ground in the struggle for the future of our planet. Find new ways to support yourself that are ethical and sustainable; try to stay out of your vehicle as much as possible (unless it’s emissions-free); minimize your spending on things that are not essential; reuse what you have and try not to waste anything—especially not food or water; and withdraw your support as much as possible from institutions that help to maintain the status quo: these include corporations, government, mainstream media, academia, and religious institutions.
2. Lead. The problems that face our world have to do with the absence of true leadership at the national and international level—something I have written about extensively on this blog. Leaders are selfless; tyrants are just the opposite. Leaders look out for the welfare of others; tyrants look out only for themselves. We are living under a global tyranny the likes of which the world has never seen. Just ask yourself regarding the institutions that rule our lives: Would they sacrifice your welfare and that of your children for their own interests? If the answer is, “Yes,” then it’s time to offer alternative forms of leadership, starting at the local level. Here is an example of such leadership: Increasing numbers of people are rejecting conventional religion in favor of more personal and experiential forms of spirituality. These individuals are recognizing that their religious institutions are morally compromised; instead, they are creating genuine, meaningful spiritual practices and communities. All religions are complicit in the current state of affairs—make no mistake about it—because they have failed to stop the tyranny under which humanity is now living. In many cases, religious leaders have actively supported governments and corporations that are inhumane and irresponsible.
3. Love. Last week, the media reported on two new research studies suggesting that people love dogs more than they love other people. Although the results are subject to interpretation, it seems pretty clear that the participants in these studies were more likely to show kindness and compassion to a dog in distress than to a human in the same situation. At a time when there are seven billion human beings on the planet, our common survival depends on our ability to love one another. This is not a Sixties cliché but rather a Twenty-First Century reality! And the fact that we treat dogs with more compassion than we do our fellow humans indicates we have a long way to go in mastering the art of love. The French writer, La Rochefoucauld, observed, “True love is like ghosts that everyone talks about and few have seen.” We may not know what complete, unconditional love looks like because most of us have never experienced it. That is why Deep Creativity ends with an unconditional love invocation. Love has always been an essential component of creativity; it is also the foundation of the most important social and spiritual movements in human history. Our future as a species depends on our capacity to feel love in our hearts for others, regardless of how they think, look, or act. This is a huge challenge, and clearly, our species is failing more than succeeding at it. That has to change, right here and right now.

​We can do this. We must do this. We owe it to those who came before us, and to those who may never have a chance to follow us because of our carelessness and inaction. Now is the time to ask ourselves: What will be my legacy? Unless we change course immediately—both individually and collectively—the answer will probably be: Nothing. After all, who will be left to inherit the Earth?

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