SEVEN IDEAS

When one sits for long periods of quiet meditation dedicated to experiencing reality as it is, one will eventually tire of the stream of thoughts that flow hour after hour, the same patterns repeated endlessly. It may take a while, for we are attached to many of those thoughts, whether it’s the righteous indignation about a harm done to us, or the love we feel for dear ones. However, with time a person committed to the meditation will dedicate herself ever more diligently to letting go of these thoughts, of these illusions, for it becomes clear that – important as they may or may not be – they have little bearing on the reality of the present moment.  

Similarly, humanity is stuck in the repetitive paradigm of its own making, together weaving a limited, often delusional story line about our problems and their solutions. We insist on living and dying for these anachronistic ideas, beliefs, values, and behaviors. And unless we can give up our most cherished ideas, our philosophical and political views, our certainty that we know what is true and best, we will continue accelerating towards our collective demise.

Here is one perspective in seven elements on the human dilemma.

1. The Human Dilemma

The human dilemma can be visualized as two trajectories rocketing into the future at ever dizzying velocities. On one rides the exponential rise in human misery and the accelerating degradation of “our” life-support systems. On the other rides the information and innovation explosion, the cross-fertilization of East and West, and of North and South, and the increase of longevity, wealth, beauty, sophistication, and consciousness. The bifurcation of our human family threatens collapse in Africa, the Middle East and much of Asia, and simultaneously promises smart homes, singularity and an enlightened citizenry within the First World. For added complexity, the American Empire teeters on joining the Second World FSU (former Soviet Union), with its own home-style bifurcation.

2. Peak Civilization

A freeze frame of the present reveals a civilization at the peak of its power. Within the space of a few decades, humanity will have experienced peak population, peak oil, peak water, peak land, and perhaps even peak crop yields (where peak means something slightly different for each). Yet, even at the height of power, having taken virtual control of the biosphere and having turned the arable Earth into a vast feedlot for our species, it still has not been enough. In what amounts to the greatest perpetual famine in human history nearly a billion people daily feel the pangs of hunger, lacking the minimal bodily requirements of protein and calories; two to three billion are chronically deficient in at least one of the essential micronutrients, and are underdeveloped physically, mentally and immunologically; nine million die each year from starvation and diseases of malnourishment. For perspective, a billion is more than the total world population in 1800; three billion is more than those alive in 1950; and the nine million annual deaths rival history’s greatest famine of 1958-1962 in China.

That is, underneath Civilization’s shiny First World veneer, we note that some three billion people lack the most fundamental services expected by all living creatures as their birthright—adequate nutrition, fresh water, and a clean environment. Even at its peak, therefore, this version of Civilization has already failed almost half its citizens. 

3. Our Ersatz Saviors

An honest analysis of the likely future trajectories of Civilization and its relation to the biosphere suggest that humanity is hurtling — with only slightly awakened eyes — toward several simultaneous natural and political/economical crises. It is probable that none of the oft-advocated saviors to the human dilemma — (1) Technological Innovations, (2) Capitalism and the Growth of Economic Globalism, (3) the Demographic Transition, and (4) the Evolution of Consciousness — will deliver us from our troubles. The first three are exacerbating our predicament, and the last remains far too muted relative to the magnitude of our problems. More likely, we will continue down a path of widening bifurcation, where humans will further differentiate themselves, culturally, materially, and even biologically. 

4. The Evolution of Consciousness

The belief held by some substantial number of people is that humanity, or at least some significant portion of it, is undergoing a paradigmatic shift in consciousness. Because many of these believers are intelligent, well intentioned, and accomplished, and because there are any number of luminaries among them, this idea warrants our attention. So, let’s honestly examine the notions of evolution, progress, consciousness, collective consciousness, complexity, and why they matter, and let’s explore the view that this hypothetical shift in our collective consciousness will save Civilization from its predicament—that is, the twinned crises of ecology and economy, which many of us interpret to be the consequences of Civilization’s dominant paradigm, a paradigm that does indeed need shifting if Civilization is to continue. We also want to honestly explore the approaches that have been suggested for facilitating the raising of awareness, both individually and collectively, and the numerous obstacles that have presented themselves along the way. 

Before we can proceed, we — each and every one of us — must acknowledge a major obstacle to our evolution, namely our sense of exceptionalism: the tacit belief that, unlike most everyone else, we actually do know what is best for the world. Honest exploration, however, requires us to lay aside our most cherished worldviews, be they materialistic science or idealistic spiritualism, New Age, New Physics, holism, humanism, free market capitalism, socialism, whatever. Our belief system is the box that we will have to “think” ourselves out of. As Einstein famously noted: “Problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them.” This is central to the human dilemma, the condition in which we now find ourselves, where we must change our living paradigm to survive, and to change means to perhaps abandon all that we have known and want. Perhaps. It will certainly mean having to be willing to abandon. Until we live within a sustainable society (and even regenerative society for at least decades, perhaps centuries to come), we won’t know what we must truly give up, what we must truly embrace. Until then, all will remain theoretical. What a dilemma. 

5. Nature's Signals

Paying attention is key. As in all natural systems, the environment's responses (in this instance, global warming, ocean acidification, extinctions, the dwindling of forests, water, soil, and cheap fossil fuels, etc.) signal a resistance to present conditions. The human species possesses extraordinary power to impact its environment, and we also have the remarkable ability to reflect upon our impact and to change our behaviors. This too is part of the human dilemma. We are likely approaching a crisis for the Civilization project. The term “crisis” in all its conventions—whether medical, psychological, or in common usage—indicates a turning point for the system in question, when it becomes clear whether the system will flourish or decline.

To determine whether or not we are at a crisis point and to be clear about our options, we need to have clarity about the problems. For this reason, let us honestly face the human dilemma. Let us pay attention. Let’s clearly review those specific markers that will directly impact humanity, not because they are necessarily the most important at the planetary scale, but because we are still incorrigibly human-centric. We are foremost concerned about ourselves, then our children and loved ones, and when we are at our best—some larger slice of humanity—although rarely does our concern extend to future generations. The disappearance of forests and other species, the shifts in climate, the desertification of land and oceans, although perhaps eliciting a moment of genuine sadness, hardly gets our adrenaline pumping. Famine, violence, and social breakdowns: yes, those can, especially when we, ourselves, might be actually involved. 

6. Radical Awakening 

When we pay attention, however, we may find that our health depends on the health of all the Earth, that what is good for our individual body and mind is also good for the Earth, and vice versa. We may. And this awareness may lead us to a more inclusive consciousness, a biopheric or even cosmic consciousness, as some have referred to it, where “I”—and humanity as an extension—is no longer the unique cosmic center. When one considers that each one of us still has difficulty with even accepting all humans as truly equal and deserving of our love, esteem, and shared material wealth—whether the distinction is based on sex, color, ethnicity, religion, age, nation, class, education, criminal record, intelligence, beauty, status, political belief, etc.—we see how mired we still are in trying to solve old and outdated problems, when far larger crises are looming. We are like adolescents trying to make it in an adult world.

My intention is, as Thomas Berry suggested, “to fix our minds on the magnitude of the task before us,” not to paralyze us, but rather to motivate us to the appropriate level of commitment, so that we may act and serve wisely. The assumption here is that right action is based on right awareness. To access right awareness requires us to surrender our beliefs, the ornamentations of our existence, and to willingly delve to the root and ground of our being. That, by definition, is being radical. Neither optimism nor pessimism is in order. The glass is both half empty and half full. Let us not delude ourselves.

7. Dieback and Collapse

Dieback refers to a population crash, to a pruning back of human numbers. Dieback does not mean extinction.  To anthropomorphize Nature for a moment, dieback is one (coercive) way that Nature employs to bring species with runaway populations and consumption back into homeo-dynamic harmony with the rest of the environment. Humanity will likely continue for millions of years yet, but with greatly attenuated numbers living more harmoniously with the Earth. The term Collapse suggests a breakdown and fragmentation of global Civilization into smaller, less complex states, alliances, and stateless societies.

Societies and “civilizations” have come and gone, and the drivers of their evolution and the causes of their demise are many, and for most of them, mysterious; that is, our archaeological tools are still insufficient to clarify their stories through the hazy film of time. What does seem clear is that overpopulation, over-consumption, and degradation of arable land are common to many of their stories, including those of history’s paragons, the Mesopotamian, Indus Valley, Roman, and Mayan civilizations. Also clear is the significant role that societies have played in their own demise. Inequality, entrenched interests, and complex institutions made societies rigid and unwieldy when challenges demanded flexibility. 

So what will a 21st century dieback and collapse look like?  Will it be a neo-Malthusian nightmare of famine, war, and epidemics, much like the collapses of dozens of previous civilizations and societies?  Or will it proceed more as an intensification of present circumstances, where half the human world suffers nearly invisibly, despite YouTube ubiquity, while the other half struggles to gather and maintain its wealth, building higher fences, amplifying technology, and excusing greater social pathology? This, too, we will explore.