A Personal Response to the ‘Climate Emergency’
My city council has
joined many cities, councils, universities, doctors, hospitals and business around the world in
declaring a ‘Climate Emergency’.
While many people now accept that climate change is an important issue few feel able to do much about it. I believe everyone can contribute in their own way - and many are.
Terry Patten believes many live within a ‘Consensual Trance’ that tacitly accepts ‘official’ narratives (however unfounded they may be) and encourages us to repress, deny or reject inconvenient truths.
This consensual trance has its roots in the beliefs, assumptions and worldviews that are several hundred years old. These eventually generated the interconnected complex systems of western culture that many now recognise no longer serve humanity and are degrading the planet.
Complex systems are hard to shift - partly because they require ‘
systems thinking’ to understand them and partly because they are underpinned by personal and cultural beliefs and assumptions that are generally unquestioned.
The Buddhist notion of a ‘
Hungry Ghost’ captures another issue that drives existing social systems and cultures - and contributes to an early
World Overshoot Day.
People behaving as a hungry ghost have an insatiable desire driven by the need for deep meaning and purpose in life. They attempt to fill this inner void by consuming things and experiences that give short term comfort but that can never satisfy the soul. There are many hungry ghosts on earth today.
Deep seated fears also play a role. Aspects of contemporary western society reflect the personal and collective fears of lack or attack borne of a strongly held belief in the separation of self from others and nature - within a purposeless universe. This drives competition, exploitation of resources, fear of the other and
annual global military spending of US$4.9 (AU$7.2) billion dollars a day.
Our beliefs and assumptions are embedded in our stories - stories that need to be changed if we are to successfully address the ‘climate emergency’ and related global challenges.
Fortunately there are
new stories based on discoveries made over the last century that speak of the fundamental interconnectedness and consciousness of everything. The universe and life are interpenetrating wholes. These new stories are only just beginning to impact contemporary culture.
The
new stories reinforce some
indigenous knowledge and practice as well as humanity’s
ancient wisdom traditions.
Duane Elgin believes that "a
great transition story can awaken our collective imagination and orient our actions. With a common story, we can see our place and our part; our lives become more meaningful; change is less overwhelming and stressful; and we can see how to cooperate more readily."
One of the new stories is that the evolution of life includes the evolution of consciousness. In some versions of this story humanity and the earth are currently evolving much faster than in the past. Humanity is now conscious of this evolution and can begin to influence its direction through
conscious evolution.
Joanna Macy describes ‘
The Great Turning’ as the transformation of society, including people’s relationship with one another and with Earth, and links this to an emerging story of expanded awareness, ecological sustainability and social justice.
Some estimate there are approximately 2 million organisations now working within this new story to change collective consciousness.
Annick De Witt highlights the "critically important
phenomenon of worldviews in the urgently needed transformation to sustainable societies.” Traditionalist, modernist and postmodernist worldviews (or frames) each have
valid though only partial perspectives of our world.
Charles Eisenstein believes today’s obsolete though still widely held 19th and 20th century beliefs and assumptions limit our view of what is real, possible and practical thus limiting our options to address climate change and related global challenges.
Addressing climate change requires the emergence of new ways of thinking and being. Albert Einstein noted that we can’t fix problems from the consciousness that created them.
New ways of thinking have emerged from
interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches that take us beyond discipline boundaries.
Integral and holistic worldviews are including and transcending the perspectives of previous worldviews.
Wicked problems,
social foresight and futures studies provide new tools to assist in the co-creation of emergent preferred futures.
These new ways of thinking emphasise inclusive discourse, collaboration, co-creation and transformation. Every generation, culture, group, people, nation, gender, discipline... has a necessary and vital voice.
Several big picture stories have emerged with close parallels to cosmologies in both indigenous cultures and ancient wisdom traditions.
Big History,
The Universe Story,
Great Transition Stories,
The Story of Interbeing,
Living the New Story,
Cosmic Evolution and
Evolutionary Consciousness are some examples.
Spirituality (
not religion) is a common theme through many of these new stories. They are driving the current global ‘
Spirituality Revolution’ which feeds the soul of the
hungry ghost providing a coherent sense of meaning and purpose. People are increasingly experiencing a personal spirituality through a sense of the sacred, peace, connection, awe, love or presence in nature and through indigenous practices.
The emergence of a new contemporary spirituality can be seen in
Spiritual Ecology,
Sacred Economics,
Holistic Education,
Transpersonal Psychology,
Integral Theory,
Spiritual Intelligence,
Spiritual Activism,
Indigenous Wisdom,
Global Consciousness Project,
Mindfulness,
Politics of Love,
Pedagogy of Universal Love,
Economics of Happiness,
Conscious Evolution,
Sacred Earth,
Fourth Bottom Line,
Conscious Capitalism,
Conscious Business, and many more.
Spirituality is about unity and wholeness, intuitive wisdom and inner guidance, sacred places and unbroken connections, mindfulness, conscious evolution and awakening, deep peace and joy, presence and purpose, compassion, unconditional love, and much more.
A spiritual perspective on the climate emergency can lead to the emergence of
new insights and new possibilities for individual and collective knowing, being and action. Spiritual awareness can provide access to a range of powerful spiritual tools and practices.
Spiritual intelligence recognises the multidimensional nature of life and the universe. It understands there is no separation and little to fear but fear itself. Spiritual intelligence/awareness/insight is more effectively accessed when the mind and emotions are calm and the body is peaceful.
Spiritual practice is unique to each individual. It may be a mindful walk in nature, meditation, positive affirmations, compassionate service to others, physical movement and breathing, active listening, or peaceful quiet time.
A spiritual response to the climate emergency respects a sacred and evolving earth. Any inner work to love self and others complements and strengthens our outer actions.
A spiritual perspective inspires and empowers individuals to express their unique gifts for the benefit of all. Some who hold a spiritual worldview may feel a deep and specific ‘call to action’ while others quietly impact on those they meet on their life journey through their gifts, presence and love.
Contemporary spirituality greatly increases the ways in which every person can help to transform society and meet global challenges with optimism, creativity and joy. It's grounded in the
co-creation of preferred futures within our local communities, driven by love and compassion, and empowered through our fundamental multidimensional wholeness and connection.
A spiritual view of the climate emergency sees the opportunity for the evolution of humanity resulting in the emergence of a new awakened consciousness that co-creates the "
more beautiful world that our hearts know is possible."
Some say that the planet doesn’t need saving - it needs loving. That's something we can all do.
'Saving humanity' may be more about giving and receiving invitations to awaken into an expanded consciousness through love. It may be more about compassionate respectful listening to people with different worldviews than pointing the finger and identifying 'the cause'.
Breath first, heart next, mind last.
