Lately I've been wondering a lot about whether there really is any hope for the human race. Yes, I know: it sounds simply awful. How can I be so negative? It's easy actually. How can the rest of you be so positive?
To me, some things are just obvious: global warming, peak resources, wealth inequality and unbridled greed, personal agendas and interests, broken systems, too much suspicion, hate and fear, just to name a few of the most obvious. Of course, if we can't, or won't, recognize nor acknowledge them, we can't do anything about them. What is also obvious to me is the fact that we can't go on like this, at least not all that much longer. We're pushing the envelope, but it's not the innovation one, it's the one labeled destruction.
Most of us are, well ... the Germans have a nice word for it ... überfordert. The verb fordern has the basic meaning of "to make demands of", hence too much is being asked of us; we are overtaxed, overburdened, overstrained, and overextended, all at the same time. We have trouble keeping up, not just with the Joneses, but generally. Getting through the day relatively unscathed is considered a masterful accomplishment for most of us. I'm sure most of you would like to think that there's a whole bunch of stuff "out there" that is causing this, but truth be told, the problem is simply "in here" with ourselves. We've got to get ourselves sorted first.
But what does that mean? Am I saying that we all need therapy or something? Well, I'm sure there are some who do, but for the most part, we need to take a moment and think seriously about what it is we truly believe. I know, that sounds rather abstract, and a lot of you are wondering what the hell I'm talking about. To most of you, it's clear what you think and believe, what opinions you hold, which political directions you favor ... at least you think you do, but I'd be willing to bet that you don't.
Oh, I don't doubt that quite a few of you know what you think, but I'd be even more willing to bet that you really don't know why. I say that because my experience has shown that most people don't even think it's necessary to ask the question. Granted, there is no requirement to ask why; no one can force us to either, but if we don't, we run the risk of watching everything around us simply get worse. And things are getting worse, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.
When we know (or feel assured as to) why we believe what we believe, we are more grounded, centered, and confident. We can act with more authenticity in the world. Things may be tough, but we know why. There may be challenges, but we have an orientation from which to confront them. Things may appear hopeless, but the chance still remains that we can do something about them.
When we don't know and when we don't even ask why, we reduce ourselves to mere pawns in the larger game. Our opinions will change in simple reactions to external stimuli. We give up our innate human abilities to at least influence our own lives. That, to me, is a good working definition of "hapless".
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