Time to turn around

When beliefs become collective and unquestioned, they become a danger to us all. It doesn't matter if they are social, cultural, economic or religious. The result is always the same: massive death and destruction. I would like to think that we, as a species, are smarter than to keep falling for the same delusions, but I'm having a hard time maintaining that belief in the face of all the evidence to the contrary.

When we were looking at individual beliefs and knowledge, it was clear that this overshadowing threat was simply not present. For all intents and purposes, it really doesn't matter what any one of us, what any given individual, believes. It does not have a significant, and certainly not a negative impact on the world at large (though any misguided individual can wreak a lot of havoc and cause a lot of harm). The problem arose when too many people bought into a given ideology without critically questioning where the beliefs should lead. In all of the examples cited, there was one common feature that was the ideologies ultimate undoing, namely its focus on one particular group to the exclusion of others.

All of these ideologies are drenched in us-vs.-them thinking. It can be the Master Race, or the Master Class, or the Greatest Country in the World ... it doesn't matter: each and every one of these belief systems, these ideologies, is exclusionary. Any individual or any group who is not part of the "elect" will either be forced to acknowledge the superiority of the "true believers" or they will be forced to pay the price for non-believing. Isn't there a way to avoid this pitfall? I would like to think there is, but I'm convinced it can't be found in the ideologies themselves. It can only be found within ourselves as individuals.

This is the reason that I suggested not long ago that an alternative to reading this summer might be some intense or serious reflection. I don't think it's a bad thing at all when we are sure, when we have reasons, when we can make clear to others what we believe. We can (and should) do this independent of anything that anyone else might think. We don't need to belong to a group, formal or informal, we only need to be ourselves and be aware of our own, individual approach to life. We need to be sure of ourselves and in doing so, we become an inspiration, or a role model, for others.

But where does one start? Anywhere is fine. You can start with your economic or political or social or cultural beliefs. It doesn't matter. The most basic question is "why do I believe ? The rest is up to you, your desire, your intent, and your attention span. Find out what you believe, then find out why. If you can't find any reasons, the time has come to ask yourself whether you want to continue believing that or not. Another place to start might be the question, "When and for what reasons does (my) life make sense to me?" Or maybe, "What is the single most important thing that I wished everyone believed?" If you're serious about it, the rest will follow, all on its own.

It is very likely that none of us individually can solve the world's problems. The good thing is, we don't have to. We've all got more than enough to do with getting our own houses (selves) in order. If you're having trouble making sense of everything "out there", the least you can do is try to make sense of whatever you find "in here".

A whole new year

Well, here we are in a brand new year. Actually, it's a whole new world in fact, what with the old world having come to an end on 21 December last year ... or didn't you notice? Yeah, that was pretty much of a let-down, wasn't it? I've come to expect much more of apocalypses, but maybe I just watch too many movies. Nevertheless, I would be remiss if I didn't at least wish all of you the best of health, peace and happiness for 2013; you're going to have to do your part of course, but I sincerely hope that the coming year is a good one for all of us.

Let's face it: the last one wasn't a very good one, was it? Murder and mayhem, war and rabid saber-rattling, unsuccessful and stolen revolutions, an absolutely brutal American presidential campaign, and not a single problem solved anywhere. Well, at least no big global issues. At bottom (and if we're not there, we're damn close), we're not a bit better off than we were 365 days ago. And as the old saying goes, if things aren't getting better, well, they simply getting worse.

We're still in the holiday season, of course. The 12th Day of Christmas isn't until the end of the week, so we've still got time to build our reserves and our resolve to make the coming year one worth living. We've got a lot of work to do, but if we all pull together, we still stand a chance. But, I'm pretty sure most of you still don't know what we should be pulling for. I think it should have dawned on you by now, but in case it hasn't, I don't mind saying it again: these end-of-the-year holidays have less to do with a particular religion (though that has been the lastest starting point) than they are an opportunity for all of us to turn ourselves around and get ourselves headed in a more positive direction.

It really doesn't matter if you're a non-believer or a believer, and it doesn't matter which flavor or belief you prefer. The guy's birthday which we take as the reason for the season certainly didn't care, so I really don't know why we should make such a big deal of it. We're all in this together. That "this" is everything that counts: this life, this world, this planet, this environment, this society, and last but least this economy, too.

We can do better than this folks. We don't need all the rage, the hate, the strife, the war, the killing and the oppression. We don't need it at all. But as long as we're willing to tolerate it, as long as we're willing to put up with it, we're going to have it and more.

It's is, in the end, up to us: you, me, those folks over there, and those we've never met. It is up to all of us. We've never had a better chance. It's a whole new year. I say we go for it. Who's up for it?