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The Cliff Hanger of Humanity

Outside my office window, the August sun is setting. It has been hot today here in San Rafael today and the dipping of the brilliant sun below the horizon brings surcease from the heat and a particular kind of peace.

I’m struck by the unfolding of life all around me. As I look out over the hills, I see a story of beauty, wholeness and integration. Included in that are places of strife, of birth and death and struggle. It feels to me as if the great hoop of life unfolding before me can hold all of that and more.

There are hard things happening in the world at this time. Oil spills and floods. War and famine. Melting ice caps and shrinking resources. Sometimes our future can seem somewhat bleak.

For my part, however, I believe that all of these events are signals that we are in the midst of an unprecedented transformative leap into something that we cannot know and can only dream about. In his fabulous book “Blessed Unrest” Paul Hawken makes a solid case for the way in which things must fall apart before they can fall together in a new way. This is the nature of evolution, of transformation. The elements of something become so disoriented, so disorganized that they cannot find their way back to “normal” and so must come together in a new construct.

Life on this planet feels that way to me at present. It feels like the latter chapters of a really, GREAT thriller. Will the hero or heroine prevail? Will Good win out over Evil? It’s a real cliff hanger, this unfolding story of human kind! So, while all of this falling apart can be somewhat. . .ah. . .disconcerting it is certainly interesting and stimulating. I’m grateful that I get to participate and hopefully contribute.

I’m reminded of a line from one of my favorite songs. . .I don’t know the author. “While there’s darkness cast around us, it’s Love that wrote the play”.

I do believe that. I believe that whatever the question, love is ultimately the answer. And I’m wildly curious to see how that plays out over the coming days, weeks, months, years. I have no idea what the future will look like and I trust that it will be fascinating beyond our ability to imagine. What do you think?
KKH

  • Jennifer Hanlon
    What strikes me about these observations, Karen, is that what is happening to the planet in inexorably tied to what is happening to human kind. That the interconnectedness Peter Senge, et.al talk about in their book Presence applies here. We too must have the experience(s) of falling apart before we can put ourselves together again in a new way. There is actually hope in that for us humans as well as the planet and as you noted, with love being the ever-available glue for the puzzle pieces that are our life. If you want to know about new applications for co-activity, perhaps it is for us to hook up with the planet, in whatever way that speaks to us, and take on the personal and societal transformation processes together. Honoring each other's work and honoring the work of all of life on the planet. Now there's a dream ripe for coming true!
  • Tall Paul
    I think I'll add "Blessed Unrest" to my reading list ;-)

    I think many cusps which are or will be hugely impactful pass unnoticed and others which seem tremendous end up passing with little apparent impact. Who knows what is good and what is bad.

    I *want* to believe that Love is writing the play, and I'm struck then that darkness is written into it. What strikes me is not that those two things are incongruous, but that for my longing to be realized, there is a lot I have to learn about Love.
    TallPH
  • Karen
    Beautiful Paul! Thank you for reminding me of the vast exploration!
    Love,
    Karen
  • Kari J. VArdøy
    Great words, Karen :-), Thank you.
    I believe the same as you; that Love (and Peace) is the answer.
    This big transformative leap which I call the "awakening" is leading us to be focused more on our hearts/feelings and within these days, rather then how our world has been led and controlled for years; by the mind/thoughts (ego). Perhaps the chaos we see in our outer world, also reflects our inner world? What kind of our own fears & lies do we have to "face" in ourselves in order to find our inner Peace & Unconditional Love?

    I also believe that once find we connect with that space inside which some will call heart, the soul, the Universal energy, God, etc., we will find; Inner Peace, Self-Love, Unconditional Love (for all beings alive, incl. Mother Earth), Compassion, Creativity & Joy and also an understanding that we are all connected and parts of each other. In this perspective & consciousness, there is no hatred, no disharmony, no judgements, no competition, yet the world is moving on perfectly in harmony, cause we are the Creators in our own lives. It's so brilliant and easy, actually...
    How can we not love and care for someone who is part of ourself? How can we not care for Mother Earth, as she is also a part of our being? How can we not wish to give our best and our Love to others and the world, when we're part of "all there is"?
    Peace & Love ~Kari
  • Karen
    Hi Kari:

    I love what you have writen. . .it goes to the heart of the issue in my opinion which is the illusion of separateness. Thank you!
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