Carolyn Baker explores, in exquisite depth, the inner work we need to undertake to become prepared for and resilient during the collapse of Western civilization. We will need to grieve its passing and the devastation it will leave in its wake. The very first thing I see that we must do is get beyond the denial of our angst regarding the fact that civilization and the world are collapsing around us, even as we speak. This is extremely hard work. We must acknowledge that we have become dependent upon and enslaved to a false master who has alienated us from our true family--the creatures of Mother Earth.
During the past 6,000+ years we have done some remarkable feats, many of which have been devastating to the planet. Many of us take pride in our creation of cars, planes and computers and extoll our ability to fly to the moon. Yet these activities, in their excess, are leading to the destruction of this planet.
The Corporate Powers-That-Be used to promise the young that one day they would have a four hour workday and receive adequate pay and benefits to survive. Thus we worked hard having been promised that wonderful future. It was all a vicious lie. It has not led to the ideal society of leisure that was once promised.
Textbook science declared that our planet and universe were lifeless chunks of rock that somehow, magically, gave birth to complex and simple life forms. Ah, yes, our scientifically conditioned minds gazed upon that silvery moon and said, "See, She isn't a Goddess! She is nothing more than a burnt-out satellite, stuck in Her orbit around the Earth." Yet, what would life be like without the magnetic tug that the moon has on the Earth? Why, it helps to drive the ocean and land based tides while also affecting many of our emotional, as well as physical, processes. Our lives are lived in synchronicity with Her phases. Today, when we look at the moon we sneer at the lifeless burnt out satellite that our conditioned eyes see. We are no longer like the ancients who saw the Moon as a living Goddess that affected tides, menstrual cycles, and the howls of the lonely wolf.
Meanwhile, we look at what we can do with our technology and marvel at ourselves. We often tend to feel that our ability to progress is unlimited. Thus we were mesmerized a few decades ago by the likes of television shows such as the "Jetsons," "Lost in Space" and "Star Trek." Yes, these were sold to us as being the future fate for humanity. No end in sight for human progress! Nor would there be any end to the Western cultural paradigm, which drives modern science, the dogmatic religions, the governments and the King of Them All: the Corporation.
And there was no end in sight to this takeover according to shows like Star Trek. After the Earth was under control of the Empire, the focus would move onto the Galaxy and beyond! According to the beliefs inherent in that show, the entire universe would eventually succumb to the Western European paradigm of human dominion and industrial growth without limits. Why, even the old gods shook at the thought of human dominion!
As it turns out, it appears the real aliens (read enemies) that we were seeking out there in Space are, in reality, within ourselves. Our ignorance of ourselves in relationship to the universe is mind boggling. After all, there is a reason Nature has two meanings: Nature as the creatures out there in the "wilderness", and Nature as Essence within us and all things. As an egg becomes a human being, it is Nature that is our Source. Nature is that which becomes us. Thus, it is Nature Herself that has taken form as human beings. And, yes, I treat Nature as God for the term means Essence. Thus, Nature is the Self, the Hindu Brahmin or the Hebrew Yahweh (I AM).
All of this ignorance about ourselves and Nature came about due to the faulty philosophy inherent in belief systems such as rationalism. These philosophies enculturated us with the idea that human beings were the Kings of this planet and led us to believe that we were better than the rest. Our arrogance was beyond words. Any limitations we encountered were an abomination to be overcome. Our greed for ever better status, health, wealth, comfort, and entertainment was the primary driver to our perpetual warfare. The Corporation, a sociopathic megalomaniac, has become the idealized "Person," idolized for his success. Little do we seem to care that, in this process, we have pretty much destroyed this Earth, driven thousands of species to extinction, and degraded 90% of Her people.
Our behavior fits the diagnostic criteria for being cancerous, which appropriately defined is growth gone wild. In our behavior, we have devoured the planet to the point that the Earth is making many changes that signify that She is sick and dying. Yet, like a drunk in denial of a drinking problem, we deny what we are doing to ourselves and to the planet.
The Native American Kogis saw this in the invasion of the Europeans in the 1500's. Some bands of these people knew the evil intent of our ancestors and took to the hills to hide out from these sociopaths. A band of them just recently came out of hiding to give us the message that we are destroying the planet (see link below).
All of this is based on an arrogant sense of entitlement born of the Greco-Roman Empires that placed Man above all of Nature. Thus we set out to conquer the world. And conquer we have. As cancer devours its host's body, we have devoured this Earth. Even in the face of financial, environmental and social deterioration, we continue to cry "MORE, MORE, MORE!" Thus, as typical for addicts, we go into a state of denial of our addiction. "Who me? I have a problem? I have it all under control!" Our own technology is all the savior we need.
Yet, many of us do realize that there is a fundamental flaw to our civilized, growth-without-end, way of life. Indeed, Chellis Glendenning did a marvelous job of relating our industrialized corporate behavior to the drug or alcohol addicted individual in her book, My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery From Western Civilization.
Still, the battle cry of the elite rings forth from the depths of the hell-on-earth they have created: " I NEED MORE! Give me another drink! To hell with them poor people. Make them work harder for me and I'll give them less so that I can have more, more, more!"
The pitiful thing is, they have the poor so well conditioned to slavery that they too don't want to let go of their enslaved style of life. "Ah, let my security of old age be left to the government and private insurance companies. I humbly place my fate in their hands! They are the experts!" Thus George Bush says, "don't worry, go shopping" as we march into war. Big Daddy has us covered. Thus, insidiously, our oppressor becomes seen as our protector. And what has happened to our security? Do you feel secure?
Our attitude of surrender to "The Man," who fantasizes that his economic erection is forever and without end, has our economy and ecology collapsing under their own weight. In the meantime, he forces himself on our Souls as he violently rapes the Earth. We are all rape victims, for rape is the mode of operation in this corporate dominated world. Its all about the Man on top forcing himself on those at the bottom.
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