It’s Time to Wake Up!
It is clear to me that our way of life is not working. It seems obvious, given the evidence. And yet we are not in the streets demanding change. Why not?
The signs of collapse are everywhere:
- Recent surveys have shown that most people in the world are worried about Climate Change.
- News programmes show us nightly the effects of war on suffering populations.
- The media tells us of the effects of industrial style agriculture on world health.
- Nature programmes show us what we are doing to animal and insect populations with our endless consumerism.
- There are many examples of politicians oblivious to inequality and racism in their countries. Refugees are frequently treated like terrorists.
So, it is hard not to be aware of the situation. And yet the vast majority of the global population appears to continue blithely on with their lives of acquisition and empty beliefs.
Why?
I ask myself this on a daily basis and I know I am not alone. What is going on? I shudder at the world we are passing on to our children, and some days I struggle to find actions that will make a difference.
There are many explanations put forward as to why we are apparently ignoring the situation en masse.
There is: our fear, our inability to know what to do, our belief we are too small to make a difference, our apathy, our closed vision, our busyness, our dislike of change and so on. All of these are relevant at some level.
However, I also believe that our cultural values have changed, and that difference is responsible for many of the problems we have.
Cultural Values
Cultural values refer to the respective beliefs, principles and ideals that guide the behaviour, norms and decision-making of a particular group or society.
Examples of these values are individualism, racial equality, fairness, the importance of arranged marriages, religious freedom and so on. They can vary from one society to another. These values can also be discriminatory, like: women are inferior, some races are superior, rich people are clever, poor people are lazy etc.
In modern life our values are changing, not necessarily for the better. These new values are affecting our ability to live meaningful lives. They are also encouraging the destruction of life on Earth. An article in the Times of Israel shows that these “include but are not limited to the valuing as an end-in-themselves of pleasure, fame, money, and power.”
The Love of Money – – – – –
It seems clear to me that in our modern world selfish values are to the fore in our societies. These can be seen in the: “me, me, me-ness” of our individualism, the destruction of the Earth’s resources in never-ending consumerism, the consideration of Nature as a resource put into the world for us to plunder, the unwillingness to stop flying because holidays are central to escaping endless work, and many, many more.
The sad thing about all this “desire for more” is that it is not making us happy or healthy.
It seems to me that we are getting deeper and deeper into the mire of our greed and desire. All this meaningless activity is exhausting us and making us ill. We need to wake up and see what we are doing to ourselves and to our children’s future. It is vital that we remember how to dream of something better.
The French writer Albert Camus puts it nicely: “The fatigue we feel does not come so much from the accumulated workload, but from the monotony of a meaningless life. What really exhausts us is not working too much, but to live without passion, without purpose. True exhaustion comes from a life devoid of dreams.”
I would like to propose something different.
Intentional Living
Community
Loneliness has become a big issue throughout the world. A recent survey shows that in 2024 nearly one in four adults experienced it on a regular basis. In younger adults it was much higher.
Being part of a community has its challenges, but it can help people belong, and give them a sense of both purpose and identity. Humans need to be part of a group and to have meaningful connections. They need to give and receive support. It is vital for our mental health. Being part of something can increase our understanding of other people’s needs, our empathy and our tolerance – all skills and abilities the world needs.
If we don’t live in a community then we need to form one that we can be a part of. We can do this by joining a club, a spiritual organisation or another group that shares our values and interests. Or we can volunteer, or work on getting to know our neighbours.
The experience of being part of a community brings skills the world badly needs. If we are to end wars and violence, then we need to learn to listen and understand the point of view of people who see life differently from us. Being in community can develop those skills.
Gratitude
A Symbol of Hope and Thanks
Gratitude can bring us a simpler and happier way of looking at the world. Practicing gratitude can “help us notice the little moments of joy sprinkled throughout the day.” It reminds us what is important, and encourages us to live in the present moment. Being aware of what we do have helps us appreciate the now, and not to compare ourselves to others.
Living in the present moment can make us aware of the riches we have, and to be more alert to the suffering of others. Those riches can of course be the simpler things in life: like a smile from a child, a rainbow, or the wind blowing through the trees. Appreciating the small things can waken us to the needs of Nature.
Listening and empathy for the needs of others
This one is hard, as many of us spend our days trying to feed our families, make ends meet, deal with sick parents, cope when the car breaks down, and just the endless crises of modern life. However, in this we are forgetting the needs of others. We are oblivious to those who are devastated by war, struggling with hate because they are different, hungry and just generally suffering from oppression.
Our concentration on our own needs brings a world of conflict when we need to work together to create a more liveable planet.
Our seeming unkindness and hard exterior shells make life more difficult for other people, and in the long run make finding solutions to global problems much harder.
If we could learn to truly listen with compassion and empathy we could solve the mess we are in. We would also live in a much nicer world.
Enoughness
Most of us have far too much already. Most of it we don’t need, and it certainly doesn’t make us happy. Endless consumption is bad for the planet and leaves us no time and space to enjoy the marvellous things we have like love, family, friends, time to enjoy the sea and the mountains etc. I believe if we settled for just what we need then we would all be more content.
Spirituality
We are lacking something “greater than ourselves” in our lives. In the past organised religion brought this. But now there is an emptiness in humanity. We seem to lack a sense of purpose, meaning and hope. It does not necessarily have to come through religion. However, we need something that centres us and brings a sense of wonder into our lives. Perhaps more importantly we need a belief that we are all part of one enormous whole, and must work together to protect it.
Are We Willing to Change?
We must change. This trajectory we are on is leading us to disaster and misery. The question now is “Are we willing to change?” These are just a few examples of what I believe we need to create a better future. There will be many more.
I would love to know what you think of these. Are you willing to change how you live your life? What can you add to my story? Please let me know. Thank you.
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Photos by mostafa mahmoudi, Erik Mclean and Gerhard Kupfer on Unsplash