For years now,
we've been hearing "shift happens," and wondering when,
where
and how. Now finally, it looks as if the shift is about to hit the
fan. This
is good news for all those shift fans who've been wondering if the
new age
will arrive before old age does. Of course, if you're looking for
signs in
the news, you won't find them. At least, not yet. The news might as
well be
called the "olds," because the world still seems stuck in
greedlock, ruled
by fossilized fools fueled by fossil fuels. But I have been receiving
encouraging intelligence reports that say indeed, humans are becoming
more
intelligent. Yes, people everywhere are wising up. And that's great,
because
we could sure use an up-wising!
The evolution has
begun. But before we see changes in the old needy-greedy,
we humans must change our consciousness—and the first step is
becoming
conscious of how unconscious we've been. As the saying goes, the truth
shall
upset you free, and last year saw lots of disillusionment. But what
better
to free us from the far more dangerous condition of illusionment?
If we want
to stop the abuse of power, the first step is to disabuse ourselves.
So,
here's some good news: Despite a massive media impropaganda machine
that
feeds the public "babblum" (strained bullshit made digestible
for a simple
child's mind), more and more Americans are reading between the lyins'
and
peering behind the Irony Curtain.
In 2005, Americans
had to face the sad realization that the Bush
Administration's "pro-life" stance appears to be limited
to the unborn and
the brain-dead. Despite being panned by critics everywhere, the Iraqi
Horror
Picture Show continued its run, as thousands and thousands of born
fetuses -
ours and theirs—lost their right to life. While we may or may
not have
saved face by staying there, we have most definitely lost ass. And
we've
been assured we'll be stuck in that morass until—well, until
there's no
more ass to lose. Meanwhile, more and more Americans reached another
sad
conclusion: We're not in Iraq to keep the peace, we're there to keep
the
pieces.
The signs of up-wising
are everywhere. Even the most unpleasant stories are
beginning to break through the soundless barrier and defy the President's
"don't ask, don't tell" policy: "You promise not to
ask us what we're doing,
and we promise not to tell you." Although we've been inundated
with
"fear-gnomes" and ominously warned we have to protect ourselves
in this
dogma-eat-dogma world, a majority of Americans are no longer comfortable
with the notion that the only way to defeat the "evil-doers"
in the world is
to out evil-do them. Although our President has assured us that "we
don't
torture," it is now common knowledge that we simply send detainees
to
countries that do torture when we want them to "testify under
oaf."
As for those progressives
who've been whining that the President "never
listens" to them, well it turns out he's been listening all along.
And
thanks to the so-called Patriot Act (which, I understand, is about
to be
renamed the Eternal Insecurity Act), it looks like he'll be able to
listen
in even more—all in the name of making us safe. But now even
some
Republicans are beginning to see that there's a difference between
protection and the "protection racket." And with the recent
revelations
about Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff and other gold collar criminals, some
of the
more devout conservatives have come to realize that the "family
values" they
voted for bear an uncanny resemblance to Soprano Family values.
If there was any
warm feeling in 2005, chalk it up to climate change.
Katrina hit, and in the government's response we saw a future when
at last
all Americans will be equal— where everyone regardless of race
or creed
will be treated like Black folks.
Alarming Policies
Have Awakened Millions!
Fortunately this
is the State of the Universe Address, and from a universal
perspective, things are humming along quite nicely. It turns out that
the
Earth is the talk of the Universe these days. In fact, the odds-makers
at
the Intergalactic Enquirer say the odds are actually in our favor:
"We're
betting on the human race to reach critical mass before they get to
critical
massacre." And we could beat the odds, if we finally gave up
our addiction
to getting even and got odd instead. It stands to reason. If each
of us used
our unique oddness to improve the odds for everyone, there would be
no need
for getting even.
Yes, the up-wising
has begun, and intergalactic observers are saying that we
have none other than George W. Bush to thank. How is that, you may
ask?
Well, I am reminded of a story my guru Harry Cohen Baba used to tell.
A
well-known minister died and arrived at the Pearly Gates at the same
time as
a cab-driver from New York. The cabbie was ushered in, but the clergyman
was
left waiting outside. After waiting and waiting and waiting, he finally
called over the attending angel. "Excuse me, but I'm a renowned
minister.
How come you let that cab-driver in, and I'm left waiting out here?"
"Well,"
the angel said, "when you preached, everyone slept. But when
he drove,
everyone prayed."
For millennia,
spiritual teachers have been calling on us to go for the
highest common denominator, but we've always seemed to end up with
the
lowest common dominator instead. And now, George W. Bush has done
what
preachers, teachers and other far-sighted visionaries have failed
to do up
until now: His policies have been so alarming, that he has awakened
a
slumbering body politic that slept through all previous alarms. Where
others
have failed, he has people all across the world praying, "God
help us!" And
instead of waiting for an intervention from above—after all,
we cannot
expect to be fed intervenously forever—people are beginning
to help
themselves, and even more importantly, help each other.
Sure, there are
still plenty of Not-Sees out there who insist on not seeing
that we humans are all in the same boat. The good news is, more and
more
Americans are getting that sinking feeling that there's only one Earthship,
and ignoring a leak because it's "on the other side of the boat,"
is a
mistake of titanic proportions.
We Are the Leaders
We've Been Waiting For
America, the world's
only super-power, doesn't need a revolution. We've
already had one, thank you. What is needed now—and what has
already begun
—is the American Evolution where enough of us wake up and see
that those
two political parties have been partying on our dime, and we the people
haven't been invited. Time to go beyond choosing the lesser of two
weasels.
If we want to evolve the dream of our Founding Fathers—instead
of devolve
into the nightmare of Big Brother—we must become the leaders
we've been
waiting for. I've said it before. The only force more powerful than
a
super-power is a Super-Duper Power—the power of the people plus
the power
of love. And anyone who doesn't believe we are a Super-Duper Power,
well
they have been super-duped!
It's true, many
people still feel that the affairs of the world should be
left to the bolder and badder among us. But look what that leaves
us with:
Are you satisfied choosing between Saddam Hussein and George Who's-Not-Sane?
Now I know those "God, guns and guts" Old Testament Christians
might have forgotten, but Jesus did say that the meek shall inherit
the earth. In all
undue immodesty, maybe it's time for us meek folks to boldly step
forth and
accept our inheritance.
For just as 2000
years ago Jesus stood up to a class that placed the rule of
gold above the Golden Rule, today we face the modern version of the
Pharisees— the Phallusees, I think they are called. They cynically
cloak
themselves in religious robes, but the only power they trust is the
power of
the stick. Well, there's another old saying: It doesn't matter how
big your
stick is, if you stick your stick where it doesn't belong, you're
stuck.
Another sign of
the up-wising and coming evolution is that people are
growing dissatisfied with the positionality of "my side vs. your
side," and
are seeing the whole issue of sides from a new angle: Maybe we're
all on
the same side. For example, this argument between creationism and
evolution
is just another way for dueling dualities to steal our energy. I believe
in
both. I believe the Creator created us to evolve, otherwise Jesus
would have
said, "Now don't do a thing till I return." I have it on
good authority that
the Creator is pulling for us: "Come on, you children of God.
Time to grow
up and become adults of God instead."
Time to Overgrow
the System From the Grassroots Up
The time for revolution
and overthrowing has past. Now we need an evolution
where we "overgrow" the current dysfunctional system from
the grassroots up.
You are probably familiar with the story of the Native American grandfather
who tells his grandson that there are two wolves fighting inside all
of us:
The wolf of fear and anger, and the wolf of love and peace.
"Which wolf
will win?" asks the young boy.
"Whichever one we feed," replies the grandfather.
And so when people
ask me to predict what will happen, I tell them the only
thing I can predict with certainty is the uncertainty of any prediction.
The
future's just too unpredictable these days. This is a Universe of
infinite
possibilities, so it all depends on which futures we invest in.
There is something
far more empowerful than predictions, and that is
Tell-A-Vision. If you're fed up with the current programming, my advice
is
turn off your TV and tell a vision instead. That way, we will have
healing
and functional visions to step into—and that beats what we've
been
stepping into. So I will tell my vision for 2006: This is the year
of the
American Evolution, where all those who prefer the Golden Rule to
the rule
of gold get past left and right, and come front and center.
I see Americans
of all political stripes, plaids and polka dots (not to
mention solids), choosing to face the music and dance together. Sure,
we'll
have to learn some new steps, but it's time for a new dance - A-Bun-Dance.
That is where we get up off our assets, move our buns, and dance together
in
rhythm and flow. And what better way to turn the funk into function,
and
leave the junk at the junction?
I see us in a new
reality show—Extreme Planetary Makeover—where
everyone can play and everyone can win. Just think. Something more
compelling than reality TV ... it's called reality!
I know, I know.
Only a crazy person would dare to propose anything that
sane. But maybe it's time to declare the current institutionalized
insanity
illegally insane, and set about building a sane asylum big enough
for all
six and a half billion of us. As my guru Harry Cohen Baba has said,
"Life is
like a good deli. Even if something isn't on the menu, if enough people
order it they have to make it." So what kind of new world order
are we
ordering up? Do we feed the wolf of fear and buy into the "it's
every man
for himself" story? Or do we nourish the wolf of love and evolve
into the
"we're all in it together" story?
If we're going
to be a Super-Duper Power, we have to be super-duper powerful
in activating the power of love, and cultivating the power of joy.
So laugh
more. Why not? We all know there's something funny going on. The wall
of
lies cannot withstand the vibration of laughter. All seriousness aside,
only
a farce field that combines truth and laughter can bring down the
Irony
Curtain once and for all.
Release the old
story—been there, done that—and speak the new story
into the world. Dare to imagine what we could be doing if we weren't
spending so much of our livelihood on weapons of deadlihood. Think
about it
... think tanks where they think about something other than tanks.
Young
people living for their country instead of dying for it. Health and
education fully funded, and the Air Force having to run a bake sale
so they
can buy a new bomber.
Can we change the
course of history? Can we shift our karma into surpassing
gear? I cannot say for sure, but if we choose to give up that old
Dodge and
trade it in for an Evolvo, that's a good first step. So ... let the
Evolution begin. We don't have to wait until the first Big Shot is
fired. If
we create a powerful enough field, the Big Shots will end up firing
themselves.
May the FARCE—as
always—be with us.