A CALL TO OPEN ARMS, FOR CHANGE

We live in the most extraordinary of times! We are experiencing a conscious evolution at an exponential rate. Our species has been on this beautiful blue planet for quite some time, and in just the last fifty years, a lightning bolt in our species’ lifespan, we have evolved in a multiplicity of ways. These dramatic evolutionary accomplishments include the civil rights movement, women’s liberation movement, The Clean Water Act, The Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, The Peace Corps, and the Artic National Wildlife Refuge to name a few accomplishments. The dedication of my parents’ and their parents’ generations has pioneered a new path, and I can only imagine the difficulty of their journey. They were up against a world that had no language for their vision. To those generations, I offer a deep thank you. I bow to the “social change agents” who marched the streets and fought for dreams of a harmonious future. They (perhaps you) fought for a world that was free of sexism, racism, pollution, nuclear weapons, and war.

I am currently 32 and a second-generation “social change agent.” When I was a child, my favorite tee shirt had a majestic mountain printed on the front. The landscape was interrupted by a power line cutting through the trees, and the words, “What is wrong with this picture?” were printed underneath it. My father would pin “No nukes” and “No War” buttons on me. As a kid, I made my money during the summers in Telluride, Colorado by recycling aluminum cans. My dad had long hair and a beard, belonged to a co-op, grew his own food, and ran the community radio station. He taught me about peace, love, and to “Give a hoot, don’t pollute.” Like so many others in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, he was exploring a fresh path.

The generations before mine have shed new light on the destruction of our current culture. The primary areas of their success since the 1960’s have been in awareness, regulation, conservation, and protection. Because of their bravery and courage, now 85 percent of people in the United States say they are “pro-environment”. Now, members of my generation, as well as the next, have our own path ahead of us. Our path is dedicated to regenerating the earth, creating a global community where war is not an option, acting bioregionally, building emotional intelligence, creating a conscious population, increasing the use of renewable energy, creating a sense of place, strengthening our communities, working towards economic and social justice, and engaging in a reunion with Nature. Our movement is to improve the quality of life for ALL of Nature, humans included.

For too long we have thought of ourselves as being separate from Nature. Our old ways of thinking that Nature is a “Natural Resource” or “Our Environment” no longer serve us. My friends and I are moving towards not keeping up with the Jones’s, and understanding that material wealth does NOT equal happiness. We are learning to stop looking at the world through the old Newtonian mechanical clock blinders in order to see a system of interconnected relationships. We no longer view the world with a fear of scarcity. We are building an understanding that there is no such thing as throwing something “away.” We are not living isolated in fear, or thinking like nationalists. We are gaining an understanding that the world cannot be categorized into right or wrong, good versus evil. Sorry Bush, we aren’t buying it!

We are all kin on an interdependent complex ecosystem called earth, which is filled with diversity, beautiful chaos, and evolution. This is a mystical and magical world where Nature is the true expert. My friends and I are trying to become life-learners who are creating learning communities that evolve. We feel that on the glorious planet earth, we are all relatives. As we become more emotionally intelligent, my friends and I believe that our heart has just as much validity as our brain. There is no more “us” verses “them.” There is only “we.”

My friends and I believe the root issues are not global warming, deforestation, water shortages, or poverty – rather they are serious symptoms. We believe the underlying, true causes of our problems are cultural, mental. Our social and ecological issues are results of our behaviors, which stem from assumptions that no longer serve us. Our mission is to learn how to communicate to the mainstream culture about old outdated assumptions, beliefs, and values. Additionally, our mission is to learn how to communicate to the mainstream culture about the new premises, beliefs, and values that support our shared vision. Our effectiveness will grow, as we show, irrefutably, how the old assumptions no longer serve us, just as we did with the outdated assumption that the world is flat. Our power comes when we can effectively enroll members of mainstream culture in new healthy beliefs and help them challenge old outdated myths.

Our old ways of thinking and our lack of feeling are giving support to starvation, pollution, and our social and environmental devastation. However, these ailments are not the issue; they are the symptoms.

Outdated Beliefs/Values/Mental Models (Myths)

1)    Nature is inexhaustible and is here for our taking.

2)    There is such a thing as throwing something “away.”

3)    Companies can own our common assets (water, soil, air) and have the    right to harm them.

4)    Nature is a “Natural Resource” or “Our Environment.”

5)    Consumption is progress. Stuff leads to happiness. Newer is better.

6)    Corporations have the same rights as a human being.

7)    Nationalism and imaginary boundaries.

8)    That we live in a world of Fear.

9)    The world can be categorized into right and wrong, good versus evil.

10)  Nature is a mechanism to be controlled.

So, to these outdated beliefs that are keeping 1.3 billion people in absolute poverty, these values that have destroyed 30% of our coral reefs, these mental models that have changed our children into consumers, and these myths that are eliminating hundreds of species from our earth each day, I bid you “adieu”.

Can we all join together and grab a hold of new ways of thinking and feeling. Relish as our worldview expands as we have set aside the myths that no longer serve us. As we create new beliefs, I believe our behaviors automatically fall in line with them.

New Beliefs/Values/Mental Models for a healthy future (Our Truths)

1)   Waste equals food.

2)   Nature is the true expert.

3)   Complexity, crisis, and chaos are essential to life.

4)   We are all related and interconnected.

5)   We are earth citizens, and no earth citizen will be left behind.

6)   Every individual person has power to change the world.

7)   The world is a beautiful web of systems and relationships.

8)   Emotions are great!

9)   We should live in a way that allows others to live as well.

10) Businesses are responsible for their actions and do not have the same rights as humans.

My friends and I are implementing these views into our own lives. We are also teaching our younger brothers, sisters, and our children about this new worldview. What we desire is the support of our elders. We need their wisdom, we need their financial support, we need their emotional support, and we need their partnership.

I propose that our generations move forward together in a tri generational movement for social change. Imagine the effectiveness of our movement if each generation collaborated directly with two other generations. Imagine our effectiveness through our beautiful diversity of age as we bond to create a world that is conducive to life. It will require that we embrace humility as we authentically listen to what other generations have to say. Our effectiveness will increase at least four-folds if we are willing to understand that each generation has something unique to bring to the table. Each generation will keep its unique momentum while devoting energy towards developing a dialog and relationship with two other generations. All of us could work equally towards forming a learning community.

People with the old assumptions may believe in “United we stand”.

I have learned that “United we Soar,” “United we Regenerate,” and  “United we reunite with this planet.”

We have our work cut out for us. We have a new culture to create: one that is founded on diversity, interconnectedness, love, understanding, respect, and perhaps most importantly, humility. I believe that our society will transform not through brute force, but because the culture we are creating is healthier, not just for us, but for all life. Paul Hawken said that people will join our movement "because we will build a more interesting sandbox for everyone to play in." Well, the time has come to build that sandbox. So, let’s play!

-Taylor Selby (FEB, 2004)

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