A Summary of What I've Been Learning

Since i’ve been in the States, with more time on my hands than ever in my life, i’ve gotten a chance to research a bit about what’s going on here in this commercially dominated society which i fled decades ago, but which is spreading over the planet. My first impression was that it was worse than i could ever have imagined -- the deadening alienation and ubiquitous falsehood. But after studying a bit, it now looks to me that there is a big wake-up going on, and although it is not widespread in the mainstream, it is reaching millions through the internet. Since i’ve been living in Auroville, which is based on spiritual insight into the solution, i was curious about the pragmatic understanding of the problem. There are a number of key videos which spell out the situation:
Zeitgeist and Zeitgeist Addendum clearly give the big picture of corporate–political–military entrenchment in a game of Russian roulette – even as the money interests gain dominion over us all, the planet’s ecological health as well as human survival is compromised, despite that the new technologies which could save the situation are already developed.
Then there are some shorter videos which give more detailed explanations of how the money system is inherently skewed to create boom-bust, a widening gap between rich and poor, and increasing the commoditisation of the environment, of personal and social life, etc.: Money as Debt, and The Story of Stuff. There’s also, The Biggest Game in Town that discloses how most of the US governments (federal, state, local) are highly invested in the corporate sector, earning large amounts which are never included in the budget statements shown to the public. As well as John Taylor Gatto’s research on the economic motivations that framed the American educational system.
What’s become clear to me is that i was not so wrong when i fled the unhealthy atmosphere of this country (although whether running away was a noble response could be debated) – indeed there has been a sell-out on higher values which is making people sick (and the medical “industry” is profiting from that too). Individual health and environmental health and social health are all in a bad way, as the “leaders” keep on looking out for themselves and their narrow bottom-line corporate interests. Michael Lerner in his book The Left Hand of God paints the poignant picture of American masses looking for meaning, while the political left is adamantly secular and derisive of their religious beliefs, while the political right joins with the religious right to lead them down the primrose path.
Now, i’ve been living in Auroville India for the last 35 years, which is trying to build a city which will not need money, not need laws, because the citizens of that city will have a consciousness which understands the Whole first, and perceives personal interests in that context. Unfortunately, we the citizens of that city are not yet established in that wholistic state of consciousness, and our efforts to do without money and without laws are thwarted by the prevailing mind-set not only in the world but also within ourselves, in our own mental habits and limitations. What has held us together and with the project (a project which UNESCO endorsed in its beginning and celebrates on its 40th birthday), is a spiritual vision. Not a religious orthodoxy, but a vision of a new consciousness prevailing on the planet. And, as one of our articulators has winningly quipped, we mustn’t overlook that that new consciousness is conscious. Certainly the struggles and achievements of the Auroville experiment, the attempts to do work not as livelihood but as self-expression, the attempts to feed and clothe people collectively, the attempts to avoid legal systems and deal with difficulties in the moment, should be of great interest to the thinkers who are seeing the enormity of the present problem and have an opening to change of consciousness being the solution. Because it is not as easy as having the idea – there is an enormous detailed work to shift the entire economic, political, social context from the old paradigm to the new.
I am particularly thinking of Charles Eisenstein, who’s book The Ascent of Humanity faces the horror of the crises converging on humanity today, but sees it as the inevitable outcome of the course of mental development, and foresees a next step of development, The Age of Reunion. He images our global situation as that of an addict or alcoholic bottoming out, and through that making a radical change in consciousness. He sees the many contemporary movements which describe a new economy, new technology, new education etc. as seeds which would blossom in the world after the crisis. I find that he is carrying forward much of the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, on which Auroville is based, but of which he has never heard. I also think of Peter Joseph, who after painting the terrible picture of global corruption in Zeitgeist, looks to the Venus Project for the new technology and sociology that would allow humanity to blossom in a world of abundance. The Venus Project is deeply rooted in the scientific method, and also in my opinion the mistaken materialist bias of scientism, but it is hopeful and well-intentioned, and brilliant. I’d love to get these guys together with us in Auroville, let them grok the sublimity of Sri Aurobindo’s vision, appreciate the difficult practicalities we’ve been dealing with, learn from each other, and move on together and with the many other contemporary visionaries, to help midwife the birth of the new consciousness.
There are many many more people who are aware of the change which is happening. For instance, all the interviewees on www.Conscious Media Network, or all the movements cited in Blessed Unrest, even the young “Evolutionaries” of Andre Cohen and Ken Wilber’s trendy new integral naked. I feel a great urgency to let everyone know how we are part of the same wave of change, so that we can experience the joy of working together, the exhilaration of being the change we are waiting for, and more importantly, seeing the enemy and knowing it is us. But not by pointing our fingers at each other, but self-reflecting into our own limitations, sharing with each other our efforts to overcome the obstacles within, helping each other to learn, change, widen....while at the same time we are busy building the new city, the new society, the new economy, the new ecology, -- and knowing that it is as a conscious and willing servitor of a higher order Truth Consciousness. [So difficult to put the most important part in words....Yeah, and we need to be working on a new linguistics too!]
Links:
Zeitgeist: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/
Money as Debt: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2550156453790090544#
Story of Stuff: http://www.storyofstuff.com/
The Biggest Game in Town: http://uk.video.yahoo.com/watch/4332083/11634205
John Taylor Gatto: http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/
The Left Hand of God: http://www.spiritualprogressives.org/index.php
Auroville: www.auroville.org UNESCO: http://www.auroville.org/organisation/UNESCO/Auroville_40th_anniversary_at_UNESCO.htm
The Ascent of Humanity: http://www.ascentofhumanity.com/
The Venus Project: http://www.thevenusproject.com/
Conscious Media Network: http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/home.htm
Blessed Unrest: http://www.blessedunrest.com/