Dear readers,
People say that the United States is the most powerful nation in the world. Sometimes I feel as if the U.S. is holding back world peace. Being powerful and fearing vulnerability are a tricky and dangerous combination.
The United States has over 700 military bases overseas. The rest of the countries of the world combined have about 30 such bases. What perceived threat frightens Americans so much that an outside enemy must constantly be conjured and battled? Outside of the considerations of greed, the basis of the capitalist economic system, which is another form of fear and insecurity, the propensity of U.S. administrations to support endless wars is a way to control citizens by keeping them afraid. This form of “power” is actually built around a basis that outside threats are constantly waging a battle against us, our values, our freedom to live and exist peacefully. This belief, is of course, unfounded. I believe it is a form of immaturity, a low level of consciousness that pervades American culture. This survival consciousness prevents building peace because at this level of awareness, there is always an outside threat to physical survival and integrity.
The good news is that Americans are finally awakening and rising to a higher level of consciousness. Many of us see through the ridiculous projections, such as the unfounded accusations by the Democratic Party that Russian hackers or Vladimir Putin’s administration are behind the exposure of thousands of e-mails containing sensitive information revealing corruption committed by the DNC. We know that they are afraid of people seeing the truth about the darkness inside our own country and its institutions.
The construction of world peace depends on the evolution of consciousness in America and throughout the world. Because the United States has such a pervasive military presence and financial influence on world markets, the rest of the world must constantly seek to somehow survive despite the constant assault of American culture and the desperate need of this country to absorb all resources from other countries at all costs and feed its addiction to wealth and power. It is very challenging for smaller countries outside the U.S. to build new systems of government and community and to protect their own resources. South and Central America, and countries in the Middle East have been struggling over the last decade to gain more freedoms and creative forms of prosperity. Instead of supporting those efforts, the United States has supported opponents to these new forms of government which support civil liberties and increased social cohesiveness. The new consciousness is exposing the behind the scenes corruption and greed which infiltrates all aspects of American government and the corporations which run all aspects of our country.
Awareness is the key building block to change. The old energy has worked tirelessly to confuse and divide people. We have yearned for more freedom to be creative and to express ourselves while increasingly our civil liberties and social security benefits for which we all contribute have disappeared. We have begun to see the hypocrisy of our system and of our culture. The younger generations are now able to see how our government and corporate lobbies use propaganda, controlling minds by restricting access to truth in media, and by expanding the politics of fear by manipulating world events to create never-ending chaos. A low energy culture feeds the ego, which is dominated by fear. A higher energy culture focuses on love, empathy, compassion. A higher energy culture is able to see beyond the survival of self and expands to include all living beings into the notion of family and community. The endless dilemmas of racism and religious discrimination fade away in a higher energy culture.
Vulnerability is not weakness. It is a state of truth and courage. It is the ability to show oneself to another human being without resorting to strategies, or optics and narratives – now commonly used catchphrases in the media which express how the ego and persona are more important than being human, alive in the moment, and authentic. The higher level of consciousness is also showing through in a collective desire for the authentic and for truth and integrity. We are caught in a whirlwind between two worlds at the moment, between the old energy and the new.
In the old energy, technology is used to dominate and to distance people from one another. Men and women yearn for proximity, yet often hold one another at more than arm’s length by claiming busy schedules. Text messages replace face to face or even telephone conversations. In this sphere, it is easy to create a bubble of protection around oneself. In that limited personal space, the ego is protected from potential harm. Intimacy is perceived as negative in this dying energy. Relationships in the world of ego and survival are built on images, social conventions, and dissimulation.
In the new energy that is birthing itself now on the planet (and this is a slow and progressive movement), the quest for authenticity and intimacy will create a new image of strength. Vulnerability and the courage to open oneself up to another will in turn open the door to truthfulness. We will no longer feel compelled to cheat or feel badly about ourselves. When we honor and love our own self, communication with others is improved. When we don’t feel threatened by our own subconscious shadows and fears, we can face others in a more calm, loving, and transparent way. When a police officer faces another human being, he or she can choose to communicate with the higher self of the person in distress he or she is facing. Instead of opting to use weapons or lethal force, as the new energy expands, it will become more obvious to everyone that a calm and self-aware person who is focused on love and connection will be best equipped to resolve problems and truly keep the peace.
In the United States today, the paradigm of strength is still one of dominating other nations, people, animals, the environment, nature, and the planet itself. To dominate another is to consider oneself outside of whomever or whatever one wishes to consider oneself superior. The mere need to feel superior is a thin disguise for a lack of self love and a lack of compassion for others. The truest sign of a higher level of awareness in an individual or in a culture is to acknowledge another as fully equal to oneself. The need for hierarchy and a power structure is, on the other hand, a clear sign of ego domination, separation, and a lower level of consciousness. When we are able to see Mother Nature as intimately connected to our own being and all animals, plants, people as part of our own family, then we will be healed and are prepared to live creatively and harmoniously with ourselves and with one another on this planet.
When we stop reacting with a knee jerk to fear, and when we remember that preservation of others is as important as self-preservation, we will slow down and open our eyes. We will clearly see the well-being or suffering of a tree, a chicken, a dog, a cow, a refugee, a homeless person…of any being…as the same as our own. When we become comfortable with the discomfort or despair of others and when we are able to reach out to those beings with love and compassion, then we are masters. A vulnerable, tender heart is a jewel that should be valued and treasured, not disparaged. One day, in the not too distant future, we will look back to this time period and wonder how we could treat one another, our trees, plants, animals, our beautiful planet, with such careless disregard and outright cruelty. In the new energy, callousness will still be a choice some may make, but generally, the majority will model loving behaviors. We will be better listeners. It will no longer be taboo to care or to show emotion. I am very excited about the transformation of humanity. My heart is encouraged that Americans are waking up and are passionate about exposing the abuse, the corruption, and deceit, and manipulation that characterize our culture, leadership, and economy today. We all create the world we live in, and to create consciously is the summit of human development.
adamevenevenadam 