Doomsday...again?

December 21, 2012...doomsday? Or the Great Awakening? Or maybe just another day in the midst of an era of rapidly evolving spiritual and technological advancement.
After all my generation has already survived a few apocalyptic close calls. Heck we grew up in the Cold War, when every Friday felt like a close call as we practiced civil defense drills, hiding under our desks with hands over our heads in preparation for the big one.
I was 4 years old when President Kennedy was assassinated and for a four year old who sees the president as one of a Holy Trinity, along with Santa Claus and God, it certainly felt like a shadow of destruction was looming near.
When Ronald Reagan was elected president there were some of us who thought that signaled the beginning of nuclear war; he even joked about it saying 'we will begin bombing in five minutes'.
Then there was the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, which most New Agey folks felt would usher in an era of great Peace and enlightenment. Nice thought, but since then it seems we've been busy looking under rocks and bringing out all the creepy stuff in order to make way, perhaps, for a Great Awakening.
I really don't claim to know the answers although I am entertained my the numerous theories floating around out there, even if some of them border on the realm of 'disturbing'.
What I do know is this, our technology has evolved at a mind boggling pace over the last 100 years or so. I remember my sitting with my grandfather watching one of the several rocket launches of the 1960's (this was always a big event in those days, even in school we'd get to have the television wheeled into the classroom so we could all count down 10,9,8...to 'we have lift off') My grandfather told me the story of the first car he remembered seeing. He was a child at the time, living in a small town in New York. The car was owned by a wealthy and eccentric woman who was eager to parade about the town square in her new toy. Apparently she hadn't bothered to learn how to drive..who would there be to teach her? So she circled around and around the town center, probably at about 5 mph. screaming that she didn't know how to make it stop. The townspeople were rather amused at her pride gone awry, but not entirely unsympathetic and ran chasing after her in order to try to figure out how to stop the car. Finally some men ran to the hardware store, bought some sturdy rope and created a barrier across the street in hopes of trapping the rogue vehicle. It slowed things down substantially until the car finally ran out of gas where it sat, the object of combined wonder and mistrust, until someone rigged up a team of horses to pull it away. Horses they understood, horses were reliable and cooperative, not so much with the 'horseless carriage'. I loved that story for so many reason, not the least of which being that the heroes of the day were horses, but on that particular day it took on a whole new level of meaning as I realized that in my Grandpas life he had seen humankind evolve from horses to moon landings. I realized how overwhelming it must have felt for him and how it probably enhanced the humor of the first car story in his mind.
Now in my own lifetime, I am seeing and using, devices that are not unlike what we saw as children on Star Trek (the original with William Shatner) and other futuristic sci-fi films. Not only am I using them I have become pretty well attached to them, although I hesitate to say I am dependent on them, that's a word I use selectively. Nevertheless they have become an integral part of my daily life, something I would only have dreamed of as a child.
Technology has opened doors that never existed 30 or 40 years ago. I can have an instant conversation with someone halfway around the world. I always call it time travel when I do this..because it is usually the next day for the person I'm chatting with. The Arab spring would not have been possible without the communication we have available at our fingertips. On the other hand neither would the sterile, frightening reality of drone warfare. Any development is only as ethical as those who make use of it.
I can only imagine, and there is some historical reference to support this, that the Renaissance and the appearance of the Gutenberg printing press, may have evoked some similar doomsday predictions. With any sweeping cultural change, especially that which opens doors of communication and new knowledge, there will be certain people who react in fear. Change can be scary, anything that shakes up our preconceived notions with new information, even if it promises a better life, also brings uncertainty. Sometimes it's easier to be comfortable in ignorance that disrupted by enlightenment.
So are we headed for doomsday or the golden age? Probably neither, but it does feel a bit like the human race is chasing the car around the town square trying to figure out how to slow it down until we figure out exactly how it all works.

© 2010-2012, Jennifer Hazard

The Flower Child Elders

There are moments of realization when one feels that time has slipped by on silent feet drawing a curtain in its wake; a veil that separates Then from Now.The passing of time that seemed to flow seamlessly along the paths of our lives becomes an entity in itself...time invisible yet substantive, it is a force that calls attention to the raw fact that the world around us changes in ways we may never have predicted. And along with those changes the perception and interpretation of reality is also evolved, adapted and shaped.This process is slow and subtle we may not catch on until one day an event or topic of conversation draws us to a situation where we must decide if our own perceptions have failed to evolve with the rest of the world.

Suddenly we find ourselves perched cautiously at the precipice of the dreaded Generation Gap. Even that phrase is outmoded, but a hangover from my past. I'm sure there are other, more polite and politically correct terms for the phenomenon just as I am sure there are some that are less flattering. In any case regardless of what you call it there is an awkward moment when you find yourself clutching a belief with one hand while the other reaches out testing the feel of a different perspective. The fabric may seem familiar but the texture is not, something is amiss and unfamiliar. Then you search your heart and mind for the proper formula that will allow a transmutation of beliefs and values one that will create a blend of what we knew and what we have learned.

Or we could, if we choose, dismiss the unfamiliar, refusing to integrate the fruits of time and human experience desperately clinging to The Way It Always Has Been Back In My Day.

In other words, we can perpetuate the timeless classic stereotype of stubborn and cranky old people. (some things don't change!) To realize, and admit, that upon examination this new fabric has it's merits does not mean we must sacrifice out dearly held beliefs, unless of course, common sense and evidence tells us otherwise. Probably one of the most significant bits of wisdom that can develop with age is that many things can be true at once. In other words the world is a lot more grey than black and white.

If older folks long for a so called simpler time, it's not that the time itself was more simple or the problems less complex, it's that our place within the context was more easily navigated. We played by, or rebelled against, the rules of the time. We did this by using the skills and strategies we learned, within the context of the time. It wasn't always easy, but it was familiar. Now as we have gone from board games, to Pong, to myriad online role playing games the get out of jail free card isn't much help. But the lessons we learned about sharing, taking turns, trading properties (and maybe even stashing some bills under the board like my brother used to do) can translate to problem solving that can be used in other applications.

In this time of what the media loves to label a youth driven culture of activism, there may be moments where we feel out of step, but we need not fall behind. There are enduring characteristics and similarities between now and the 60's and any other era of social unrest and reform. Ideas and strategies that have proven to be universally effective have endured and others have fallen by the wayside...things change and things remain the same, both things are true at once. If we as elders can apply our understanding of that timeless truth, if we remain loyal to the values that endure while we integrate the unfamiliar, we will gracefully navigate the so called generation gap. Our footprints trace the journey from past to present and future. The path of the flower child didn't begin in the 1960's, nor will it end in the 21st century. The Flower Child is an archetype, the Young at Heart who will become elders, but never grow old.

Make Love, Not War,

Peace,

Jenny

Keeping it Up in Milwaukee

Image courtesy of
 Cindy Maire P.

As we enter our 5th month of Occupation, well into our second season, we are in the midst of a time of transition and transformation. The Occupation has always been dynamic, evolving as it grows and recedes and grows again. Each day brings new challenges and we have experienced some  phases that were defined by a particular theme or issue.
Of the activists whose work has been dedicated to Occupation of public space the past several months, many have hit the proverbial wall.  Confrontations with critics and saboteurs, the police and even internal personality conflicts have taken their toll on emotions and psychic well being. Extended exposure to rough weather, inconsistent diet and interrupted sleep are wearing us down physically. Many Occupiers have disrupted their lifestyle to the point of straining relationships with family, friends and other obligations and some are feeling a financial strain as a result of missed days at work adding a social and economic strain as well.  There have been many sacrifices made in all areas of the average Occupier's life in any part of the world, some have been arrested, beaten, fined; some have experienced serious injury the effects of which may last forever. Symbolic suffering has it's place, but few willingly volunteer for a lifetime of service.
I think most would agree that for the initial phase of the Occupy Movement the sacrifices have been worth the effort. The movement has gained global recognition and support. We have finally gotten the attention of even mainstream media, and many people are realizing that this is a dedicated and tenacious group of people who are not going to go away. Even the groups and individuals who disagree with the message of the movement are starting to take notice.
Now that we have the Nations attention, it's time for the next phase. I'm not the first person to ask "where do we go from here?" It's a question that has been at the forefront of many a General Assembly discussion from coast to coast for several weeks. And while many occupiers and non-occupiers alike believed that winter would bring a time of retraction and reflection while we all went home to plan for spring, it appears that we have a momentum that just won't quit. Rather than sitting back in our cozy homes sipping tea and carefully strategizing for transition, we are thinking on our feet as we look to the future for answers to the question that is on everyones mind.
 Most Occupy groups are, to some degree, united by the movement itself. Relationships that have been forged in the heat of the first several months are beginning to solidify and strengthen and affinity groups have been attracted to the success they see within many of the groups. For these groups and individuals it would seem likely that the next steps will grow organically and naturally from the fertile ground that has been set in place.
Other groups are finding the transition to be a bit more challenging. One could speculate  many possible reasons that some groups have the flow while others have struggled; doing this may serve a purpose somewhere down the road, refining the 'formulas' for grassroots organizing.  In reality the bottom line is there are so many factors that contribute to the success or failure of a group one can almost conclude that sometimes it comes down to something intangible, like fate or luck. Sometimes people end up being in the right place at the right time, that magical moment where things just 'click',  just like any other relationship.
Right now struggling groups can't afford the time to figure out what went wrong; we need to focus on what is right, what we have to offer and where to go from here. This may mean some groups split into smaller affinity groups each comprised of people with similar goals and theoretical orientation. This has already manifested in my city where there are several Occupy groups each representing a specific neighborhood or area. Milwaukee is a city of neighborhoods, a big small town with lots of ethnic diversity but sadly, clear and visible segregation. The neighborhood Occupy groups reflect the culture or sub-culture of  their part of the city and often structure their actions to target issues of concern to that population. Personally, I think there is an upside to this phenomenon. It has strenthened and unified neighborhoods, bringing people together in a way that larger scale outreach cannot. And as each group becomes more cohesive and secure, they bring their strengths to the table within a larger coalition.  The coalition, utilizing the combined power of the smaller groups, takes on the more universal issues while still maintaining a sense of community and accountability within their own distinct neighborhoods.
To break it down to a more micro level, we are experiencing some internal changes within our own neighborhood Occupation. We are located in the most diverse and integrated area of a very segregated city and I think that puts us in a unique position, one that creates myriad possibilities. We stand on the threshold of a new stage, maybe a bit behind the timetable of some of the other groups but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Our most recent meeting was conflict ridden and frustrating...and it was a catalyst for growth. We are now in a position to either shit or get off the pot as someone in my family used to say and I, for one, feel the time is right for a good dose reality.
On a personal level I have to listen to my heart, to examine what it is that feels right and what doesn't. There are several paths ahead that can be explored and  I suspect as a group we will not all take the same road and that's okay. It's an exciting time to be an activist and one that is ripe with opportunity for each person to find their niche, to use their gifts and to be a part of creating something new as we approach Spring; our third season.
I do hope that as we approach Spring, with all it's hope and promise, we will all plant the seeds for growth that will carry us into an abundant Summer and a glorious Harvest.
Peace ,
Jenny Nanakoosa