 t is easy to get overwhelmed by the bad
news if you're concerned about the world and its environment. Everywhere
you look, the signs say "trouble ahead," from the continuing assault
on forests and fish stocks to the steady increase of climate-changing greenhouse
gases.
 At one level, the actions that are
weakening the world's ecosystems are driven by the corporate desire for
profits and the consumer's desire for material affluence.
Behind those desires, however, is
the consciousness that guides them. And consciousness changes it is not
just a passive responder to whatever happens to it.
"Without a global
revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for
the better ... and the catastrophe towards which the world is headed the
ecological, social, demographic or general breakdown of culture will be
inevitable."
Vaclav Havel, President
of the Czech Republic
Recent surveys indicate that this
revolution is underway, with a power and thrust that give it enormous significance:
· 55 percent of Americans consider nature to be
sacred and/or spiritual. (National Opinion Research, 1994)
· 19 percent of Americans say they have practiced
meditation, 12 percent within the last year. (ABC News/Washington Post,
1996)
· A majority of Americans (63 percent) think that
the start of the millennium should be a time for "prayer and reflection,"
rather than for "fun and parties." (17 percent). (Yankelovich,
1997)
In 1995, the Merck Family Fund commissioned
a major study of U.S. citizens' views on consumption, called Yearning
for Balance:
· 88 percent agree that "Protecting the environment
will require most of us to make major changes in the way we live."
· 82 percent agree that "Most of us buy and
consume far more than we need; it's wasteful."
· Asked what would make them much more satisfied
with their lives, 66 percent said "If I were able to spend more time
with my family and friends"; 47 percent said "If I felt I was
doing more to make a difference in my community"; 21 percent said "If
I had a nicer car" and 19 percent said "If I had a bigger house
or apartment."
· 28 percent said that in the last 5 years they
had voluntarily made changes in their lives that resulted in making less
money, such as reducing work hours, or even quitting work. When extrapolated,
this suggests that more than 50 million Americans have "downshifted"
to simplify their lives.
The Trends Research Institute of
New York described "global simplicity" as one of the top 10 trends
of 1997: "Never before in the Institute's 17 years of trend tracking
has a societal trend grown so quickly, spread so broadly, and been embraced
so eagerly."
Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary
Simplicity and Awakening Earth, has just coauthored a new study
called Global Consciousness Change: Indicators of an Emerging Paradigm,
from which this data is taken. ($5 US +$2 shipping to The Millennium Project,
PO Box 2449, San Anselmo, CA 94979. It can be downloaded for free from www.awakeningearth.org). He feels
that "a new global culture and consciousness have taken root and are
beginning to grow in the world. This represents a shift in consciousness
as distinct and momentous as that which occurred in the transition from
the agricultural era to the industrial era roughly 300 years ago" when
we first embraced science, and the objectification of matter and nature.
Earlier this year, public television
stations around the county aired Affluenza, which the producers define
as "An epidemic of stress, overwork, shopping and debt caused by the
dogged pursuit of the American Dream," with symptoms that include "the
bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from one's efforts
to keep up with the Joneses."
A revolution is underway. In the
United States, 10 percent of the population is consciously exploring new
ways of living consistent with the paradigm, with younger women in the lead.
A further 13 percent have high levels of ecological and social concern,
but give a lower priority to personal growth, either spiritual or psychological.
Something is happening. As Margaret
Mead said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
So let's get changing!  | 
islandnet.com.