It occurred to me that we spend so much of our lives learning to be independent, unique individuals that we've lost touch with the concept of collective growth. However, we still feel it. That insatiable void that exists in everybody at some point in their life comes from the desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself. In ancient times, without electricity to cause light pollution in the night sky, people were reminded every night of our place in the universe. It was obvious that we are quite literally part of something much bigger. Naturally, various schools of thought emerged all across the planet. These evolved into our first religions. People could confirm their beliefs simply by looking up. The Mayans were only one civilization among numerous others who's entire culture revolved around the cosmos. And contrary to all the 2012 mumbo jumbo, the end of the Mayan calendar does not mean the end of the world. It simply marks the end of an era -- the end of an actual astronomical cycle. The implications of this are obviously a topic of debate.
Nowadays, as religions evolve to accommodate our ever changing condition, they are put through an arsenal of tests. For most of us, it has become increasingly rare to get a clear glympse at a seemingly infinite night sky. And with so many things to distract us in our daily lives, it can seem impossible to make time to set a space and look inward. Questions of existence are therefore much harder to address, if we think to ask them at all. Faith is far from dead, but because it feels more and more like blind belief, we find ourselves searching for a more tangible purpose. As living beings, we inherently feel the need to reproduce to ensure the survival of our species. That's something. Yet even that is becoming more and more concerning. Our planet is not equipped to handle even our current population for long at the rate we are unnecessarily stripping it of it's resources. But we still make babies. We hope that they will do something significant with their lives, the way our parents hoped it for us. And the cycle continues, however detetched we may feel.
What exactly is this significance we hope to achieve? We know problems exist, at every level. Some of us take a personal stand, or join movements, or become politicians, to fight for what we believe in. Most of us though, go about our daily lives, laughing or cursing at the news, debating with friends and colleagues, hoping for some positive change to happen. Individuality is debilitating in that regard, for what impact could the average person possibly have on the faith of a country, much less our planet?
Well, a lot. A group cannot exist without individuals. A movement cannot happen without a cause. A country cannot thrive without the support of its people. So what if we bridged the gap between the individual and immediate national and global impact? What if we were confident that our voices were being heard, and that it resulted in immediate action? And what if we didn't have to compromise anything to be a part of this?
We have the tools, at least for now. And this is already a reality. Discover sites like
www.avaaz.org and
www.accessnow.org then spread the word. The cost is nothing. The reward, a little meaning to your day.
Happy End-of-the-World Day!
