One Month and Phew how Much I moved…..!
A month ago today I stepped off the ANL Bindaree in Auckland, and I did sense a new reality was awaiting me: One I was actually fearing but not sure exactly why? Living intensely as I do, I thought it could be the impending solo sail to Fiji that was weighing on my mind. Weather window permitting, my plan was to change gears from being an ocean passenger to set sail from Nelson for Fiji as an intense ‘solo participant’ in Nature’s Grand Adventure!
The other side of me said that the three months of Trumped by Nature was a Howard watershed time, and that One Point Zero had somehow gotten right into my inner core and I should expect the wild and unexpected reaction that had nothing to do with solo sailing…..! Maybe sailing is what I should be doing: Running away from ‘The Arena’…??!! Maybe I was already on my Extreme Adventure, and just been through its Baptism of Fire? Out of control on a ‘voyage’ into the unknown, and there are no manuals, charts, or other peoples’ blogs one can read for inspiration or in preparation?
In my earlier blog I lay out how I was feeling like the “Man in The Arena”, and how tempting it was to throw it all in and take up Plan B, away from society and trying to have a small impact on its course change away from ‘One Point Six and Ever Increasing‘ current course…..
I have never experienced the turmoil that I am currently experiencing: In many ways I can conclude that a One Point Zero vision is idealistic and an impossible goal. My experience of the past three months, plus my many interactions with other humans over the years has often led me to the conclusion that “This is all Hopeless, Society will never change” and forced me to look within as to why I am even concerned or interested? I have those answers firmly banked I have had to as personal risk management!!
A Moral and Ethical Calling….
Thinking about this always brings out a strong response from deep within me that says there is an ethical and moral issue at stake, and I have to be true to myself and my beliefs and values. This to me is the holy grail of life: To live authentically:
Firstly knowing one’s self and what one stands for and then living as that same self. Quite challenging in this world that increasingly seems to reward manipulation and deception, and not value those who ‘Walk the Talk’. Deeming them as missing out on themselves and Game of Life!
Taking Gandhi’s quote: My life is my message”, how many leaders of today, and the two USA presidential candidates included have a life message that is one that testifies to being inspirational and exemplary in following a sound moral and ethical framework that is necessary for future humanity Success? Forget the CNN witch hunt dirty laundry, just core life message they stand for… Hmmm, I have to say, I’m not inspired by many, if any??
I almost feel like a re- born religious addict, who has found His Truths, and is now preaching to all to follow my found path, but herein is my confusion…!
I’m a freedom seeker of the highest echelons, and when I set out in 2004 the main goal was Freedom: Freedom from a society with whose leaders and direction I had lost respect, Freedom from a hegemonic System that had cleverly imprisoned so many unknowing pawns, and Freedom from a set of Spiritual ‘truths’ that I no longer believed were truths, but ones for which I had no ready replacements.
Not being arrogant, I can confidently say that free of any real societal belonging context, over six years I found freedom that few will ever understand. However as I gained new Spiritual Truths and pushed the freedom boundary I found Nature’s restraint to my exploration of absolute Freedom. It became all crystal clear: I was free to live the life I chose, other than it needed to respect Nature’s transcendental role in sustaining human life, and the vibrancy of our home, the Planet.
It’s taken a few years of understanding what that actually means, and maybe ‘Trumped by Nature‘ was the final liberating learning step. I’m now truly free, in that I can now live the life I want, but within Nature’s constraints and it all feels REAL good! It feels like this is how we were supposed to live, an ethically and morally sound human context within Nature and our Planet.
Without exaggerating: This past month has seen my final acceptance of the One Point Zero restraint for me and the consequences have been quite profound and quite radically changed my expectation of life and my relationship to ‘normal Society’. Everyday normality is now seen in the light of a flawed definition of Success and whether I am tacitly enabling it or not? All quite scary!
Are we talking about Crimes?
Colonialism, slavery and many of society’s other darker pasts now make total sense: They are all linked to a very similar definition of Success. One that I now see as fundamentally flawed, and I can just see our disregard for Nature’s constraint as the anthropocentric spine supporting the body behind all these past crimes! And yes they are crimes!
I can’t be part of enabling further roll out, and yet everywhere I look this body is at work creating more, driving for growth, bringing more novelty, and spiralling on ever tighter circles to some utopia void of spiritual context and that is in ever increasing conflict with Nature. There is no remedy, because there is no acknowledgement of a problem. There is just denial and blind pursuit of ‘this Success’ and a self-fulfilling hope that somehow ‘we will win’ against Nature.
So what do I do….Part of The Crimes or Not?
Other than devoting my life to pointing this out, and trying to propose solutions, I can’t see how I can be part of a contributing role in enhancing society along a path I don’t agree with…. I guess I could become a ‘carer’ of the helpless victims who see things like I do, but have lost hope, and belonging with a society they disagree with but I’m not ready or able for that yet! I could join those who see the picture as I do, but have decided to partition them from ‘that society’ and live one of the increasing numbers of bio regionalised communities. Communities that have One Point Zero values and ignore the fact that the rest of the world is living on different ‘One Point Six and Ever Increasing’ values.
No Escape? Its a Planet and Humanity Problem
Because Nature and the planet is a single and holistic ecological system for our single Earth, and not partitioned by nation, continent, community, individual etc., the only solution to the One Point Zero crisis is one that reflects the totality of The System, and the collective impact of all humans. In this respect we have a problem maybe cleverly designed by ‘our creator’, where all humans now all have to work together to solve?
National / Regional / Partial solutions are not solutions, and herein the responsibility to show leadership lies with those most culpable and with the capability and resources for solution. This points to the Wealthy nations, the wealthy and influential of the world, but sadly there is no history of these entities forgoing their selfish goals in the pursuit of grander, morally and ethically grounded humanitarian , Success that could require a compromise of their Success.
So as One Point Zero is an all of humanity as one issue, I feel compelled to continue my path contra to Society. Not knowing where I am going or how I am going to achieve any meaningful impact I do however feel this strong force within. Driving me to be true to my heart and soul and soldier on regardless of the odds, just embracing the journey and the learning and further freedom it brings me….
If only I could really share the sense of liberation success that comes with adopting a One Point Zero vision and exploring the pursuit of its associated lifestyle with those powers that be?
Transformation at Two Levels
I see the process of the Transformation of Society to a One Point Zero World as needing to take place at two levels:
Systemic Change
Firstly, there is no doubt that huge Systemic Change is needed. I.e. Society needs to redefine what Success is!! Many books have been written about that, and I have no doubt that if one was able to have a one on one over quite a few drinks, with Planet concerned world leaders they would acknowledge that Systemic change is the only solution: That is that the current path of citizens just continue with business as usual, and behind the scenes governments will just change the fuel of the engine is mere window dressing but at least seen to be doing something, for which they will get legacy building brownie points.
How We can get Involved Personally?
The second level is at the personal level, where gathering momentum from those desiring to embrace a One Point Zero life, demand fashion change and help the System leadership become more courageous in their vision for transformation and Systemic change. In this individual context I believe the wealthy, elite and influential members of society can play a very big role in showing the way for change.
I do wonder when it will become frowned upon to be obviously living a multi planet demanding lifestyle?
My sense is that this isn’t that far off, and when that tide changes a vision of One Point Zero will start appearing as a distinct reality, and Systemic change will move pretty quickly as necessary the enabler. Individuals alone will not be able to turn Society around: It requires both levels of change, and both helping each other make the transformation easier.
I do come across many people living humble One Point Zero lifestyles within societies / communities that collectively are multi planet lifestyle entities. Often for them change was initiated by economic necessity, almost making it easier to cross ‘The Chasm‘ than for those who are burdened in luxury and wedded to the current day definition of Success and dependent on all the trappings that go with that pursuit. If you are one of the already committed One Point Zero-ers, I’d encourage you to join my activism in trying to influence the multi planet living people to change their ways. Many of these people are key cogs in The System, where the Systemic Change is needed, and so change at their personal level will have a huge knock on effect.
New heroes and celebrities of society will be those voluntarily getting of their huge multi-planet demanding lives and joining us on the Nature side of ‘The Chasm‘. Humanity desperately needs these role models, people who seemingly ‘sacrifice’ The High Life, for The Simple Life, and can vouch for the liberation they experience
So it is in this moral and ethical centred pursuit that I have resisted my Plan B escape option and move forward both tentatively and excitingly exploring the unknown. I look to harbour the strong moral and ethical inspiration within and remain ever open for outside injection from wherever it comes. As this past month’s surprise further awakening of my soul has shown me I maybe short on a route map, but a moral compass I have and I’m far from ready to give up…..
I’m just taking it one step at a time, and although I have lots of ideas and possible ways forward, I’ll just let this point in my journey deliver its next steps, and will be back here soon…