The understanding of community is extremely important today, not only for our emotional and spiritual well-being, but for the future of our children and, in fact for the survival of humanity.

As you well know, we are faced with a whole series of global environmental problems which are harming the biosphere and human life in alarming ways that may soon become irreversible. The great challenge of our time is to create sustainable communities; that is, social and cultural environments in which we can satisfy our needs without diminishing the chances of future generations.

What we're presently witnessing in the world, as the Arctic swiftly melts and the global money system jumping on the bandwagon, is indicative of the current paradigm of dominance and profit-seeking dismantling itself before our eyes.

Idealism notwithstanding, it presents an invitation to collectively explore investing instead in the already discreetly emerging paradigm of cooperation and resource sharing. Assuming that's so and we have the collective will to survive and continue evolving this would seem a worthwhile invitation to accept now.

If so, paradigm shifts take time and passing through the critical transitional phase en route to the party will inevitably be a bumpy ride. But the bumps will be less jarring if we're able to focus and remain focused on an intended outcome of co-manifesting a global society based on love rather than fear.

How can you possibly criticise
our good honest(ha!)
christian Society..?
Modern western culture uses spirituality
when it suits,
divides,turns people
against one another in a dog eat dog,rat race.
Playing
on peoples fear and insecurity to great effect.

By William H. Murray (from his book "The Scottish Himalayan Expedition"):

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

 

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

Sylvia Eagle, permaculture pionneer..1983

Across the road from where I live the trees are being vandalised, their branches being ripped, their leaves torn. I decided to take some action.

As his windows look directly onto the damage, I approached my neighbour across the street, for as I said to him his children needed the trees, would he like to be part of a co-operative to tree watch?


He looked at me in total surprise & said …
"NO…I’M NOT INTO TREES
I’M NOT BOTHERED".

I realised the full truth of what he was saying & how important it was. As a child this man had quite literally, "NOT BEEN INTO TREES", & the likelihood if his children being "INTO TREES", was remote.

 

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are questions to be considered:

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said,
This could be a good time.

Community is the universal organ that has suffered the greatest injury. It is a necessary part of the Whole that has been destroyed on a global level.

Everywhere where people were displaced, enslaved or sold through conquering wars and colonization, communities were destroyed and thus the life nerve of whole peoples.

This destruction has been raging for 7000 years, up to the present time where the last indigenous people are being expelled and destroyed in the name of economic interests on all continents.

The disappearance of the human community has caused a severe wound in the human civilisation. With the destruction of community the human being has lost his/her authentic morality and responsibility.

People have been torn from their organic communities. This has also gradually separated them from their own higher self and their higher knowledge and from the higher orders of life.

Community was and is the natural humus for trust and solidarity.

(Quote by Dieter Duhm)

We are at an unprecedented time in our human history; a time when our collective actions today will have profound impact on unborn generations; a time where the arguments over climate change are fading and the realisation of its far-reaching effects are dawning; of escalating fuel prices matched with dwindling resources and the destruction of nature all over the world. We are not short of worrying information.

Critical mass of consciousness is dawning
Yet despite the news, there is a subtle but persistent shift in our world-view. I believe that as we cast more light on humanity's difficulties and challenges, we can experience incremental shifts in consciousness. Psychologists compare human consciousness to icebergs. We have at most 10% of our group consciousness rising above the surface of the water. The rest is hidden. They also believe that it only takes 17% of a group to influence the opinion of the remaining 83%. In other words, the critical mass of a group is far lower than the majority. Critical mass is beginning to dawn about our environment and climate. There is also a growing understanding that the elements of a more spiritual society - simplicity, harmlessness, peace, benevolence - are also the qualities of an ecological society. We have an unprecedented opportunity therefore to strengthen our personal spiritual practice and ground it in more ecologically aware lives.