About this episode
The world does appear to be falling apart; in every community group there is a tremor of discontent. Many people have been worried for some time now and this has been heightened by the Covid 19 world pandemic. Many are all feeling pressured by the demands of lock-downs and social distancing. This isolation leads to even greater sensation of loneliness, worry and further disconnection within and among many community groups. Those in the spiritual communities are feeling the opposite. They are sensing a strong pull toward connection as the chaos increases. Despite the uncertainty of how to accommodate for the fear and suffering in others, they are committed to holding tight to their personal higher-power. This positive spiritual energy has been a part of the American experience since its founding. America’s history has led to tremendous advancements with openness, inclusion and education for the masses. What was once thought unattainable to the common citizenry was embraced and mastered in the United States. Over the last two centuries these advancements have become an ever greater threat to the world-wide hierarchies of power. People have been waking-up through the enlightenment of modern thinking and education and this is shaking humanity to its core. How will we transition through this unique period in human history? Only time will tell. WHY MANY ARE WORRIED AND SUFFERING As already discussed in previous chapters, the many unique traditions and community belief systems have made great progress in all societies. This growth however has led to pompous self-aggrandizing beliefs that have pushed us to marginalizing others into competing camps of power. Through our growth and expansion in science and technology humanity has gained mastery over our physical needs for survival. Sadly we have been declining and transitioning away from the spiritual values that were fundamental in building world-wide civilizations. Since we are unable to adopt and support all of our individual ideas and ideological beliefs we have further divide into individual group connections holding tight to our own. This has become strikingly obvious in the western world. Individual self-love and the strong belief in our scientific advancements have many believing only in themselves. The atheistic appeal of knowledge and intellect, which is part of a new post-modern culture, has led to a decline in the traditional Judeo-Christian values that founded Western Civilizations. The community values, that helped stabilize and balance the personal power afforded to individuals, has been replaced with aggressive self-promoting arrogance as the new culture. Those who focus on themselves and pursue their own individual personal agendas are feeling tremendous discomfort. This new attack culture of marginalizing “the others” in unsustainable. The social justice warriors push to attacking those of traditional hierarchical powers has led to major declines in civil behaviors. Good manners and honest dialogs have been replaced with personal attacks and cancel culture. Group pressure to withdraw support for public figures who contradict the narrative is the new normal. Boycotting companies that have said or done something considered objectionable or offensive to a specific ideological group. This cancel culture is magnified by group shaming and group labeling which sharpens the hostility and the fears of people on all sides. THE PRELUDE TO RECONNECTION Foundational principles of consideration for civil behaviors, which include communicating with manners and proper decorum when interacting with others, seem to have all but disappeared. Respect for your elders, woman and children, all of these ideals have been diminished if not fully abandoned by many people today. The individual is no longer a sovereign unto themselves. They have been hijacked by a group identity that is built on hyper patrician separation. Everyone seems to be dividing into social groupings an