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human spirit already shows the compassion we need for
this paradigm
shift. Humans
are compassionate. When a massive disaster strikes
– the 2004 tsunami, the earthquake in Haiti –
the agencies have only to appeal for help and our donations
pour in. We do care. We feel other people’s suffering.
To feign indifference, we have to harden our hearts –
because we do care, but don’t know what to do, don’t
believe it’ll work, or don’t have the energy.
We can find the energy
we need. Music
can make us rush with elation. Art can lift our
spirits and lift us out of ourselves. Natural
beauty can reset our energy levels and make us well,
calm us when we’re frenetic ,and thrill us when
we’re despondent. Meeting an energized, happy
person brings a smile to our own face and gives us a
new surge of optimism. And through all this, when our
own energy levels bounce back up, we can pass it on.
This is where being comes in, not just doing: positive
energy is contagious.
Let’s create the paradigm
we want to shift to. Compassion
and energy exist: we want them to become the norm, as
natural as breathing and as obvious as gravity. With
2012 as our goal, we want to create a self-fulfilling
prophecy to lift our collective
consciousness. We want to create a more vibrant
society, feeding off each other's energy. Positivity
breeds positivity, energy and happiness breed energy
and happiness, enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. We have
to prove we can create this world. We have to create
it so people can perceive it and believe it’s
possible. We have to start the cause-and-effect chain.
This
is the paradigm shift we want:
- compassion
- love
- connection
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compassion
natural beauty
music
mirroring psychology
the sacculus
altruism
music perception
the selfish gene
being versus doing
playing for change
the arts
The “selfish gene” doesn’t make us
selfish – on the contrary. Dawkins, author of
The Selfish Gene, explicitly says that genes
aren’t really selfish (they can’t be, they’re
not conscious). It’s just a useful term to describe
how they serve their self-interest – at the level
of genes. At the level of people, this makes us altruistic:
if you sacrifice your own life for your kin, you’re
acting in your genes’ interests. We’re
not hardwired for selfishness.
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