On Living In Interesting Times - September 12, 2008
I just finished reading Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake", a utopian/distopian novel about the unintended consequences of genetic engineering and what you can't change about human nature. In 2003 it was probably still a little shocking, conjuring images that seemed far-fetched and too sci-fi. In 2008, however, it reads almost like news headlines, with just a dab of creative license.
I've also been dabbling in the occult... I picked up a book called "Cosmos and Psyche", which explores the separation that occcurred when we discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, and how by imagining a wholly objective universe, we lost the basis for the meaning in our humanity. The book goes into the history (and former science) of astrology, and explores how the movement of other planets may be connected to our personal and collective experience here on our own planet.
It made me think a lot about the kinds of choices that I've made, and the lifestyle I'm choosing to live. It made me think about the kind of world that we all are busy creating and sustaining every single day. I agree that one of our crowning achievements as human beings is technology, but it is only one of our claims to fame, one of many cultural adaptations that have allowed us as a species to flourish. It shares the stage with such heavy hitters as compassion, awareness, and the ability to imagine the future--and make choices accordingly.
We are well equipped to be here, right now, in the midst of these interesting times. We can see both the fruits and the failures of our labors. We are uniquely endowed with the ability to be aware of our situation, to really feel how our fellow earthlings are impacted by our actions, to imagine a more desirable future and to choose to use our tools humanely to benefit both ourselves and the world.
Now if I can get all of that into a catchy little song that hits the pop charts worldwide, I'll be in business;)
I've also been dabbling in the occult... I picked up a book called "Cosmos and Psyche", which explores the separation that occcurred when we discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, and how by imagining a wholly objective universe, we lost the basis for the meaning in our humanity. The book goes into the history (and former science) of astrology, and explores how the movement of other planets may be connected to our personal and collective experience here on our own planet.
It made me think a lot about the kinds of choices that I've made, and the lifestyle I'm choosing to live. It made me think about the kind of world that we all are busy creating and sustaining every single day. I agree that one of our crowning achievements as human beings is technology, but it is only one of our claims to fame, one of many cultural adaptations that have allowed us as a species to flourish. It shares the stage with such heavy hitters as compassion, awareness, and the ability to imagine the future--and make choices accordingly.
We are well equipped to be here, right now, in the midst of these interesting times. We can see both the fruits and the failures of our labors. We are uniquely endowed with the ability to be aware of our situation, to really feel how our fellow earthlings are impacted by our actions, to imagine a more desirable future and to choose to use our tools humanely to benefit both ourselves and the world.
Now if I can get all of that into a catchy little song that hits the pop charts worldwide, I'll be in business;)