"But we can begin by saying that willingness implies a surrendering of one's self-separateness, an entering-into, an immersion in the deepest processes of life itself. It is a realization that one is already part of some ultimate cosmic process and it is a commitment to participation in that process.
"In contrast, willfulness is the setting oneself apart from the fundamental essence of life in an attempt to master, direct, control, or otherwise manipulate existence. More simply, willingness is saying yes to the mystery of being alive in each moment. Willfulness is saying no, or perhaps more commonly, 'Yes, but.'
"Willingness notices the wonder of life"and bows in some kind of reverence to it. Willfulness forgets it, ignores it, or at worst actively tries to destroy it.
""As a culture we now have tremendous difficulty viewing ourselves as part of nature and even more trouble seeing ourselves as children of the universe. We have become so addicted to the self-importance of saying 'no' that we often forget the humble, simple hope of saying 'yes' to life itself. We would do well, then, to take a good look at how pervasive our willfulness has become, and what it is doing to us."
In thinking about it, this in many ways summarizes the modern state of mind. How can we apply this to our current condition as a nation and a world? Will we require a level of shocking cataclysm to begin to wake us up and spur us into life-saving action? And will this occur in time to save ourselves and the Biosphere?
The key question is whether we will become "sick and tired of being sick and tired" in time to avert a terminating disaster.
Is it possible that we, as a species, have become addicted at a deep and unconscious level to self-images and worldview that are deceptive, false, seductively misleading, and fundamentally unworkable?
Specifically, the following are some of the problems created by our current hubristic life orientation: destruction of the rainforests, massive species extinction, overpopulation, refugee issues, pollution, the ever-widening rift between the very rich and the poor, corporate control of governments (fascism), the potential for nuclear devastation, radical climate change and perilous resource depletion - to name a few.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
