"Change your lens, change your life."
If the world seems like a mess now, can we imagine what it will be like in the absence of progressive, mindful change - 20, 30, or 40 years from now?
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In my previous article I stated that our paradigms (assumptions, belief systems, and the institutions they spawn) are making us sick. They are also impoverishing us - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. In this piece I'd like to probe a bit deeper into our paradigms and their effects. The question is: "Are the veils, webs, or nets of our paradigms playing a part in our suffering?"
While I embrace a long-term view (very possibly requiring generations to shift out of our current paradigms), we need to also recognize that, in general, the pace of change is becoming more rapid.
It is essential to recognize that paradigms or "worldviews" are mental phenomena (thought-forms), by which we structure and make sense of our lives. They are also social constructions.
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Erich Fromm noted that, without instincts, humans require a picture of the world and of their place in it - a frame of reference that is structured and has inner cohesion:
Man needs a map of his natural and social world, without which he would be confused and unable to act purposefully and consistently. He would have no way of orienting himself and of finding for himself a fixed point that permits him to organize all the impressions that impinge upon him.
His world makes sense to him, and he feels certain about his ideas through the consensus with those around him. Even if a map is wrong, it fulfills its psychological function.
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