Global Values
A New Paradigm for a New World
by Karin Miller
IX. Choice
Everything we have created in the world is the result of our choices. In a cascading chain of events, our choices ultimately manifest in material form: we have a thought; we choose to put energy into that idea; we decide to put that idea into action; and many things come about due to that first choice and all the choices that followed. For example, when we look at a house we know someone decided to build it, and many choices were made in order for it to become a reality: the property was obtained or purchased; an architect was probably employed to draw up plans in accordance with the future homeowner’s vision; builders were chosen to implement the plans and build the house; and many choices were made in respect of the building materials, finishes, and landscaping. If someone had not made that first choice to build the house, none of these other things would have happened.
Choices are also made on a societal scale, and the dominant worldview manifests the larger realities we are all experiencing. Our societies believe at a certain level that we must necessarily compete and fight to survive, and so we manifest an antagonistic reality rather than a cooperative one. By choosing to value an isolationist paradigm of individualism, separation, and competition over collaboration, we have created a world of nations turned against each other, depleted natural resources, a deteriorating natural world, and social, political, and economic turmoil. We have missed the mark over and over, and we are suffering for it. Absolutely everything that arises is the result of choices. By extension, we will manifest a different future by making different choices.
On a personal level, many of us have made choices that have left us feeling as though we exist in a perpetual whirlwind. We rush from one thing to the next, multitasking to meet the demands of our work, family, society, and self. Too many of us have unfulfilling jobs, and we are easily discarded by the system to meet the needs of imbalanced economies. Meanwhile, we are distracted by the constant media bombardment of advertising, television, movies, music, news, and politics.
As we struggle to get by in this chaotic environment, it is very easy to feel like a victim. We did not actively choose this—or did we? Even if we did, we could not possibly have intended these results. The good news is that, regardless of our current situation, we can choose again and change our ways and our future. There are no victims; there are only those who forget their power to choose something else. We have the ability to decide what we would like to see in the world, and the power to choose to create it. Like the Scarecrow and the Lion in The Wizard of Oz, we simply need the wisdom to recognize, and the courage to reclaim, the value and power of our choices.
We are all creators, and our power to make choices is like a laser that directs our intentions and energy toward the goals we set. We have the power to choose where we focus our energy and what we manifest in the material world. In each moment, we make decisions based on our beliefs and values that determine our destiny and shape our future. In other words, our ability to choose provides us with the means to shape reality. Through our individual and collective choices, we decide what will emerge into form and what will only be a fleeting thought that disappears as quickly as it arose.
We create our individual lives in the context of everyone else’s choices, and together we create our collective reality. Because we have focused much of our attention on fear and separation, our world now reflects such fear and separation. The news and entertainment are filled with fear and violence, and as we consume and identify with this media our consciousness begins to reflect and reinforce these destructive forces. That which receives our attention is magnified and strengthened in the world if we do not question it. However, this dire situation we find ourselves in is truly a gift. We do not have to succumb to the paralysis of fear, nor do we have to feel helpless and doomed. Rather, we have the good fortune to be able to use our current chaos as a catalyst for change. In our suffering from misguided choices, we can take new aim and try again—we have the ability to make new choices. If we were comfortable, why would we choose differently? Our discomfort encourages us to change our ways. As we are faced with many ongoing global dilemmas, we have the opportunity to align our future choices and actions with a higher vision for humanity. By choosing love over fear, and making choices that support the sustainability of the whole, we will magnify love, sustainability, and unity in the world.
Now is the time to choose again, and to make better choices that will support and benefit the whole of creation. Our choices can no longer be made only in support of ourselves, our families, our communities, our countries, and our species. We have the power to make choices from an elevated perspective, creating our lives in the context of the whole interconnected world. It is up to us whether we decide to make choices that support a healthy and sustainable world, or to make choices that continue down our current path. It is as simple as choosing to switch on a light to illuminate a room, or choosing to switch the light off and leave the room in darkness. By choosing to give our attention and energy to that which reflects a holistic paradigm, we choose to enlighten humanity and evolve.
We may become gripped by fear, but we can choose to overcome it.
In our media-saturated world, the creation and perpetuation of fear is prevalent and many companies and others in power benefit by controlling the masses through fear tactics and agendas. Dramatic and often terrifying images and ideas are broadcast and published in a 24-hour news cycle. In reaction to their fear, people advocate war and the vast business that it has become for suppliers and governments. We fear diseases and buy pharmaceuticals at the first onset of a mysterious symptom that we read about on the Internet or saw in a commercial. When people get depressed about what they see in the news, they often opt for the antidepressant shown in a commercial that same evening. While there are great benefits to many pharmaceuticals, casual use to counter discontent with the state of the world and our lives only serves to keep us from implementing change. Fear keeps the masses in check and discourages them from taking actions contrary to the will of those in power.
For many, a fear-based mindset has become the new normal. We fear terrorism, economic instability, climate change, diseases, unemployment, the weather, and each other. Desperate for information on the latest threat or disaster, we remain glued to our televisions, radios, and online media— watching, listening, waiting, and anticipating the worst. In our fearful state, we have created a growing demand for fear-based programming that the mass media is more than willing to exploit. Our access to news, events, and stories from across the globe is in fact empowering, but if we cling to fear—and continue to demand fear-based programming—we are only serving to reinforce fear-based thinking.
The global fear that is permeating our societies can feel paralyzing. It takes great courage to choose a different path, but all we really need to do is take the first step. By choosing to overcome fear, we begin to change. When we choose not to act in fear, we more readily arrive at creative solutions that will transform our circumstances for the better—rather than worsening and devolving them. All that is required is for each of us to individually make that personal choice and put it into action.
Fear itself is a choice. When we choose to act in fear we are reactive, and more likely to take impulsive and shortsighted actions. In contrast, when we reflect on our circumstances with objectivity and equanimity, we can rise above our fears and see new possibilities from a new perspective. It is entirely within our power to recognize the global challenges we face, take responsibility for our past choices, and respond with appropriate actions—without being swept up in waves of fear and anxiety.
When we choose to overcome our individual fears, we are supporting a larger worldview that values love over fear. By choosing to work together to create a new world that matches our values—love over fear, connectedness over separation, choice and responsibility over apathy—we are reclaiming our authority. When we set our new vision into action we become the authors of our destiny. In this way, we inspire and empower others to take a stand with us, and, together, with shared intentions, we can choose to create a new world.
We cannot abdicate our responsibility and expect positive results.
One of the most destructive choices we can make is to abdicate our decision-making authority. As we go through life distracted by the mass media, or bewildered by our circumstances, it is easy to let others make choices for us, or to leave things up to chance. In times of crisis—such as these we are living through—we can feel so frightened and overwhelmed by everything that it often seems that the easiest thing to do is nothing. However, by choosing to let others take control of our decision-making we are choosing to give away our power, and by default we are choosing to live the life that someone else has chosen for us. Those who are not actively engaged in life abandon their power as creators, and choose to live in the wake of decisions made by others.
Choosing to align our actions with our values can be one of the hardest choices we ever have to make. It takes great courage, but we are not alone. We are all in this together and, together, we can muster the courage for all of us. As one brave soul starts to create a world that works for all, a brick is laid in the path, and others are emboldened to follow that lead. When we have the courage to become trailblazers, we encourage others to do the same.
We must not be afraid to make hard choices or to advocate change. Many of us may ask: Who am I to make an important decision at a time like this? The better question is: Who am I not to? The future of the world is depending on each and every one of us to choose rightly. We are all caretakers of the world, and for too long we have not taken our great responsibility seriously. We are collectively responsible for creating our circumstances, and the only way we can change things is to become co-creators of a better future. It is up to each of us to ensure that we do our part.
The key is to be an active participant in whatever ways we can. Not everyone will have the precise skills or expertise to take on the technical challenges we face, but each of us has the power to decide to cooperate with others to accomplish what needs to be done. We do not all have the aptitude or training to be rocket scientists or brain surgeons or political leaders, but we can all choose to cooperate with others to overcome our global crises, set humanity on a better path, and get the job done in the most life-sustaining ways possible. Certain individuals will be better suited to carrying out certain tasks, but we can all choose to support the highest good for all. We can choose to empower others and ourselves by joining forces to find creative solutions to the challenges we face today.
Our societies are imprisoned by our mistakes, faulty logic, bad choices, and our destructive and divisive isolationist paradigm. However, we have the power to set our collective intentions in the right direction, and to put our energy and actions into solutions based on love rather than fear. When we have the courage to make better choices on a personal level, that energy ripples out into the universe and gives others the courage and strength to join us. By taking charge of ourselves, we take charge of the whole.
The whole of humanity and creation can be steered in a new direction when one imaginative soul dares to choose another way. Because all things are interconnected in one body of life, the choice of one person can have an instantaneous effect on everything. Making that choice makes a difference— whether or not it sets in motion a series of events that overtly leads to substantive change. What we choose to eat for breakfast, what we choose to say to a sales clerk, how we react to the news—all these choices matter because our choices, big or small, collectively create our reality and they affect the realities of everyone else. By choosing to act in love, compassion, and kindness in all we do, we are setting the foundation for a better, cooperative future for all.
The game of life
Choosing, acting, responding to the consequences, and choosing again—this is how we play the game of life. As humans, we are all members of the same team playing a shared game. The optimal outcome of the game of life will not be achieved by individuals making choices and decisions that are solely in their own self-interest at the expense of the whole. We know that optimal results will be achieved for our team when all the players cooperate and work together. This can be seen in the context of team sports. If the stars of any team decide to try to win a game on their own—and choose not to work with their teammates—the result will often be a loss for the team. So it is for the team of humanity playing the game of life.
The world used to be a place that could withstand us playing the game using strategies of extreme individualism and egoistic self-centeredness. In fact, these strategies were quite profitable and materially rewarding for many individuals and a few nations. The problem is that the world has changed, but we have not. We no longer have an abundance of natural resources, seemingly unlimited space and time, and a pristine environment to exploit. Continuing to play only for our own self-interest with disregard for the larger context in which we live may indeed still provide huge, short-term profits for a few, but the cost to the many is becoming too high to bear. These myopic and self-centered strategies are not viable in the long-term.
The playing field has changed, and if we hope to survive we have to devise a new game plan. We learn and grow through making choices, facing the results of our choices, and taking responsibility for them. By now, we should understand we can no longer play for fun, games, and short-term benefit, as if we are carefree children in a playground. The stakes are much too high. By continuing to play by the old rules, we are only moving ourselves closer and closer to the brink. We are in our final hour, and shortsighted, immature choices are no longer a luxury we can afford. Our future choices will determine the future of our species. If we do not choose rightly, we will continue to threaten our own lives, our societies, and civilization as we know it. Life itself is now on the line. The stakes cannot get any higher, and we need to start playing smarter and wiser.
When we choose to play a new, mature game, learning from our mistakes, we will create the possibility of establishing new modes of existence that sustain all life on this planet. Rather than continuing to play a zero-sum game that will likely not go on for much longer, we can choose to play a sustainable, inclusive, and cooperative game of life into the future. With the wisdom of learning from our past missteps, we will begin to set new rules whereby we call can interact for mutual benefit in the long run.
To make better choices, we must listen to our bodies and our instincts.
Many of us are so used to thinking and choosing only with our minds, we have lost the wisdom that our bodies can afford us. We try to think things through, weighing all of the pros and cons, completely ignoring our intuition and instincts. As part of a society that values reason and intellect, we have become accustomed to suppressing and ignoring what our bodies tell us, and often cut ourselves off from some of the natural intelligence our bodies possess. On top of that, we have learned to distrust ourselves and our ability to make good decisions, because we have made so many bad choices in the past. We may believe we need to really think things through in order to avoid the mistakes of our past. What we forget is that many of those poor choices were not made holistically, and as such, many of them were bound to be bad.
By moving out of our head and into our body in the moment of choice, we can overcome any anxiety we have around making choices. Rather than living full of fear about the future, we can step into the present moment and think with our whole being. This is not to say that we should not use reason and intellect to solve our problems. Of course, we can use the mind to evaluate the circumstances and information at hand. In addition, however, we should also look to our heart to connect to the greater good, and our gut to direct us to the right course of action that is in alignment with our values. For example, have you ever thought that from a logical perspective and according to society, you should do one thing, but your intuition and gut feeling is to do another? Perhaps your heart is more aligned with your morals than, for example, the intellectual short-term pursuit of profit or personal gain. In a more concrete example, advertisements and social norms may make a particular food popular, but you find that it makes you feel poorly. These are only a few examples, but when we take an expanded view and a holistic approach, listening to our intuition and our bodies, we can begin to follow our natural instincts and the natural universal order, rather than merely being guided by existing social constructs and norms.
As the common phrase goes, (often attributed to Albert Einstein although not confirmed), we cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them. By using our whole being to make choices, we assist life in transforming our world. When we choose to let life flow through us—rather than trying to control it—the results will naturally support the greater good. We will relax into the natural order of things and let the intelligence of the universe work through us. We will rise above destructive social norms and practices and permit the greatest forces of the universe to undo the mistakes of our faulty choices, and we will thereby revolutionize the world.
We can use our choices to become agents of change.
We have the opportunity to be agents of change in the evolution of humanity. We can remain prisoners of our faulty thinking and choices, or we can make the courageous decision to participate in the unfolding of a new world. The choice is ours. In choosing to adopt a new paradigm that supports a healthy and sustainable world, we are choosing to be a transformer like Shiva, the ancient Hindu deity, who represents aspects of both creation and destruction. We become a catalyst for the falling away of the old and the emergence of what is to come. As we act in ways that support life, each other, the environment, and the world, we begin to undo the past harm we have collectively caused in exchange for a brighter future.
Ultimately, we must decide as individuals whether or not we will support the greater whole of which we are a part. The time we take to make that choice is up to us. We can suffer by delaying that choice, or we can choose rightly—now. Once we make that decision and relax into our transformation, our individual choices begin to align with those that support our collective evolution. My will becomes thy will—and we begin to act as one.