October 2020
How can we create positive change
in our current world?
Sharron Rose
I would say the first thing to do is really work on yourself. Go inward. We have so many practices, especially in Crestone, that are really time honored practices for healing on every level. And I also think that we all talk about climate change in the outer world, right? "Oh, we've got to do something for the environment in Crestone. We're very concerned." But to me, it seems like the first thing we could do is what I call emotional climate change. If we could learn to bring up our shadows, we release our shadows and we learn how to work with our emotions so that we can transmute those negative emotions like anger and rage into this kind of openness. And if we could start to really perceive the energetic world (and so many of us have so many teachings about how to do this) and how these emotions are affecting other people, then as the inner climate would shift naturally, the outer climate would shift.
The other thing I feel would help bring peace is, as a performer, teacher or scholar, or all these things, I've had the blessings to embody, as a dancer particularly, all of the rhythms and music and chants and movements of cultures from throughout the world. And those of us kinesthetic types and artistic types and musical types who have experienced that, I think we should be leading the way in terms of bringing people together, because when I worked throughout schools and on the East Coast, I found that it was an amazing experience to bring children together in that way, where, for example, Latino children wanted to be Ganesh in these stories. And to me, it's taking away the intellectual, judgmental aspect and just really vibing with these people and bringing joy. So I think it's, “What can we do to bring happiness?” Grow a garden! Connect with nature!
Jay Weidner
My good friend, Terence McKenna, predicted about 25 years ago that the human race was about to go through what he called the “climax of history,” and that in this event, everything would change. At the end of the event, we would be a completely different race than we were at the beginning of the event, and I believe that we are at the beginning of a 10-year event that will take us to 2030. And there's going to be many, many changes that are going to be breathtaking between now and then, so I think it's important for us to try to find stability during this coming event that we're already in (because covid is the beginning of it). Try to grow your own food and build a circle of friends that are real and true friends, and also family will come back. All of these things are about to come back in a big time way. Travel's going to be restricted, I would say, during the entire event. So, we're going to have to learn to live with each other. And I think that's the real positive thing about all of this, besides the fact that I like that people are working from home. My stepson is able to spend quality time with his newborn, which most men do not ever get to do because they have to work at that stage of life.
There are a lot of positive things going on and the Internet is going to become a very big force in the next few years because we're going to need to depend on it more and more for everything. And building community: first, take care of yourself and your family; then go further out and take care of your community; then go further out and take care of other communities. I think we have to learn how to share and be kind to each other.
John Luke Wall
Well, first of all, I can only speak for myself and how I have decided to make a positive change is my commitment to using less, consuming less, and therefore buying less and needing less. I started small by making a decision and a commitment several years ago to stop buying plastic. And of course, the first thing I was struck with was how nearly impossible this is, but I also realized how dependent and committed I was to the notion of consumerism.
So the changes I’ve made have been to grow more of my own food, to produce more of my own raw materials, and that when I do need more than what I have, to purchase locally, and that includes everything from raw building materials to the food that I eat. I think it's a pretty simple formula.
Robin Helm
The New Normal: you can’t escape this term. It’s everywhere. Generally, it has a negative connotation, as globally we are dealing with unprecedented, rapid change. But don’t we frequently deal with “new normals”? I remember dating, getting married, having children, taking care of an injured family member. All of these life changes required new routines, constant adjustments. But what blessings I have been granted with every one of them. Now is just another NOW, and I’d like to think I will meet the challenges as I have in the past, with gratitude for the blessings.
Some of the techniques I am using to adjust to social distancing and keeping my headspace in a more positive place are simple: I built a garden as I find digging in the dirt and watching things grow is very grounding and brings peace. I write something daily in a gratitude journal to focus on what is amazing in my life. Although I have retired from my career in this covid time, it’s been a great opportunity to explore other things that I enjoy and have a passion for. Consistent learning: studying a second language, adding to my professional certifications, computer platforms to enhance our online business.
Overall, I feel so blessed to be living in such a beautiful, sacred place.
Katie Getchell
Mmmmmm. Very tough question. If the answer were simple, "our current world" would be so different. Almost nobody sets out to create negative change, but here we are.
I could generalize: we could all be less wasteful, human-centric, aggressive, and dogmatic; we could open our minds, learn more, be kinder, have patience, and recognize natural limits. Everyone could use their power to lift up and help those who have less.
But there's no single prescription for positive change. I think we have to meet our own life's lessons in real time. Inside, we each know our particular challenge. For one person, that might mean finding their voice, being more visible, engaged and participatory. But someone else might need to slow down, rest, be quiet and refrain from stressful, compulsive action - and that might actually create very positive changes for their family and the world around them. Whatever we do ripples out.
Probably the best thing is to be much more aware of our minds and actions, to really take responsibility for how they affect the whole. Change happens anyway, but sensing the most appropriate way of responding, moment to moment, is the art of creating positive and not negative effects. And the moment is ever-changing.