NOTE: This was originally written on 02/17/2020 I am just now publishing it.
I just had a day off from work, Presidents Day.
Very cool, thank you presidents.
On this day I finally had time to step away from my repetitive 9-6 daily life and worker grind. I was able to wake up early, do some cleaning, workout, and have a lovely mental health day. With this day off also came some musings on the transcendence and future of humanity as a species.
I live a very fortunate life. I’m blessed to have a job and enough money, food, water, and a decent apartment to live comfortably.
Unfortunately a good amount of our fellow humans are not fortunate enough to have this comfort.
I got to thinking why?
We are a smart species and we are so cool!
Ultimately, we are problem solvers.
Any time a problem comes along we end up finding solutions for these.
Are you cold at the park? Move into the sun
Is your sink backed up? Snake it or get some drain-o
Computer not working? Take it to a professional, ask your tech wizard friend, or learn how to fix it yourself (tech wizard friends, I’m sorry for offering you up)
In a foreign country and can’t communicate? We can learn the language or we can get a translator
We used to have war to get what we wanted but now we can communicate and hammer out deals to get things done peacefully.
And at this point in time there is no limit to what problems we can solve.
We have agriculture, we have animal husbandry, we’ve been to the moon, we have motor vehicles, we have mass transit, we have the internet, we have VR, and we have the beautiful people behind all of these things.
Together, as a species, we have built quite the empire for ourselves and we have the capability to bring all these things to everyone. So why doesn’t everyone have what they need? Why are people without shelter? Why do people not have the food, water, and security that most people in developed nations have?
Some people might say the answer to those questions is greed and they’re close. Some other people might say it stems from apathy, that’s also close.
These are both negative words with negative connotations, but I think the true answer isn’t as nefarious.
What is greed?
What is wanting your own security first before giving (if at all) to others? What is hoarding all this money, resources, and toys that the very fortunate collect? What is not caring about the needs and wants of others but caring only of your own? Is all this stuff really negative/evil?
To get to the answer we need to strip away all of our biases and preconceived notions of “these types”. Once that’s done and you have a good pondering about what it would be like to walk in their shoes, you find the answer to what is holding us back is not the people with “evil” intentions, but those with a greater Love of Self, rather than the Love for Others.
Is it so wrong to want luxury, money, sex, food, or any other earthly desires? No– so long as it does not come at the expense of life/liberty/health/safety/freedoms of another all that is perfectly fine.
How can it be wrong, when everyone wants something? Even at the expense of others it’s not wrong, it’s just a way. Assumingly, if you have all of these things, they’re yours and you earned it. You found the way to get what you wanted. There is nothing wrong with that.
Some may want to debate that point or point out specific examples where people truly are “evil” because of the method where they got what they wanted but unfortunately, this is not the case.
From people’s own perspective they never believe what they do is ultimately wrong.
They believe they’re doing right by themselves and right by the world. I am sure you have done things that you thought to be right, while others interpreted it as negative/evil.
A small example to put things in perspective:
A company owner is having financial troubles and has to lay off workers so the company won’t be losing money. This puts people out of work- but is the owner really so bad for doing what they have to do to save their own security?
Any level of perceived “evil” can be broken down to Love of Self at its very core and therein lies what holds us back as a species. We need less Love of Self and to transition as a species to the other, more powerful love– the Love of Others.
Life is great. Life isn’t great for everybody. There are some people who don’t have great lives, but you know what? We’re problem solvers. We can fix it.
As a species we are beginning to transcend– and if you’re not seeing it, you’re behind, we’re already behind as it is anyway.
To survive as a species and ensure our planet’s survival, I see no other solution than humanity moving from the Love of Self to the Love of Others.
In our history, humanity has only ever moved on a small scale. First tribes, then villages, then kingdoms, then countries where we are currently stuck.
What is the next step? A global whole.
There should be no U.S., U.K., China, Africa, Russia, etc.
This thinking is only archaic and holds us back from our true potential by segregating our ideas and skills. The whole is always stronger than a part and at this stage in our history it is not possible for us to move as individuals and make the progress that is necessary for us to thrive.
There has never been a better time for us to begin to move as a unit either. We are now a world species.
With the advent of the internet (collective consciousness) we can now move as an organism. You’ve seen it.
At least 50% of the planet is currently plugged into the collective consciousness at varying degrees and the numbers are only increasing.
Think about what you’ve seen online. Think of the echoes, the viral videos, the news stories, the knowledge, the tendency for a number of people to get behind a cause (whether for Love of Self or Love for Others) due to some stimulus on the internet.
With the proper mindset we can refine these very newfound capabilities and use them for the betterment of all.
We have to shift our focus to the large scale and all work together so that no human being is suffering and without at least the very basic of necessities to survive and live a life full of happiness.
We have everything we need.
We have the resources.
We have the minds.
We have the collective consciousness.
As individuals we need to come together to the same wavelength. You know the wavelength I speak of– you have felt this at some point in your life and as I mention it I know that inherently, you can feel it in your heart.
We have the ability to be one mind, one family.
We don’t have to be sick or cold. We don’t have to wonder where our next meal is coming from. We don’t have to be exposed to anything that infringes on our quality of life.
Everybody can have what they want. We can all work together. Why can’t we all just work together?
We all have something we want, that goes without saying, but why can’t we have it all? We can use our minds and find a solution for everyone.
For example,
Recently in New York an affordable housing building was proposed. The proposal for the location of that building was proposed to be next to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens (BBG). This building would provide much needed affordable housing for our family that is currently less fortunate.
We need a good place for people to live, that’s a fact. Isn’t it a good thing this building is going up?
Well not quite.
If you’re not familiar, the BBG houses a variety of plants foreign and native. Due to the variety of different plants needing different requirements to thrive, the BBG was meticulously planned out for its conditions to be perfect for all its variety of plants. If you’re not a plant owner, know that any change to these conditions is detrimental to the plant life. Including a very large building being built nearby.
With the housing project being built right next to the park the BBG would now have an extra four hours of shade than it typically does. With these four extra hours many plants will likely die– a compelling argument for the building to not be built there.
So now you have two groups of people. Those who want the building for housing and those who don’t want the building to save the BGG. Is either stance on this argument necessarily bad? No, of course not. They’re both very valid claims.
Rather than all interested parties working together to develop a solution to make everyone happy, we currently have two sides fighting to be in the right.
Why can’t we work together to find a viable solution?– Well I am of the belief that it’s each party’s Love of Self.
Essentially each point of view is that they are right and there is no other option and the opposite party must be subjugated to their will (within due process of course).
If there was any shred of Love for Others here then the conversation would go like this:
Pro Builders: Hey, we’d like to build a building here to help people
Pro Gardens: Sorry but that would shift our ecosystem and most likely end up killing quite a large bit of the gardens. Could you build it somewhere else?
Pro Builders: This area really is the best spot for the building. Do you know what we could do so that we could have the least amount of impact to our city garden?
Pro Gardens: Well, not really off of the top of our heads.. Could we bring in a consultant to advise and could you look around again for other places to build and we can meet back to discuss in the next couple of weeks?
Pro Builders: Yeah sure thing! Let’s do that! We need a place for people to live, but we also need our lovely garden!
See how easy a conversation like that is?
Instead we have this:
Pro Builders: Hi we’re building a building next to y’all.
Pro Gardens: What?? That will kill the garden you monsters
Pro Builders: Sorry, I’m not sure what to tell you, we’re doing it
Pro Gardens: Well we’re not going to let this happen– just see if you’re able to build a building after we raise a fuss
Pro Builders: You’re going to raise a fuss and prevent the POOR and SUFFERING from having a roof over their heads?? You’re just stuck up and bigoted against the poor!!
Etc. Etc.
Example #2
This second example is currently the situation in New York regarding the BGG. Nobody (I’m sure there are some) working together to find a solution, nobody trying to love the other and make everyone happy.
You can see this everywhere. You can see it politically (especially), you can see it locally, you can see it among your friends and family.
There’s a lot of good out there, and nothing anybody wants is wrong (don’t play semantics here, we all know what is really right and really wrong in our heart-of-hearts).
What’s so beautiful is that there is a person somewhere in the world for each of these groups that can tell each of them definitely what’s possible, what’s not possible, and most importantly this person can provide them with a solution that makes all parties happy.
While I’m suggesting is that we as humans need to move toward the goal as a unit we best not forget our individuality. Individuality is our strong suit. Not everyone can tell you how to build a bridge, the proper amount of medicine for treatment, how to back up your computer, how to write a hit song, how to workout properly, etc… BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO CAN. We can find them and we can put them in a position where their expertise and knowledge is valued and we can approach them for solutions to our problems.
So how do we do it?
There are those with Love of Self and those with the Love of Others.
You can tell who is who. You can feel their energy.
Find who is truly for the Love of Others and begin to align yourselves with each other.
Fight for change. Have conversations to figure out what people want and how to make progress. Find out who is preventing change by aligning themselves with the Love of Self. Move as a unit and make change.
TOGETHER IS ALWAYS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE INDIVIDUAL. SINCE THIS TOGETHERNESS I SPEAK OF IS THE LOVE OF OTHERS, THIS MINDSET ALSO EMPOWERS THE INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS THE WHOLE. SINCE WE LOVE OTHERS WE WANT THEM TO THRIVE AND WE LOVE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE. WE LOVE EACH OTHER.
Unfortunately, change is not easy. Change does not come overnight. There will be people who stand in the way of this change from Love of Self to Love of Others. We needed Love of Self to get this far in our history (sometimes just having conversations doesn’t work– without the love for ourselves [do you actually love yourself? Most people have no Love of Self AND no Love of Others, my heart goes out to these people. I hope you can learn to love..], but we haven’t a need for it any longer.
We must begin to push aside and resist those who stand in the way of the survival and betterment of humanity. Those who wish to see our people and planet suffer in their fleeting time here. We’re not fighting for now, we are fighting for OUR FUTURE.
Regardless of whether you believe in God or are an atheist, each and every one of us has VERY limited time on this earth and we will not be here forever we can’t be certain as to when that is, but we can be certain that THERE WILL BE THOSE WHO COME AFTER US. Wouldn’t you like them to have it better off than we currently do? Wouldn’t you like to be one of the many helping hands striving (and sometimes even fighting) to make this ONE Earth and Earthly experience BETTER than you had it?
Maybe you resent what you have and say something like “Fuck it, I had it bad, they have it bad too!”. To that type of answer I say: when did the people coming into the world ever do anything against you? Do you resent the current state of our world so much that you wish the same suffering upon the innocent? I don’t think anyone does and as such, if you would like to make the world better for the future this is what we ALL (or the majority) must do:
We must unite, we must solve these problems together.
Hunger, thirst, cold, sickness, lack-of-shelter, lack of security, we can solve these issues and cast them to the wayside.
There’s not enough money? There’s not enough resources? We’ll never be able to do it? What’s the point? There’s always someone standing in our way? Nobody wants that?
FUCKING. BULLSHIT. (please pardon my language here)
Human beings CAN unite. We CAN ALL have it ALL. Anyone who tells you otherwise is serving their Love of Self. (We must not meet these people with disdain unless they have a proven track record– after all, they believe what they’re doing is right. We don’t have to hate them, we can say “have you ever considered ‘XYZ’”? OR we can say “Why do you believe what you’re doing is right?”. If we can ask them questions and understand where they’re coming from then we can have a better chance of them adopting a new perspective of their own volition if we can merely help them to see what we see– we have to know where someone is lost, before we’re able to guide them back home.)
So,
ASK NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR ALL.
Help the hungry, help the poor, HELP YOUR FAMILY THAT IS HUMANITY; We’re all in this together after all. Help others, and in the process you’ll help yourself and you’ll help our planet, our future.
Resonate with the wavelength. Make the change. UNITE.
We, united as a planet will succeed.
We, separated as individuals will not.
Parting thoughts:
It would be foolish to think we can unite with everyone, or that we can trust everyone. Change is terrifying, people don’t like change– they want to maintain the status quo and depending on who we are asking to change/what we are changing, there will always be someone who wishes to stop it. The most “evil” and the most clever of the opposition know what it is we want as well, and since they’re thinking the most clever what’s the way to stop it? Do you know what that may be? Well if you would like to know, please read beyond the next period– if not, stop reading now.
So let’s say I was “evil”, clever, well informed, and wanting to maintain my status quo/empire.. You know what I would do to mitigate the problem? I would propose to be on the side of the “good guy”. I would pretend to provide a solution that seemed acceptable to all gaining contentment/compliance, pretending that everything changed while still finding a way to get what I want in the shadows since now nobody is looking. It would do you well to trust no one.
All the best,
FCP 🙃
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