By Mitchell J. Rabin
Bob Dylan might not have had that idea exactly when he wrote his folk song that described a movement kicked up in the famous '60's but in effect, he did. British biologist Rupert Sheldrake hadn't yet updated his version of the concept by then, but the notion still existed. And now, as when Dylan was most vocal, there is much afoot. It doesn't always look so pretty, in fact, it rarely does--what with wars raging sponsored by the USA, Big Pharma doing all it can with its government agents, the FDA, to squash our access to nutritional supplements or Monsanto's attempt to control all seed and food production across the globe with governmental cooperation, nation-to-nation. Yes, things don't look good when you see it only through these lenses.
However, and this is a big 'however', the fabric is shorn, the veil is lifting, the crack in the dam is getting bigger, and there's no stopping it. Remember in the Truman Show when there's a sudden rip in the sky? One can see the stage crew doing what they can to prop it up and quickly repair. But Truman (of course, "True Man") saw this, was first puzzled by it, then digested it. It was then that he became free. The Emperor's shabby body was seen for what it was, the veil pierced. This is very cool, because, in my estimation, this is what is going on.
Even the police fighting the demonstrators on Wall Street (though they've by and large calmed down) are possibly wondering just who they are 'fighting' and who they are 'defending'. They themselves are as oppressed by a financial and a political system that doesn't work every bit as much as the demonstrators! The "us and them" polarity is melting, illusion is dissolving and the puppet show is being seen for what it is.
Among the good news at hand can be seen in films such as Urban Roots, which I had the humble pleasure of seeing recently, thanks to the free, weekly screenings offered in the East Village, NYC by environmentalist John Hechtman (These are currently taking place at Jimmy's Bar, 43 E. 7th St. For details go to Events at www.abetterworld.net).
About the abandoned city of Detroit after the auto industry moved out, the residents took--and continue to transform--this city from a wreck to an urban agri-landscape, building an economy from literally 'the ground up', employing the indigent and homeless to children and elders, in gardening, farming and all the activities connected to this. What looked like an impossible situation, is being turned around based on people's ingenuity, persistence and interest in building a better life. As a result, an entire, new and local economy is not just burgeoning, bringing forth employment, good will, meaningful livelihood and joy, but flourishing. If you haven't seen it, I'd strongly encourage you to do so. What is happening this moment in Detroit gives us a template for what can happen anywhere and everywhere. As long as businesses remain generally small and local, but no less profitable, as long as the governing value is not "bigger is better" but "moderate and humane" is good, this new economic-ecologic model can very potentially work. It invites, in fact needs, another level of cooperation and coordination among its parts, a new value system (which is actually old) that prioritizes respect, care for other/care for Earth-environment and the joy that comes out of these relationships.
What we have is a model I've discussed many times, called "Sacred Stewardship": Right Relationship to "all things" allows for "all 10,000 things" to flow harmoniously, just like the flow of the Tao. To see the children loving playing in the dirt, to see drug addicts renewing their sense of love of life by caring for the vegetables and building an entrepreneurial enterprise, makes your heart smile. You see that there's a whole psychology and sociology emerging out of this, a society based on cooperation, love of humanity and Earth, in a life-affirming way. All the garbage of the corpractocracy, all the control issues that bind our politicians, begin to simply dissolve in the local ambience of happy, meaning-rich, engaged people who recognize the sacredness of work and life itself.
One of the older fellows in the film said "Did you ever hear of a bird that was unemployed?" Doesn't this just say it all? Only humans have the hubris, ignorance and confusion to think that we need to rely on each other for a livelihood. Take a few seeds and throw them on the ground, water them, sun them, cultivate them, love them! And you will reap the fruits of your labor.
You don't need anybody else's permission to proceed past "Go"!