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Earth's New Season by Guy Dauncey
British Columbia is such an "outwards" kind of place —
especially in summer. The mountains, ocean, islands, and rivers all
invite us to engage ourselves in the world and its mysteries.
Yet the very beauty of our nature encourages inwardness and solitude.
Many people like to dwell in an intimate, inward place, at least some
of the time.
So what happens when we take that deep inner breath, and turn to the
space within?
The first things we meet, if we’re typically confused residents
of the early 21st century, are all the things we don’t want
to meet.
First, there’s General Irritability – that all-consuming
grouch who believes he has a right to be annoyed or angry at someone
or something, most of the time. He’ll spread his odour all over
your inner space if you don’t take him in hand. The General
is a tough customer to subdue, because self-righteous anger can be
so satisfying, until you realise how the fragrance of your inner space
is being destroyed.
Next, there’s Lady Hurt, with her arsenal of griefs. Broken
relationships, family resentments, personal abandonments, imagined
slights, bruised hopes. She can be so seductive, her embrace so comforting.
She tells you so convincingly that it’s all their fault. Unfortunately,
the world rarely delivers the kind of love she promises, so she creates
new situations to justify new rounds of self-pity. With each new hurt,
the floor of your inner space collapses.
Then there’s Bertie and Bertha Busy! They’re very popular
21st century characters who have such a full agenda, there’s
no time for going within. They’ve got projects to complete,
emails to answer, friends to call, household tasks to accomplish,
places to go, events to attend, TV shows to watch. Not enough time.
Slowly, your inner space becomes distant and unfamiliar.
Finally – for now – there’s Freddie and Fredericka
Fear, and their daughter Doubt. They’ve always got a message
that can make turning within a scary proposition. You’re not
good enough. You’re not the way you ought to be. You’re
afraid of remaining single; afraid of remaining married. Afraid of
the future. Afraid of life. Who’d want to meet that lot? Better
keep distracted with the out-there stuff.
If you’re searching for gold, these characters have to be put
in their place. They’re like squatters in your soul, who will
make themselves at home unless you act to evict them. Luckily, British
Columbia is full of healers, poets, therapists, singers and compassionate
friends, who can help you reclaim your domain, and enter your inner
space in peace.
No sooner are you sitting peacefully, however, than your door is besieged
by people who want to be your guide on the journey. Some offer to
hold your hand for only as long as you want. Others want to bind you
with gilded handcuffs. Choose wisely!
So now, if we pass these hurdles, we meet the wisdom characters of
inner space, who have larger questions to pose. Who am I? Why am I
here? Have I found my purpose in life? And behind these questions,
another set of questions that they offer like enormous clouds, sometimes
blocking, sometimes revealing the sun. Why are we here? Why are we
making such a mess of things? Is there a purpose to this existence?
In different centuries, we have found different answers to these questions.
In Europe’s medieval ages, the answer was no, there is no hope
except in God. The world is an accursed mess; the only way to escape
the fires of hell is to confess your sins, obey your priests, and
pray for forgiveness. Some versions of Christian fundamentalism offer
a similar answer today: the world is still a wicked and sinful place,
only Jesus can save you. In India, for many thousand years, the answer
has been likewise no - there is no hope, except in abandonment of
the ego to God. The world is full of suffering; the only way to escape
the awfulness of eternal re-incarnation is to achieve enlightenment,
and step off the wheel forever.
But now we stand together, on an increasingly fragile planet. The
questions are no longer just philosophical. There is so much confusion,
so much ecological loss, that the future of our whole planet hangs
on the answers. How can I enjoy my solitude, if the planet that gives
me solitude is in such danger? The entire foundations of inner space
are being questioned. Why are we here? Where are we going so fast?
And what are we going to do about it?
Continue the search for the gold within.
Guy Dauncey is the author of Earthfuture: Stories from a Sustainable
World and Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change (both
with New Society Publishers). He lives in Victoria, at www.earthfuture.com
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