Political Implications of Planetization
Waking Up
Like a magic potion in a fairy tale, the emerging planetary 'We' will 'break the spell' so to speak, of these insular thought bubbles that divide us and keep our consciousness turned inward within our own sub-group boundaries - rather than outward toward our planet as a whole, and the rest of our species. The more expansive vantage point of Planetization 'wakes us up' from our almost trance-like state within our respective sub-group thought bubble. Once we begin to think of ourselves as a species, and develop an emotional bond of connectivity and caring with all others of our own kind, this more expanded perspective and species identification will begin to radically shift our way of thinking. We'll begin to more fully appreciate the full spectrum of things that we, as a species, have in common. The mutuality of our interests will finally dawn on us, and assume a more prominent place in our thinking. Just recently, the peace-activist Cindy Sheehan said in essence that when all the women in the world who had to bury sons and husbands who died in wars came together as one... we'd have no more wars. Cindy Sheehan is only one among a growing number who in one way or another, are beginning to articulate the higher order 'We' of Planetization.
"Only be reaching to the heart of the Noosphere...can we hope, and indeed be sure, of finding - all of us together, and each of us separately: the fullness of our humanity."
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Through the emerging planetary 'We', we'll finally realize that 'We' as a species don't want any more of our children to die in wars. Nor will 'We' ever again be so easily persuaded to kill each other's children in the service of empire, or accept their deaths as just so much 'collateral damage' not even worthy of a count, as former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld made clear. 'We' will no longer support a system where our collective wealth is squandered on armaments. We'll come to realize that 'We' don't want to pollute our Earth... privatize our water... or genetically alter our foods in order for corporations to reap ever greater windfall profits at the expense of our health, and the health of our Earth. 'We' don't want to exacerbate global warming because it profits certain industries to continue to do so...We'll come to see that ‘We' don't want to continue to be ruled by a global power elite that more and more transparently reveals its contempt for us as the rhetoric echoes ever more hollow to our ears, the pandering more blatantly false, and the Orwellian double-speak more ominous for us all.
"(The masses) abandon one system to adopt another not singly, but in a body. It is the inertia of this mass which impedes the rapid and frequent transition from one system of life, not ratified by wisdom, to another, and which for a long time arrests the progress of every truth destined to become a part of human consciousness."
Leo Tolstoy
The Kingdom of God is Within You
A New Model of Power
The old British expression of skepticism, “The King's ‘we’” isn't heard much anymore. We seldom question our leader’s solidarity with us, or the assumption that they share a common set of values, desires, benefits, and motives with their respective citizenry. But our leaders continue to frighten and distract us from the crucial concerns we now face, rather than confronting them in a responsible way. As Barrie Zwicker writes in Issue #9 of Global Outlook, "US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt fought fear. Today's leaders traffic in it, chiefly the fear of...terrorism. That's it. Not global warming. Not the end of oil. Not domestic and worldwide injustice. Not rampant militarism, not war itself, or even war without end. Just...terrorism."
The War to End All Wars
Some political analysts believe that we'll ultimately find ourselves facing off in a war with China... or China allied with India against us, in the final check/checkmate move in the dangerous 'World as a Giant Chessboard' mindset of our leaders. When and if that day comes, will we all just passively watch Armageddon unfold in real time on our TV screens as the media rolls out yet another drumbeat to war..? Will we uncritically accept whatever they say when the next re-cycled roster of ex-military 'experts' appear on our TV screens to reassure us of the necessity for this final global conflict..? Will we just numb ourselves to its inevitability like passengers on a runaway train who can do little but steel themselves for the imminent crash, and try not to think about the children on board as the moment of impact nears..? Can we afford to wallow in the inertia of despair, rather than boldly embrace the higher state of consciousness which alone can save us?