Holistic Living

“To change the world, we must begin with ourselves.”

Humanity is now dangerously off-balance. Modern lifestyle has trapped us in a vicious loop that is equally detrimental to our physical and psychological wellbeing, to our social bonds and to the natural environment we live in.

Especially in the ‘most developed’ countries, a new kind of post-affluence health epidemic has been picking up speed in the last decades, reaching today catastrophic proportions: non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and obesity are now the leading cause of death globally (about 70% of the total death toll). Mental health conditions are also steadily on the rise: depression, autism and suicide rates are skyrocketing everywhere, with large sections of the population hooked on some kind of prescription-drug.

Something is obviously deeply wrong: we live meaningless and stressful lives in overcrowded cities, where we end up fearing and hating our neighbors. And the worst thing is that most of us, like slaves who falsely believe they are free, have stopped even dreaming of escape and are quite happy with the food and entertainment provided.

Everywhere around us, a growing sense of cosmic impotence and existential fatigue is crippling the creative potential of our species, undermining our ability to change for the better and thus dooming ourselves to a premature extinction.

For those who still care enough to worry about the future, the most optimistic cultural option left is to join the Transhumanists (for whom the human body, mind and feelings are obsolete and should be replaced by a mix of robotics and artificial intelligence), while the pessimists may enlist with the Near-Term Extinction Movement, which calls for the voluntary extinction of mankind. Lately, this radical pessimism has begun to percolate into the mainstream, with the release of Roy Scranton’s anticipated new book “Learning to Die in the Anthropocene”, where the author explains in detail how to surrender your last vital impulses.

We — the Life Tribe — are not giving up.

We have determined that our allegiance is to life.

The most compelling reason is that we are life!

Our most basic drive in this universe is to act in such a way so as to perpetuate our species and life as whole.

In a strictly evolutionary sense, this is what we are born to do.

One thing is certain: the culture we inherited is not functional to life and doesn’t comply with the meaning of our existence here on earth.

Humanity is only a branch of the tree of life, and a quite a young one too. Instead of contemplating suicide, we should learn how to mature and bear fruits. Our potential, and not only the destructive one, is enormous. We must shift our focus from fear to love, and create a world of peace and freedom that works for everyone, including the future generations.

Let’s not fool ourselves: the love we’re talking about is not opportunistic love where each person thinks first about him/herself. The love we need to cultivate is love free from egoistical interests, love for life without conditions, without asking for reward, as the love of a mother for her children.

The journey to the new world starts with ourselves! In our role of leaders and pioneers of this great transition, we must embody the change we want to see in the world. That’s the only way we can inspire change in others.

We must learn to live, act, think and relate to each other and the planet as loving and responsible human beings.

In order to realize our full human potential we need a systematic approach. The transformation process must be covering all aspects of human life — from material subsistence to the conscious mind.

Our Integral Human Design model identifies 4 main working areas:

Health & Wellbeing

• Fitness — An active lifestyle, possibly outdoors and in nature. Regular physical exercise, yoga practice and martial arts are strongly advised.
• Nutrition — A balanced, varied and seasonally-adjusted diet based on whole, organic foods. Avoid industrial/processed products and reduce meat consumption to eco-sustainable levels.
• Medicine — A holistic approach focused on preventing disease by fortifying the immune system. Natural remedies and phytotherapy as a recommended first line of defense, complemented with conventional treatments when necessary.
• Psyche — Healthy sleeping patterns. A routine of meditative practices for improving mindfulness and self-awareness while reducing stress and anxiety is suggested, along with a daily examination of conscience.
• Relationships — Cultivate your empathic potential by getting yourself in other people’s shoes. Learn to communicate effectively by speaking your mind and heart out, while listening respectfully to different views.

Skills & Abilities

• Arts — Express your creative potential by learning to play a musical instrument, paint, dance, sing, etc. You don’t have to become famous or make it your profession: do it for yourself and for the people around you.
• Crafts — Man or woman, the new human must be autonomous, resilient and resourceful. Learn to build, use and repair the tools and appliances you need most in your everyday life.
• Languages — We are all going to live in a multi-language world. To speak more than one language is already an essential skill-set for everyone, something that greatly enhances our cognitive capacities. The younger we start, the easier it will be. But even if you’re an adult, don’t despair: with a little motivation, you can still achieve great results!
• Writing — Good writing skills emerge from a solid reading foundation. Hence, read a lot, and when you feel the urge of expressing your own thoughts don’t be shy or lazy and get on with it. Practice makes perfect.
• Engineering — From mechanics to electronics, from biochemistry to information technology, the human genius has created innumerable wonders that most of us today give for granted: they are not! Learn to master the technology of the present and help to invent that of the future!

Knowledge & Wisdom

• Physics — We are all made of star stuff. Hence, it is our duty to try understand the universe and how it works. Thanks to the scientific method, many previously unaccessible mysteries are now being brought to light, for everyone to see. In the internet age, there’s no excuse for ignorance: become a scientist today!
• Biology — Zooming closer to Earth, we find that very special phenomenon we call Life. Discover the marvelous structure of the organic cell, the hereditary treasure stored by the genes, the billions year-old story of life’s evolution and the complex web of relationships that today makes up our planetary ecosystem.
• Anthropology — A few million years ago, in Africa, a group of primate monkeys stood up on their feet and left the jungle behind, directed towards the northern plains. They were our ancestors. Learn about the incredible journey of our species, from fire to civilization and beyond.
• Philosophy — Thanks to the unique evolution of our brains, humanity has developed a symbolic language and the ability to consciously make sense of things by applying logic to establish facts and verify hypothesis and beliefs. Learn to think critically and join the discussion!
• Spirituality — Beyond the limits of reason, the human spirit has the capacity to transcend the individual self and intuitively reach to higher degrees of truth by merging with the universal source. The idea of “God”, far from being in contrast with science, constitutes the human attempt to unify all knowledge and wisdom into a single concept.

Values & Ethics

• Culture — Our mission is to be responsible caretakers of our planet Earth and actively promote a new culture of peace between its inhabitants.
• Ethics — On a personal level, always remember to apply the golden rule: “treat others the way you want to be treated”. On the universal level, “act in accordance to the safety and perpetuation of life on earth, and hence of the preservation of a future for humanity.”
• Law — Everyone must subscribe to a new planetary charter and constitution, a declaration of human rights and responsibilities for the 21st Century that ensures peace between people, harmony with nature and sustainability for the future generations.
• Politics — Nations states are obsolete and stand in the way of global unity and cooperation. We must reorganize as a decentralized confederation of eco-sustainable communities connected worldwide by a common internet and transport infrastructure.
• Economics — Business as usual is not an option anymore. We must reinvent our economic system from scratch and create a new economy that is in service of all people and the planet.

Feel free to leave any comment or question below, and join the discussion on the dedicated forum.

Also in Life Tribe:

• Self Improvement — Way of Life guidelines
• Community Governance — Direct democracy standards
• Sustainable Development — Permaculture design principles

Other WAM! publications:

Coop Network

A new economy

Conscious Forum

A new consciousness

Eden Planet

A new world