Something Is Happening, But It’s Not What You Think
I freed myself from society, I’ve released myself from attachments I had and fear that locked me to the system. And since then, I started seeing the world from a different perspective. The perspective that everything is changing and most of us have not even realized that. Gustavo Tanaka.
This is not a revolution, but rather a deceleration. The world is moving too fast; so fast that the very societies pushing on the accelerator can’t adjust to its speed. Of course, we are talking about rich western societies, because the rest of the world and those in pockets of the west have different priorities.
The factory worker whose wife is unemployed and is focussed on how he will dress their children or even pay the bills does not have the same worries as the executive consultant of a multinational corporation.
We don’t even have to go to rest of world to see how the revolution you speak of is really just a change in fashion for a few. Go to a challenging neighborhood in France, Spain, Brazil, or US and try to talk to people, who are just getting by, about the pleasures and health benefits of organic grapefruit juice for breakfast. Let me know how that works out…
I dreamed a dream with you Gustavo. But, it’s not a revolution and it maybe isn’t global. It’s a classist fashion report. Yes, the internet is a very powerful tool. But, its power lies within its ability to allow cheap (sometimes free) and almost universal access to information and education.
The slowing down movement can be good for the rest of the world if it makes the richer among us think about fellow humans with compassion and humility. Maybe slowing down will force us to think about human scale endeavours that enrich, not enslave, more people on the planet.
I’m not a pessimist. Oh, contrary. It can be a wonderful world and I’m trying to be an agent of positive change to make this better world a reality. But, I doubt home-schooling, meditation or organic food play major roles in a global revolution. Instead, let’s focus on slowing the factories down for the rest of the world so they can take advantage of universal free education and lift us all up with their potential.
When we make the fundamental changes that postively affect the majority around the globe, we can all delight in the power of collaboration, un-schooling and the joy of a slow life. Until then, we’ve got work to do.
