Imagine yourself standing at the center of a series of concentric circles. Each of the circles represents a source of forces that exert pressure inward toward the center of the circles, inward towards you. Some of these forces exert themselves without making their presence known or their influence obvious. Others are in your face day in and day out! The number of concentric circles you imagine could get pretty big depending on how detailed you want to get. I’ll mention some of the broad categories for which there could be numerous subcategories. First lets just focus on identifying these categories and mentioning some of their potential positive or negative effects.
Universal and Cosmic Forces
On the outer perimeter of your series of concentric circles are Universal Forces affecting all people and things in the world or in a particular group. The effect of these Universal Forces is applicable in all cases. They are ubiquitous. Nothing escapes their influence. For example, if you believe that there is a Supreme God then by definition the influence of that God would have to fall into the category of Universal Forces since He, She, It is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. This spiritual worldview opens you up to hope, a sense of purpose, and of eternal life at the same time that it exposes you to the possibilities of guilt, judgment, self-criticism, and damnation. Likewise, scientists in the field of astronomy have come to the conclusion that the Universe is expanding. If that is true then some force, seen or unseen, sentient or not is causing the Universe’s continued expansion and it is affecting everything. You may not be aware of the ride, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a Universal Force affecting you in ways that lie beyond the range of your everyday awareness. This more material, mechanical, or atheistic worldview opens you up to a sense of life’s purposelessness, randomness, and chaotic tendencies at the same time that it offers you the freedom to act without fear of ultimate consequences. There doesn’t seem to be much that you can do about the expansion of the universe but perhaps simply being aware of it is enough to help you expand your mind and put the rest of the circles into perspective. I think it is easier for women to grasp the significance of this category of forces than for men. No offense guys but women have a direct experience with the moon and with each other when in long-term group settings that opens their minds up to this level of thinking. Of course, both men and women who follow their astrology chart, have astrological readings, or engage in some other form of metaphysical orientation have at least broadened their minds to this level of thinking. You are encapsulated in a seen and unseen reality that you experience in some way everyday. Take a moment each day to think about that! Everything is connected!Global Forces
Inside the field of the outer circles is another circle of forces that affect you more directly as they push toward your center. After all, you do live on planet earth. Whatever goes on with her is going to have an effect on you. That should be obvious by now but it seems that there are still too many people in denial about the impact humans are having on this planet. The argument seems to be that humans are having a significant negative impact on the global ecosystem with signs of catastrophic consequences already beginning to manifest themselves (global warming, air pollution, super viruses, species extinction, invasive species, insect invasions, dead rivers and lakes, melting polar regions, regional climate shifts, more and bigger fires, larger earthquakes, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, and on, and on, and on). The counter-argument seems to be that the science is inconclusive, what we are seeing are the result of natural cycles, the environmental movement is a conspiracy to undermine US businesses, that scientists are distorting the data to make things seem worst than they really are, we have more pressing issues than restricting the hands of US industry with costly environmental mandates, and on, and on, and on. Standing in the center of the argument is you. Maybe that last rain storm, or flood, or snowstorm, or earthquake, or fire, or tornado, or hurricane, oil spill in your town got you thinking. From one news story to another you hear people repeat the same description, I’ve been here a lot of years and I’ve never seen anything like this. If you are one of those people, or a relative or friend of someone who has experienced one of these increasingly catastrophic events than the above-mentioned arguments seem unrelated to your everyday life. You are busy wondering how your sister in N.Y. is handling the peculiar and extended heat wave or if your family’s house in Arizona is threatened by the wildfires. Or whether the river is going to consume your business. And under all of the stress that comes with those events, comes the questions, will it happen again? Are things really going to get worst? Should I move? Where should I move? Maybe you don’t leave the house everyday worrying or even thinking about the consequences of these kinds of global forces, but they are there nonetheless. Whether they are affecting food prices, travel arrangements, holiday plans, or the cost of doing business these Global Forces are exerting pressure inward towards you with the potential to generate tremendous stress. Everything is connected!
International Forces
We are fast approaching the 10-year anniversary of the horrific events of September 11, 2001. It was one month after my visit to Ile-Ife, Nigeria. It was my daughter’s birthday. My sister worked in the Wall Street area but decided to stay home that day. My cousin got out of the building in time. Ten Years later, the world seems less of an international community and more of an international battlefield. While people around the world cry out for freedom, justice, and equality their national governments and civil and religious leaders seem to be moving further and further apart. Tension abounds everywhere and presses inward towards the center, inward towards you. How can you help thinking about it? It permeates the environment like an obnoxious odor stifling your breath in ways that you may not perceive. Vile words filled with hatred assault your ears trying to drown out sanity. Horrific images assail you eyes trying to make your mind and heart numb to humanity’s rapid descent. You send a donation hoping it can make a difference in some distant part of the world and then wonder if corruption will stop it from ever reaching those in need. Negativity breeding more negativity and standing at the center of its focus is you. You see it all and experience it all from your own unique perspective. Only you know the whole truth about how the pressure of these compounding concentric circles affects you. War, famine, disease, poverty, and other such conditions around the world are not separate events. From a Quantum Sociological Perspective they all exert their influence on each other and on the energy signature of our planet (positive or negative, anabolic or catabolic, sustainable or degenerative). You live within that field of energy and are affected by it whether you are conscious of its affect or not. In other words, you can begin to feel somewhat sad or depressed, or anxious, or stressed not because of any direct experience of your own but because of the quality of the energy signature of the planet generated by international events. Everything is connected!By the time I finished writing what was suppose to be Part I of this Post it was 2000 words long. And that was just Part I. So this topic will be covered in several Posts. Next month I’ll complete my list of significant forces in our imagined series of concentric circles. Then we will talk about dealing with the negative forces and stress emanating from each of these sources.
To be continued
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Article of the Month: August 2011
