The more we see the context of the disasters that threaten our existence, the more we feel the urge to deal with the everyday, the so-called "real" things instead. But as time goes on, it will become harder and harder to deny what we are experiencing, because as our attention turns to reality, we will see its justification everywhere, both locally and around the world. When it comes to understanding the unfolding global crisis, it seems that we all fit somewhere along a continuum of consciousness that can be roughly divided into five stages:
Sweet ignorance
At this point, there are no fundamental problems, just some phenomena of human nature and behaviour that can be remedied in the right way. People who live their lives at this stage tend to live them with a happy vulgarity, fretting over 'real' important things, or even rejoicing.
Recognising a serious problem
Whether it's climate change, overpopulation, pollution, the energy crisis or social injustice, a problem can take over your life. It is at this stage that a person usually becomes an enthusiastic activist, making their voice heard and campaigning for a cause while remaining completely indifferent to other problems.
Awareness of many problems
As people are confronted with more convincing information on different issues, they become more aware of the scale and significance of the complexity. At this point, the dilemma of prioritising problems according to how serious or close they are or are not appears. At this stage, people can become saturated, that is, they tend not to recognise and accept new problems: for example, someone committed to fighting social injustice and climate change may not recognise the problem of resource depletion. They may feel that the set of problems is already complex enough, and that the inclusion of any new concern will only reduce the effectiveness of the effort that should be focused on solving the problem of the 'top priority'.
Awareness of the interconnectedness of multiple problems
The realisation that an effort to solve one problem may exacerbate the problem in another area is the beginning of broad, systemic thinking. It also marks this transition from seeing the situation not simply as a set of existing problems but as a process of cause and effect relationships leading to inevitable consequences. It is at this point that one is confronted for the first time with the possibility that there may be no reassuring solution. Those who are at this point of realisation and awareness tend to surround themselves with like-minded people to exchange knowledge and better understand the processes. These groups tend to be small, both because personal dialogue is essential for such depths of insight, and because there are surprisingly few people who have reached this level of understanding.
The recognition that processes affect all aspects of life
This includes everything we do and the way we do it, our relationship with each other and with other living beings on the planet, or even with our physical reality. From this point on, no question can escape the test of being considered or accepted in the light of this knowledge. The concept of 'solution' takes on a whole new meaning, ceasing to be a central issue and becoming something that is no longer worth the effort expended.
And where are you now, on this journey? Answering this question is the first step towards a realistic self-definition. For those who have reached this last level of recognition, depression is a real risk. After all, we have learned throughout our lives that the hope of tomorrow lies in our ability to solve our problems today. When the human ingenuity that could lift us out of our predicament disappears, the possibility of hope can vanish like the light of a candle, replaced by the suffocating darkness of despair.
How one copes with despair is of course a very personal matter. But it seems that we typically follow two paths to finally come to terms with the situation. They are not mutually exclusive, and most of us will live with a mixture of the two. This is largely determined as much by spiritual and intellectual maturity as by one's personality. A doer, or observer. Prepares and adapts, or reconciles and accepts.
Because anyone can make any decision about their life freely - less so if they are a parent - and it is not good or bad, it is theirs. But he can only do this credibly in the light of having faced the reality of divorce clearly and made a decision one way or the other with that in mind.
As time goes on and the processes unfold before our eyes, more and more of us will be at a loss, with questions to ask, and how many of us will then be there to support the other may well be the deciding factor...
This post was written by Paul Chefurka.
