new world | Collette OMahony (Author's blog)

It is our existential right as humans to define what life means to us. As adult humans, we have freedom to choose how we want to live our lives, who we want to see, what we want to do, and where we want to go within the parameters of the law. That was up until five weeks ago.

Up until the global pandemic forced us indoors, people based their decisions on rational facts despite living in an irrational universe. Suddenly, rationality has become irrational. Calling round to our parents or friends house is off limits. Our Sunday stroll in the park or driving to the beach is taboo, and meeting up socially in bars and cafes is strictly off limits. Within a few short weeks we have to completely redefine the parameters of our existence and what life means to us.

In normal times, we perform a list of activities that form radials into the outer world. Now, these lines fanning out from our core are contracting and moving inward. This brings frustration, isolation and may trigger deeper traumas leading to abuse and addiction. Without our usual outlets we find ourselves truly alone with our thoughts. This brings us to the existential meaning of life. If I am not my job, my activities, my routine, who am I? Am I afraid of dying, or am I afraid of living?

As the radials that form the outer aspects of our life continue to contract, our life is no longer lived solely on the surface, but starts to sink deeper on the vertical, to the core of our being. This is a golden opportunity for us as individuals and as a collective species to question our existence; Why are we here? What purpose do we serve? Are we here just to satisfy our basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter? Surely we have surpassed our basic needs at this point in our evolution. We live is a society where the basic needs have been far exceeded. We have come a long way in terms of living conditions and technology from our Hunter Gatherer fore bearers. Our basic requirements to live a simple life have long surpassed rudimentary housing, organic food and hand-made clothes. That changed post-war during the mid-twentieth century. Our tastes as a society require home comforts, processed foods and high street fashion. Most of us don’t stop there, we change our décor every few years to keep up with the latest trends, our fridge-freezers are packed to capacity and we send our wardrobe cast-offs to the recycling centre and charity shops every season so we can buy more clothes. Our precious gift of freewill has been compromised by fear and desire. Fear of not having enough, and desire for more than what we could possibly need.

We are an evolving consciousness. We are a way for the universe to become aware of itself. With physical evolution, a natural change in environment prompts a species to evolve to adapt to the change in order to survive. As humans, we have brought about an ‘artificial’ change in our environment leading to climate change. The earth has responded by restricting human movement. To adapt and escape the confines of lockdown we need to change our thinking, how we relate to our environment. This is the evolution of consciousness required if we are to remain in harmony with the planet. It is up to every one of us to take responsibility for our thoughts, words and actions as they relate to others and our precious earth. As Gandhi said, we must be the change we want to see in the world.

Collette O’Mahony 24/04/2020

As days of social distancing turn into weeks, and perhaps months, we wonder will life ever return to normal. What is normal? For the first time in years we have an opportunity to step off the global thread mill of capitalism, consumerism and competition. One of the first things resulting from the announcement of lock downs, were the lines at check-outs, as consumers loaded up on essential items. This had an adverse effect on vulnerable members of our community when they found entire shelves emptied as a result of panic buying.

Our conditioned minds are consistent with a global economy that elevates capitalism and disregards poverty. Our current global crisis is symptomatic of a post war attitude of accumulating assets and wealth. This is not a judgement but merely a wake-up call. It is time to take a long hard look at ourselves, our society and our attitude toward our environment. If reports are to be believed, this coronavirus may be with us in some form or other for several months, or even years. As a global society we need to adapt our mental attitudes towards our health, our aspirations and our fellow humans. Justifiably, everyone is hailing health professionals and key workers as true heroes. Just as in a time of war, we praise front-line soldiers, and in times of civil unrest we praise our police force and fire service. But how soon will their efforts be forgotten? When we realise there isn’t an imminent threat to our health? As soon as the danger passes, we return to our normal behaviour patterns conditioned by the ego. Ego patterns follow the national and global trend. When the economy is buoyant and food is plentiful, we feel comfortable and perhaps complacent about our situation. Alternatively, when fear arises in the world due to a pandemic and its catastrophic effects on the economy, we follow that trend becoming hyper vigilant and remaining shut off from our community.

There is a pattern emerging here. We are micro-chips supporting a global stream of thought. Individually, we need to take responsibility for our contribution to the current world order. Our ego will deny its contribution to a failing world system. It is our inner reality that decides how we experience the world. The more entrenched we are in ego and its conditioned adoration of consumerism, the more we are a slave to competition and market trends. As that commercial world crumbles under the inevitable economic fallout, we will suffer with it because that is where the ego’s allegiance lies. However, if we align with the inner truth at the core of our being, we will emerge as a new world consciousness. Stable, connected and united.

We may for a time withstand the waves of world uncertainty washing over us, but eventually as the shore of old routines recede further and further, we must trust our ability to float to the surface, buoyed by the current of absolute reality.

Collette O’Mahony

01/0/2020

Collette OMahony (Author's blog)

Poetry, Essays and Books.

Tag Archives: new world

Our Existential Crisis