08 Sep Engaging the Global Consciousness Community
Each day the world seems to grow smaller and more complex. Wars rage. Intolerance breeds contempt across races, ethnicities, and nations. Refugees wander, far from their homes. In too many parts of the planet, children go hungry—ending their days filled with fear and hopelessness. There are plenty of reasons for pessimism.
At the same time, all over our troubled planet, I’m aware of growing numbers of people who embody a pragmatic though hopeful vision for our collective future, and who are putting their lives on the line to embody it.
Over the past months, IONS has launched a world tour to find these voices of hope and possibility. Our scientists are traveling across the world, connecting to old friends, meeting new colleagues, building collaborations with like-minded organizations on every continent, and sharing our research findings—often through translators in different languages.
As part of this global engagement tour, I have met many of these visionaries and models of positive action. In May, for example, I visited England, Portugal, France, and Belgium, giving lectures and attending conferences. I shared the Institute’s research and educational programs—and learned from others about their projects and networks. I met with leaders in the areas of positive psychology, health care, philosophy, education, business, physics, cognitive science, parapsychology, collective intelligence, and nonviolent communication. I learned about new research on the survival of consciousness and the reaches of mind as well as the science of intuition, decision making, and creativity.
Each person I met shared their views about how our inner experiences inform our outer actions. The experts agreed: We still have much to learn about ourselves and what we are capable of becoming. As I traveled across state and national boundaries, I heard about novel and compelling efforts to comprehend and harness the powers and potentials of consciousness. My mind, body, and spirit stretched and expanded as I moved from place to place, collaborating in an emerging network of networks.
I also heard people describe their isolation. It can be difficult to live into a new paradigm that is not yet integrated into our communities and institutions—no matter where we call home. For many of the people I met, IONS is an oasis—a sanctuary for visionaries, explorers, iconoclasts, and change agents. Together we are learning to live in new ways. It was exhilarating to be with such people, to share deep conversations, conviviality, and common purpose.
While deeply inspired and engaged, I was also challenged. Jet lag, culture shock, suitcases that grew more burdensome by the day, an eleven-year-old son awaiting me at home, and then a volcano, all forced me out of my comfort zone. Still, I kept writing, and hope to share much of it with you in future blog posts. In the process, we can explore together the many reasons why consciousness matters—within each of us and across our global community. Care to join me?
You can also view this post on the Noetic Now Blog.