October 24, 2011

Last week I had the good fortune of hearing a talk by Margaret J. Wheatley at Simon Fraser University in downtown Vancouver, BC. I had never heard of Margaret, but my interest was piqued by her theme, “Perseverance: Leadership in Turbulent Times.” I figured anything underwritten by the Vancouver Dalai Lama Center in cooperation with Hollyhock on Cortes Island (whose mission is “to inspire, nourish, and support people who are making the world better”) was worth a few hours of my time.

Am I glad I did! I learned some important tips and came away inspired. Margaret centered her talk around the plight of the planet and how we have to change the way we live if our earth is to survive. This isn’t something to think about and plan for future action. The situation is dire. We need to act NOW.

Her first point was “What time is it for the world?” The polarization, conflict, and meanspiritedness we’re all familiar with is a result of how we live our lives, she says. Fracturing, the word of the moment, says it all. It’s not just about gas and clean water and not poisoning people. It’s about relationships and de-energizing emotions. It’s about family and identity.

A time of chaos such as this offers us opportunity, she says. The global ecological catastrophe we are now experiencing is not the end, but a beginning. We each need to lead a more centered life. We need to divorce ourselves from the soul-emptying crush of getting and spending and make progress in cultivating well-being in community.

How do we do that? By staying awake and in control of our emotions. By not meeting defensiveness with defensiveness, anger with anger. By paying attention to what our “heart/mind” is telling us, for it will never lie. By opening our hearts and cultivating compassion. By not taking things personally. By not taking ourselves too seriously. By cultivating the habit of happiness and saying “Yes!” to life. Being a spiritual person is being an authentic person.

Amid the cascade of ecological calamities the world has suffered in 2011, it is essential that we who care unify toward some common goal. First, we have to reach for common ideas that underlie the problems we all agree are real. If we own our fear, guilt, anger, and related emotions, we will be less likely to project those feelings onto others, and therefore less likely to blame them. It’s a matter of personal responsibility.

It’s not an easy path to take. Margaret’s book Perseverance (2010) is guide, and a darn good one! Each page is devoted to one topic, like “Self-Deception,” “Everything Changes,” “Steadfastness,” “Praise and Blame,” “Fear.” I recommend the book to anyone who wants to embark on the warrior soul journey.

Margaret began her talk and her book with a prophecy from the Hopi Nation in northeast Arizona. The date of this prophecy is disputed. Some (including Margaret) put the date at June, 2000, but some Native people put it at 1993. My own memory of this prophecy predates 2000. As a metaphor for the state of the planet and its citizens in these turbulent times, this prophecy speaks volumes. It never fails to inspire me.

Here it is:

To My Fellow Swimmers
You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered. . . .

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for your leader.
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said,
"This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift, that there are those who will be afraid,
who will try to hold on to the shore.
They are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore,
push off into the middle of the river,
and keep our heads above water.

And I say see who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history we are to take nothing personally,
least of all ourselves, for the moment we do,
our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
For we are the ones we have been waiting for.

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