Why is it important to me to continue to talk about how we can move to our highest future? There are certainly a lot of other things I could be doing with my time. And, what exactly do I mean by our “highest future” anyway?
Recently I was interviewed on a public radio station about this web site and the talks and classes I conduct around “positive evolution” and our “highest future” (a listing of my upcoming talks can be found on the “bridge” web site by clicking on “event schedule” on the top of any page). In preparation for the interview, I stopped and reflected upon “just why exactly am I doing this, again?”. What came out of that reflection was the following “manifesto”. I share it with you so that you can reflect upon what you want for our future.
Conscious Bridge Manifesto
The purpose of the Conscious Bridge website as well as its related teachings (talks, classes, etc.) are to foster an awareness of the following:
- Humanity is at a critical point in its history
- There is a possibility for either a bleak or wonderful future.
- Each person plays a role in the future we choose.
- Where we focus our energy, our attention, our thoughts, our actions is how we choose.
- Humanity’s challenges allow us to learn what we do not want as well as what we do want for our future–we can reframe the events towards the positive and where we want to go.
- These lessons allow us to create a vision for humanity’s highest future.
- Although there is no consensus on this highest future, there are useful first steps that can guide us.
- Each of us must hold a vision for our highest future.
- Each of us must keep our thoughts and actions focused on the highest future.
- Each of us must treat others with dignity and respect, focusing on our similarities more than our differences.
- Each of us must follow a plan for our personal development and evolution that develops our body, mind and spirit; works to heal our shadow; strengthens our relationships; and, develops our service to the world.
- Each of us must become familiar with the issues facing the planet, pick one that calls to us, and move into action on it.
- Each of us must work to develop partnerships and coalitions that move us in the direction of our highest future.
The term “Conscious Bridge” relates to the necessity of our becoming “conscious” of our role in guiding humanity to its highest future. The word “Bridge” relates to moving us from the world we currently experience to the one of our dreams. “Bridge” also references the importance of breaking down our sense of separation and division from one another, bridging our differences, and moving into a greater experience of unity.
Some current visions for our highest future that offer guidance:
- United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- United Nations Millennium Goals
- Centers for Spiritual Living Global Heart Vision
Aspects of a vision for our highest future or “a world that works for everyone”:
- We all have access to clean water, adequate food, and education.
- We all have the right to life, liberty and security.
- We live in peace.
- We all have access to economic and social advancement.
- We experience a melding of science and spirituality.
- We have the freedom to individually express our unique creative abilities.
- We live recognizing the interconnectedness of everything.
- We act as good stewards of the Earth and its resources.
- We purposefully use the power of our consciousness.
- We meet our individual needs while meeting the needs of the greater whole.
- We recognize we are evolving and consciously cooperate with the process.
- We recognize we are on a spiritual path to be reunited with our source.
Bottom line
There are certainly some challenges we face based upon the direction that humanity is headed. We can continue down this path of negativity where humanity harms itself with war, violence, unfair distribution of resources, one “winning” at the expense of others, and the general treatment of one another as if we are all not related somehow. And, we can also continue down this path of destruction of the planet such that as it “rights itself” with mechanisms such as global warming, humanity ultimately suffers. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can change our direction.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I am ultimately optimistic about where humanity will eventually end up. I am certain that our ultimate goal in our evolution in consciousness will be complete awareness of the unity and oneness of all life. The question really is—we will wake up and take a more direct path in that evolutionary process or will we continue down the path of hardship before events get so harsh that we have no other course?
As a father and grandfather (my granddaughters Cayla and Amelie are pictured above), I care about the world my children and grandchildren are inheriting. I truly want them to live in a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and peace is the norm. I want them to live in a world where we care about the Earth and are good caretakers of our home. I do not want them to come to me and ask “why didn’t you do something when you knew where we were headed?” How can we “know” but not “act”?
Each of us knows the world that we want to pass along to our children’s children. Each of us must step up and act on that knowledge now.
Mark Gilbert
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Very Pollyanna-ish read which I’m sure was well intended. However, throughout history – there is not a record of an individual parents who could and can “protect” their children and grandchildren from what future had lined up for them. As history goes – there was always a fight between “good and evil” – and that’s what makes the world go around and eventually us better. I do not think that to pave the path w/ flowers for our children and our grand children is the way toward higher consciousness. As the saying goes “w/o pain – no gain” or “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” What I am trying to convey is that the way to more conscious life might be attained through education, and the most importantly – through experiences. The parental “handouts” will jut create generational “discourse” – the parents obviously have expectations to get a credit and appreciation for what they had done, and the young ones will rightfully rebel and use the “handed out” entitlement to their advantage – what ever that might be. You see the journey to higher consciousness is not through a “paved” path – but through carving one’s own path.
Do not feel sorry for your children’s and grandchildren’s future. It might not be as yours. It might not be better or worse than you imagined for them – it just might be different… and that’s what it’s all about. Each generation takes the button and runs w/ it as it carves its own path to its best knowledge…
As you cannot skip a grate in school you cannot skip a grade in life… Without applied knowledge and experiences – there cannot be a progress. As you’re trying to “fight” for your children’s and grandchildren’s future – in the same vain they will “fight” for theirs… And as it goes, each generation pushed “the envelope” a bit further…one step forward two steps bk – or two steps forward – one step bk – - -etc…
Well, that’s my opinion – thanks for posting – have fun – Irena.
Irena,
Thank you for the post… I appreciate your comments. And, I agree with you… to a degree.
To be clear, the intent of my article was not to imply that we need to “protect” our children and grandchildren from life’s lessons. I agree with you that one of the reasons we’re here is to experience the good with the bad so that we can learn our own way through life’s lessons. Rather my intent was to outline one of the motivating forces behind why I teach about taking responsibility for our lives and the direction of the planet through this website and classes.
Your comments reminded me of many of the discussions that my children’s mother and I had when our kids were growing up. There were so many situations where our wisdom knew that the action our child was taking would most likely lead to some negative outcome. The question always became when to step in and “protect them” and when to let life run its course so they could “learn the lesson”. The classic examples are always “would you let your child touch a hot stove or run into a busy street?” Most parents would not. The consequences of not protecting them in those cases were so extreme that intervention was the only option. Beyond these life-threatening situations comes to a lot of gray areas. There were plenty of times when my children’s mother and I stood by and allowed events to unfold even though we knew they would lead most likely to stubbed toes, loss of money, broken hearts and the like. I’m sure other parents would’ve stepped in when we didn’t or would not have stepped in when we did. One might argue that each child chose the right parents for the learning they needed.
So how does this equate to the desire to create a world that works for everyone? In my opinion, to create such a world that contains the characteristics listed in the vision in the above article does not eliminate the opportunity to experience both the good and the bad and the opportunity for life’s lessons. There is still ample opportunity to carve one’s own path. I fail to see how a world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, where we are good stewards of the planet, where everyone has the opportunity to actually grow up and learn life’s lessons might lead to a world where its inhabitants are so coddled that the ability to learn any life lessons is precluded.
Most of us would agree that some issues facing humanity and our children are “hot stove” concerns. Should we allow humanity to move down a path of destruction such that the Earth continues but our children’s children don’t? Should we shrug our shoulders and say “oh well, our children’s children need to learn the lessons of what it’s like to die on a planet that’s uninhabitable by our species?” In my opinion, that’s a grade in school we may want to skip and I believe you do too.
But beyond these hot stove issues, there lies the gray areas. Sure, we can look out and recognize with our wisdom that our continued efforts to wage war, to fight for limited resources, to allow others less fortunate to be denied basic life necessities and the like will most likely lead to some negative outcome. And yes, we could sit back and allow the outcome to play out in chalk it up to that generation needs to learn its experiences. But I ask you and everyone — haven’t we learned those lessons already? Hasn’t humanity already suffered enough? When do we ever get to the point that we’ve learned the lesson that mistreating one another is not in our collective best interest? Must we continue to pass along to the next generation every experience to learn on their own or can we actually allow them to benefit from our growth?
I agree with you that each generation’ s lessons are their own to learn. I agree they will carve out their own path from the world they inherit. The question really becomes what kind of world do we want to pass on to them in which to learn these lessons and carve their path? Personally I prefer a world where each of us right now took responsibility for own actions, learned and applied our own life lessons, and worked to hand our children and our children’s children a world where all children everywhere have the opportunity to learn their own lessons.
To borrow your word — it would be Pollyanna-ish to believe that humanity can shift its consciousness immediately towards a world that works for every one. But if you and I and everyone reading this plant the seeds that move us in that direction for our children’s children and beyond, then I for one would be proud to wear that label!
Thanks again for your thought-provoking post, Irena. Blessings to you.
Mark