As we move into the 2012 time and contemplate even greater changes than what we have already experienced in the last few years, there is the hope that some great leader will emerge to help us navigate this most challenging time in human history.
Could there already be among us someone whose vision, creativity, passion, and spiritual focus can make the difference at this crossroads of history where one road leads us to catastrophe and the other to transformation?
Some had hoped that Barack Obama would be the one. There are many positive things that Obama has initiated and championed. However, in his role as President of the United States, he will clearly not be able to take us where we need to be without a lot of help.
Yet, there is someone who is up to the task. Unfortunately, this individual is currently heistant to step forward. Let’s look at the reasons this person gives for why “not now and not me.”
Our reluctant Messiah has three basic rationalizations for not coming forward. The first is straightforward: “I’m not ready.” From this complaint, we learn that our prospective Messiah person is not caught up in the narcissism of a narrow ego focus.
There is a serious intent here to make a difference in the world and a sober sense of responsibility. Since what is needed for the 2012 world is nothing less than a reinvention of civilization, we can concur that this is no job for someone with limited spiritual intelligence.
My sinking suspicion is that this person is also caught up in a limit assessment perspective on themselves. A limit assessment is a self judgment based on the belief that, if a certain outcome has not manifested by a certain time, it never will. This is like saying to oneself: “It’s too late in the game for me. If it has not happened by now, it is never going to happen.”
Moreover, it would appear that a false sense of humility has come into play as well. The reluctant Messiah says: “Who am I to change the world? What difference can my contribution make compared to others who are already fully engaged?”
It would certainly be helpful to identify this individual so we could give them some encouragement to come out of the shadow.
If you want to know who the reluctant Messiah is go look in the mirror. Yes, you, reader!
Change is going to happen in our world in the near term and the question is whether we’re going to have a graceful transition to a better world or a catastrophic outcome. It is my reading that it is the destiny of the human species to embrace the positive story of transformation in the 2012 years and beyond.
But destiny is not history. We have to choose for transformation to make it so. And without the specific and unique contribution of the reluctant Messiah, we are simply not going to make it. The positive story of human history requires a growth in the spiritual intelligence of humanity.
From my reading, it’s pretty clear that from where we are now, nearing the end of 2010, humanity is not quite up to the tasks required. Overall intelligence and spiritual intelligence is growing on the planet but 2012 is just around the corner.
Although we long for a singular spiritual or political hero to emerge to guide us in the difficult days ahead, this archetypal expectation of a Messiah is not appropriate for the world of today. We are in a post Messiah phase of civilization. Never again will single individuals have the influence and culture changing impact that we’ve witnessed in our history.
Cultural change can no longer flow only from the top down. It has to happen organically from a change in the collective consciousness of millions of people. Leaders will still play a role in shaping cultural change, but the influence of any one particular individual is mitigated by the responses of millions of people to what is happening.
Communication and information technology is the primary reason for this. Whatever happens in any part of the world is instantly communicated to every part of the world. The internet has a huge role in the evolution of our culture.
We are becoming a species with a shared collective consciousness. Following Peter Russell, we could say that a global brain is starting to develop. This shared sphere of mental activity is in some respects like the brain of a single person trying to coordinate all the different organs of a human being.
But the existence of a brain does not guarantee a healthy or even functional mind. An unhealthy mind can motivate self-destructive behavior or acting out against others. So this global brain phenomenon is a mixed blessing.
The Terry Jones Quran burning stunt illustrates this point. Jones, a fundamentalist Christian pastor of a flock of about fifty people, seized upon the idea of staging a public burning of Qurans on the anniversary of 9/11. It’s questionable whether Jones ever intended to burn Qurans. The Gainesville, Florida police would not have permitted it in any case since he didn’t have a burning permit.
My reading is that he wanted to do something really provocative to attract attention to himself and revitalize his shrinking base of support. In this respect, Jones is doing exactly what Joseph McCarthy did in the 1950s. The Muslims are then the new communists, those evil people intent on world domination and destruction of American society. As Jones is fond of saying, “Islam is of the devil.”
But no Qurans were burned in Gainesville. Jones said that God told him not to do it. Moreover, he said he would never burn Qurans. There were a lot of practical reasons for this change of heart: death threats, the influence of the FBI, Defense Department, and State Department.
However, my reading is that what made the difference was some positive push back from the global brain through the collective efforts of many people who publicly and privately send Jones a message to cease and desist.
My reading is that this positive thought wave to do what was best was interpreted by Jones as the voice of God. So catastrophe was averted? Well, not exactly.
Seeing how much media attention and instant celebrity Jones received for his stunt, others have imitated Jones. Videos of Quran desecrations by attention seekers, atheists, and extremist Christians have gone out to the world.
So, whatever we do in this new interconnected, interrelated world is going to have an effect for good or ill. We are either going to be part of the problem or part of the solution.
Speaking from painful personal experience, what I would like to say to my fellow reluctant Messiahs out there is that what you do will make the difference. It’s time to let go of the defense mechanisms that rationalize keeping your light in a closet.
With respect to the somewhat justified reason of not being ready, there are two relevant points. First, you’ve had a lifetime of preparation already. If you’re a young person that resonates with what I’m saying, you’ve come into this life with much more wisdom and inspiration than you know.
The second point is that there is no way for anyone to be fully and totally prepared for the coming changes. We live in unprecedented times. There is no blueprint for this future except what we make up in the present.
The limit assessment complaint is really a defensive mechanism to save us the trouble of confronting our potential. The illusion is that if you don’t engage, if you don’t play, you don’t really lose.
The third complaint boils down to something like “I’m not worthy.” But as Henry Ford said: “Whether you believe you can, or you can’t, you are right.” Actually, no one is more worthy than you. That’s because you are a spiritually intelligent person, i.e., someone whose deepest concerns extend beyond the scope of your personal life, family, and tribe.
But, make no mistake. I appeal to the reluctant Messiah to use more of what you have. This is not a call to self-sacrifice in the sense of forgoing individual goals and putting all our attention on planetary concerns.
What is needed is just to be true to yourself by aligning with your deepest sense of what is important, real, and true. Individuate and then you will serve the transformation of culture on our planet.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be a leader, organizer, innovator, or entrepreneur to make a difference. Your role may be to hold a space for those who are more actively engaged. Meditation and spiritual advocacy will also change the world.
For others, inspirations have been coming in calling us to take the risk of directly engaging the world in a new way. We are then called to confront our fears. When we look at these fears we see anxieties about going broke, appearing foolish, or losing control over our lives through going too far beyond the familiar borders of our comfort zone.
But are these not threats that we have to face in any case due to the volatile and rapidly changing nature of the world of the 2012 time? There is no guarantee that playing it safe will spare us from being tumbled by the big waves that are coming. If we take the risk to stand up on the surf board, we have a chance to ride the waves rather than being wiped out by them.
Choose for transformation in your life and you can be the person that makes the difference in the 2012 time.
Interdimensional Times 