FROM THE EDITOR
An Oasis of Peace
W
hat would you do if you knew that the
world was heading towards global
catastrophe? Would you shrug your
shoulders fatalistically figuring that
no one would listen to you, or would
you try to do something…anything?
That’s the premise behind a film called “Tomorrowland,” which I watched on a long flight back from Israel.
It shows an idyllic world created in an alternate dimension by dreamers and visionaries recruited from around
the planet. It was initially conceived of as a way to use
humanity’s creative genius to overcome the existential
threats of things like melting glaciers, rising sea levels,
toxic algae blooms, bee colony collapse, and the absurdity of simultaneous epidemics of obesity and starvation. The signs and warnings were ignored, however,
and this new world became a Noah’s Ark for the chosen.
As the doomsday clock ticked away, jaded scientist
Frank Walker (George Clooney) was given new hope and
determination to save the world by idealistic wunderkind Casey Newton ( Britt Robertson.) Their solution was
to recruit the talents of a fresh generation of dreamers,
doers and visionaries from around the world to design a
new civilization built on harmony and cooperation.
One can’t really expect a sci-fi action film to provide a
nuanced analysis of what is wrong with the world and
how to fix it, but the core messages were important: our
biosphere and social structures are in grave danger; if we
don’t act now our civilization as we know it is doomed
to; we will only survive by overcoming our differences
and working together.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing
that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
People are not stupid, and there is a growing mistrust
of governments, and big business around the world. In
many cases it is making itself felt through violence and
destruction, but there are also many cases that we don’t
hear about of people operating from enlightened self-interest to do good in the world.
On my recent trip through the Jordan Valley I noticed a
lush strip of green between the bare hills on either side.
The Jordan River is the boundary between Israel and
Jordan, but because it’s waters are extracted by all sides
upstream, it no longer flows into the Dead Sea. When I
asked to whom this strip belonged, I was told that it is
actually no-man’s-land. It seems that the local farmers
from both Israel and Jordan couldn’t bear to see the fertile land in the former riverbed lay fallow, so they have
5 | NEW CONSCIOUSNESS REVIEW
been peacefully farming side-by-side for decades, drawing water from wells drilled into underground aquifers.
Since both governments have sensibly turned a blind
eye, this flourishing oasis of date palms and other crops
along the length of the valley is a testament to good
sense, enterprise and goodwill.
These small groups of people creating facts on the
ground have demonstrated that peace is possible when
there is mutual self-interest and mutual respect. An
additional requirement is the courage and willingness
to take action. That’s a biggie, because it is much easier to blame “them” (substitute the name of whichever
group, individual, ideology, or organization you distrust)
for the problems than to find others to collaborate with
and work out a solution. I invite you to read the excellent article in this issue by Jalaja Bonheim on Relational
Education. In it she states that “peace is foremost a matter of human relationships.” Building relationships from
the ground up takes time and commitment, but is much
more likely to result in real peace than treaties negotiated among the power structures.
The time for waiting for someone to save us is over, and
action is imperative. We are the ones we have been waiting for, but we need the courage to look behind the news
and opinions of others,
and to rely on our own
intelligence and intuition
to guide us into collaborations with others of like
mind. Find your passion
and your people. Use your
voice, your vote and your
choices well and consistently. Together we will
be heard and together we
can save the world.
Miriam Knight
Editor & Publisher