Humanity is evolving. We all feel it, whether we acknowledge it or not. The signs are everywhere: within our own minds, within the interactions we have with one another, and within shifts in our understanding of the natural world.
On the surface it may appear as though the world is falling apart. We are bombarded with news of the growing chaos in our world in the form of storms, political upheaval, and the rise of ever-greater social conflict. Beneath all that chaos, though, a remarkable transformation is taking place.
As the planet becomes embroiled in crisis, we are coming to understand ourselves and the Universe on a deeper level. For the majority of recorded human history, we have understood ourselves as separate. We have perceived ourselves as an isolated existence in an alien universe. Over the past 100 years, though, we have come to discover that that is not the case.
We have learned through ecology that each organism in an ecosystem is interdependent upon one another. We have discovered that the very atoms that make up our bodies are forged in the hearts of stars. We have discovered the existence of invisible electromagnetic fields that permeate all of space--including the space within us. We have discovered quantum entanglement, the reality of which particles are connected so intimately, that even when separated by vast distances their interaction doesn’t stop.
These new discoveries parallel indigenous wisdom as well as the teachings of the wisest of mystics, sages and thinkers of history.
The truth can no longer be denied. We are not separate from one another and the Universe at large. Our feelings of connection mean more than we have dared believe. We are connected. We are United.
We are one with nature, the planet and the Cosmos itself.
No matter how we try to deny this reality, the undeniable truth of it pierces us from all directions. As much as our small egos try to fight off this understanding, the truth will not be denied. We are waking up.
Each and every day people are coming to this understanding regardless of discipline, interest, upbringing or class. The recognition of our connection is coming alive within us once and for all.
It is perhaps for this very reason that society seems to be crumbling around us. The old institutions--the governments and corporations--that have become the cornerstones of our society were birthed by the old understanding. These institutions have been built upon the assumption of our separation. We have assumed the reality of Homo Economicus: the human being as purely discrete, rational and self-interested. But we now know the truth: Homo Economicus is, and has always been, a fantasy. The institutions built upon that illusion cannot possibly withstand the piercing light of the truth.
Those organizations that cannot change to accommodate the growing realization of our own unity will inevitably collapse. But it is not our fate to be swallowed by the destruction. Rather, it is our destiny to rise from the ashes. To that end, it is time to build something new.
Our old institutions have relied upon vertical organization. As far back as history is recorded, we see human societies in hierarchy. Time and time again this has proven inviable. No civilization built this way has survived over 2000 years. Meanwhile egalitarian societies-- such as indigenous tribes--have continued uninterrupted for tens of thousands of years. Except when confronted with the encroachment of hierarchy, it appears these societies can thrive indefinitely.
We see through observation that, in nature, nothing rules over anything else. Despite what we say of the lion, there is truly no king of the jungle. The lion may be the top of the food chain, but he is certainly not king.
What we witness, rather, is a community. Certainly, the lion may eat the gazelle but the gazelle certainly does not take orders from the lion. They are equal and interdependent members of an indescribably sophisticated community. Each organism acts freely with choices and behaviors flowing naturally from that organism’s own essence.
It is due to the incredible freedom and complex communication among each organism in an ecosystem that allows such a diverse and thriving environment. The elegance of a savannah would all but vanish if each creature had to act in accordance with the lion’s order.
Given the inherent freedom and egalitarianism that is found invariably within ecosystems and indigenous societies, it is a wonder that humanity ever decided to create the hierarchal systems that are so ubiquitous now. Perhaps it was human arrogance that led us to believe that we could thrive in hierarchy. Or perhaps it was hierarchy that gave rise to human arrogance.
Whatever the case may be, it is clear to a human of wisdom and conscience that this is not the way to live. Hierarchy is unnatural in every sense of the world. It is virtually absent from the rest of the natural world. Where it does exist, it creates oppression and injustice which grates upon our most basic moral sensibilities. Such a world would be utterly unfamiliar to our ancient ancestors. It is simply not in our genes or our make-up to live this way.
But what is the alternative?
After all, we cannot expect to live in the same way as our ancestors: in small hunter-gatherer tribes. It is simply not viable. There are far too many of us, the land far too bare. After all, to return to such a way of life would require immense sacrifice. We would have to shun our technological advancements as well as our dreams and aspirations of travel to the stars.
Perhaps the answer is not to shun our technology, but to embrace it.
Technology itself is not the panacea of our salvation as it can be used just as effectively to take life as to enliven it. Rather, if we acknowledge our place in the universe and respect natural order, we may be able to utilize our technology in a more positive way. Perhaps through the conscious and respectful use of our tools, we can create a new world founded on connection and egalitarianism rather than disconnection and rule.
Imagine a world in which we did not have to channel our resources, finances, and attention through the artifice of governments and corporations. Imagine if we didn’t have to rely on goliaths like Monsanto, Exxon, or the Government to get us what we need. Imagine if we did not receive our news through only a handful of major media outlets. Imagine if, instead, we relied upon one another.
The magic of the internet allows us to relate to one another in a whole new way. Through this amazing technology, we have the means to connect with each and every person on the planet. No longer do we have to depend on the powers that be to facilitate interaction between us; we can communicate and share directly with one another.
The potential of the internet is immense and the full extent of it has certainly not been realized. Through it, we have the means to share our great inventiveness, resourcefulness, wisdom and knowledge. We have begun to see this with new cooperative business models, internet communities like reddit and organizations like CSAs.
What if we expanded upon this? Imagine if we performed all our interactions this way. Imagine if you got your food from your farmer's, your education from the experts. Imagine if we shared directly with one another, not through the bottleneck of corporate hierarchies or inefficient governments.
We at the Earth Nation believe that this would represent the single greatest transformation in human society since the birth of civilization.
We believe in this transformation so strongly, that we are working to create it. Through a sophisticated network and unique form of currency we seek to create a whole new nation. The Earth Nation is not confined by the borders that have traditionally separated us. Neither is it ruled by any kings, presidents or CEOs. Rather it is an integrated network of sovereign individuals, connected to share, inspire, and grow together.
Each and every member of the Earth Nation is free. There are no restrictive laws that inhibit the freedom of the individual. Interaction among members is seamless and easy. There is no need for tedious paperwork or contracts to share or exchange with another person. You simply reach out and come to an agreement together.
Each member of the Earth Nation has equal voting power. There are no special interest groups or politicians to obscure the voice of the people. The Earth Nation has no rulers, overseers, or enforcers-- only countless leaders.
The Earth Nation is inviting you to join us today. As we recognize the collapse of the old world around us, the time has never been riper to build something new. The old world is, and always has been, utterly unsustainable. Together we can create something that is.
Nature has always demonstrated that the death of one thing is the life of another.
Let us not be devoured by the chaos of the current destruction. The old world will collapse, of that we are certain. Rather than find ourselves in the mire of devastation and squalor, let us rise like the Phoenix--reborn and renewed.