A Modern World In Need of Initiation
The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds..
- William James
A culture system is the embodiment of activities, view, and shared traditions which are transmitted and reinforced by all members of the group. Their collective worldview reflects specific philosophies or belief systems concerning how the world works, the place of humans within it, and thus, how these individuals should live their lives. Our current dominant worldview is call anthropocentrism – that is, our activities and behaviors place humans at the center of this world and a value system that all else exists as utilitarian value for the human consumer experience.
The modern worldview is reflected in those individual decisions and actions we each take as we navigate our daily dilemmas. Behaviors and value systems based on profit, growth, and consumption reflect a worldview that is fundamentally economic in nature. This economic engine, which dominates Western society and the global economy, reflects a belief system which rationalizes the individual acts of self-interest somehow the common interests of society as a whole. Bill McKibben sums this up well when he says,
It is perhaps the central assumption of the world we live in: you can tell who I really am by how I spend.
If this worldview were good for us, why are we less satisfied with life despite our growing wealth, financial independence, and increased security? Could it be that happiness pursued through material possessions and indulgence of sensual pleasures and avoidance of sensual pain isn’t happiness at all, but rather is a distraction from our truer sense of self and collective identity?
Could it be that the daily threat of annihilation – be it environmental, nuclear, political, financial, or other violence – is a result of our anthropocentric lifestyle?
Either way, the obvious growing discomfort with our lifestyle is throwing us into an identity crisis of authenticity. While this can be a good catalyst for transformation, we have created defense mechanisms to keep our anxiety at bay through a multitude of distractions, such as television, the internet and social media, mobile technology, gaming, alcohol and drug abuse, or retail therapy. Adding to the ease of distractions around us is the social pressure of conformity and enculturation which provides us an easy escape from our existential quest. (Read my blog post titled ‘My Internal Pilgrimage‘)
I ask myself, where can we go to safely challenge the worldviews that we each hold individually? How do we begin a journey that starts with our self and how we show up in the world around us individually and collectively? Indigenous wisdom proposes that when a community is too serious, anxious and grieving in some way, that we stop and go into ceremony. I believe at this time in our world when many of us are feeling ungrounded and as if reality is spinning out of control, that it is critical that we step out of the frenetic life we are living, reconnect with one another, and remember ourselves in the world we are a part of, not separate from. We are a modern world in need of an initiation.
