Tuesday, March 9, 2010

"It's the end of the World as we know it..."

For anyone who has heard the above upbeat song by Great Big Sea, you will know that the song continues with, "...and I feel fine".  The 'end of the world' is today's theme, as I recently watched the movie 2012.  You know, the really cheezy, overdone, ridiculously unrealistic, fear-mongering movie that predicts that end of the Mayan Calendar on December 21, 2012 will bring along with it the cataclysmic destruction of our planet?! 

Here is where I will admit something to you.  A few years ago, this movie would have sent me into a pit of fear, despair and worry about the 'what ifs' of the future.  Having read about some of the things that we've done to our planet of late (and continue to do to it), often still makes me wonder what the long term consequences of these actions will be (aside from those we are already experiencing).  Nowadays, I can think a little more clearly, and I tend to try to only worry about the things that I can control, in other words, my own actions.  Anyway, out of curiousity, I did a little bit of reading on the Mayan prophecy.  

Here is what one article had to say on the topic:

It is said that the world we are ending is the one that is dominated by materialism and ego consciousness, therefore it may be that the world to follow will be founded on different values that honor the spirit of the interdependence of all of life.
Wouldn't that be nice?!

Also in the same article, Carlos Barrios, from the Eagle Clan of the Mam Maya of Guatemala shares this in regards to 2012:

"The world will not end. It will be transformed... Everything will change...Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate...If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, we will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way...Humanity will continue, but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human..."

It seems that we are approaching an important time in humanity, but instead of fearing it, we should be taking this time to re-evaluate who we are as people, communities, cultures, and nations.  When I started this project, it became very clear to me early on that there are many, many like-minded people out there who share some of my beliefs and values.  I have found this so encouraging.  It is wonderful to know that I am not alone in my efforts to 'be the change'. 

"Everything depends on how conscious we can become as a species, and how we all contribute to this process of awakening our human potential." (Quote taken from same article as above on March 9, 2010)

Don't be scared of the future, decide what you want it to look like and do something about it!
Marebare :)
(Photo: Taken by Maren Hasse, Tikal Guatemala 2004)

2 comments:

  1. I just wanted to comment and say that you are a great writer Maren, and I really enjoy reading your blog! I agree that we need to have a world-wide change in consciousness in regards to our excessive lifestyles. We also need to be more aware of the consequences of our wasteful actions. For me, this began last November when I really started thinking about what kinds of food I wanted to feed my twin girls. As they ate chicken one night, I felt sick realizing that I had just served up a meal of growth hormones & antibiotics, after I had worked so hard to grow them perfectly healthy inside and outside of me. This thinking led me to analyze what else was around them that didn't need to be. After reading "Slow Death By Rubber Duck" and Michael Pollan's "In Defense Of Food" I've made slow but permanent changes in our daily life. As a stay-at-home mom, I've realized that the health of our family largely lies on my shoulders now since my role has shifted to being responsible for the day to day meals and shopping, when before it was a shared job.
    Anyway,...I just wanted to say Keep up the Great work! You are doing a great thing for your son, and as I've found, what begins as little experiments and challenges ultimately can lead to wonderful changes in ourselves!
    -Jaimie Spence

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Jaimie,

    Great to hear from you! I haven't seen you since we were both pregnant and you were working at the maternity store. I am so glad that your twins are healthy! Thanks for the kind words and the message. Cudos to you as well for making more conscious life choices. Also, thanks for the book tips, I will add them to my reading queue!
    I have a lot of the same food concerns, especially surrounding meat and dairy. I am trying to buy locally as much as possible these days with respect to these products.
    And we have cut down on our overall consumption of meat altogether. Did you watch Oprah yesterday? It was all about the topic of food consciousness and the movie 'Food Inc.'. I was at the gym watching it, and only caught parts of it, but it sounds like that would be a film for you to catch if you haven't already.

    Okay, thanks again for the comment and all the best to you and your family!

    Maren

    ReplyDelete