We Have What We Need

I believe that we presently have everything we need to transform the war economy into a peace economy, where all humans can live with joy and satisfaction within the ecological bounds of our Earth.

We have the knowledge -- especially if a few more of us get familiar with the ecological or "systems" way of thinking. We have the willpower -- mountains of it. We have a good bunch of us ready to drop everything and go to work on the transformation -- and some already doing so -- and we have gazillions more ready to do their part if somebody would just make it look possible.

We have all those human traits that are pooh-poohed and ignored by the violent, coercive, competitive, war economy -- traits that are a very real part of what it means to be human. We have generosity, respect, thoughtfulness, caring, mutual aid, compassion, and the tendency to enjoy thinking and working together on challenging, fun projects. We have "warm logic" -- the down-home, sensible logic of thoughtful action based on caring about our fellow human beings and our Earth.

The only thing in our way at all, that I can see, is fear. Fear of changing the "status quo," fear that the whole Earth system will fall apart before we can set things right -- but mainly, fear of the "big folks" from our childhoods, that still haunts us today, still makes us feel like we're small and incapable.

Fear stops our thinking in its tracks. Fear makes us confused about what's important. Fear makes us act badly towards each other. Fear prevents learning, especially the most useful kind -- learning from our mistakes while going ahead with a leading-edge project.

What I think I see around me is this:

Yes, the political, economic, and especially the environmental challenges do seem too big for us to handle.

But we actually have everything we need to tackle the whole lot of them, by transforming into a culture of peace. Peace is efficient -- it doesn't crimp anyone's skills and gifts by economic rip-off. Peace lets us give and do our best -- it doesn't waste our days with the work of the war economy.

As far as I can see, the only thing between where we are, and a peaceful society, is the fact that the whole lot of us (this includes me) are a little scared and don't quite dare stick our necks out.

So. It's time to cultivate laughter and shivering. Laughter -- the clear, joyous, ringing release of fear -- and that fine trembling of excitement that happens when you walk out to the leading edge of life, both have to become part of our culture over the next few years.

Let's find fun ways to laugh and shiver together, to walk down the street in a happy gang and get the whole neighborhood hooting. Laughing needs to go mainstream. NO MORE SERIOUS FACES!!

Let's foster and cultivate the many natural comedians among us. Peace-comedians will be our champions, our guides, in this next period. Our comedians and cartoonists will get really good at setting us up so we can notice we are finally safe from the "unpredictable, unfair, scary giants" we lived among when we were small. It's a reliable, easy way to get laughter, once you get the hang of it. If you know someone with a functioning "funny bone" who's interested, please put her in touch with me.

I have a favorite vision of how I'd like to be: I'm walking across the Earth, making comedy. Behind me there's a trail of people rolling on the ground with laughter. In a little while each one gets up, still chuckling, and goes off to do something she's always been too scared to do. (What might happen if a lot of us did THAT!!)

I am confident that, with the widespread healing of fear, all our creative energy that has been cooped up under the lid of the war economy will flow forth. I am so looking forward to it!