It’s The End Of The World (As We Know It)

That is the title of a great REM song that you might recognize. Yes, it is the end of the world as we know it. That does not mean that everything will disappear in a cosmic vapor, but it does mean that the days of “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine” are coming to an end. This attitude has been so pervasive in the world, particularly in the so-called “civilized” cultures, that it was only a matter of time before that attitude caused an implosion – the global crisis we are seeing today.

There really is no choice in the matter. Nature is forcing us to see the interconnection between everything and everyone on the planet. The stock market plummets in the United States, and the effects are felt worldwide. Overfishing of parts of the ocean, drought in grain growing areas of the world, wars in various countries – the effects of all these events are not limited to the areas where they occur, but rather all of humanity feels the pressure of the changes.

In some countries, there are measures being taken to try and “seal” themselves off so that they will not be affected by global changes. In Russia for example, a billion dollars is being allocated to establish an Internet gateway filter to keep out invasion by the World Wide Web. Such gateways are already in place in China and Singapore. Countries will desperately try and horde resources to protect their economies and their citizens, and borders between countries may be closed.

Will such measures work? If we understand the underlying causes of all the global changes we are seeing today, it is clear that nothing will stop Nature from pushing us to live within its one, all encompassing law of altruism as opposed to egoism. Those countries and individuals who try and isolate and insulate themselves from the global community will bring further suffering upon themselves as the pressure of equalizing the world continues. What does equalizing mean? It means that each part of the entire organism must begin to see how it must act within the entire structure of humanity, and ultimately, all of Nature.

There is an indigenous tribe of people who live at very high altitudes in the mountains of Colombia. They are called the Kogi, and were able to survive the invasion of the Spanish Conquistadors by escaping to the high altitudes. They live a very simple life, a life in harmony with their environment, and without much contact with the rest of mankind. They call themselves the Elder Brothers, and call the rest of humanity the Younger Brothers. In 1990, they broke their isolation and contacted the outside world to send a warning concerning the destruction of the earth and the imbalance that was being caused by the indiscriminate use of resources, pollution and disregard for the balance of Nature.

They indicated that although they were isolated, they could “sense” the disturbance in Nature, even from their home high in the mountains. The message they sent to the Younger Brothers was that there was a serious imbalance in Nature that will have dire consequences for all of humanity. They have pleaded with the Younger Brothers to learn to live in harmony with Nature and with each other. This is a portion of a part of their message to the Younger Brothers (us).

Younger Brother thinks,
‘Yes! Here I am! I know much about
the universe!’
But this knowing is learning to destroy
the world,
to destroy everything,
all humanity.

We see how this attitude has brought us to the crises facing us today, and how Nature will not allow it to continue. The Kogi understand this concept, and ask that we begin to see it as well. The world is changing, and its current state will end as Nature continues its relentless push to bring us to balance. It is the end of the world as we know it, but the rest of the chorus from the REM song is, “and I feel fine.” We should feel fine, if we can recognize that we are witnessing events that are designed to bring us to a state of balance and the desire to truly love one another as ourselves.