Harmony
and understanding,
Sympathy
and trust abounding,
No
more falsehoods or derisions,
Golden
living dreams of visions,
Mystic
crystal revelation,
And
the mind’s true liberation...
“Age
of Aquarius” by James Rado and Jerome Ragni
From
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (1967)
I
was born on January 31st, smack in the middle of the
period for the sun-sign Aquarius. Although I’ve never put much
stock in astrology—I find it difficult to believe that remote stars
and planets could influence our personalities or our fates—I have
to admit that my character fits the classic description of the Water
Bearer amazingly well. Aquarians are supposed to be independent
dreamers, intellectuals, humanitarians and idealists. Sometimes they
are contrary and rebellious against authority when it conflicts with
their visions. Compared to some other signs, Aquarians may seem
emotionally remote; they live in their heads more than their bodies.
Recognize
me? I do.
I
was also born in the mid-nineteen fifties, so I came of age in the
sixties and seventies. Songs from the musical “Hair” were my
anthems as a teen. I was convinced that a new dawn truly was on its
way, that “the times they are a-changing”, in the words of
another icon of those years. Compassion and love would overcome
hatred. Justice would vanquish oppression. Peace would reign.
Creativity would flourish. A new openness and mutual respect would
liberate us from the societal prohibitions and taboos about
sexuality, leading to greater happiness and satisfaction for all.
What
a dreamer, right? Look around you. Disasters, violence, famine.
Ignorant, selfish materialism. Global warning. Nuclear proliferation.
Rape and other atrocities. Millions of human beings worldwide forced
from their homes, struggling to survive in strange lands where they
are demonized and distrusted.
Surely
I must be disillusioned.
Not
really.
If
you do the math, you’ll figure out that I’m now in my sixties.
And after more than six decades on earth, I still believe in the
power of love and compassion. I’ve seen the magic of kindness work
wonders on a personal level. I’ve observed first hand the beauty of
community, the power of people working together for good. And I’m
totally convinced of the truth of karma, which also happens to be a
foundational principle of magic: what we sow, we reap.
I
have seen how violence breeds violence, how the oppressed can easily
become oppressors. I question whether there’s such a thing as a
“just war”. When I read about a terrorist or a white supremacist,
about gay people beaten or murdered by homophobic gangs, about
Buddhists slaughtering Muslims in Myanmar, Jews attacking
Palestinians and vice versa, Sunnis and Shias trading bombs, I try to
remember that each of these individuals is a human being—more like
me than different.
We
all want and need certain things: food, shelter, family, security,
status, a level of comfort. Love. Much of the horror we see around us
stems from fear on the part of the part of the perpetrators: fear of
scarcity, of losing resources or power or status, and fear of the
Other. Politicians and governments deliberately stoke these fears for
their own benefit. Take away the fear and maybe the opponents will
see that they are not so different.
I’m
not traditionally religious, but I believe in John 4:18:
"There
is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."
I
believe in the basic goodness of humanity and the overall upward
trend of society. Furthermore, statistics support my beliefs.
World
hunger statistics show that the number of hungry has dropped twenty
percent since the nineties:
http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/288229/icode/
Worldwide,
violence has declined dramatically or time:
Meanwhile
other positive indicators, like literacy, educational level and
political freedom, have improved:
The
educational, economic, social and health status of women relative to
men continues to get better, though major inequalities still exist:
Impressive
progress has been made toward fulfilling the United Nations’
ambitious Millenium Development Goals (MDG), though there is still
much to do:
So
why does it seem that we’re living in the most violent, heartless,
miserable, insecure period in history? The media have a great deal to
do with this. Stories about conflict, crime, disasters and atrocities
attract more attention and sell more advertising than those about
harmonious communities or successful mediation. The instant
availability of news from anywhere, plus the fact that such news is
more likely to be negative than positive, lead us to the perception
that the world has never been in worse shape and is going to straight
to hell.
Do
we face serious challenges? Of course we do. From what I can see,
though, taking a negative perspective exacerbates these problems,
instead pushing us to solve them. Anger is not a reliable long-term
motivator. It may catalyze dramatic, sudden action, but is unlikely
to contribute to analytic thinking. Despair saps the will completely.
Negativism fuels amoral selfishness; if the world’s about to end,
why shouldn’t I do what I feel like and damn the social
consequences?
Many
readers may be shaking their heads. “She’s a deluded optimist,”
they’re saying. “A soft-headed pacifist. We’ve got to fight
45, fight the Nazis, fight the North Koreans, fight the Islamic
terrorists, fight the male chauvinists, fight for equality, fight for
a decent wage, fight for our piece of the pie...”
I
believe that if you view your life as a fight, it will become one.
I’ll
work for the things I believe, but I’m not going to cast that
activity as a war, because I don’t want to think of my fellow
humans as enemies (difficult as it may be to avoid this).
Seriously,
I believe that our minds control our experiences. I am convinced that
so-called reality is malleable, shifting as we change how we think
about it.
And
I’ve spent my life working to make the Age of Aquarius more than just a song.
