Planetary consciousness or tribal mind? Do we have what we need to evolve?

I rarely write about politics because I’m not a very politically oriented person. I’m more of a scientist, interested in human systems. What interests me more is how things work, what actions have what consequences. It is in that vein that I write this article. Though some may read it in a political frame, that’s not my intention.

Many have watched with growing unease as a self-confessed would-be dictator and the richest man in the world take a hatchet to the U.S. Federal government. While efficiency and reducing bureaucracy are important, the government is not a start-up company where “moving fast and breaking things” can be beneficial. At its best, government can be a source of common-good services that provide what for-profit companies cannot.

Many also don’t recall that a thoughtful and thorough reduction in the size and effectiveness of the federal government was conducted by Al Gore during the Clinton administration. “The Clinton administration ended up making sizable cuts to the federal workforce with REGO, reducing headcount by 20 percent — some 351,000 positions.” Al Gore’s project approached government bloat systematically with an eye to providing beneficial services efficiently rather than a slash and burn and try to fix things that matter after you break them approach. Unfortunately, in this case, there appears to be little rational examination of what is most beneficial to the most people relative to the cost.

How did we get here?

Within a matter of sixty years, we have moved from the 1960’s era of planetary love and communes to the rise of self-appointed militia’s throughout the U.S.. Political propagandists have fostered an “us versus them” mentality and whipped up fear of the “other.” A recent poll in one of the Scandinavian countries showed that young people favored the rule of a “strongman” to the messy complexity of democracy. Young people in the U.S. also tipped in favor of strongman rule.

I understand why, when facing the complexity of modern challenges, including our rapidly degrading climate, political unrest, migration, it would seem appealing to have a “strongman” to tell us what to do. But that is not wise. Strongmen have no vested interest in the lives of the average person. They have the wealth to get the best the world has to offer, and the power to ensure that wealth stays in their hands and with their family (no trickle-down nonsense needed).

Strongmen’s brains will be changed by power. Without guiding moral principles, power changes the brain. Rulers have more testosterone and more dopamine, and less empathy. Their brains adapt to search for opportunity, not connection, and certainly not caring. When you’re on top, survival of the fittest and every-man-for-himself is an adaptive strategy. The U.S. population have been persuaded to choose the strong man rather than the nurturing mother. Well, sadly for the average person, there will be consequences.

The turn from democracy (or representative republic) to oligarchy and dictatorship is well documented, as are the consequences for the average citizen. (Hint, it’s not good. Do you like wars? Violence? Fewer and more costly goods and services? Stay tuned.) If you want to understand how this works (and the consequences for the average person) invest 20 minutes in this video, Rules for Rulers.

 This past election, a majority of Americans chose to place their faith, and it was faith not reason, in the hands of a few wealthy billionaires, including one who was not elected. It didn’t take them as much as a month to target the U.S. Treasury in their take over. The consequences of this decision are predictable.

As part of this turn, we also see a consciousness arising that aligns with the me-first, power-over model of governance. U.S. culture has been tilting that way for decades, aided and abetted by social media and other forces. An “us versus them” “tribal” mind has taken hold and the country has splintered into divided camps, with the dogs of war baying for a civil war not truly understanding the devastating consequences of such violence.

Whatever happened to the evolution of a planetary consciousness, the promise of the 1960’s era of “make love not war”? When I observed young people favoring dictatorship, I asked myself what should we be providing young people today in order for them to feel confident that they could successfully navigate the complexity of this crucial cross-road in the human story?

I came up with four tools that would help all of us, not just young people, stay sane in the face of climate change, mis-information campaigns, and increasing migration of displaced peoples.

1.   Critical thinking skills. Unfortunately humans are very good at building stories, otherwise known as beliefs, to explain the world. And once built, we are reluctant to do the work of questioning them. We need to teach critical thinking to our populace for them to be able to sort through the AI generated deluge of mis-information. A group doing that very cleverly is https://www.schoolofthought.org/

2.   Limit cell phones and social media. Plenty of emerging research shows the damage that cell phones and social media do especially to developing adolescent brains. Jonathan Haidt pulls this research together in his book, The Anxious Generation. Anxiety and fear are a would-be dictator’s path to power. Inoculating our young people against these mental illnesses would be beneficial to future generations.

3.   Systems thinking. Biological and social systems are complex! We need to equip the average person to grasp the basics of how systems work. The best antidote to linear thinking in a complex world is Donella Meadows little book, Thinking in Systems. Systemic constellation work also has tools that can be adapted for collaborative work.

4.   Collaborative communication skills. Learning how to talk to each other in ways that generate connection and understanding are essential to bridging our differences. One program that is aimed at that is the Bridging Differences program through Greater Good group. And their playbook:

For us to move beyond tribalism and me-first, and to embrace the fact that we live on an interconnected planet, our future as a species depends on getting our collective act together. We need to make these skills available.

In our little Institute, we’re starting with couples since they are the foundation of the family and offering some basic communication and relationship skills. If you believe in our project, help spread the word. Like everything else in this capitalist economy, we need money to fund our efforts to provide skills for a better, more connected life. The best way you can help is buy our courses, give us feedback, help us make them better, and spread the word.