A Very, Very Mad World
"The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air." --- Lady Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Many of us, including me, feel like we are living in a very, very mad world. Despite the incredible progress humanity has made over the centuries, we are seeing some extremely strange and worrisome problems. As we collectively peer into our future, many of us don't like what we see.
Our children are growing up in a swiftly evolving digital world that didn't exist when we were young. This rapid technological change, coupled with global challenges, is affecting our mental health and social fabric in ways we're only beginning to understand. We're seeing increases in mental health problems, loneliness, and suicide rates among various groups, raising questions about the impact of our increasingly digital life.
Even as our screens provide amazing options and connectivity, there's widespread pessimism about the future among people in affluent countries. We face an alarming number of intricate, morphing societal challenges that contribute to our worries, stress, and negativity. Unfortunately, there are valid reasons to be worried about our collective future. These challenges span various aspects of our lives and society, including:
· Climate change & environmental degradation
· Increasing political polarization
· Wars in the Ukraine and Middle East
· The omnipresent possibility of nuclear war
· A recent pandemic
· Increasing wealth inequality
· Culture wars
· The rise of artificial intelligence (AI)
· The spread of fake news, deep fakes, misinformation, lies, and conspiracy theories
· A 2024 United States presidential election that terrifies both sides equally
"I can't believe the news today. I can't close my eyes and make it go away. How long, how long must we sing this song? How long?" -- from the song, Sunday, Bloody Sunday, by U2
The societal problems we see as we doomscroll on our phones affect us at the individual level. The scary stories that target each of us through algorithms of attention trapture get more likes, clicks, shares, outrage...and money for those who pull the strings. Fear and hate are profitable…at least in the short-run.
(A quick aside – The journey that led me to The Unity Imperative reads like Slumdog Millionaire meets Ready Player One. That mind-blowing backstory, which deeply informs these ideas, is one we’ll explore as we go along. Here is the short version of The Unity Imperative and the video is below. This Unity Imperative series is the long version. I'd write a book, but there simply isn't enough time).
The Divided States of America:
A Manifestation of Global Division
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." - Abraham Lincoln, inspired by the words of Jesus
Nowhere is this global madness more evident than in the United States, where we approach a monumental 2024 presidential election. Millions of Americans on both sides of the political divide are gripped by fear and foreboding. Recent events like the assassination attempt on a former president and the January 6th Capitol riot are extremely alarming canaries in the coal mine. These aren't isolated incidents but symptoms of a deep sickness within our country and, by extension, our world.
The heart of America's problem, which reflects a larger global issue, is right in front of our collective noses: we are too divided. The existential angst we feel about this election reflects our level of polarization. If we were more united, we'd feel confident our country would continue to endure and prosper regardless of which president or party is leading the country. This chasm between us isn't just a political inconvenience—it's a ticking time bomb threatening the very foundations of our democracy. As our division widens, we edge closer to disaster.
On some level, we all understand the deep wisdom contained within the idea "United we stand, divided we fall." Yet, despite centuries of democracy and millennia of wisdom urging unity, we are allowing ourselves to become The Divided States of America. This stark contrast between our foundational ideals and our current reality underscores the urgency of our situation.
Our division cripples our ability to address looming global crises such as climate change, technological disruption, and geopolitical tensions. We are left weaker and more vulnerable as we squander our energies and resources. In America, land of the free, we squander our liberty on bitter infighting rather than uniting to conquer our shared challenges. This tragic irony threatens our very future.
This is not the best America has to offer. Our true strength emerges when we stand united, not divided. To understand how we've strayed so far from our ideals, we must examine the forces eroding our democracy.
The Erosion of Democracy: A Technological and Social Divide
In America and elsewhere, democracies are struggling. We are seeing an unsettling amount of social unrest, and there is a disconcerting rise in totalitarianism, extremism on both sides, and even anti-Semitism. The Left and Right have come to equally mistrust, fear, hate, and despise one another.
At national and global levels, our inability to recognize our shared humanity and work together for the collective good should concern us all. This disconnect is exacerbated by the breakneck pace of technological change. Our technological evolution zooms past our biological evolution. We are like toddlers learning to walk while our inventions sprint ultramarathons.
Alarmingly, our moral, spiritual, and cultural progress are also being left behind in the digital dust of our technological triumphs. This rocketing disparity fuels our societal challenges and produces much of our suffering. Our hyper-connected, screen-based world is now filled with echo chambers, filter bubbles, infectious outrage, clickbait, surveillance capitalism, disinformation, misinformation, deepfakes, and endless doomscrolling. These are not challenges we evolved to overcome.
Moreover, as we chase digital red herrings of happiness, this often comes at the expense of meeting our basic evolutionary needs. These include sleep, physical activity, time in nature, and, perhaps most importantly, in-person social interactions. While human beings are incredibly adaptive, we have our limits. When our fundamental needs are not met adequately, we will suffer.
Our digital world is reshaping our society and individual psyches in ways we can't comprehend, let alone adapt. Are these soaring technological capabilities inadvertently causing us to devolve into fear, anger, hatred, and tribalism? How are our societal and individual struggles interconnected in this new digital landscape?
As if it weren’t already challenging living within this fast-paced digital world, we've created artificial intelligence that evolves at an exponential rate. This AI revolution stands poised to radically transform every facet of our existence, from the very nature of work to the core of our decision-making processes.
A tsunami of change is about to wash over the entire human race. Think of it as 1000 years of climate change taking place in the next 5 years. We are not ready. Like modern-day Frankensteins, we've engineered technologies beyond our control. We've failed to learn from our countless cautionary tales.
“The insanity of the collective egoic mind, amplified by science and technology, is rapidly taking our species to the brink of disaster. Evolve or die: that is our choice now. “ – Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher
Tolle's warning echoes Our Unity Imperative. We must evolve spiritually, transcending our tribal instincts to unite, or risk falling victim to the very progress we've achieved.
The Perils of Progress: From Thoreau to AI
Yet, as we look around the world today, we are understandably worried that we lack the collective insight to wield this power responsibly. As poet and naturalist Henry David Thoreau warned about the industrial revolution of his era, we have “improved means to unimproved ends.”
Just as Thoreau warned of unchecked industrialization, we now face an even greater peril: ensuring our technological progress serves humanity rather than annihilates it. Ironically, our tools of progress may be undermining the very social prosperity they were designed to enhance.
The shared teachings of love, compassion, and unity across many religions, as well as our Founding Fathers' cautions regarding political division, seem forgotten. America is not getting better at democracy. We face a decline that threatens the very foundations of our United States and serves as a stark warning to the world.
From this perspective, the presidential candidates are not the problem. Rather, they are lightning rods of both hope and fear. Each side blames America’s struggles and woes on the “Other Side.” In doing so, both sides co-create the real problem.
So, what is the real problem? At this stage of our democracy, each side would rather vote for a flaming pile of dung than for someone on the dreaded “Other Side.” We view those across the political fence as existential threats rather than fellow Americans with different views.
Our Founding Fathers, with their profound foresight, warned us about the perils of polarization. Although their words are centuries old, they cut through time with razor-sharp relevance:
"A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points... have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good." - James Madison
"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.” – John Adams
As we face this erosion of our democratic ideals, we must remember that unity is not just a lofty goal, but a fundamental part of our national identity. It's time to recall the ideals upon which American greatness is founded. We must reclaim the truth that "United" is the very essence of our strength.
In this era of unprecedented challenges, our ability to come together may well determine our fate as a nation. It is only through unity that we can hope to harness our technological advances for the greater good. It is our collective responsibility to ensure they enhance, rather than erode or destroy, our democratic ideals.
How Do We Make America Better?
We have forgotten the Truth that “United” is America’s first name – the very ideal upon which our greatness is founded. We are not “The Freedom States of America” for good reason. Our nation's original motto, "E pluribus unum" - meaning "Out of many, One" - captures this fundamental truth. It's the glue that binds our diverse states and people into a single, unified nation. Our Founding Fathers understood that we experience the greatest freedom in our nation when unity comes first. Our ability to exercise freedom within these United States depends on America’s unity.
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin, A Founding Father of America
Our degree of division is inherently incompatible with the demands of our complex, interconnected world. This disconnect between our knowledge and our actions is at the root of much of our suffering. However, in this complex world, it's easy to lose sight of the truths we need to light our way forward. Thus, our liberation doesn't come from discovering new truths, but in finally putting into practice the timeless wisdom we've always known.
“All secrets are open secrets. Nothing is hidden, nothing can be revealed. People can only be told what they already know, but they might not be conscious of their knowledge.” Camden Banares, from Zen Without Zen Masters
Living the Truths we already know is our path to freedom from the cycle of hatred and division that both the Left and Right are trapped within. Unity is the most skillful path forward into our collective future. However, unity can only be achieved when we are able to see ourselves in others. In turn, connecting with others through our shared humanity enables us to love our neighbors, (i.e., everyone) as ourselves.
Balancing Unity and Diversity: The American Challenge is Universal
Vilifying fellow Americans, our neighbors, because of our differences will not create the level of unity necessary to navigate the challenges of this modern world. We must quit "othering" our neighbors. Achieving greater unity necessitates that we prioritize what connects us over what differentiates us.
The Evolutionary Tightrope: Unity and Freedom
Our struggle to balance unity and diversity is not just an American challenge—it's a universal human dilemma rooted in our evolutionary past. Our ancestors walked a precarious tightrope: they needed the safety and support of the tribe for survival, yet also required individual freedom to make choices ensuring personal survival.
This delicate equilibrium between unity and freedom was forged in the crucible of our evolutionary history. Unity came first—without the tribe, there was no survival. But nested within this unity, freedom and individuality were equally crucial. This balance emerged through evolutionary forces, becoming integral to our very nature.
The deeply ingrained balance was established in an ancient world. That primitive world moved at a glacial pace compared to our modern era. This evolutionary legacy is why finding life balance in our rapidly-evolving technological world feels like trying to juggle ten balls while running on an accelerating treadmill.
Modern Times, Ancient Minds
"The dilemma of humanity is this: we have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology." - E.O. Wilson, Harvard University biologist
From an evolutionary standpoint, we've leaped from small tribal groups to vast, complex societies in the blink of an eye. Our modern, digital world, with its dizzying array of multiplying choices and connections, is like an alien planet. Yet, a very deep part of us - let's call it our scared little monkey within—is still trying to navigate this alien landscape with our ancient instincts.
Imagine dropping a Neanderthal in the middle of Times Square on New Year's Eve. They would go crazy from a mind-boggling sensory overload. This is not far from how a deep part of our psyche experiences our hyper-connected, ever-changing modern world. Our neural circuitry, fine-tuned over millennia for a world of savannas and tribes, now finds itself in a bewildering landscape of pixels and global networks.
This mismatch between our ancient programming and our rapidly-evolving technological world explains why modern life often feels so chaotic and why we sometimes revert to tribal thinking in a global society. It's as if we're trying to run cutting-edge software on hardware that hasn't been updated in 200,000 years.
Balancing Act in an Earthquake
Now, we face an unprecedented challenge. We're trying to maintain this delicate balance between unity and freedom while technological change shakes the very ground beneath our feet. It's as if we're attempting a high-wire act during an earthquake.
The pace of change, particularly in our digital world, is outstripping our ability to adapt. We're left feeling unmoored, struggling to find our footing in a world that seems to shift faster than we can comprehend. This rapid change is at the heart of why it often seems like the world is going crazy. What’s happening in a nutshell is this – we’ve created a crazy world, and it is beginning to drive us all a little crazy.
America's Challenge: A Universal Human Struggle
The American experiment requires a delicate balance: cherishing our freedom to be diverse while maintaining our essential unity. We cannot claim to love freedom yet reject the diversity it naturally produces. Equally, we cannot champion diversity while dismissing those whose views differ from our own. In this way, conservatives who reject differing expressions of freedom and liberals who don't accept those who hold different ideas of inclusion fall into the same trap of hypocrisy.
Yet, when we take a step back, we can see that the hypocrisy on both sides of the political spectrum reflects our shared humanity. Our virtues and flaws follow us wherever we go. Our humanity transcends all artificial political and tribal boundaries.
Our shared challenge is to embrace the full spectrum of our differences without losing sight of our fundamental sameness. This means creating a unity that doesn't demand uniformity, and celebrating a diversity that doesn't fracture our connectedness. In essence, we must learn to disagree without disconnecting and differ without dividing.
At our core, we are all human beings on a journey to survive and thrive, along with our loved ones, as best we know how. This shared human experience is the bedrock of our inherent interconnectedness. By overfocusing on our individuality and uniqueness, we lose sight of our common humanity.
Our shared challenge is this: We cannot allow the numerator of our differences to become greater than the denominator of our sameness. This Truth of our shared humanity creates the foundation for celebrating diversity while embracing unity. To fully embrace this Truth, we must transcend the deeply rooted tribalism within our evolutionary history.
"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion." – Thomas Paine, American Founding Father
As we navigate this universal human struggle, we must remember that our ability to find balance—between unity and freedom, between our ancient instincts and our modern realities—may well determine our collective future. The American challenge is, in truth, humanity's challenge.
Unity: The Path to a Better America
America cannot sustain greatness, and might not even survive as a nation, if we don’t reduce our toxic levels of polarization. We've lost sight of the “us” in U.S., and we're paying the price for this division. It's not a Right or Left problem. It's a Right and Left problem. Unity is not just desirable – it’s imperative for our survival.
Given that we are all human beings trying our best to navigate the challenges of this world to find happiness, trying to determine which side is "more right" or "more wrong" is like arguing over which end of a sinking ship should be saved first. It's not only futile - it's counterproductive to our shared goal of staying afloat.
From this perspective, while America is already “great” by many metrics, we can still be better than we are. There is room for improvement. The key to making America better is through greater unity.
Hidden within Jesus’ teaching that “A house divided cannot stand” is perhaps an even more profound truth. The converse must also be true: A house united cannot fall. The message is clear - together, we can forge a path to a stronger, more united America.
Unity Isn’t Uniformity
It's crucial to understand that unity does not mean conformity. Prioritizing unity isn't about suppressing individual freedoms or creating some homogeneous Brave New World. On the contrary, it's about fostering a harmonious environment where our differences can coexist and thrive. This allows our freedoms to find their fullest expression. By embracing this true unity, we liberate ourselves from the most insidious attachment that plagues our human existence: hate.
True unity allows for diversity of thought and action within a framework of mutual respect and shared goals. We're not aiming for a world of identical beliefs, but one where diverse perspectives contribute to our collective thriving and happiness. The greatest freedom we could ever know is freedom to love coupled with freedom from fear and hate.
As U2 reminds us in their anthem, One, “We're one, but we're not the same. We get to carry each other.” This is the essence of unity – not erasing our differences but embracing them while recognizing our fundamental interconnectedness. This echoes our earlier point about not letting the numerator of our differences become greater than the denominator of our sameness. Unity doesn't mean erasing what makes us unique. It means recognizing that our shared humanity is greater than our individual differences.
To understand this on a more personal level, let's consider our own romantic relationships. Have you ever tried determining who is more at fault for your arguments and conflicts or who contributes “more” to the relationship? We all know firsthand that this is an exercise in futility…or perhaps even in masochism. We don't win such arguments. We both lose.
“The only winning move is not to play.” - Tagline from the movie, WarGames
Thus, we must choose being "effective" over trying to be "right" and compromise for the collective good. This is how we have healthy, adult relationships in real life. In this important regard, America is failing. We, as the Right and Left, are in a dysfunctional marriage,
endlessly bickering and blaming each other instead of working together to build a stronger household. We're squandering our time, energy, and resources on petty fights instead of investing those in our shared future.
As we face unprecedented challenges in our rapidly changing world, the need for unity has never been greater.
The Urgency of Unity
The toxic levels of polarization are tearing at the very fabric of our society and undermining the foundations of democracy. The challenges of this world, and the sci-fi world we are creating for ourselves, necessitate a much greater level of unity than humanity is showing right now.
Alarmingly, as our rapidly changing world becomes more interconnected and our challenges more complex, America is moving in precisely the wrong direction. Our increasing polarization is the antithesis of what we need. While the world demands greater cooperation and unity to solve our shared, global issues, we're devolving into tribal groups. We are erecting walls instead of building bridges. This divergence between our nation's trajectory and the world's needs is not just counterproductive—it could be our undoing.
We cannot solve collective problems with divided approaches in an interconnected world.
We are caught in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Both the Left and Right live in collective fear of one another within our shared country. We might end up destroying the wonderful nation we claim to cherish as we try to defeat our fellow human beings who are on the despised other side. In this way, we are like two gigantic Red and Blue toddlers breaking the very toys we're fighting over. It’s as if we’ve somehow forgotten how to share and compromise.
Another way to think about our political infighting is as if we had our Right and Left arms attack one another to see which side "wins." We forget that they are connected to the same body, and that WE inherently suffer from having them fight. Moreover, we can't use those same arms to be productive when they are too busy fighting one another. Think of the amount of energy we waste fighting one another incessantly instead of working together for the common good.
Our beloved "United" States is devolving into tribalism. Our greatest enemy is ourselves. We are rotting from within. This division is jeopardizing the very principles upon which our democracy stands and deeply undermining the core of our society. To paraphrase the late, great cosmologist Carl Sagan, the extraordinary challenges (of our rapidly evolving world) require extraordinary unity (within our increasingly interconnected, yet more fractured, society).
My Fellow Human Beings, the stakes are existential, and time is of the essence. This is The Unity Imperative.
The Path to Unity: Confronting Our Divide
To chart a path towards unity, we must confront the psychology driving our division. Why do we cling to this self-destructive cycle? The answer lies in a toxic brew of fear, misperception, and a growing blindness to our shared humanity.
As we continue this journey, we can use these timeless words of wisdom light our way:
"The only way to tackle a problem is to understand it, and understanding begins with an honest and open search for the truth, however painful that truth may be." - C.P. Snow, British scientist and novelist
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it emotionally." - Flannery O'Connor, American novelist
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." – Marie Curie, physicist
In our next installment, we'll confront uncomfortable truths that hold the key to our future. A clearer understanding of the psychology that creates our division enables us to bridge the chasms between us.
The One Unity Movement: A Call to Action
The Unity Imperative needs to spark a movement. So, let’s do this. The One Unity Movement is born today, and we need you to be a part of it.
You can become part of ending toxic polarization right now. When someone asks, "What side are you on?" Simply respond, "I'm on the side of unity." Looking for something to rebel against? Rebel against division. Be a rebel for unity.
By siding with unity, we automatically end division. Polarization needs another side to push back against, but unity gives it nothing to oppose. We've been approaching our problems backwards by trying to solve issues while we are too divided. Instead, we must start with reducing polarization, perhaps by only voting for politicians who make a Unity Pledge. This empowers us to work on our shared challenges together.
Calling All Connectors
If this message resonates deeply with you and you have the power to amplify it, we need you. Are you an influencer, a thought leader, or someone with connections to those who can make a difference? If you know people in high places or have a network that can help spread this message, reach out. I can't create the One Unity Movement alone. Together, we can turn this vision into a reality.
The Unity Imperative: Our Shared Journey
The path ahead is challenging, but it's a journey we must take together. Our future—as a nation and as a species—hangs in the balance. Our Unity Imperative calls us to Level Up, and we can only answer that call as one. Remember, as we forge ahead:
"There is no fate but what we make for ourselves." – from The Terminator series
Join The One Unity Movement today. Because in a world of division, being one is not just a choice - it's our imperative. Together, we can transform our world, one connection at a time.
United We Stand, Together We Thrive!
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