The New Story
Let’s build on last lesson's exploration of the higher image of the human being by expanding our view to the world as a whole and our place in it.
For some time now, careful thinkers have been realizing in increasing numbers that it will not do to tackle this or that modern predicament in isolation, be it conflict or economy or climate change. We need a whole paradigm shift. Some call it “the Great Turning,” but it’s most commonly called the “New Story.” We have already covered a, or possibly the, key element of that story in our previous topic, the human image (at Metta Center, we place special emphasis on the human image, by the way: many “New Story” activists stop at changing our relationship to the planet).
We have never in modern memory needed as deep a cultural shift as we do today. Nor have we ever had so much going for us to make it possible:
“New Science” has displaced the Newtonian, mechanistic view of the universe, starting with the discovery of quantum theory early last century, which exploded the notion of a separate, physical world. Quantum theory spreads throughout the biological and social sciences with such foci as “positive psychology”.
The Western world rediscovered the wisdom of ancient India and the Far East, bringing to light humanity’s age-old “wisdom tradition,” stressing the unity of life and the meaning of a “compassionate universe.” (Note: in this sense “new story” is a bit of a misnomer!)
These two great streams of human wisdom converge, reinforcing each other and adding up to a case that we live in a conscious, meaningful reality. Sages call it the unity of life, quantum theorists “non-locality;” sages say consciousness determines the apparently material world, physicists speak of “downward causality.”
And finally, a specialty at Metta Center:
Nonviolence! Not only does it provide a method of social change across the whole spectrum — from reform to resistance that corresponds to the “new story” of reality — but nonviolence can bring the new story to life. As Gandhi said, with nonviolence, we can move the heart and not just appeal to the mind, which is essential to change a paradigm.