Creating a Sustainable Future.
By Bob Edelstein, LMFT, MFT
This blog was originally posted in Psychology Today on May 30, 2015
Being authentic is an act of courage, a way of being that moves towards health and wholeness. Being authentic is not a selfish act. Nor is it short-sighted. If we are supported to be our authentic selves, we will ultimately act in the best interest of ourselves, of each other, of our community, and our world.
If we are coming from our authentic core, we live by values (I’ve explored these values in earlier blogs) which emphasize an optimistic and positive view of human nature. As we become aware of how we have created defenses to protect ourselves from the pain of our wounds, we become aware that we can also heal these wounds. We can live from a less fear-based and defended existence and move into a more trusting and embracing existence.
Some of the ways we will define ourselves and the world will be:
- We live from our being values, such as truth, beauty, and justice.
- We are beings-in-the-world. We are part of an interconnected, global community that we honor and trust.
- We live in a world where mutuality, dialogue, collaboration, and sharing power — power with, not power over — is the norm.
- While a sense of discernment is certainly important, people are inherently good and they can be trusted.
Life, by nature, is complex. People who live more fulfilling lives integrate this complexity into their choices and actions. Flexibility is a valued and valuable quality.
Wisdom lies within. We can trust and rely on ourselves to know what is best for ourselves. Our truth will emerge from this. We act from this wisdom.
We live from our larger selves. In living from our larger selves, we cultivate compassion for others, and compassion towards ourselves.
If we live from our authentic selves, what emerges is a changed view of the world as well as a change in our relationship to it. Our individual growth towards authenticity contributes directly to an authentic collective experience and this collective experience reciprocally informs and inspires the individual to be more authentic.
The world we can create could include:
- We care for our planet by embracing responsible stewardship in its many forms.
- We advocate for affective, holistic education, which takes into account the total development of human beings – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
- We care for our physical health and vitality. We advocate for a health care system that supports us to do so.
- We care for our mental and emotional health. We value the importance of processing our feelings and needs in order to connect with our authentic self. We advocate for therapyas a first choice, not a last resort.
- We care for our spiritual health, which includes respect for all religions, traditions, and spiritual paths.
- We create a strong world community which promotes political cooperation among leaders as well as citizen-based initiatives.
- We foster a global consciousness that celebrates dialogue, openness, and trust. In the dialogue there is a respect and openness to all of our emotions and differences which are expressed fully to each other. We mutually engage in order to resolve the common issues facing our planet in a positive, cooperative, unifying way.
This may sound like an idealistic vision. It isn’t. Here are some examples of people and organizations who embrace an authentic existence and are creating an authentic collective experience:
At the Rust Conference in 1985, Carl Rogers, Ph.D. and his colleagues facilitated a political dialogue to resolve tensions in Central America. This humanistic, person-centered approach produced an outcome of reduced tensions and more open lines of communication. Hostility was transformed into trust. For his contribution, Carl Rogers was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize.
Robert Muller, Ph.D., believes the main function of education is to make children happy, fulfilled, universal human beings. He created a “World Core Curriculum” and was a founding member of the University for Peace which was created in 1980. The programs offered by the university are interdisciplinary and aim for holistic knowledge, with a focus on multicultural perspectives, theory and practical applications.
John Vasconcellos, a former state senator from California, developed a Politics of Trust network in 2004 that champions the virtues of self-esteem, inclusion, diversity, and collaboration as pragmatic alternatives to the cynicism and gridlock so predominant in politics today.
Arnold Mindel, Ph.D., the founder of World Works, which is part of the Process Work Institute, developed the idea of Deep Democracy. He travels the world facilitating large groups which explore the macro issues facing us as a global community. He emphasizes the importance of the relationship, feeling or dreaming dimension of our passions, creativity and experience. He believes that without this dimension, our world runs on power, not relationship or community.
The field of Ecopsychology, emphasizes our relationship to Nature as an integral part of our psychological development and well-being. Ecopsychology explores the synergistic relation between personal health and well-being and the health and well-being of the Earth.
Kirk Schneider, Ph.D., a leading spokesperson for contemporary existential-humanistic psychology, is an advocate for both awe-based consciousness and experiential democracy as a way of being and a practical application to release the grip of the polarized mind.
Occupy Wall Street movement is a people-powered movement that began in September 2011 and has spread world-wide. The movement is a protest against social and economic inequality. This signified a grass roots collective action towards a more just society.
The examples above are just a few of the many efforts I see being made towards creating an authentic collective experience.
I believe we are inherently capable of living these values and realizing these visions. This would result in creating a more just, humane, and sustainable world. This would be a world I’d be glad to have my grandchildren live in.
