The Greatest Show on Earth

In the Bible, there is a story about how the people of Babylon wanted to build a tower that would stretch all the way up to Heaven. This is of course the story about the tower of Babel, and it provides a sobering reminder of what happens when human selfishness, ignorance and vanity take charge. I doubt very much that this story is based on historical fact, but that’s beside the point. What’s important is to recognise that the forces presently dominating the power structures on Earth are trying in their own way to build another tower of Babel. What they are trying to do may not be building a literal tower stretching towards the sky, but that wasn’t the point of the story about the tower of Babel either. And as we know, God was not right pleased when our Babylonian ancestors tried to reach Heaven with their tower, so He made sure it all came tumbling down, and punished the people by making them all speak in different tongues, so that they couldn’t understand each other anymore.

So what is the current iteration of the tower of Babel? It is partly our obsession with technology, virtual reality and suchlike, but even more so it is the ruling elite’s fanatical obsession with artificial intelligence, trans-humanism and the brave new world of “the internet of everything”, where everybody is just another node on the centrally controlled network. It’s as if the natural world just isn’t good enough for them, so in their boundless ignorance and stupidity they are trying to create something they think is going to be better, at least from their point of view. This development is constantly moving further and faster, and could at least potentially eventually replace the natural expression of humanity with a synthetic one. However, this process is doomed to fail, just like the good old tower of Babel eventually had to fall down. It is a process that is built on a total lack of understanding of life, and it is exclusively driven by utterly selfish and destructive motives. It is a process that seeks power and control above anything else, and has been ongoing at least since historical records began, if not even longer.

This has slowly, but surely, lead to a world that seems to be rapidly descending into ever deeper levels of insanity. Who would have thought that it would ever come to this? A significant portion of humanity is worshipping this modern version of the dance around the golden calf, presumably thinking that it will bring happiness, fulfilment and prosperity for all. What it is actually doing is exactly the opposite, but many of us are so blinded by the high-tech trickery and cleverness that we have lost touch with the most basic core of ourselves. The transformation of humanity into cyborgs or worse can only lead to the end of humanity as we know it if left unchecked.

So here we are, in a civilisation that is falling apart, with political leadership all over the world seemingly hell-bent on helping this disintegration happen as quickly as possible. As individuals, we can of course be an antidote to this madness quite simply by not cooperating and practicing peaceful non-compliance. We can be like shining beacons of sanity, disconnect from the madness to the extent that is practically possible, and try to find ways of connecting with each other to create a new world that’s built on life’s true values; honesty, integrity, creativity, joy, freedom and love.

We have now reached a point where there is no turning back. It’s not as if we can somehow turn the clock back and return to what we used to think of as normal life, the way we used to know it. Far too many of us have already bought into the lie that will eventually bring our civilisation down, so it looks like we’re going to have to go through “the great purge” whether we like it or not. Nobody knows what this is going to look like, and how it is going to play out, yet even so, we can and should face what is coming with fearless strength and poised equanimity. Humanity will survive, that much is certain, but as individual expressions of humanity, we have no guarantee that we will survive the calamity that is bearing down upon the world.

So what can we do? We must do our best to stand up for truth, integrity and freedom, and be the change that we want to see in the world. And who knows, we may then live to see the dawn of a new world and the long-awaited rebirth of humanity. That’s what’s coming, but it would appear that humanity has made the choice to go through this process the hard way, and for all we know, that may prove to be the best-case scenario after all. Who are we to judge what is ultimately right or wrong in that respect?

In the play “As You Like It”, by William Shakespeare, one of the characters says: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…” The great cosmic drama that we know as life on Earth has reached a pivotal moment in its ceaseless unfolding, and we are indeed all like actors playing our parts in this real life production. But we are actors with a crucial difference; we are also co-creators of the drama, and every single one of us plays his or her important part. Seen from this somewhat expanded perspective, there is no right or wrong about any of this. Even those of us who seem to be following a path of selfishness, greed, death and destruction, are playing their part in this multi-dimensional performance. It is a drama that is being created as it is being played out, so we’re engaged in a spontaneous act of collective improvisation, the nature of which is far beyond anything that can currently be expressed in words.

There is a higher purpose to all this and it’s not for us to see the totality of it all, or even understand what it all means, at least not at this time. Part of our challenge is to respond with intelligence, integrity, sensitivity and compassion to whatever we might have to go through. Life’s ways are indeed inscrutable, and it is a great gift and privilege to be part of such a grand and meaningful transformation. Just bear in mind that there is no saviour about to descend from high heavens to help us, no messiah, oracle or guru come to save us. In spite of that, we have all the reason to rejoice and go forth with the greatest fortitude and trust, safe in the knowledge that the true saviour is immanent in each and every one of us. Yes, these are strange times indeed, and there are no blueprints or easy-to-follow instructions available for us. We are the ones whose challenge it is to create, embody and give expression to the new human. The future of humanity is in our hands, and we have all been called upon to help give birth to the new human and a new Earth. It is the greatest challenge and the greatest blessing that life could ever bestow upon us during these remarkable and world-historic times, and sooner or later our sincere and compassionate efforts will be crowned with victory.