Remembering the Future

Today is Remembrance Sunday. As I write these words, I am able to hear and see on BBC TV the ten thousand representatives of various military and civilian groups parade past the Cenotaph, in London, in memory of fallen comrades, friends and family members who gave their lives in past and present conflicts. Inevitably the drum-beat that accompanies the left heal of the marchers hitting the ground brings back memories of my own endless hours spent on drill squares learning to precision march.

But overriding the emotions that come from watching those thousands whose mixed memories have brought them on to the streets of cities, towns and villages everywhere in the English speaking world, is a dawning as to why remembering is particularly important in today’s rapidly changing world : in the events remembered today, there was a known enemy, even if it might be difficult to recognise some of these as ‘enemy’ today, then there was a certainty. And this made it possible for ordinary men and women to do extraordinary things, to become heroes and heroines, to come up with unusual ideas and solutions, even to be willing to lay down their lives.

The yearning that exists today is for that same degree of certainty that existed in the past, the certainty that made it possible to know ‘the enemy’. Today’s major enemy is something much more elusive – it is hidden inside each of us and in all our beliefs, practices and institutions. Such an abstract enemy is much more difficult to identify, to go up against. So frustrated we strike out and create ‘enemies’ in banking; big business; transnationals; those of other religions; government; the system; etc. and yet no one of these is an “enemy”. In a world based on a real understanding of Oneness, there are only victims – of immature ideas; wrong assumptions; false ideals; poor understanding of the purpose life; etc. Until we collectively develop a real understanding of what a One World view means, and then develop the skills and courage required to remodel our world, we will go on seeking out the enemy and remember the days in which it was simpler to do so.

I live with the convinction that, given direction, the same dedication and bravery of the past is alive today and available to make the changes the world is clearly calling for. Because there is so much that requires change, movements like Occupy Wall Street (OWS) appear to have diverse objectives. Yet OWS’s diversity reflects the wide range of areas in which change is overdue : the structure of government; a re-definition of the role of corporations and the determination of profitability; the role and nature of banking; the puropose of real education; healthcare v. disease prevention; agriculture in alignment with natue’s laws; an economic theory relevant to this age; etc.

What has yet to emerge is an integrated programme of radical change covering these key areas that shape our world. Those who heroically gave of themselves in a simpler age, will not have done so in vain if we collaborate in creating the future we want, always based on the recognition that we are all in this together. The future will need to be different, no doubt; the danger lies in us believing that it is too complex to try and do anything about shaping our futures, and in letting it just ‘happen’ to us. The big lesson of the past being remembered today is that where there is hope and determnination, there will emerge solutions.

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