Recovery - A Systems Perspective
The question of meaning and purpose in our lives is shaped by our current social and historical context.
We are living through a time of profound change, which is something we can all agree on. (One of the rare things we can agree on at a time of such monumental division on what this change means.)
Our current worldview, which is based on science and reason, and treats everything as a machine to be analysed and controlled (including the human body), has brought us tremendous gains in knowledge, some facets of freedom, and comfort. However, it has also perpetuated its own demise as its foundations are not sustainable or congruent with our deeper human nature.
We are being shown just how out of alignment we are at the moment and will continue to be until we stop the blame, shame, and guilt that only produces more of the same. The invitation is to turn inwards to heal what in us allows those to be further propagated, and allow our actions to heal this planet to come from who we really are. Empowered action, which yes is deeply needed, comes from empowered individuals.
The Digital Age
The technological era has arrived hand-in-hand with an unrelenting exploitation of our home, the Earth. This has brought along a whole new set of issues that our current industrial worldview is ill-equipped to deal with or even understand. Our continual attempts to apply it to our current problems are making matters worse. For example: war to end war, creating more debt to solve debt, suppressing symptoms with toxic drugs to heal, an entire medical system founded on what is ‘wrong’ with the human body instead of teaching how to grow what is ‘right’ within all of us, having opposed political parties to ‘choose’ from, when the underlying paradigm is corrupt.
Similarly, on an individual level, our current dominant hardwired-in-lifestyle is based on consumption, egoic achievement and personal ambition. Which made sense when the goal was mastery of the environment, but now is creating and contributing to the problems and dangers at hand.
As a result, society as we know it is breaking down. We see the emergence of tremendous stresses and dangers with our current situation as a great example of a breakdown across multiple systems – healthcare, financial, economic, political - in the world. We can no longer ignore the deep interconnectedness of all these legacy systems or ourselves as creative forces within it. Blame, guilt and shame will not take us past these points to our healing individually and collectively. This huge outward projection we see of these emotions on social media especially – empowers no one.
As we see these systems outside of us create and perpetuate huge issues such as war, poverty, climate change, and corruption - we are likewise on an individual level seeing huge increases in drug addiction, chronic illness, alcoholism, suicide, and a multitude of other mental health issues. The family is breaking down, the rich/poor divide is widening, and increasing numbers of people are living in isolation from meaningful personal and community ties.
Rising from the Ashes
This breakdown, fortunately, comes with a level of possibility that is exciting and hopeful. As a species so resistant to change due to fear, was there really going to be any other way to heal than the very bumpy one? I feel like we are awakening to our accountability with all the grace of a drunk person falling out of a cab. It is an initiation on the personal and collective level. As dominant systems are shown increasingly to be unsustainable and inhumane, it is allowing for the possibility of transformation into a whole new social structure. It is allowing for the alchemy of creation.
When we are in a state of survival, we are so enmeshed in our own problems that we do not see that they are symptoms of the larger societal breakdown. Many of my clients have a diagnosis of ‘environmental illness’, which unintentionally (as Western medicine has no idea what these conditions are) does actually describe this interconnectedness of the individual and environment/collective experience.
When we are so preoccupied with our own difficulties, it pushes the overwhelm button to take on the problems of the world too. This is why there has been such triggering of helplessness and fear during this year. When you are in pain, it is hard to concentrate on things which might otherwise call you to care. To consider the larger problems of the world invites fear and a sense of deep powerlessness in us (a conditioned, not innate, response).
The Power of Meaning
Yet when we are able to re-frame our own difficulties as part of the larger challenges of our time and join with others in acknowledging and healing them, we become revitalised. We connect to a deeper sense of meaning and purpose as humans, aligned with a wisdom and intelligence that is not left-brain achievement-based. It is right-brained, balanced with creativity and heart led intelligence.
When we re-frame in this way, we can also unburden our sense of guilt, shame, and inadequacy we feel when we personalise our challenges and think we are the only one suffering. Hope is kindled from the realisation of shared experience, and from this comes a more balanced sense of responsibility or response-ability: the ability to respond. This is when creative energy can begin to flow again.
Purpose Driven Not Survival Driven Healing
Yes, we must still work through our own issues. That is healing and growth in our personal evolution; but we can align our struggles with society’s so that our personal transformation contributes to social transformation and vice versa. As a synergistic interdependent system, it breathes and weaves together. This allows us to anchor in a larger more meaningful context to our personal journey and a deeper sense of meaning and purpose emerges.
A new worldview and way of life that is more sustainable and appropriate to the current historical situation is beginning to surface. Our collective psyche is showing signs of this with self-empowerment movements, the rise of women, ecological awareness, new systems science, and many other green shoots of creativity. We do not know what this will look like, but we can already see that a new evolutionary outlook will be and indeed must be built on a foundation of cooperation, interconnectedness, and interest in our inner experience interlaced with cultural diversity and reverence for our Mother Earth.
This does not mean discarding the miraculous advances of science, technology, and analytical thought forms; but rather integrating them and anchoring them to a deeper foundation of these new emerging values to actually serve rather than rule humanity.
The Meaning of Being Human
The narrowness of our current worldview of what it is to be human has restricted many people to a linear, unfeeling, disconnected, and competitive experience. The human condition is not to be socially isolated and/or unwell physically and emotionally. The answer is not to endlessly ‘fight’ this. It is to heal it with new values and ways of being that bridge where we are with what our deeper wisdom knows we need: compassion, care, empathy, and community. The symptoms we experience mentally and physically are our signposts to where we are out of alignment with our deeper wisdom and our Earth. They are not enemies. They are compassionate teachers showing us what and where to heal.
We are being asked to develop ourselves to embody the values, connectedness, and creativity of a new society that is currently trying to be born. And to discover our deeply interconnected sense of life purpose and vision that helps us co-create this new world.
These rhythms of awakening are apparent globally when we seek them and are ready to perceive them. As a human, you are an integrated system comprising of physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects that each contain untapped potential for higher functioning.
In our own healing, as in the healing underway on this planet, it can feel impossible from an old understanding of reality, but possible from a new one.
Most of us would rather avoid seeing the suffering in the world and feeling the pain of it. This is understandable. It seems so overwhelming that we feel we will be overcome with anguish for no good reason.
Nevertheless, there is enormous value in letting ourselves feel our compassion for the pain of our world. We are naturally compassionate beings; we spontaneously respond to and care for other people, animals and the earth. This is a sign of our humanity, our interconnectedness, and our love. You can open yourself to this pain without being overwhelmed if you are grounded and if you do not absorb or hold onto the pain. It can become a deepening experience, one that teaches courage through facing the worst and emerging stronger, one that brings maturity through opening your heart to what is, no matter how terrible.
From this experience comes the true motivation to act, the commitment to dedicate ourselves to the higher purpose of relieving suffering. Also from this comes a sense of connection, of oneness with those who are suffering and with other compassionate souls. This dissolves blame and outrage culture that just weighs our empowered action down.
As someone who works with people daily who are finding meaning, purpose, and empowerment to create a new reality in their health and lives - I get to see this in action. It suffuses my own life with ever deeper meaning and purpose to be part of a change that resonates with me as an individual within a connected collective.
I do not get overwhelmed by others pain. I do not fall prey to shame and guilt from outside systems telling me how to think and behave in order to be obedient and ‘good’. I know my integrity and remain true to that, even when my critical thinking combined with intuition and finding alignment with beliefs that feel most empowering to me – lead me outside the box.
Quite often I am lead to remove belief systems based on conventional medical paradigms, remove beliefs about what I ‘should’ do for the ‘greater good’, and how I ‘should’ feel or be or speak in any social movement or situation. What I choose to believe will change as I grow and mature of course. I am not overly attached to overly as they are not my identity. However – in removing belief systems around medical conditions I used to have – I healed incurable illnesses. By removing societal programming about how I should behave – I don’t experience anxiety or shame. By removing beliefs around how I should respond to any events in the world – I am free to use my discernment to learn from others and then take self empowered action to do a great deal of good for myself and others. I know my belief systems work for me as I feel aligned. I have limited time and energy in this blink of an eye lifetime. Others can have a totally different set of beliefs and that’s just fine too.
I invite you to consider the richness and beauty of your own healing and know that you are part of something very powerful when you own your experience fully. I invite you to consider the rich interaction between your inner system and the world. Where is the inner tension surfacing in your body? In your emotions? What conscious thoughts demand your attention? Where and how do you spend your energy? Do you know how to examine your own beliefs with compassionate inquiry to see what is aligned to your deepest empowerment and sovereignty in all ways?
As your true Self, you have a tremendous capacity to heal, to bring your unique gifts to this world to help it heal. Your authenticity is being called to action.