The Living Universe - Duane Elgin [63]
A Maturing Species
We could see ourselves as a maturing species that is going through the growth pains of a collective adolescence. Our self-image could be that of a young species gifted with many untapped potentials. We could see ourselves as immersed in the predictable turmoil of the adolescent years, testing limits and yet ready to move into early adulthood, where we are concerned with the well-being of the Earth and the future of the human family.
As I travel around the world giving talks about humanity’s future, I often begin with a simple question: “When you look at the overall behavior of the human family, what life stage do you think we are in? Averaging human behavior around the world, what stage of development best describes the human family: toddler, teenager, adult, or elder?” When I first began asking this question, I had no idea if people would understand it and, if they did, how they would answer. To my surprise, nearly everyone immediately understood the question and their responses show that, around the world, there is an overwhelming agreement about humanity’s stage of life—we are in our teenage years.
Although many people described our species behavior as rebellious, reckless, and short-sighted, many others also pointed out beneficial aspects of the adolescent stage of development. Adolescents have a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm and, with their courage and daring, are ready to dive into life and make a difference in the world. Many teenagers have a hidden sense of greatness and feel that, given a chance, they can accomplish wonderful things. Overall, the archetype of a maturing species explains a lot about our current behaviors and contains within it the promise of a hopeful future. As we grow into our early adulthood as a species, we can recognize we are an integral part of the living universe, consider the impact of our actions generations into the future, place meaningful work over pleasure seeking, measure ourselves by our soulful character, and patiently work to restore the Earth.
A Heroic Species
The previous chapter discussed the hero archetype at length. We could hold an image of ourselves as a pioneering species that is blazing an evolutionary trail and transforming a wild planet into a biosphere that will sustain life into the distant future. In this view we are on a heroic journey, moving through an unprecedented rite of passage and confronting the supreme challenge of building a new relationship with the Earth, with one another, and with the living universe that is our home. When we regard ourselves in this way, it seems evident that for tens of thousands of years, humanity has been on a path of separation—pulling back from nature and growing our sense of differentiation and empowerment as a species. Now our powers have become so great that they threaten the integrity of life on this planet and confront us with an unprecedented test of our species’ character. If we move through this time of initiation successfully, we can make our journey of return back into a harmonious relationship with the Earth and the universe that is our home.
A Witnessing Species
A third archetype that provides a powerful tool for envisioning a constructive journey portrays humanity as a witnessing or observing species. Throughout this book we have explored the idea that humans are the most conscious life form on the Earth and possess a unique potential for reflective consciousness (knowing that we know). We are a reflective species with a distinct capacity for being awake to our choices and their impact upon the Earth. Empowered by the global communications revolution, our emerging self-image could be that of a human community that is progressively waking up and becoming ever more deliberate, attentive, and mindful of our way of living upon the Earth.
At a global level, the world is becoming transparent to itself—seeing itself as a whole system for the very first time. No longer operating “on automatic,” the human family is increasingly