The Living Universe - Duane Elgin [71]
Becoming Media-Conscious Citizens of the Earth
The mass media are a window through which we see the world. If the infusing aliveness of the universe is not recognized and celebrated in our media, then it is much less likely that we will see it in our everyday lives. If the media present diminished images of ourselves as isolated consumers who want to be entertained, then we will tend to fulfill that self-image. However, if we see portrayals of ourselves as citizens of the cosmos who are actively engaged in a heroic journey of awakening, we will tend to fulfill that self-image. Because the mass media are so powerful in presenting and reinforcing our self-image as a species, it is critical that we use this storytelling machine of mass culture to tell ourselves bigger stories about where we are, who we are, and where we are going.
Learning to see ourselves in the collective mirror of the mass media is as important as learning to see ourselves in the mirror of our personal consciousness. Once there is inclusive and sustained social reflection, we can build a working consensus regarding appropriate actions for a promising future. We are a visual species; we cannot consciously build a positive future that we have not first collectively imagined. When we can see a sustainable and promising future, we can build it. Actions can then come quickly and voluntarily. Voluntary or self-organized action will be vital to success because hundreds of millions of people will be required to act in cooperation with one another. With local to global communication, we can mobilize ourselves purposefully, and each can contribute their unique talents to the creation of a life-affirming future.
At the very time that humanity requires a dramatic new level of human communications, the converging media of television and the Internet are making the world transparent to itself. Our world is bursting with conversation from the grassroots, and bringing an entirely new layer of conversation and connection into global culture. We now can see climate disruption producing crop failures and famine in Africa, destruction of rain forests in Brazil, coastlines eroding from hurricanes in the United States, violent conflict fueled by religious differences in the Middle East, and the impact of skyrocketing energy prices around the world. Television and the Internet make every person a global witness—a knowing and feeling participant in world affairs. We have access to a world of vastly greater diversity and depth than ever before.
There is a weakness in the very strength of the Internet. The vast outpouring of views and voices from the grassroots is flooding us with a confusing avalanche of messages. Without a way to discover a working consensus, we are paralyzed. To coalesce our collective sentiments, we require regular opportunities for millions, and even billions, of persons to gather and explore our common future. We have all the technology needed to hold interactive electronic town meetings (via television and the Internet) that dramatically advance the conversation of democracy and provide us with a powerful voice in choosing our future. We need only the social will to claim that potential.
The scope and quality of our collective attention is the most precious resource we have as a human community. If we don’t pay attention while decisions of monumental importance are being made, then we effectively forfeit our future. The bottom line is this: If we are to take practical steps to awaken our society, then citizens must make their voices heard in creating a more reflective and responsive media environment. I recognize many people feel profoundly disempowered when it comes to media change. Nonetheless, it is essential to leave that disempowerment in the past. The media are the most visible representation of our collective mind. As the media goes, so goes the future. Currently, our collective mind is being programmed for commercial success and evolutionary failure.
Building a culture of sustainability will require as much