In 1983 I read a book by Peter Russell titled The Global Brain. It truly changed my perspective on life. The book takes the viewpoint of the Earth as a living entity of which we are a part. It also hypothesizes that we are at a crossroads (and now that it is 2021, the clock is closer to running out). The choice before us is whether to become the equivalent of the evolved brain of our planet or become a cancer. So far, we are acting as a cancer. Mr. Russell pointed out in his book that, when viewed from space, our “civilization” is spreading on the planet in the same way that some cancers spread in the body, destroying the host in the process.
The Global Brain has been in print since 1982. And others, back to Nicola Tesla have also posited similar ideas about humans as a planetary brain. So why is this idea not more widely known? I believe it is because the predominant cultures on our planet have not yet even begun to see ourselves as an interconnected part of our planet. Actually, we don’t tend to see ourselves as an interconnected part of anything.
So, really, the first step is waking up to who we really are. We are not only connected to other human beings, but to everything. Everything in the universe comes from one source. Everything is comprised of the same energy as has always existed, but in ever changing forms. What gets in our way is ego. And ego seems to be misunderstood. Ego can involve the usual picture of a person with a high opinion of themselves, but it is much more. Someone who will not share what they have to offer the world out of fear may be operating out of ego as it often involves self protection. When you boil it all down, ego is really just our view of ourselves as separate from all else. Ego is almost always fear based. So what do we do with ego? The programming runs deep, so the solution to this is not as easy as just stating that we are connected. In the developed world, we are inundated with ego reinforcement; especially negative ego reinforcement. We are surrounded by advertising suggesting that we will only be good enough once we buy the product they are selling. Billions are spent on psychological research to make us all feel inferior and limited to get us to buy things. And the creation of many of these items is one of the things causing us to be that cancer on our planet.
If there were a way to magically drop the ego and know that we are fine just as we are, we’d being taking a huge step toward moving away from ego and thus from being the cancer. But the process of gaining a wide understanding of our ego-centeredness and its destructiveness is slower than our destruction of our home. We need more people to become aware of what is true at a faster pace.
My friend Rona Yellow Robe wrote, along with her music partner Bruce Witham, a song called Waniska. In the Cree language this means “wake up.” The song is a plea to wake up to what we are doing to our Mother Earth and each other. It is a powerful wakeup call. And I’d like to add something to that necessary message as to what needs to be done: Wake up not only to the destruction we are creating, but also wake up to who we really are.
Advertisers want you to be a “consumer.” Consider that word in relation to our home. We are quite literally consuming the Earth. Wake up to knowing you are enough as you are without more consumption. Wake up to knowing that the pleasure you think you’ll receive from “things” is fleeting and will be replaced by the need for more. Wake up to knowing that what we really crave is a sense of connection and that we are worthy of connection. Connection becomes easier when we stop seeing ourselves as not worthy due to ego manipulation. When we know that we can be happier by simply knowing we are enough, by being open to others and knowing they are enough, and by simply enjoying what is provided naturally without feeling a need to improve it.
Below, please find a link to a video we helped create for the song Waniska. And, please, know that you are enough and that nothing anyone tries to sell you will make you any better than how you were born to be!s