Don’t Go Back to Sleep: The World Desperately Needs You

How an article my wife sent me from a writer I’d never heard of changed my way of thinking. I think it will change yours, too.

—

A few days ago, my wife sent me a message that said only “THIS” with a web link after it. Since she (like me) isn’t prone to being concise when we talk or write, I instantly knew it touched her deeply. One click opened up a piece by Shavawn M. Berry on a site my wife frequents, Rebelle Society. I’d never read anything by Ms. Berry, but a mere few sentences in, and was completely engrossed. The article was called “Breadcrumbs In Dark Times: Any Minute Now, Everything Will Change“, and it speaks to the upheaval and imminent change in our world. How the time is now to step up and do the work that needs to be done to keep the world a place we all can live in peacefully and happily. Change and darkness are ahead, but that necessity will lead to long range sustainability for all of us. To say it resonated with me would be a profound understatement.

What struck me most was that her point is largely lost on men, but it should not be. As men we tend to think short term: we need to provide for our families and ourselves. How do we do that? By working and making money. And then we need to make more money to give ourselves things we don’t need but want, “without ever considering whether our approach is actually sustainable. In a world of limited resources, it is not.”  We chase things instead of ideas. We exchange our future for the now. All of us, men included, need to shed this mindset and fast.

I don’t want to taint what Ms. Berry said with my mediocre interpretations. What she says is better written than I could ever hope to do, so here it is below, as she said it. I only ask that everyone, men especially, read it and think bigger than the next paycheck. Our world may depend on it.

◊♦◊

“Allow dark times to season you.” ~ Hafiz

When the Going Gets Tough…

These days, the rough patch we’re navigating has turned into a very long haul. I believe we’ll weather the changes. I believe we’re strong enough to do so. Still, it’s easy to fall into despair and wish that our journey wasn’t so rife with trouble.

Right now, we’re in a thick soup of changes that rival any changes we’ve weathered in human history. The shit’s hitting the fan — environmentally, economically, emotionally — and everywhere we look, people are losing it. Shooting up the joint. Setting themselves on fire. Totaling their cars. Blowing up their personal lives.

Now Entering Transformation Station.

Transformation is not optional right now. It is required. We cannot continue to fumble blindly in the darkness, unaware of the light we possess. We must solve the problems we’ve created.

And although this awakening is painful — like road rash, or a broken bone that hasn’t been set yet — we can’t wait for rescue. Not this time. We are the people we are waiting for. We must step up and take the reins. There is no one else. Just us.

What has always worked, no longer works.

It’s been heartening to hear that Marianne Williamson is running for congress. She told Larry King that we cannot make decisions for humanity based upon economics alone.

I agree. Capitalists are pragmatic by nature. They will never look at the long term consequences of their policies. They look at the bottom line, the current returns, the profit margins — without ever considering whether their approach is actually sustainable. In a world of limited resources, it is not.

As a result, we’re now tasked with learning to live more softly, reverently, and carefully.

Be here now, even if the thought absolutely terrifies you.

Don’t check out. Don’t go back to sleep. The world desperately needs you — it needs your talents, your passion, your ideas, your voice.

Yes, these are hard times, dark times, strange times. Yet, something wonderful and raw is rumbling and singing and coming back to life. I can feel it brushing my face just moments before I wake up in the morning. I can feel it when I focus on stories that nurture and enrich my life, instead of on those that deplete me.

I encounter kindred spirits and soul friends every day through the power of social media and my writing (blogs, magazines, LinkedIn, Facebook). It is as though we’ve inadvertently created the perfect way for those of us experiencing this rebirth, to connect or reconnect.

Not Just Changing Lanes. Taking the Road Less Traveled.

This unknown darkness where we sit — as individuals and as a global community — is slowly revealing itself. It inherently knows what the next step is. We must trust the process and allow the darkness to ‘season us’ as Hafiz wrote.

Hour by hour, and day by day, breadcrumbs are left along the road.

We’ve escaped the dangerous, deliciously inviting cottage that inhabited our nightmares. We’ve managed to counter-act the spell we’ve been under, avoiding certain death. We’ve foiled our nemesis and broken the snare that has entrapped us for far too long.

We’re running free.

Can you feel it?

Any minute now, everything will change.

◊♦◊

Note: this article originally appeared on Rebelle Society‘s website, here.

Shavawn M. Berry can be found on Facebook or her blog. Her story portfolio can be found at https://shavawnberry.contently.com.

The role of men is changing in the 21st century. Want to keep up? Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.

—

Photo by Yohann Lc on Unsplash