There are a lot of experts out there predicting the next chapter of humanity, and a lot of these are full of fear and suffering. These seem to be the ones that grab attention and trap us in a sense of hopelessness and despair. But we actually don’t know what the next chapter of humanity will look like.
What these experts can agree on is that we are at a turning point, and that is enough in itself. The rest is up to every person to decide – what is your turning point? Where are you going next?
The other day, my son was crying and annoyed about something, and he went through all the layers – anger, irritation, sadness, exhaustion. He was given the freedom to express all these feelings. But after a while, I noticed he was just in it as a habit, like there was nothing really pulling him out of the grump, so he stayed, stretched it out. It became a kind of comfort zone. I told him – you know what – this grumpy chapter is now over, you have to figure out what you want your next chapter to be.
We can easily find many reasons to stay in this chapter, there is so much suffering and pain to prove that we are stuck in this reality. But in doing that, we might miss the opportunity of the turning point. And I’m talking about on an individual level – what is your next chapter?
The more people that can individually grow into their next chapter, the more support there will be for humanity to move into a more beautiful next chapter. It’s already happening with small communities supporting each other in living more consciously, taking care of each other and the beautiful planet we live on.
The moment my son realized he had a choice, he just dropped the grumpiness. You could see him thinking about it, not really sure how to move forward, but with a few suggestions on what the next chapter could be, he chose to do one of his favorite activities – cutting out a drawing with scissors.
The violence may escalate, and things could get worse. But if we are not directly threatened, we do have a choice and a responsibility to respond in a way that reflects our next chapter. We could nurture our creativity, without attachment to a result. Suffering alongside is not going to help anyone. It just keeps us longer in this already-too-long chapter. Where will we go next? What is your next chapter? Let’s use this turning point to create a new reality.