Dr. Zeus and the Global Reckoning

Day 31 – 8:40 PM (The Tea Hut)

All things are connected…whatever becomes pervasive on the micro view is ultimately reflected in the macro view…anything unsustainable to one will surely be unsustainable to all…what we reap, we sow, and what is sown into the fabric our own experience will invariably – on one level or another – be sown into the fabric of the group experience.

Such are the reoccurring themes I continue to see and hear around Zentauria. This notion of relentless personal accountability is engraved into their lifestyle philosophy, and driven home to the children from a very young age. It is staggering, how much these kids are exposed to, and how much they truly do get it.

Which brings me to this inspiring moment. I just got back from an ultra dense, three-hour workshop at East Village High with a bunch of 11th graders. Shannah Mack, a teacher there, invited me to check things out as “enviroconimist” Dr. Genovah Zeus (and yes, everyone calls him Dr. Zeus!), conducted his monthly lecture for the kids. I’m not sure what I’m more knocked out by; the depth and range of Dr. Zeus’ presentation, or these young high schooler’s intelligent response to it. Again, if only our adults were so bright.

Dr. Zeus’ presentation was called “A Global Reckoning,” and it focused on many of the cause and effect consequences of the US and our recent financial upheaval. I sat off to the side of an auditorium stage with Ms. Mack while Dr. Zeus – a hip, 30-something scholar with a long black Mohawk and beard and flowing African jumpsuit – stood near a gargantuan flat screen with his laptop. He took the kids through a riveting multimedia expose on how the dangerous triumvirate of materialism, greed and irresponsibility morphed from an acceptable personal mantra to a crushing national crisis. If this presentation had been delivered in any other country, I would’ve sought refuge from embarrassment by hiding underneath my chair. But, as usual, I felt zero sense of judgment here in Zentauria.

Still, though, to see him lay it all out as he did was really something. His non-bias, non-partisan dissection of events from the past couple of decades lent a refreshing transparency to everything. It even gave me a more in-depth perspective, while gently illuminating the main point: We all did our part, as individuals, to create this.

Think about it: On tier number one, we have the beloved consumer, who chose to live beyond their means, and get stuck in the doom-loop of debt through high-rate credit cards and time-bomb mortgages. Tier two is the second-offenders; those credit card companies with their loan shark interest rates and loopholes, and those financial entities who redefined the outer limits of deregulation so they could offer you a mortgage on a home they knew you couldn’t really afford…but knew they could sell off to yet another entity. These third-tier entities were in the quantity over quality business, taking on risky mortgages in the spirit of astronomical commissions and bonuses. But then when the bottom fell out of that poker game, they all went crying to the fourth tier – the government – for a staggering bail-out that would ultimately be funded by…you got it; taxing the chumps back on the first tier! The American way, right?

Dr. Zeus’ main objective in illuminating the cause was to parallel the individual experience with the nation’s collective experience. His presentation shattered the borders of compartmentalization and showed these kids how the violation of basic spiritual laws can have a boomeranging effect throughout other facets of living that most people view as separate from spirituality, like money, politics, business and government. He then demonstrated how the US, as a micro entity, was having a devastating effect on the whole world, as the macro entity and, therefore, how the micro actions of each individual really do extend globally. It was an epic presentation that I wish could’ve been piped back into CNN’s The Situation Room via satellite!

He also had an interesting section where he paralleled the notion of God being made in the image of man with corporations being made in the image of man. He referenced part of one of my favorite documentaries (The Corporation) and presented the film’s primary assertion that corporations, as a singular entity, share a similar FBI profile with that of the common psychopath, in terms of how they function in the world. But he was clear to point out that they are only this way to the extent that we – the shareholders, board members and consumers – allow them to carry on like this. He showed how even the most “deranged” of corporations can be directly affected by the cumulative action of the individual, and that, once again, it’s the choices and actions that occur on the micro level, that dictates what happens on the macro level.

No matter how cerebral this presentation got at times, Dr. Zeus always brought it back to basic spiritual tenets. Living simply, seeking peace and joy from the inside out, doing what you love, standing strong for what you believe in, and being aware of how your personal actions could be affecting other humans, the planet and all animals. In other words, harmonious living. He then explained when our actions are out of harmony with this vibrational force-field we call life, that life has a way of allowing this disharmony to fester into various forms of discord or turbulence which, if left unattended, will eventually lead us down a path toward a purifying implosion. But, at any point along the way, we can choose differently – on the micro view – and as our newer choices are in harmony, so the macro experience becomes harmonious.

Being Green

This led to Dr. Zeus discussing various examples of self-correcting actions, all of which sounded right on the mark to me. One of the most compelling had to do with clean energy and the “industrialization” of the green movement.

“The existing economic paradigm,” Dr. Zeus explained, “has largely been built on a foundation of consumption and credit, as they relate to things that are often environmentally destructive. The cause and effect result has been a way of existing on the earth that is woefully unsustainable. Consequently, we are really starting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel…and it’s a locomotive heading right for us! So now, we have to quickly transition into a new paradigm, a new economic worldview that’s built on a foundation of building, producing or restoring things designed to promote environmental healing.”

A hand shot up.

“But aren’t we talking about two separate issues here?” the student asked. “How does the economy relate to the ecology?”

“Well, I have two answers for you. One concerns karma, the other concerns cash.”

Everyone laughed.

“Karmically, we are seeing a fundamental cause and effect justice unfold that shows us the following: when you propagate the production, selling or consumption of anything that is ecologically unsustainable and destructive, nature’s self-preservation mechanism will kick in and mirror unsustainable and destructive living conditions back to the participants. This is what we are currently seeing. Conversely, as we begin to build, produce and restore with sustainability and harmlessness in mind, then more sustainable and harmonious conditions shall be our result. This is law.

“Now in terms of the ‘cash’ part of equation, clean energy, green power, eco living, or whatever else you wish to call it, is an exploding new industry that is poised to redefine many outdated industry paradigms. For example, as traditional gas-guzzlers drive into the sunset and the auto industry is forced to reinvent itself, we will see a brisk transition into clean energy industry, with solar panels, wind farms, and geothermal biofuels playing major roles. There could even be economic incentives for various structure weatherization or even carbon taxation. Either way, industry will be burgeoning, money will be flowing and the planet will be healing. This is truly an across-the-board ‘stimulus’ opportunity, which is steeped in the mindset of service and value, as opposed to gluttony and greed.”

Dr. Zeus fielded a few more questions before wrapping up, then we talked privately for a few minutes. He invited me out to one of his observation periods to see some “really exciting science,” a deeper explanation of much of what he talked about today. Can’t wait…

 

© 2009 Bobby Rock

 

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