THE BIGGER PICTURE Shalini SinhaThe liberation of the human species is entirely possible. In fact, the end of poverty, violence, mistreatment and abuses to our environment can be realised within our lifetime.
I know this because I know human beings. When we can access our intelligence fully and clearly, free from the deep-rooted distresses that confuse and limit us, we can behave as we truly are - a species that cares deeply about themselves and others, with a sense of humour and imagination. The secret to ending the great injustices of our society is simply deciding to do things differently to how we've done them so far. And this is not beyond us.
It is remarkable how hopeless and powerless we all feel at this moment in time. War and starvation continue to be widespread despite the ingenuity of our science and the expansion of our technologies. The race seems to be to get humans into space and onto other planets, or to create entirely new genetically modified species, all the while defending an imbalance of resources from each other - much of the world's thinking and capital are currently dedicated to these goals.
Yet, we continually forget what is really important. It rarely occurs to us to commit our means or our selves towards formulating ways of strengthening our connections with each other or creating opportunities for us to be ourselves genuinely. More than anything, the pursuit of these goals would decrease our suffering from illnesses, pain and mental disease in the world.
Although we make and do more things than ever before, we have not seemed to be able to prioritise our real needs. We have developed incredible information and communication strategies, and still remain confused and isolated. We have lost the will to look at what our struggle really is, and do something effective about it.
Yet our basic needs have not changed. Every time I meet a person who is deeply heartbroken (and you'd be surprised how often this is), I am reminded how profoundly human beings can love - right from the depths of our souls. Our relationships are more moving to us than anything else in the world. We really mean something to each other.
Furthermore, our ability to love is not limited to our immediate partner, family, even our own species. A family's love for their pet is the obvious example, but then, people also love their countries, their land, foods, culture, languages, and simple ways of being. Love is a greatly imaginative thing, holding possibilities for everything in the world - the sunrise, a plant, the environment, and so certainly another human being who lives thousands of miles away, doing things very differently to what we might understand. However, for some time now, we have been willing to go along with their destruction, and our own. Repeatedly, this is in the name of money.
What is money, anyway? Does it have any real meaning? We certainly struggle to believe we can take a direction that is different to the agenda of the free-market economy. We get confused by the illusion that things are too complex - that if we made dramatic changes, there would be more suffering. We might suffer more - those of us who are far too comfortable for our own good health and well-being. But only because we have grown isolated, limited and frightened of losing our meaningless, materialistic privileges to enjoy what really matters.
If we did decide to change things today - that is, not rule ourselves by the principle of hoarding resources to deprive others of them - there would still be food available, within just a few miles, for everyone on the planet. There is no need to starve. Everything we need would still be available, if we just decide that people could have access to them.
The main argument against making change is the suggestion that there would be mayhem. Too many of us would be too hurt and distressed to remember there is enough and to share. As a result, some would start stealing, hoarding and hurting others to do it. Well, this may happen, but then again, this is the world we currently live in so what would be so different? A new choice would be to strengthen our appreciation for each other, and show this respect in our actions.
The key is to reclaim enough of our human intelligence to be able to take this risk. We must extend our trust to each other. It is not more important to keep worrying about what we might not have than to concentrate on who we do have. We will even be surprised by who we need to learn lessons from - the nomadic cultures of the world are top of the list, and that means Travellers.
If we decided to prioritise human needs, we might find ourselves spending our time listening to each other's stories and providing opportunities to express our creative imaginations. What we would be able to accomplish would truly be limitless. And we can begin this now, with everyone.
ssinha@irish-times.ie
Shalini Sinha works as a life coach and counsellor and presents the intercultural programme Mono on RTÉ Television. She has a BA in comparative religion and anthropology and an MA in women's studies.