Transforming Power
“Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one.”
Marianne Williamson
“Originally, the word power meant able to be.
In time, it was contracted to mean to be able.
We suffer the difference.”
Mark Nepo
Lately, I’ve been pondering the meaning of ‘survival of the fittest’. Ever since this term came into our common language, it has been used to mean that those who are best adapted to their environment survive. For centuries it has implied that whoever is strongest, smartest, canniest, and unfortunately, most brutal, survives while any creature that is weak perishes. Perhaps it is time we transformed its meaning.
Since ‘survival of the fittest’ is a human construct, it can be changed by human consent. We could adapt to our environment in ways that do not involve powering over others, and instead, empower each other to bring about mutual change. We could begin to see cooperation and respect as survival behaviors. We could defend ourselves, but not by invading and destroying our detractors. We could make it our highest priority to arbitrate disputes and push for fair and just conditions for all the earth’s people.
Transformation connotes change from one form to another, such as a caterpillar into a butterfly. Shedding the skin is not enough—snakes shed their skin, but they’re still snakes. Transformation is change from the inside out. A personal revolution is called for in which I carry peace in my heart, and in my words, and in my deeds. That’s the revolution that will save the world.
Shalom,
Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment