The Divine Redemption Scenario

Of the four scenarios described by David Holmgren in his book ‘Future Scenarios’: techno-explosion, techno-stability, energy descent and collapse, only energy descent offers a hope for successful transiton while others are the illusion that many carry as an excuse for carry on as normal. To these scenarios I see that there is another one that is prevalent and acts as a justification for carrying on a carbon intensive, jet setting consumer lifestyle that I call Divine Redemption.

A number of different groups use Divine Redemption as a reason for carrying on with life as normal. They believe that because they are focused on a spiritual path and that a transformation of consciousness is what is going to save us, they don’t need to make personal changes themselves.

Into this group go all kinds of meditators, (and I speak as someone who has meditated twice daily for 40 years) and spiritual seekers, 2012ers, fundamentalist Christians who believe in the Rapture (Jesus will come on clouds and the chosen ones will be lifted up into the sky), some Shia Muslims (including President Ahmadinjead of Iran) who also believe in an imminent second coming of the Prophet that will sort everything out.

There are a growing number for whom 2012 has become an obsession and a justification for just carrying on as before. For me I do have a strong sense that a transformation of consciousness is actually happening and that is what many 2012 predictions are about. There is a global awakening happening on all sorts of levels, something Paul Hawken spotted and has called ‘the other superpower’.

The issue we might have is not with any particular spiritual belief itself, but with the thinking that follows that there no need to do anything because the angels or the Divine will sort it out. There is an Arabic saying ‘trust in God and tie up your camel’.

For me Joanna Macy’s three actions sums up what we need to do: resist destruction (direct action), build new ways of living (transition initiatives), transform consciousness (inner transition). None of them on their own are enough and we need to engage on all levels.

What clicked for me some years ago was that whatever angle you looked it was becoming clear that we were heading to a big crunch. Whether one looked at economics in the Financial Times, energy constraints on Energy Bulletin, Climate Chaos, water, food production, etc etc or from a spiritual angle; they all seemed to be predicting a crunch of issues around about the same date. I found that a pretty compelling reason to get out there and do more!

For me a little knowledge of 2012 ideas is just an added motivation to do more for Transition Initiatives, not an excuse to leave it all up to cosmic forces.

As the joke goes – ‘Jesus is coming. Look busy.’