A paradigm shift?

Before we discuss what is shifting, let’s first address what a paradigm is.

A paradigm is an idea, thought, or concept that serves as a mental pattern for our behavior. It is a set of assumptions or values, perceptions, and practices. And it is a way of viewing reality. A paradigm is a belief that is shared by a large group or community. It is changeable. Over time, a change or shift in paradigm is inevitable.

To be blunt, I don’t like the word paradigm very much. It strikes me as being haughty and untouchable. However, it is a word that aptly describes what is happening in our world today, and has been happening throughout history.

Paradigm shifts are real and natural and have been happening on our planet for eons.

There are different kinds of shifts and they happen concurrently.

Think about change. How many ways can we change? Any accepted belief can change, not in a minute, not in a day, but over time. Most of the time, we don’t even know it is happening until the shift is well underway or complete.

We have the potential to change intellectually, physically, and spiritually. Humanity’s collective consciousness can change and does.

The phrase “paradigm shift” is used to describe changes in scientific beliefs.

Thomas Kuhn, the well known author of “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” tells us that paradigm shifts are intellectual revolutions in which one conceptual world view is replaced by another. Every time a scientific discovery is made, and when it replaces an old accepted belief, it’s a form of revolution.

In many different aspects of our culture, we mutate from one way of thinking to another. These changes are all brought about by agents of change.

A familiar agent of change, one that we can all identify with, is new technology.

When the Industrial Revolution began in Britain the latter part of the 18th century, it brought with it massive changes in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and mining. The Technological Revolution of the 1860s to WW1 brought about more change. The way people performed ordinary tasks, and the skills people had to acquire in order to earn a living, changed. It did usher in new prosperity. People had disposable income they never had before.

Was the adjustment uncomfortable at first? I’m sure it was. Some people rebelled.

At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (1785), a group called the Luddites rose up in resistance to change. They were thought of as reactionary and not moving with the times.

The Luddites actually made some excellent points. They didn’t want to be forced into factories, having to work on machines. Did they earn more money? Probably. Did they experience a diminished life style? In many ways, yes. They lost some freedom.

There were fine craftsmen during that time who were made obsolete by machinery. A person’s art or craft was no longer valued? It was to be replaced by a machine?

The Luddites didn’t want to be “forced from village self sufficiency into urban dependency and servitude.”

Can you blame them?

A modern Luddite wants a choice. He wants to retain the important values of the past, such as community, non-materialism, and a respect for nature. Isn’t choice what it is all about? Not everything that changes is for the better, but “better” is a relative term. Having individual “choices” constitutes the difference.

Balance is key in everything. Is our “run-away” consumerism causing us to tip the scales of balance?

It’s a double edged sword. Humanity has gained much as a result of the Industrial Revolution, and it has lost much over the past 200 years. Where are our lost values? Where is our freedom? What time do we have to live our lives as we want to live them? Do we have any free time? Must we always be in servitude to an employer, and shackled by financial concerns?

With the rapidly growing technology of the 21st century, many people are rebelling. It’s not because they don’t like technology. They are circumspect about the backlash.

Many people have lost their jobs as a result of new technology.

Certain technologies, such as asbestos, nuclear power, pesticides, an assortment of drugs, silicone implants, GM foods, were all presented as offering great benefit to humanity. Now, we are learning that these so called “advancements” are actually hurting us.

If paradigm shifts are a form of revolution, then will there be a counter revolution? Will a counter culture evolve? Will there be a community based, counter culture, or tribal society that is more empathetic and supportive, and in which we sustain our life styles within the smaller community?

Our technology is leading us to more and more consumerism. In order to justify itself and bring in the huge profits required by industrialists, industry needs to find more and more consumers. Sell more cars, more everything, resulting in more pollution, which will bring about its own set of new challenges. Is this really progress? Are we chasing our tails only to end up biting ourselves in the end?

What is the big hope of humanity? That we finally know who we are, not who we think we are.

Who are we? Will this paradigm shift also bring enlightenment? Will it bring us closer to our divinity?

I don’t know what is in store for the human race and the world. I do know we are changing at a rapid pace. I know we are growing larger than our wildest imaginings. We are growing into ourselves. That has to be good. It is not contingent on technological advancements.

Are you a cautious optimist like me?

We have been experiencing a major paradigm shift for many years. It has been a challenging adjustment, as evidenced by worldwide economic hardship and disillusionment in our institutions.

My fervent desire for all humanity is that as a result of this paradigm shift, we find a much better outcome, that we co-create a much better world.