Is it time to remake our world?
both the caterpillar and the butterfly are significant
Two quotations have been rattling around my mind. Both appear to be connected to the disruptive era we live in, yet they create a dialectical tension. The first is from historian and author, Tom Holland, “We are goldfish swimming in Christian waters” (Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World). The second quotation is by author, Otto Scharmer, “There are two qualities within the present moment. The present moment is basically an extension of the past. The present moment is shaped by what has been. The second quality is that the present moment is a gateway to a field of future possibilities. The present moment is shaped by what is wanting to emerge. Whenever we face disruption, this second stream of time is what matters most. Because without that connection we tend to end up as victims rather than co-shapers of disruption” (Theory of U).
We are living in disruptive times. Global social, economic, and climate conditions are demanding a transformation in the way we live within and act upon our world. However, the profound change needed will necessitate a transformative shift in the Western cultural mindset, one that has been shaped by Christianity. Mindset refers to a set of norms, beliefs, habits, feelings, and values that predispose us to act in certain ways. Our era is calling for deep change; change from the inside . . . out.
In the context of shifting the Western cultural mindset, the two aforementioned quotations have prompted me to consider the following questions:
What is the field of future possibility that our present moment in history is calling forth? Does it require that we ditch Christianity? Yet, how can we, if Christianity is the water in which we swim? And why would we, when there is much wisdom within the Christian tradition? Alternatively, should we revert to a time when Christianity was the centre point around which Western civilization constructed its meaning and moral standards? Would such a backward move help shift the Western cultural mindset? Or would it make us victims of our time, rather than co-shapers of disruption?
A way to approach the questions
If we were to explore the above questions with either/or thinking, we would either turn back the clock or ditch Christianity. But . . . what if we were to employ both/and thinking? What if we acknowledged that Christianity is the water shaping our present mindset, for better or for worse? At the same time, what is seeking to emerge is a new revolution to reshape the world, one that retains the core values established by Christianity yet transcends the confines of the Western Christian institution.
This both/and approach picks up something of the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Inside its cocoon, a caterpillar dissolves into a mush-like substance, yet this is not its demise. It must undergo this transformation so that the imaginal cells can commence their task of crafting a butterfly from the organic material. The emerging butterfly is not deemed superior to the caterpillar. They both take up their place within Life’s ongoing dance of being and becoming.
Perhaps a both/and approach like the caterpillar and butterfly will generate a new revolution that assists us in remaking our world from the inside . . . out.
The next post will outline a both/and gateway for remaining open to what is wanting to emerge.
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