The Evolution Has Begun!

By Swami Beyondananda

For years now, we’ve been hearing “shift happens,” and wondering when,
where and how. Now finally, it looks as if the shift is about to hit
the fan. This is good news for all those shift fans who’ve been
wondering if the new age will arrive before old age does. Of course, if
you’re looking for signs in the news, you won’t find them. At least,
not yet. The news might as well be called the “olds,” because the world
still seems stuck in greedlock, ruled by fossilized fools fueled by
fossil fuels. But I have been receiving encouraging intelligence
reports that say indeed, humans are becoming more intelligent. Yes,
people everywhere are wising up. And that’s great, because we could
sure use an up-wising!

The evolution has begun. But before we see changes in the old
needy-greedy, we humans must change our consciousness — and the first
step is becoming conscious of how unconscious we’ve been. As the saying
goes, the truth shall upset you free, and last year saw lots of
disillusionment. But what better to free us from the far more dangerous
condition of illusionment? If we want to stop the abuse of power, the
first step is to disabuse ourselves. So, here’s some good news: Despite
a massive media impropaganda machine that feeds the public “babblum”
(strained bullshit made digestible for a simple child’s mind), more and
more Americans are reading between the lyins’ and peering behind the
Irony Curtain.

In 2005, Americans had to face the sad realization that the Bush
Administration’s “pro-life” stance appears to be limited to the unborn
and the brain-dead. Despite being panned by critics everywhere, the
Iraqi Horror Picture Show continued its run, as thousands and thousands
of born fetuses – ours and theirs — lost their right to life. While we
may or may not have saved face by staying there, we have most
definitely lost ass. And we’ve been assured we’ll be stuck in that
morass until — well, until there’s no more ass to lose. Meanwhile,
more and more Americans reached another sad conclusion: We’re not in to
keep the peace, we’re there to keep the pieces.

The signs of up-wising are everywhere. Even the most unpleasant stories
are beginning to break through the soundless barrier and defy the
President’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy: “You promise not to ask us
what we’re doing, and we promise not to tell you.” Although we’ve been
inundated with “fear-gnomes” and ominously warned we have to protect
ourselves in this dogma-eat-dogma world, a majority of Americans are no
longer comfortable with the notion that the only way to defeat the
“evil-doers” in the world is to out evil-do them. Although our
President has assured us that “we don’t torture,” it is now common
knowledge that we simply send detainees to countries that do torture
when we want them to “testify under oaf.”

As for those progressives who’ve been whining that the President “never
listens” to them, well it turns out he’s been listening all along. And
thanks to the so-called Patriot Act (which, I understand, is about to
be renamed the Eternal Insecurity Act), it looks like he’ll be able to
listen in even more — all in the name of making us safe. But now even
some Republicans are beginning to see that there’s a difference between
protection and the “protection racket.” And with the recent revelations
about Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff and other gold collar criminals, some of
the more devout conservatives have come to realize that the “family
values” they voted for bear an uncanny resemblance to Soprano Family
values.

If there was any warm feeling in 2005, chalk it up to climate change.
Katrina hit, and in the government’s response we saw a future when at
last all Americans will be equal — where everyone regardless of race
or creed will be treated like Black folks.

Alarming Policies Have Awakened Millions!

Fortunately this is the State of the Universe Address, and from a
universal perspective, things are humming along quite nicely. It turns
out that the Earth is the talk of the Universe these days. In fact, the
odds-makers at the Intergalactic Enquirer say the odds are actually in
our favor: “We’re betting on the human race to reach critical mass
before they get to critical massacre.” And we could beat the odds, if
we finally gave up our addiction to getting even and got odd instead.
It stands to reason. If each of us used our unique oddness to improve
the odds for everyone, there would be no need for getting even.

Yes, the up-wising has begun, and intergalactic observers are saying
that we have none other than George W. Bush to thank. How is that, you
may ask? Well, I am reminded of a story my guru Harry Cohen Baba used
to tell. A well-known minister died and arrived at the Pearly Gates at
the same time as a cab-driver from . The cabbie was ushered in, but the
clergyman was left waiting outside. After waiting and waiting and
waiting, he finally called over the attending angel. “Excuse me, but
I’m a renowned minister. How come you let that cab-driver in, and I’m
left waiting out here?” “Well,” the angel said, “when you preached,
everyone slept. But when he drove, everyone prayed.”

For millennia, spiritual teachers have been calling on us to go for the
highest common denominator, but we’ve always seemed to end up with the
lowest common dominator instead. And now, George W. Bush has done what
preachers, teachers and other far-sighted visionaries have failed to do
up until now: His policies have been so alarming, that he has awakened
a slumbering body politic that slept through all previous alarms. Where
others have failed, he has people all across the world praying, “God
help us!” And instead of waiting for an intervention from above —
after all, we cannot expect to be fed intervenously forever — people
are beginning to help themselves, and even more importantly, help each
other.

Sure, there are still plenty of Not-Sees out there who insist on not
seeing that we humans are all in the same boat. The good news is, more
and more Americans are getting that sinking feeling that there’s only
one Earthship, and ignoring a leak because it’s “on the other side of
the boat,” is a mistake of titanic proportions.

We Are the Leaders We’ve Been Waiting For

America, the world’s only super-power, doesn’t need a revolution. We’ve
already had one, thank you. What is needed now — and what has already
begun — is the American Evolution where enough of us wake up and see
that those two political parties have been partying on our dime, and we
the people haven’t been invited. Time to go beyond choosing the lesser
of two weasels. If we want to evolve the dream of our Founding Fathers
— instead of devolve into the nightmare of Big Brother — we must
become the leaders we’ve been waiting for. I’ve said it before. The
only force more powerful than a super-power is a Super-Duper Power —
the power of the people plus the power of love. And anyone who doesn’t
believe we are a Super-Duper Power, well they have been super-duped!

It’s true, many people still feel that the affairs of the world should
be left to the bolder and badder among us. But look what that leaves us
with: Are you satisfied choosing between Saddam Hussein and George
Who’s-Not-Sane? Now I know those “God, guns and guts” Old Testament
Christians might have forgotten, but Jesus did say that the meek shall
inherit the earth. In all undue immodesty, maybe it’s time for us meek
folks to boldly step forth and accept our inheritance.

For just as 2000 years ago Jesus stood up to a class that placed the
rule of gold above the Golden Rule, today we face the modern version of
the Pharisees — the Phallusees, I think they are called. They
cynically cloak themselves in religious robes, but the only power they
trust is the power of the stick. Well, there’s another old saying: It
doesn’t matter how big your stick is, if you stick your stick where it
doesn’t belong, you’re stuck.

Another sign of the up-wising and coming evolution is that people are
growing dissatisfied with the positionality of “my side vs. your side,”
and are seeing the whole issue of sides from a new angle: Maybe we’re
all on the same side. For example, this argument between creationism
and evolution is just another way for dueling dualities to steal our
energy. I believe in both. I believe the Creator created us to evolve,
otherwise Jesus would have said, “Now don’t do a thing till I return.”
I have it on good authority that the Creator is pulling for us: “Come
on, you children of God. Time to grow up and become adults of God
instead.”

Time to Overgrow the System From the Grassroots Up

The time for revolution and overthrowing has past. Now we need an
evolution where we “overgrow” the current dysfunctional system from the
grassroots up. You are probably familiar with the story of the Native
American grandfather who tells his grandson that there are two wolves
fighting inside all of us: The wolf of fear and anger, and the wolf of
love and peace. “Which wolf will win?” asks the young boy. “Whichever
one we feed,” replies the grandfather.

And so when people ask me to predict what will happen, I tell them the
only thing I can predict with certainty is the uncertainty of any
prediction. The future’s just too unpredictable these days. This is a
Universe of infinite possibilities, so it all depends on which futures
we invest in.

There is something far more empowerful than predictions, and that is
Tell-A-Vision. If you’re fed up with the current programming, my advice
is turn off your TV and tell a vision instead. That way, we will have
healing and functional visions to step into — and that beats what
we’ve been stepping into. So I will tell my vision for 2006: This is
the year of the American Evolution, where all those who prefer the
Golden Rule to the rule of gold get past left and right, and come front
and center.

I see Americans of all political stripes, plaids and polka dots (not to
mention solids), choosing to face the music and dance together. Sure,
we’ll have to learn some new steps, but it’s time for a new dance –
A-Bun-Dance. That is where we get up off our assets, move our buns, and
dance together in rhythm and flow. And what better way to turn the funk
into function, and leave the junk at the junction?

I see us in a new reality show — Extreme Planetary Makeover — where
everyone can play and everyone can win. Just think. Something more
compelling than reality TV … it’s called reality!

I know, I know. Only a crazy person would dare to propose anything that
sane. But maybe it’s time to declare the current institutionalized
insanity illegally insane, and set about building a sane asylum big
enough for all six and a half billion of us. As my guru Harry Cohen
Baba has said, “Life is like a good deli. Even if something isn’t on
the menu, if enough people order it they have to make it.” So what kind
of new world order are we ordering up? Do we feed the wolf of fear and
buy into the “it’s every man for himself” story? Or do we nourish the
wolf of love and evolve into the “we’re all in it together” story?

If we’re going to be a Super-Duper Power, we have to be super-duper
powerful in activating the power of love, and cultivating the power of
joy. So laugh more. Why not? We all know there’s something funny going
on. The wall of lies cannot withstand the vibration of laughter. All
seriousness aside, only a farce field that combines truth and laughter
can bring down the Irony Curtain once and for all.

Release the old story — been there, done that — and speak the new
story into the world. Dare to imagine what we could be doing if we
weren’t spending so much of our livelihood on weapons of deadlihood.
Think about it … think tanks where they think about something other
than tanks. Young people living for their country instead of dying for
it. Health and education fully funded, and the Air Force having to run
a bake sale so they can buy a new bomber.

Can we change the course of history? Can we shift our karma into
surpassing gear? I cannot say for sure, but if we choose to give up
that old Dodge and trade it in for an Evolvo, that’s a good first step.
So … let the Evolution begin. We don’t have to wait until the first
Big Shot is fired. If we create a powerful enough field, the Big Shots
will end up firing themselves.

May the FARCE — as always — be with us.

Find out more about the Swami at http://www.wakeuplaughingcom/