Inquiry For Our Times

What are we doing with our lives?

What are you doing?

What will have you be fulfilled?

Somehow, miraculously, we humans have the ability to choose what our lives are for. We have the power to create through vision, language, and coordinated action. Why are we alive, at this time, with our own unique talents? What do we really want to do with our chance?

The opportunity each of us has is precious. It will never happen again. Even if I/you get to live again, somehow, somewhere, I/you will almost certainly never get this chance again.

Isn’t that wild?

Tragically, we rarely live true to this reality. Most of us spend an insane amount of our time and energy on things that have little or nothing to do with what we really want for ourselves (and for others). If we are paying attention, we realize this and improve over time. And yet, much of humanity’s creative power is spent on activities that actually harm us.

How much of your time and effort do you spend on the following?

• Being right.

• Arguing for your point of view.

• Condemning others.

• Telling people how it should be.

• Thinking about how wrong people are.

• Thinking about how wrong things are.

• Thinking about how it should be.

• Feeling sorry for yourself.

• Feeling wronged.

• Trying to “make it” in life.

• Surviving.

• Getting “ahead”.

• Acquiring things (especially things you don’t need).

• Hoarding.

• Protecting (your stuff, yourself, your point of view, etc.).

• Being superior.

• Justifying your behavior.

• Getting and being upset.

• Working for the financial gain of those who need it least.

• Numbing yourself.

Most of us spend A LOT of time on this crap.

What are we doing?

It doesn’t have to be like this.

We made it this way, and we can remake it. We have the power to stop doing things that suck and create new goals and actions.

We can complete and stop doing what does not work. And then we can create newly. We can create what we really want.

What an amazing opportunity!

So…

• What do you really want your life to be about?

• What do you want for others?

• What is the greatest life you can imagine?

• What will matter when you die?

Do not be fooled by the madness of our modern world. Most of it’s grossly unhealthy.

I grew up in Maine. My parents were caring, committed, and smart. I did well in school, learned music and sports, and went to a great college. But there was almost no support for what I really wanted. All I knew was what inspired me.

In my twenties, I moved to LA to be a rockstar. I had the talent, charisma, and passion. But I had zero support. I thought I’d learn from the streets, the bars and nightclubs, the people of Los Angeles. But most of them were full of misery. They could not help me be an inspiration for the world. And that’s what I really wanted.

In my thirties, I focused on becoming the kind of human I wanted to be. I moved to San Francisco. I wanted real people, communities that worked. And I actually found some! But my work life wasn’t a match for my commitments. I had little fulfillment.

In my forties, I started a beverage company. It was amazing. I got to create a new expression of love and awesomeness and share it with the world. But business was awful. No morality. And the money is wonky. Almost all of the business world is designed to funnel more and more wealth to those who need it the least. No thank you.

And now? What do I want the rest of my life to be about?

I’m authoring a new conversation.

I’m authoring a conversation for the world we all really want. It’s called UMA (ooma). And I’d love your help.

• So, what do you really want?

• If anything’s possible, what do you want for this world?

• What is the greatest gift you could give yourself (and all of life)?

I’ve created some “problems” to tackle. Maybe you’d like these yourself. The bigger your problems, the bigger your life. I invite you to trade your boring old problems for problems worthy of you!

Some worthy problems for you:

1. What is humanity’s ultimate triumph?

2. How do I/we cause it in the next decade or two?

3. How do I/we make it last for a very, very long time?

A closer look:

1. What is humanity’s ultimate triumph?

• What is the greatest thing we could accomplish?

• What would most inspire and fulfill us all?

• What would most inspire and fulfill all of life everywhere?

Humanity:

• the human race;

• all humankind;

• everyone on earth.

Ultimate: the best achievable or imaginable.

Triumph: 

• great victory or achievement;

• exalted and joyful success.

Accomplish: 

• achieve through effort;

• succeed in doing or completing something.

Inspire: 

• fill with an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence;

• breathe life into.

Fulfill: 

• bring to completion or reality;

• cause to happen as promised or intended.

What will most inspire and fulfill us?

What will make the most difference?

2. How do I/we cause this triumph in the next decade or two?

Cause: 

• make happen;

• bring about.

Assumption - Our greatest possible triumph is achievable now. It does not require additional technology or scientific advancement. Humanity is sufficiently connected and capable. Our best achievable and most joyful success is a triumph of our fundamental human-ness, our ability to create who we are and what we and our lives are all about. Our technological and scientific tools can help us, but they are not the goal itself. The goal is the quality and magnificence of our lives, all of our lives, and that is more about who we are being, for ourselves, for each other, and for all of life.

We are human beings! And who we are being (and how we are acting), all of us together globally, is a matter we can now address.

• So, what is the ultimate triumph we can now cause?

• And how do we cause it?

• What is the key to our great triumph?

3. How do I/we make it last for a very, very long time?

It will take something special from each of us to bring about our ultimate triumph. Let’s make it last a very, very long time! At least a few millennia!

Life will still offer us endless challenges. And there is much to explore! It’s just that we’ll get to do it in a new golden age. That will be incredible! Imagine the creativity we’ll be capable of! Imagine the enjoyment of exploring life and the universe together as part of a truly triumphant humanity!

• So, how do we set ourselves up for millennia?

• How do we manage and maintain our greatest triumph for thousands and thousands of years?

• And what might we evolve into next?

Sorry, this is so far out. I know it might seem ridiculous.

And yet…

There is no valid reason why we cannot do it.

It will take a massive effort to cause our ultimate triumph. But we’re already exerting massive effort. The effort’s there. We just redirect it.

And our greatest possible triumph is almost certainly not a matter of far-out things. It’s almost certainly a matter of the things we all really want, like health & well-being, happiness, self-expression, and fulfillment. These are not far-out things at all! We long for them and strive for them every day.

So, what is our ultimate triumph? And how do we realize it together?

And given our answers, what are we doing about it?

What are we doing with our lives?

What are you doing?

What will have you be fulfilled?

Somehow, miraculously, you have the opportunity to choose what your life is for.

Join us!

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