Be a Hummingbird in 2012

2011 has been a truly remarkable year in terms of the variety of revolutionary movements sweeping the globe, as well as the unprecedented number of extreme weather events.

From the Arab Spring, with its toppling of one despotic regime after another, to demonstrations in China, Russia and Greece, to the Occupy Movement here in the USA, we see vast numbers of individuals uniting to protest gross inequities in distribution of wealth and power. Policies which benefit a powerful elite at the expense of the majority are being challenged across the world. It is my belief that this grass roots energy for sweeping reform will only intensify in 2012 and in the years to come; i.e.we ain’t seen nothing yet.

Ditto for the extreme weather that caused so much death and destruction this year. The current political climate has resulted in paralysis, both in terms of allocating funding for scientific research to deal with the problem, as well as in the passing of resolutions or legislation to limit carbon emissions. We seem to have reached and exceeded a critical tipping point, and global warming, with its attendant severe storms, tornadoes, flooding and drought, is only accelerating. I anticipate that in 2012, the situation will only continue to deteriorate and become more calamitous.

In my last Holiday post I wrote about the importance of acceptance; acknowledging the limits of those we love, and the danger of taking responsibility for things we cannot change.  With my final post of the year, I exhort all of you to take a lesson from the hummingbird in the video.

It understandably feels overwhelming to think about what one little person could do to deal with such massive overwhelming problems like global warming. Or how could we possibly prevail against powerful corporations financing of political candidates?  Most Americans get the majority of their news and information from television. A politician’s election depends upon impossibly expensive media exposure, and s/he will be backed only if s/he promises to promote the corporate agenda. Corporations control the media, and with the motive of profit, shape and control the public perception of reality.

But every little bit counts. We have seen the power of protest around the world in 2011. Each of us must speak out, organize, vote, donate, demonstrate, boycott, and conserve.  We can make a difference. The time is ripe. The chinese hexagram for crisis is a combination of two symbols, one for danger and the other for opportunity. It is clear that the current situation is one of grave danger, and I also believe of enormous opportunity for all of us together to create a more benevolent, enlightened and sustainable world. My wish for all of us in the New Year is for us to awake and rise to the challenge.