Armageddon or Enlightenment

One can’t watch television, pick up a newspaper or surf a web site without being barraged by fear-based stories of doom and gloom. Our politicians treat us to scary images of mushroom clouds and a host of horrible weapons in “the wrong hands” as rationale to preemptively invade sovereign countries. Their sights are now seemingly set on two other points in the Axis of Evil: Iran and North Korea. Color-coded terror alerts are suspiciously raised in direct relation to falling poll numbers. We are told to buy plastic sheeting and duct tape for our windows, stick canned goods under our beds. Dire threats of an avian flu pandemic scream at us from TVs and radios. When we don’t buy it, violent crimes and violent storms batter us with visions of the Apocalypse. With the latest crisis in the Middle East, a coordinated effort to trumpet the arrival of World War III is taking place. The propaganda is coming at us fast and furious.

Well, we have one thing to say about all of this: Relax.

It is always Armageddon somewhere. And it has always been so. The problem today is that we are giving our power over to those who would exploit genuine concerns into full-fledged, heart thumping, teeth-chattering, knee-knocking fear. How many times must we be lied to and manipulated before we recognize the deception for what it is? Nothing more than extorting our fears for power and monetary gain.

Are there problems in the world? Yes. Are injustices and despicable deeds being done? Certainly. Should we address these issues head on? Absolutely! But we must do so from an authentic place of honesty and good intent. Unfortunately, we have allowed shadowy thinkers and naysayers to script our lives and run the show. Yes, we have allowed it. This must stop.

In our book, The Flip: Turn Your World Around, we describe our current state of affairs. We identify that in some sects of fundamentalist Christianity there are those who would wish us into Armageddon, a cataclysmic finale in which only the chosen survive. This doomsday scenario is at the heart of their faith. And only they have the answer.

Many are anticipating the end of the world. Tens of thousands are actually hoping for it, some are fervently praying for it. These apocalyptic upside-downers are banding together for the end of the world. They’re building fall-out shelters, stockpiling canned goods and studying survival manuals. They’ve even established survivalist communities on huge tracts of land. We have all seen the bumper stickers: IN CASE OF RAPTURE THIS CAR WILL BE UNATTENDED.

Their dark hope is that the earth will be purged of the unholy, and only the “chosen” will be left to walk this great planet. Traffic will be lighter. The streets, even the highways, will be paved with gold. It’ll be easier to find parking at the mall. There won’t be any lines at the movie theatre: and all movies will be G-rated. Gays and lesbians won’t exist. Everyone will be alike; a world will be created in their own saccharin image. This apocalyptic scenario featuring punishment and reward is an excellent fear-based way of attracting followers.

This type of thinking: really a method of mind control: has been around for thousands of years. Ever since Man first learned to manipulate his fellow Man, the world has been coming to an end. A few people in every generation for the last several thousand years have perpetuated the scare that civilization was going to bite the big one if people didn’t shape up, or at least cough up a few more bucks to appease the god of choice. Yet, here we are.

Metaphors Be With You
Is it possible that the biblical Armageddon is a metaphor for the inner turmoil that occurs inside each person seeking to find his or her true spirit before the end of life’s journey? We create our heaven and hell, our Age of Enlightenment, or our personal Armageddon. All of us struggle with the balance between these two extremes: the yin & yang, the light and dark of the world. This is one of our grand lessons: to face life’s challenges and discern which choice to make. Do you wish to live in a place of love and light, where the world holds out its arms and embraces you with friendships and treasured moments? Or do you wish to live in a place of fear, your own hell, filled with disappointment, suspicion and self-doubt?

We abdicate our responsibility to ourselves, and others, if we rely on an outward being for our salvation. It has to come from inside us first. Find the god/goddess inside you. Become the potential that you are and then: if you find value in the ritual, dogma and doctrine of religion: fine. Don’t start by giving away your power, though, because you’ll never find your bliss that way. Spirit is an individual province that no one else can define for you. Not your minister, your priest, your rabbi, your emum, your mullah: no one.

Bright spirits abound if we choose to see them. They teach our children. They serve our food. They work in shops, in offices, in hospitals, in homes. They can be found in literally every occupation, in every race, in both genders, in all religious beliefs, and in the non-believer.

Bright spirits share their wisdom and experiences in seemingly innocent actions: a smile, a hug, a short note, a gentle expression of gratitude. There is a light in their eyes, a sparkle. We’ve all met people who seem to shine no matter the circumstance. Some of us marvel at how they do it. Some of us may wish we could be more like these bright spirits who spread joy and kindness wherever they go.

Here is an obvious secret: we are all bright spirits. We can choose to look at life as filled with fantastic possibility, or as a constant struggle. We can see life as a wondrous adventure or merely a dull collection of days. It is up to us.

Each and every person can make a mindful choice as to which type of world they’d like to live in: one of love and light, or one of darkness and deceit. There are those who seek to manipulate the fears of others for personal power, financial gain or to perpetuate their own fear. Please don’t buy into the negativity. Martial law will not be declared, and Jesus isn’t polishing his chariot of fire. These are dark fantasies. Don’t give them power.

Now is the perfect time to shed ourselves of our collective fears. A time when millions of us stand up to the naysayers and doomsdayers and say, “No thanks, there is a better way.” We can rise in unison and refuse to buy into the negative confusion that has overwhelmed our upside-down society for so long. We can sing our dreams in one voice to the Universe. We can offer our vision of a healthy Mother Earth, of harmony among all peoples, of peace and love to the heavens in appreciation for this great gift of life. We can do this by living with integrity, honoring each other, revering our planet and using her resources wisely.

We can flip our world from upside down to right side up. The flip is already happening, a great awakening is in full blossom where many are doing all they can to bring about enlightenment. What will you do as a participant? This is our age, our time. We stand at a vital threshold of humanity. What will we do with it? Will we cower in the darkness of our fears, hidden in the shadows of our doubts? Or will we step into the brightness of our individual potential, into the dawn of our destiny to live life with love and compassion?

It is not a matter of tearing down the system, or trashing that which you wish to change. The challenge is to change individually and live in integrity, being a good person as often as you can. This is far easier and more rewarding than one might think. It is far easier than struggling against the will of the Universe by repeating the same painful patterns we find ourselves trapped in. Eventually we get it.
Which do we want: Armageddon or Enlightenment?

It is our choice.
By choosing enlightenment, we become beings who make a difference. We can leave this world a brighter, better place than when we arrived. Isn’t that a legacy upon which we can all agree?
Jared Rosen and David Rippe are coauthors of The Flip: Turn Your World Around, Hampton Roads Publishing Company. They can be reached at www.theflip.net or 513-253-4854.