I know that many people are worrying, or at least wondering, about what 2012 has in store for us all. This is more than just another new year, it’s the year everyone has been talking about with predictions ranging from the end of the world to alien invasions, but do we really have any need to panic? Or should we be making special preparations?
I believe that the answers are ‘no’ to the first question, and ‘maybe’ to the second. Many people in the same line of work as I am really do believe that 2012 is going to be a year of great change, not just for individuals but for the whole of humanity, and that it will bring in a new era that will see the end of the greed that has consumed and affected us all in recent years. Also, many people believe that money, and the accumulation of material wealth will no longer be the standard by which our success as human beings is judged. We have already seen signs that this process is well under way, as politicians’ integrity is being called into question, capitalism comes under attack and monetary systems start to be seen as less than reliable, all over the world. In addition to this, we are seeing that caring for others really does work, with the news that the fair trade system of farming and supplying western consumers is really making a difference to previously very deprived communities in the Third World.
Yes, the new way of living, (or is it the old way?) is establishing itself and some of us will find it easier to adapt than others, depending on how we view our place in the world, with regard to our possessions, finances and other people, and how selfish we are.
I think that most of us have been through a period of great change in our lives during the last few months, or even years. Many people have had their lives turned upside down by major events that they did not anticipate and are now being forced to adopt a very different view on life or a major lifestyle change as a result. Many of you are going through painful changes in your relationships with partners and families and it is natural to ask what you did to deserve such things to happen. I do not think that we should view painful or uncomfortable happenings in our lives as ‘punishment’ though, as many of us are inclined to do, but rather as lessons in coping with change in our lives. We are being forced to realize that we are not defined by the expensive home that we can no longer live in, or the well paid job that no longer exists, but that we are all individual souls who have an inner core of humanity and goodness that we all need to tap into to be truly successful people in the new era. The new life that we are being, sometimes uncomfortably, led into will depend for its success on selflessness without thought of material reward and, quite simply, loving each other. So, embrace the changes that you are experiencing as humanity is given the opportunity to leave the past behind. They are signposts showing the way to a beautiful destination.