Two Realms of Y2K Action: Political and Spiritual
I want to invite you into two of the most important realms regarding the
Year 2000 problem. One is political, the other spiritual. They are both
urgent for the fall of 1998. Here is what you can do:
1) Write to at least one congressperson or candidate. Tell them that you
want the government to make sure that basic infrastructure is ready to support
the people in the Year 2000. Basic infrastructure includes food (basic nutrition,
nothing fancy), water, waste handling, public health, heat in cold climates,
support for the poor, community security, minimal communications, and anything
else that is needed for life (if not comfort, pleasure and profit) of the
population at large. Tell them you want the government to focus
on that, and not waste valuable resources in a futile attempt to get everything
"Year 2000 compliant." Tell them to move beyond blaming and preserving
the status quo. Tell them you want them to speak out on behalf of the welfare
of communities -- not just businesses and individuals and
interest groups -- and to support efforts to build community self-reliance
and resilience. Tell them to support the rapid promotion of sustainable
technologies -- renewable energy, organic agriculture, local handling of
waste, biopurification of water, composting, ecological construction methods,
etc. -- which will allow communities to function if large-scale commerce
is curtailed. Tell them you are against profiteering and martial law. Tell
them the people need real leadership, that this is a time to rise to greatness.
This is probably the most important action you can do right now, communicating
strongly to your representatives. We can't depend on government to solve
the problem, but what government does can make or break the positive preparations
or transformational efforts of communities. The Congress and state and local
officials that are elected this November will be governing us through January
2000. Their actions will make or break our lives and the future of our culture.
News reports say that politicians are "scrambling for a position on
the Year 2000 problem." Now is the time to tell them which way to scramble.
And tell all your friends in other states about this. You might even write
to more than one public official or candidate; after all, once you've written
one letter, you'll know what to say in your next letter, so don't stop.
(There is a form letter about some of this you can check out at http://www.angelfire.com/mn/inforest/smpc1.html.
If you want to learn more about the role government should play in dealing
with the crisis, read the articles by Harlan
Smith and Leon
Kappleman, et al.) This may be one of the few times when our voices
suddenly have real power, more power than we ever thought they'd have.
That will go far to handle the outer realm of our culture. The second action
will go far to handle the inner realm of our culture:
2) Talk to friends, neighbors, co-workers, store owners, public officials
and -- most of all -- to those in your spiritual community about this. Then
stay connected with them. When we tell people about the Year 2000 problem,
we are cracking open something that's enormous, and we need to carry it
in a deep place, and hold each other and our shared future. We need to take
responsibity for the souls of those we tell. We are going to depend a lot
on each other over the next couple of years. All of us have to digest this
potent reality, and find our way to our center and back out into the world,
with our full selves, with each other's help. The more time and attention
we give each other for this, the better prepared we will be, spiritually
and physically. I stress communicating with our spiritual communties because
the Year 2000 Problem is a test of everything that is important to us. It
forces us to confront our deepest values, feelings and motivations. We are
being called to discover and decide how big we are going to be, as we face
this remarkable challenge. It is a time to deepen into our fullest humanity,
our fullest role, our fullest communion.
For further exploration of the political realm, click
here.
For further exploration of the spiritual realm, click
here.
For further things you can do, click here.