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Article 3

Evolutionary Crash or Planetary Renaissance: You Get to Choose
by Ted P. Attreides

This article simply gives an overview of leading edge thinkers and scientists who warn that our immediate future holds unprecedented changes for all humanity. For a more complete perspective however, please read through the ATP lessons (especially month 7) which presents our discovery of a rare text containing specific predictions for our immediate future. These vital prophecies give a very accurate picture of the 40 year period 2001-2041, along with a cosmic perspective of why this 40 year cycle is foreseen to be a time of dramatic changes affecting all of us.

From many quarters we hear that we're at a unique and perilous time in history; that we have entered the leading edge of a gathering world storm which threatens our planet and our species.

Scientists and futurists like John Peterson of the Arlington Institute, Jeremy Rifkin, Duane Elgin, Elisabet Sahtouris, Ray Kurzweil, Barbara Marx Hubbard and many more, warn us that we are now living in a period of significant transition that is reflected in unprecedented change at almost every level of existence -- technological, social, political and ecological -- and it is happening on a global scale.

What is under threat today is not one belief system, or one nation; what is under threat today is life as we know it on the planet.

Therefore almost all of these leading edge thinkers insist that the awakening of a reflective consciousness at the scale of the entire species is fast becoming an evolutionary necessity if we are to avoid an evolutionary crash and a new dark age for humanity.

This urgency of our awakening as a species was made clear in a chilling 'Warning to Humanity' in 1992, when a majority of the world's living Nobel laureates in the sciences -- as well as 1,600 other senior scientists signed a historic cautionary statement declaring that soon the earth might be wounded beyond repair, and therefore the human family is being challenged to realize a new level of identity, responsibility and reflective consciousness.

A very similar conclusion was reached by Unicef, namely that unless we put as much attention on the development of consciousness as on the development of material technology we will simply hit an ecological and evolutionary wall as a species. In other words, without interior development, healthy exterior development cannot be sustained.

There are many dire scenarios of what would happen past this point of no return, but lets for a moment explore what the likely response of most governments would be as the earth's biosphere is crippled and devastated, precipitating global instability and a whole- system crisis.

Joe Firmage (co founder of USWEB/CKS, Intend Change and Project Voyager) points out that there are two ways this can play out from a governance point of view: 'coercive' or 'non-coercive'.

Coercive stands for external legal control backed by force; non-coercive stands for personal internal development and moral wisdom providing self-guidance.

To avoid the 'coercive' scenario he believes that "nothing less than an integral spiritual revolution will suffice, since no form of exterior control mechanism could completely work, and any that would come close, would make life unlivable."

Those that can read between the lines here, must realize one critical point: The 'coercive' aspects required by world governance will rise in direct proportion to the lack of interior development.

But is there a way to prevent the draconian measures that would rise as a result of the 'coercive' use of force by world governments towards their citizens?

The answer is yes; and it involves two complementary components: First a personal awakening and then a collective one. The most vital point I can make is that this process must begin now, today if possible.

We no longer have the luxury of centuries for a gradual awakening. According to a number of experts the rate of systemic change that is now occurring is itself starting to accelerate exponentially -- a frightening concept on its own!

Therefore leading edge explorers insist that we only have a decade or so in which to begin this process of awakening. The good news is that many of them are hopeful that we still have the time and opportunity to a. begin this personal journey of awakening, and b. together find ways of living that are more harmonious and wholistic.

All you need to accomplish this 'momentous leap' to second-tier thinking are just two remaining elements: An integral vision and an integral practice.

On the one hand, an integral vision is a vision that endeavors to be comprehensive, balanced and inclusive. It is a vision that equally includes 'hard' and '' disciplines, from physics to spirituality, from biology to cultural studies, from sociology to aesthetics, and much more.

It is a wholistic vision therefore, that embraces the big picture of Morals, Science, and Art.

In brief it is a vision that attempts to include matter, body, mind, soul and spirit -- in self, culture and nature.

On the other hand an integral practice anchors all of these factors in a concrete and 'down to earth' manner, so that they do not remain morely abstract ideas and vague notions.

By involving and exercising more aspects of your being simultaneously, an integral practice makes it far more likely that your can transform to the next higher wave. If you're at blue, it can help you transform to orange. If you're at green it can help you make the 'momentous leap' to second tier levels, and so on and so forth.

Both of these important elements -- an integral vision and an integral practice have been wholistically provided in the cutting-edge ATP Self-Discovery Program. The main intention of this one-year course is to powerfully facilitate this revolutionary shift in consciousness in individuals; who are then inspired to transform socially and collectively by integrating wholistic approaches in medicine, business, politics, spirituality, education, etc.

This easy to do, natural yet unique program and all its many benefits are described in detail on the pages of this website, so please explore it and experiment with it. However, if the ATP program doesn't appeal to you for some reason, that's okay. There are other good paths and practices out there. Search and find the one you like the best.

What is important is that you begin this process of awakening consciousness, because time is of the essence. Remember that most experts insist that we only have about 10 years before we pass a critical point of no return.

Therefore, in summary, as you can hopefully see, whether we stumble in an evolutionary crash or rise in a new, planetary renaissance, is not in the hands of governments, world conferences, think tanks, institutions or other groups.

Rather it is in the hands of the individual.

It has always been in the hands of each and every one of us -- we just forgot it for awhile.

Before there can be any collective and wholistic capacity to deal with critical issues like global climate, dwindling resources, earth's bio diversity, population increases, and the level of poverty in the world; before any of that can take place effectively, the individual person must first awaken.

Put another way, there is an irreducible need for tremendous transformation of Consciousness. And that transformation had better come quickly.

Therefore I humbly suggest that You, the reader of this article, hold the ultimate power in your hands. It is your actions, or lack thereof, that decide whether you have the time and opportunity to join this journey of awakening and thus contribute towards ushering in a new and incredible renaissance, or whether we all stumble into a future filled with monumental conflict, destruction, suffering and despair.

Which of these two futures do you want to be in, in about 10 years?

You get to choose!