Introduction

The Emerging, Holistic Worldview

Awakening and Transformation of Consciousness

Reconnecting to Nature

Health and Healing

Socially Engaged Spirituality

“A human being is part of the whole— called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature." - Albert Einstein

Introduction

We are living in a very unique time in the history of our civilization, facing several simultaneous challenges: a deteriorating environment, a very unequal distribution of dwindling resources, widespread poverty, wars, climate change, peak oil, oppression of many peoples, and dissatisfaction with life even in those countries with a surplus of material things. What are we to make of all this? Do things have to be this way? Why is this happening to us? What can we do about it? 

The answers to such questions are certainly not simple, and you will not find them in any textbook. But the viewpoint of this program in Designing for Sustainability is that these problems are systemic, they are part of the same pattern.  And they for the most part are ones that we humans have brought upon ourselves over the course of many centuries by our attitudes towards each other and towards Nature, and by the concepts we have developed regarding who we are and the very purpose of our being here—in other words, our worldview. A worldview is a cultural phenomenon. It can and does change over time and can differ substantially across cultures. But at its most basic level it is determined to a great degree by the spiritual dimension.

Spirituality is the core essence, the sustaining life-force infusing and giving direction, meaning and purpose to a cultural system. Comprising the ultimate in shared values and ethics, the spirituality of a culture forms the basis for legitimizing its socio-economic structure, its relationships with the greater-than-human-world and its cosmic ecology (e.g. love, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, reverence for that which nurtures and sustains life, etc.). Each unique culture practices and celebrates spirituality in a manner reflective of its unique situation in the world.  The 20th century revolution of technologies that permits long distance travel and instant communication across the world has brought all cultures closer together, making us more aware than ever of the many diverse spiritual-cultural traditions that have flourished for millennia as intricate, elaborate meta-solutions to the challenges and opportunities of living in a place.

Thus, in addition to offering numerous explanations for the vast, unseen, sublime dimensions of life, spiritual and cultural traditions the world over have distinct practical and instrumental value in sustaining their peoples over time. And so —in contrast to most other educational programs that prefer to sidestep or ignore this sensitive issue— the spiritual dimension to life’s existence is an integral component of the Gaia Education Design for Sustainability course.

We will look at a number of related issues, such as the nature of worldviews in general and in particular the shift which is underway at this time; the awakening of consciousness at the personal level of spiritual practices; the need to see humankind as an integral part of nature if we are to find long-term solutions to the above-mentioned problems; the importance of planetary and individual health; the phenomenon of socially engaged spirituality; the relation between science and religion;  and our attitudes to birth, death and the concept of reincarnation.

An understanding of all of these topics is vital to anyone who wishes to contribute actively to what may well be the greatest shift in worldviews in all of human history as we move into a new phase in the evolution of life on this planet.

What do you see? What is your worldview?

The GEDS Sustainability Circle as a holistic concept - Click on image to enlarge