Consciousness rising

This year has brought forth many mass movements, previously unseen by people in my generation. Whether it was the Jasmine revolution of Egypt and Tunisia; the anti-corruption crusade of Team Anna in India; the burgeoning voices exploring the connection between our bodies, our food and its costs to the planet; the rising disenchantment with the US political scene which is currently disconnected from the connectedness of us all. People are raising their voices for all the principles of democracy which a previous generation took for granted. Representation, principled and honest governance, the larger good over the privilege of a few, safety nets for the most vulnerable in civilized society, environmental sustainability; and in small pockets all over the world, spirituality and universal humanity over the dogma of religion.
I feel consciousness, the awareness of our interconnectedness, is coalescing into a critical mass. We are beginning to question the value of material pursuit alone. To what purpose, many are asking? There are mothers who are quietly making this choice by valuing their family over career advancement. They are far ahead of the economic sphere which has not yet absorbed the importance of nurturing the family unit. As they increase in number and clarity of purpose, this too will change. There are the youth in Arab countries who have consciously rejected both the violence of the extremists and the stereotype of the apathetic Muslim projected by the West, to instead choose a middle non-violent path of change. There are the former urbanites who have consciously given up the rat race to find a closer connection to the Earth, to minimize their belongings, to place community before expedience.
The challenges ahead are immense. Climate related natural disasters, the untenable fossil fuel consumption so far without a solution, the overzealousness of those who believe in the supremacy of man made scriptures over the inherent divinity in us all, the changing world order. Yet, there are voices of truth showing us the way, more and more, everyday. I, for one, intend to listen closely.