Food For Thought From Eisenstein: Humanity’s New Story

This is the third article of an extended series that dives into powerful insights from Charles Eisensteins’ latest book, ‘The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible’.In this book Charles explains how the reining story/belief system our of global society is one of Separation, and the steps we must take to rewrite that story to a one of Interbeing and Connectedness.

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So what is this new story of humanity?

Eisenstein speaks of it as a huge departure from the Story of Separation we’ve collectively held for so long that engenders these beliefs:

• Humans are ruthless maximizers of self-interest
• We live in a hostile universe of competing individuals and impersonal force
• More for me is less for you

But those beliefs are changing as we become more connected.

Eisenstein describes it here:

“I will call it the Story of Interbeing, the Age of Reunion, the ecological age, the world of the gift. It offers an entirely different set of answers to the defining questions of life. Here are some of the principles of the new story.

• That my being partakes of your being and that of all beings. This goes beyond interdependency— our very existence is relational.
• That, therefore, what we do to another, we do to ourselves.
• That each of us has a unique and necessary gift to give the world.
• That the purpose of life is to express our gifts.
• That every act is significant and has an effect on the cosmos.
• That we are fundamentally unseparate from each other, from all beings, and from the universe.
• That every person we encounter and every experience we have mirrors something in ourselves.
• That humanity is meant to join fully the tribe of all life on Earth, offering our uniquely human gifts toward the well-being and development of the whole.”

How can you begin acting on this story now?

Eisenstein provides some awesome mantras for exactly that goal:

When one is aligned with the purpose of service, acts that seem exceptionally courageous to others are a matter of course.

When one experiences the world as abundant, then acts of generosity are natural, since there is no doubt about continued supply.

When one sees other people as reflections of oneself, forgiveness becomes second nature, as one realizes, “But for the grace of God, so go I.”

When one appreciates the order, beauty, mystery and connectedness of the Universe, a deep joy and cheerfulness arises that nothing can shake.

When one sees time as abundant and life as infinite, one develops superhuman patience.

When one lets go of the limitations of reductionism, objectivity, and determinism, technologies become possible that the science of separation cannot countenance.

When one lets go of the story of the discrete and separate self, amazing intuitive and perceptual capabilities emerge from lifelong latency.

How do we get others to join that story?

The answer is simple:

The most direct way to disrupt the Story of Separation at its foundation is to give someone an experience of nonseparation. An act of generosity, forgiveness, attention, truth, or unconditional acceptance offers a counterexample to the worldview of separation, violating such tenets as “Everyone is out for themselves,” and affirming the innate desire to give, create, love and play.

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Does this new Story of Interbeing resonate with you?