Creating a Personal Practice of “We”:Step 4: an idea whose time has come: Step 3

The Way of We is an idea whose time has come. We can no longer afford on this planet to see others as different from us, to see ourselves as separate from the Earth and it’s ecology. As Suzuki said, "We are the ecology. There is no distinction".

So The Way of We has to follow. We are connected, each of us, one to another, in an inexorable matrix that is constantly in flux, consistently powerful in its scope, and never-ending. There is no room for isolation nor the thoughts that come with isolation:

                I don’t matter.

                I make no difference.

                I can misuse this resource and it won’t effect anyone else.

                I can misuse my power for my own benefit and my small tribes’ benefit, and it doesn’ t matter what the consequences for others are.

None of those thoughts are justified anymore. And as time goes on, and what is being called the "Green Revolution" continues, we will all begin to speak out against such thoughts when others speak them, we’ll apologize when we slip ourselves and utter these words, and we will gently and lovingly move the conversation, and thus the world, back on track when we stray from The Way of We.

The true revolution in our time is conversation. The Way of We will be that conversation, from here on out, for all of us.

It will take time, and practice. The Way of We is strewn with obstacles at first, friends, family and colleagues who are holding on to the ideas of greed, fear, us-against-them, and power domination. Our current administration in the White House seems filled with such people, and their communications are rife with the scorn of such thoughts, in all the words they utter. But they too will find their path to The Way of We, as we’re beginning to see now, with Mr. Bush’s declaration that we should move toward energy sustainability. A little move, and a late one, but a move nonetheless.

The Way of We pulls us into It, and every time we resist Its movement to include us, we are but delaying the inevitable. "Resistance is futile", as the Borg said, and it is so. Greed and destructive seflishness will become first unpopular, then looked down upon, then impolite, and finally it will become history.

The Way of We is coming, and coming strong. It truly is an idea whose time has come. As you begin to make room in your life for It, your life will change. You’ll stop shopping for needless trinkets, you’ll stop charging on credit cards, you’ll find a stable financial path, you’ll see where you can bring Nature, compassion, generosity, and social sustainability into your own life. You’ll notice that you’re becoming happier, that you won’t be able to stand by silently when others speak from fear or greed, and you will think repeatedly when you’re about to take some questionable action, "How will this effect Us, everyone of Us?"

Then you’ll be on The Way of We. It will become your path, too.

So begin this week by asking yourself as often as you can remember, "How will what I’m about to do effect all of Us"?

Start The Way of We now. Its an idea whose time has come.