Now, that phrase may be overused, but it also happens to be true. I’m so happy that you trusted your instincts and came here tonight. You don’t need to be afraid. I know what’s happened to you. I know of your loss. I know of your suffering. I know of your confusion. I also know something of your longings.”
“My longings? What do you mean?” I asked in a quiet voice.
“You are a seeker, as are so many others on the planet today. The world is transforming as people who were once willing to live ordinary lives now step out of their comfort zones to explore the wilderness of the extraordinary. People are no longer willing to settle for being half-alive, divorced from their authentic power. They want to live greatly and soar among the clouds, to walk among the giants, to dance with the stars!” His forceful voice rose passionately to fill the small room.
Now he began to laugh. What a heartfelt and contagious laugh!
“Forgive me, Dar, I’m getting a little carried away. It’s just that I am so excited about what’s happening in the world today. Millions and millions of people are standing up for their-best lives. So many people are refusing to play the victim and instead choosing to play the victor. So many people are going deep within themselves to visit and conquer their fears. Hearts are opening right across the globe and people are reclaiming the brilliant and wonderful parts of themselves that they lost as they grew up and became adults. It’s an extraordinary time to be alive. The whole world is becoming a better place to be. Actually, there’s never been a better time to be a human being.”
“It doesn’t seem like it to me,” I offered, the skeptic in me coming to the surface. “There are wars, famine, crime. Our environment is in a mess. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the most socially conscious guy out there, but even I can see that the world is a very uncertain and turbulent place.”
“Quite true,” the man replied with humility, as if he had nothing to prove to me, no ego investment in appearing right. “There is still much darkness in the world. But, trust me, there is also more light in it than ever. So many people have come to realize that you can curse the darkness or you can have the courage to be one who lights a candle. That’s what leadership as a human being is all about—lighting candles amidst darkness. Darkness only exists in the absence of light. And candles are being lit all across the planet, metaphorically speaking. We are moving towards a critical mass, a tipping point when there will be a massive shift. It’s not so far away. When enough people awaken to who they truly are and reclaim their highest potential, there will be a quantum leap. This whole world will be a lovely place to be—Heaven on Earth.”
“Heaven on Earth? A quantum leap?”
“Yes. There will be a quantum leap in the numbers of people who will be on the path to authenticity—a path that involves living life on your own terms, according to your deepest values and highest ideals. It’s a path that involves living with a wide open heart and a well-developed mind. It’s a path that’s all about confronting your fears and the things that keep you small so you can let your bigness shine. It’s beautiful, baby!” the stranger said with a wink.
“There will be a quantum leap in the numbers of people who will be willing to heal their shadow sides and never do anything to hurt or limit another person. There will be a quantum leap in the numbers of people who will refuse to live a life that is less than noble, good and fearless. There will be a quantum leap in the numbers of people who will assume genuine leadership over their lives. There will be a quantum leap in the number of people who will become seekers, just like you, Dar, searching for happiness, inner peace and a life of deep meaning. There is a huge evolutionary shift occurring for humankind. The whole species is changing. We are refusing to accept anything less than personal greatness,” he added enthusiastically.
“What do you mean by an ‘evolutionary shift’?”
“Thanks for asking. There are no silly questions in this important conversation, you know. Most of our evolution, as human beings, to date has been marked by a focus on the physical, on the external. It has, until now, all been about accumulation and hoarding. The dominant value has been ‘he who has the most wins’—he who has the most fame, he who has the biggest fortune, he who wields the most power over others. And given this value, ‘survival of the fittest’ has become the name of the game. It’s all about competition because we have come to believe that there is not enough for everyone to win. But this philosophy no longer serves us as a race. It is one born of scarcity. And behind this thought of scarcity is outright fear. Since our intentions and what we think create what we see in our outer world, all we see is lack—there’s never enough for us. And so the cycle begins, we never feel as if we have enough and we are never happy.”
“Fascinating. I’ve never heard anything like this,” I remarked, sitting down on a chair in the dressing room. The stranger remained standing with his hands folded behind him.
“Now here’s what I mean by the ‘evolutionary shift’: many human beings on the planet are taking their focus away from the single-minded concern over the physical and paying far more attention to the spiritual. We are moving from independence, where it’s all about ‘me, me, me’ to an appreciation for the paramount importance of ‘interdependence.’ Many of us have become conscious of the fact that we are all part of the same family. The most evolved among us in the world today, the authentic leaders—and by leaders I do not necessarily mean CEOs, presidents and military generals, but all women and men who have refused to follow the crowd—have realized that, at the deepest level, we are all connected. They know that when you hurt another, you are really hurting yourself. They know that when you help another, you are really helping yourself. Even frontier science is now showing this, confirming empirically what the mystics have been saying for thousands of years. Quantum physicists have discovered that the universe is a stunningly interconnected system where everything is in relationship with—and affected by—everything else. The English poet John Donne was speaking truth when he wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main… any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
“This is very interesting,” I replied, truly engaged in this new information I was hearing.
“So many of us have shifted our focus from a quest for the external to a voyage into the internal. For many, the human journey has become an inner journey. We have realized that the gateway to lasting success does not swing outward, it opens inward. The greatest treasures are the treasures that lie within. We, as a species, are now beginning to think far more about the needs of our souls and devoting more time to activities like personal growth, being more loving and compassionate and leaving a legacy. Success is important but significance is even better. Just look at the books on the bestseller lists around the world—so many of them are about the quest for self-knowledge and personal freedom. People all over the planet, in masses, are asking the big questions of life, such as ‘why am I here?’ and ‘what is my destiny?’ And, as I say, the more people change, the more the whole world will change. It’s a very beautiful process that’s taking place. And it really is an exquisite time to be alive.”
“That’s very inspiring,” I noted, relaxing even more and fully absorbing what I was hearing. I unfolded my arms.
“Now don’t get me wrong,” said the monk. “There’s nothing wrong with making money, having nice things and living a physically beautiful life. We are spiritual beings having a human experience and life can be made better through enjoying the wonderful things human beings have created. Money makes life easier and affords a great deal of freedom. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably suffering from the Ostrich Syndrome.”
“What’s that?”
“Too
