Let's Talk About Us

It’s time to talk about us.

No, not you and me. Us. All of Us. The 7.6 billion people who live here on planet Earth. The totality of the human race that is Us.

We’re so used to thinking about the small us. Our family, our social crowd, our race, our religious group, our socio-economic peers, our ideological comrades, our country. As our world flattens, the number of people who fit into each of those categories may get larger, but it still doesn’t encompass all that is Us.

The problem with the small us is that we tend to only see the world through the lens of what is good for our particular group. We look at education and consider what is good for us, the parents. We look at manufacturing and wonder what is good for us, the country. We look at governmental legislation and wonder what is good for us, the religious group. We look at the environment and wonder what is good for us, the landowners. We look at food production and wonder what is good for us, the consumer.

I’m not saying that doing this is wrong. It’s actually perfectly normal. We all see the world through our own unique lens and that the lens is naturally attuned to how the world affects the groups we belong to. In fact, this growth of the understanding of “us” is hardwired into our development. As babies we initially only thought of ourselves and our needs. As we grew up we extended our thinking to include the needs of family and social groups in an ever widening circle of people who fall into the realm of the “us” who we care about. For many people though, we get stuck somewhere in that continuum and can’t quite expand our circle to all of Us. It’s only a very few who can see the human race and say, “We need to do what is best for Us.” So although this limited viewpoint is perfectly natural, the time has come for more people to consciously continue to grow up and start taking a larger view that encompasses all of Us.

Why?

Because we are tearing ourselves apart. 2020 has been a massive and painful lesson in the problems that arise when we only think about the small us. We learned that Coronavirus needs to be tackled as a world, with each country stepping up to do its part to stem the outbreak. We learned that racial inequalities do indeed exist and are demanding to be rectified. We are seeing the increasing disparity between the ultra-rich and everyone else. We see how “healthy” economic systems still leave too many vulnerable and only a few weeks away from devastation. This year has shown the stark reality of a climate crisis going unheeded by the very countries and businesses largely responsible for it. It has also highlighted our increasing interdependence on each other, as basic supplies for existence and medical care were hard to come by and the shuttering of various sectors of the economy had far-reaching consequences in ways we never imagined. It has clearly demonstrated how the need to protect small groups of “us” can drive misinformation and ignorance of demonstrable facts in favor of a narrative that keeps that “us” intact. We’ve spent thousands of years fighting against each other, assuming that there isn’t enough to go around, that some end up on top while others suffer. We fight and bicker and dig into our various entrenched positions, vilifying the other group because of their perceived inability to give us what we want (which we obviously deserve). As 2020 has shown, it hasn’t done us a whole lot of good.

If there was ever a time to talk about Us, this is it.

More than ever, the way we live our lives every day has consequences for others all over the world. One of the easiest ways to imagine how our lives are intertwined is to think about the items we purchase. Everything we buy has to start as raw materials someone mines or creates. These have to be shipping to where someone else has to make the items. Someone gets it to me. It comes in packaging that came from somewhere and needs to go somewhere once I’ve unwrapped it. Whatever is left over when I am finished using that item has to be disposed of. Someone has to take it away. It needs to find a resting or recycling place somewhere in the world. There’s a lot of people involved in the life cycle of what we buy. The physical stuff of our world binds us together in a web of relationships we can’t even begin to map. Sometimes those relationships are positive for all involved, but more often there are winners and losers in those exchanges.

If we start thinking about Us, though, we start to imagine a world in which everyone involved in that web of creating, buying, selling, and disposing of stuff is a winner. No one has to deal with pollution. No one has to do with piles of waste. No one has to work long hours for little pay. Everyone gets what they need. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is successful. Everyone leaves the transaction satisfied.

Seems like a pipe dream, doesn’t it?

That’s the problem, though. It seems like a dream. We don’t believe it. We know it isn’t possible. We can try to make things better, but we are confident that we’ll never really make it good. And this is just an example based on the stuff we buy. We haven’t even begun to talk about homes, jobs, education, medical care, or all the other parts of our lives that contribute to a healthy and fulfilling life. We simply don’t believe there is enough to go around to allow everyone to have everything they need.

That’s the insidious power of beliefs. Beliefs are like computer programs. They run in the background telling your mind and body how to operate. Each one of us has a unique set beliefs programmed into us from a lifetime of learning and experimentation. Our beliefs define our existence. If we believe we are bad at physical activity, then that is our program and we don’t do anything in life that requires intense exercise. Even if we try to act in a way that defies our beliefs, we can’t do it for long because the system always reverts back to its core programs. So when we can try to break out and say, “I am good at physical activity and I’m going to run a marathon this year!” we might do well for a while, but eventually we’ll unconsciously self-sabotage so that we don’t violate that core programming.

So our beliefs define our basic operating systems and we can’t do anything that goes against the programming. We all have our own operating systems with our unique codes, but we also have a collective operating system that runs a universal “human” program. This program downloads a shared set of beliefs that (nearly) all of us absorb into our own operating system. At this point in time, we have a large assortment of collective beliefs that keep us fighting each other for what we believe are scarce resources. Here are some ways in which those collective beliefs about Us may show up:

• There isn’t enough to go around.

• We can’t all be happy.

• Someone has to be the bottom of the pile.

• I look out for me and mine.

• Giving something to someone else means I have to let go of something.

• Compromise means we both lose a little.

• You can’t beat the system.

• I’m not responsible for them.

• I need to protect my group and our needs.

• Those people do not deserve what I have.

You can probably think of some others.

This base code for humanity means that we always assume that there will be winners and losers, haves and have-nots. Even if we try to act in a way that attempts to change the balance so that more people get their needs met, we are often met with failure. Why? Because the base operating system says that it isn’t possible, therefore we collectively self-sabotage to make sure it isn’t possible. We aren’t just creating what is/isn’t possible for our own lives, we are creating what is/isn’t possible for every one of Us.

Here’s the good part, though. Beliefs are only that. They are ideas we put faith in. They are ideas that may or may not be correct. They aren’t necessarily a clear picture of reality no matter how many of us think they are. A whole lot of people believed that the world would end in 2012, but that did not come to pass. Those beliefs could not overcome the reality that it wasn’t time to conclude this party (fortunately for Us).

When we realize that beliefs are not necessarily truth, then we get to the place where we can choose to change our beliefs. If we change our beliefs, then we change our core programming. If we change our core programming then we can change the way we act. Once we change how we act we can finally begin to create something different in the world.

This is NOT a pipe dream. This is actually possible.

We can change our collective beliefs about how the world works, upgrade our existing programming, and start to collectively create a world in which everyone wins. In which all of Us get our needs met and live our purpose here on Earth.

We see this dream in all the world’s religions, in the New Age movement, and in every leader who has stood up for equality and justice. The possibility of this future reality is buried in all of our hearts. We want it to be true. We want it to happen. Why can’t we actually get there?

Two reasons. First, our core program at this point prevents us from doing so. Second, we are still stuck in the little “us” mentality.

Fortunately, we are able to change both of these things.

Change your beliefs: Changing your beliefs, and therefore your core programming, is possible. Whether it is easy or hard depends on a million factors that are unique to all of us. Some will read this article and have a complete paradigm shift and suddenly see the world in a new way. Others will need to do some deeper work before your beliefs shift. If that is you, first, believe you can change your core programming even if you don’t yet know how. Second, find ways to explore and change your beliefs. Seek out and engage with others considering these ideas. Read books envisioning a brighter future. Meditate. Ask for guidance. Explore energy work, especially EFT and IET®, which are both designed to change your core programming. Watch carefully for ways in which our collective core programming is showing up in your life and begin to negate them. Your goal is to be able to imagine a world in which everyone wins. Everyone gets their needs met. Everyone is paid well and can live their purpose in the world. Until your beliefs can see that goal as a real possibility, you still have work to do.

Start to think about Us: Start just by noticing the small groups of “us” that you belong to. In what ways do those groups create an “us vs. them” mentality? (If you identify with a religious, political, lifestyle, or activist group then you have a lot of work to do here.) Once you’ve identified your own “us,” learn to listen to other groups of “us” out there. How does their vision of the world differ from yours? Does the needs of your group conflict with theirs? How does their vision of the world line up with yours? Can you figure out how to meld their “us” with your “us,” thus creating a larger Us? If your needs are different, can both your needs be met without conflict? Does there have to be a winner and a loser? If you’ve done the work above, then your beliefs allow you to consider how everyone can get what they need.

I just want to interject here that none of this is easy. There are many things that will need to change. There will be a lot of people who need to get on board to make this happen. There are many places where we will all need to grow up, let go of stuff, right old wrongs, heal old wounds, and adjust what we think we need. This is going to take a lot of work. This will not be simple. There will be resistance. There will be setbacks. There will be tears. There will be challenges.

If you don’t want to deal with that, then go ahead and stay stuck in 2020 trying to live with this mess we’ve collectively created.

If you are ready to move on and start creating some real change in the world, then it’s time to step up. It’s time to start talking about Us. It’s time to grow up and think beyond the small group of us that you belong to. It’s time to change your beliefs about what is possible.

Ironically, in order to create a better world for Us, you have to start with yourself. You can ONLY start with yourself. That’s the only piece of Us that you have control over. That’s the only piece that right now you can start to heal. So begin today. Examine your beliefs and your groups of “us.” Look around and imagine what the world would be like if we could all win. How could we all get our needs met so we can all live our purpose in the world? What would that look like?

My work at Harmonious Renewal is about helping you get unstuck and live your best life so that you can be part of the change we are trying to create for all of Us. I believe that if you start with yourself then you can help change the collective programming that is keeping Us all stuck. I offer tons of resources on this blog to get you started. If you want to work with me and go deep, Contact Me to talk about where you want to go. It’s hard to see it now, but there is a way forward for Us to create a world in which we all can live our purpose. We need you to live your piece of that. Are you ready to begin?

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