Think with me for a moment about how the world’s changed. In just one decade.

Ten years ago, how different was it?

Politics was…night and day. By and large, our civilization was still making progress towards democracy. It was the heyday of liberalism. And then a right-wing tsunami swept the globe. Today? The list of nations that’ve turned far to the right is startlingly long, and growing. America. Britain. India. Poland, Hungary. China, and of course, Russia. Even former bastions of liberalism and democracy, like Sweden and Italy.

In just ten years. Global politics has undergone its greatest transformation since the 1930s. Perhaps even greater than the 1930s, because it’s arguable that more has been lost today. One decade. Name a country without a far-right party in power, or contesting it, and I’ll show you one that…doesn’t exist anymore. That’s a shockingly fast shift. In historical terms, the breakdown of democracy and the rise of what once used to be the fringe on the extreme right? It’s happened so fast it’ll make history’s head spin.

But it’s not just politics that has undergone a sea change. What else is different? In just ten years, our economies are completely different, too. Ten years ago, was a time of what economists called relative “price stability” — and wages to match, too. Today, though? Our economy, worldwide, has plunged into stagflation. Prices go on skyrocketing, and real incomes keep on falling. Meanwhile, central banks, baffled, bewildered, keep on raising interest rates, which only makes the problem worse, adding to people’s burdens, because now all that debt they’ve taken on is that much more expensive, too.

Think about what else has changed in the last ten years. The mega-scale impacts of climate change arrived. Ten years ago? If I’d told you that by 2023, region-sized megafires would be visible from space, getting worse every summer, while mega-monsoons would drown entire countries, you’d probably have laughed at me. If I’d told you a pandemic would sweep the globe, and those, too, are effects of rising temperatures, you’d have looked at me, baffled. What is this guy even on? And yet here we are. Just one decade later. How bad is this summer going to be? Canada’s boreal forests are already on mega-fire. Spain’s droughts are the worst they’ve ever been. I could go on. Summers barely begun. This one’s going to be worse than the last one.

Meanwhile, our societies are in brutal states of disrepair. Social bonds and ties have ruptured. People barely trust one another anymore, and take their resentments and rage out on an expanding circle of scapegoats. As a result, the social contracts of modernity are now under profound threat. That’s easiest to see in America — where all of a sudden, fundamental freedoms aren’t just “under attack,” they’re going, going gone. For women, who are now suspected criminals to be “aided and abetted.” For kids, who are to learn…history…science…literature…art…the way that fanatical demagogues want them to…or not. Books, banned. Entire ways of existence, being erased. Don’t say gay, or else. Teachers are criminalized — threatened with being made third degree felons — just for that.

That trend is expanding, too — shortly, Brexit Britain’s going to have (I’m not kidding) Nat-C conference, for “National Conservatism,” which its PM is apparently a supporter of. Totally normal stuff! Nobody worries about the rise of the…Nat-Cs.

One decade. That’s all it’s taken to get here. To levels of self-destruction that have already rocked the world. From Brexit, to the rise and return of Trump, to the way an axis of authoritarianism from DeSantis and his ilk are eviscerating social contracts, to a global economy that’s visibly badly broken, but nobody knows how fix.

Just one decade. And modernity is crumbling around us. No wonder people are more pessimistic now than at any time during the last century. Afraid, anxious, frightened, bewildered. What happened to our world? To the future?

The question all this raises, or at least one of them, goes like this: is this all just a phase? Or is it a shift? Is it just part of a cycle? Or is it a deeper transformation?

That question matters — much more than most of us think. Because most of us, or at least many of us, on the side of modernity and democracy — we assume it’s just a phase. All this wreckage, collapse, fanaticism, stagnation, ruin, which we’re not waist-deep in. We make that assumption, often, almost unconsciously, or maybe explicitly so. We say to ourselves — or some part of our unconscious does — “don’t worry!! It’ll pass!!” But nobody’s reassured by that very much, because, well, it’s just as assumption. Meanwhile, the assumption provides a kind of cold comfort, because what we’re saying when we tell ourselves “it’s just a phase” is a belief in a kind of homeostasis, that balance will prevail, the mean will revert, that things will right themselves somehow, because, well…it just has to. Is this just another kind of faith, then?

So let’s ask the questions rigorously. Is this just a phase? Or is this…something more permanent, a transformation, a lasting change? Why aren’t thing reverting back to the mean — why do we just keep on entering newer, deeper waters of toxicity, lunacy, craziness, extremism, distrust, spite, and hate?

What’s different about this age goes like this. To produce an extra percentage point or so of growth is increasingly costly. Those costs are escalating fast and hard. We strain to extract the last few resources the planet has to give us. Then we employ people in bullshit jobs to turn those resources into consumption. Those bullshit jobs — meaningless, hollow — feel pointless because they don’t have a point beyond enriching the ultra-rich even further. Trust in institutions and systems declines. A sense of pessimism and frustration simmers. Declines like that are easy prey for demagogues — who blame the meaninglessness of life, your loss of security and status, on the nearest powerless innocent. And repeat the same line, worldwide: if you just take their rights away, you’ll be better off.

That circle’s expanded so far it now includes women, the LGBTQ, kids, teachers, average families. And so what once used to be modern societies are becoming snakes eating their own tails. These Ourobouros societies are consuming themselves, with a hunger that borders on madness — just look at how fast rights in America have been eviscerated, or how Britain, LOL, gave up the rights to live and work in Europe.

Let me put all that a little bit more formally now. To extract another point or so of growth has become ruinously costly. My fellow economists don’t really see those costs, because they don’t count them. But they should. Those costs are real. They include ecological costs. Societal costs, like the loss of trust, the meaningless, the despair, of a life trapped in a bullshit job, and that’s if you’re lucky enough to even have one at all. Purer social costs, like the rupture of social bonds and ties, as people turn on each other, forced into being cogs in this machine of extinction. Political costs — the rise of far right parties across the world, shockingly fast, as one age comes to an end.
As one age comes to an end.

Let’s talk now — again, now that we’ve discussed things a bit — about the distinction between phases and changes. Phase: homeostasis, things go back to normal, because the system heals itself. The rupture, the sudden breakdown, was an aberration. The trend re-establishes itself, as systems re-establish their functioning. Change: things don’t go back to normal, because the system can’t restore its former functioning. The rupture, the breakdown, the implosion is a sign of all that.

Why aren’t systems able to re-establish their former functioning? There’s a universal reason: they run out of resources. That’s true for any system, from a car to a star. Bang. They break down — and maybe, hitting a point of instability, like stars, explode. Now think about us. Our civilization. What’s true about us. What happened over the last ten years? We began to run out of resources.

In a kind of weirdly fractal way. We finally hit the point of mega-scale climate change impacts. Meanwhile, extinction rates began to explode. A pandemic arrived. Suddenly, the basics became scarce — food, water, clean air, medicine. Supplying those things — which we’d taken for granted — was suddenly something our civilization strained to do, and began, here and there, to fail.

Meanwhile, the ultra-rich monopolized the dwindling thing called “growth.” The average person’s real income suddenly began to shrink — while the ultra-rich became giga rich. That left the average person without resources not just in some kind of ecological sense, but in a simpler economic one: they began to struggle to make ends meet. Debt levels soared, as people borrowed whatever they could just to pay the bills. By now? In many societies, we’re down to the lenders of last resort for consumers, buy now pay later schemes…for groceries.

We began to run out of resources. Remember a thing called “trickledown economics”? It was a myth. Wealth never rained down on the average person. But the opposite is true. Instead, extinction is trickling up.

At this juncture in human history, most humanity is living under a dangerous delusion, one supported and promoted by an irresponsible media and a culture that won’t tell the story. That delusion goes like this. The planet can turn to dust, and life on it can go extinct, but we can go on…living the dream. Driving a bigger SUV every year, right into an elevator, that lifts it up to our…living room…like in a new luxury condo…in…LOL…Miami. Talk about a metaphor for the hubris of now.
Extinction trickles up.

What does that mean? Something very simple, at the end of the day. Sure, we can drive, for example, the insects and fish and plants to extinction. And while we do, we can even pretend that it’s not going to affect us, and go on being entertained by Instafluencers and crackpots on YouTube. But all the while? It’s trickling up. It’s creeping into our systems, infiltrating our capacities and abilities. To grow. To supply the basics at an even level, which isn’t even growth, just…stagnation. To supply them at a shrinking level, which is…stagflation…prices skyrocketing when there’s not enough to go around anymore. This is where we are now.

Extinction is trickling up. Every price that won’t come down. Every bank that’s teetering on failing. Every bullshit job that leaves someone insecure, unstable, desperate enough to turn to a demagogue to have someone to blame their meaningless life on. Give me someone to make even more worthless than I feel. Every fanatical party committed to destroying democracy. Every group in society now at risk of not being able to exist anymore, in full personhood. Modernity itself, crumbling around us.

All of that is extinction trickling up.

Is it just a phase? Or is it a change? You have my answer. I’m sure you have your own thoughts. Take some time to reflect on it. Think it through. And think about the disjuncture, too. Most of us have a sense, deep down, a profound unease, that this isn’t just a phase. And yet that’s what we tell ourselves, even if unconsciously. Think about the conflict in that. And how conflict like that paralyzes a human soul, fills it with confusion, anxiety, and worry — instead of being able to act on knowledge about time and being, which is wisdom.

Time and being. Why are things around us crumbling, so fast, so hard — that if you look at the world just ten years ago, in key ways, from politics to economics to society, it’s scarcely recognizable?

This is extinction, trickling up. That means: it ascends through human society, its ladders of power and privilege, coming for the least protected first. And some imagine that by allying with destruction, chaos, hate, ruin, they can save themselves from it. But extinction is the closest thing we humans have ever encountered to omnipotence. It doesn’t matter, to extinction, LOL, if we’re a little richer or more powerful or hate this kind of person or that kind. It’s coming for us anyways. Trickling up, in that sense, is maybe a poor way to think about it. Ripping upwards through a body, like a knife.

This is the part we human beings don’t understand, and don’t seem interested in understanding. At least not yet. What’ll it takes? Citiies on fire? States underwater? Banks collapsing? That’s all on the way.

How much has the world changed in the last decade? So much that it’d give you whiplash. So how much is it going to change this decade?

The last decade was when extinction began trickling up. Ripping upwards. That was why everything began to crumble, right down to modernity itself. So what about this decade? If you just shuddered, well, you got my point.
​
umair haque
Published in
Eudaimonia and Co
May 2023

                            ​The Fours Laws of Spirituality

They say there’s a brief moment in life, when you feel more lost than ever, when an encounter occurs. An encounter with yourself, with your depths, fears and soul.

They say that if you experience this kind of transformative moment, it’s not by chance. It’s because there is something you need to understand.


Spirituality goes beyond the material and earthly. It is not a religion or a doctrine. Spirituality is to take care of ourselves. To let our hearts, jump over the chasms that our minds create and cultivate our values humbly.

These are the four laws of spirituality from Hindu philosophy:


1. Every person that comes into your life is the right person. No one enters your life by chance. Everyone around you is there for a reason, even toxic people. With each exchange and every moment, we all contribute to each other in some way.

We live in a world of grays; nothing is black or white. We’re not always teachers or always students. Each one of us provides something positive, even if it is through a negative trait. For example, something that we can’t handle or harms us.

We are always flashlights in the darkness. Some people are more representative than others. But all of us have something to say, no exceptions. In time, we learn to be grateful for the stones we tripped over along the way. Those who complicate our lives or those who support us loyally all have something to teach us. 

Everything, absolutely everything, adds up in life. That’s why we should maintain a positive outlook towards others and not underestimate any lesson.

2. What happened is the only thing that could have happened. Nothing that happens in our lives could have happened in a different way. What happens to us is the only thing that should happen to us. It’s the right thing at the right time, and it is from this that we should extract a specific meaning.

We have the habit of thinking about what could’ve happened. The habit of creating hypothetical situations in which we acted a different way and, therefore, obtained different results.

Each change causes unpredictable situations. Therefore, we should accept that whatever happened is already in the past. There are no other possibilities. Each one of our actions creates a ripple effect around us that determines our path.

Let’s not worry ourselves over what we could have done differently. There’s a time and a place for everything. And a certain amount of time is needed to learn each necessary lesson. As they say, you have to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run. You can’t skip the necessary steps in life.

3. Whenever something begins is the right moment for it to begin. Everything always starts at the right moment, not sooner or later. The new things in our lives appear because we draw them to us, and because we’re prepared to observe and enjoy them. Understanding this, accept that when life puts something new in our path, we should enjoy it.

4. When something is over, it’s over. We tend to be tied to an endless number of stories and emotions. Saying goodbye hurts. But when something ends, keeping it with us is just an exercise in masochism. It generates great discomfort and many dependencies and insecurities.

Moving forward is the best option in order to enrich your life and avoid suffering. Remember that the most impressionable person you interact with every day is you. Be careful with what you tell yourself and just flow along with life.

My birthday is November 7, 1942.  This year my daughter and her mom invited me and provided a plane ticket for me to visit Portland, Oregon for my birthday and Thanksgiving.  It was the best time that I have had in the USA in many years.  The result of this event is that I feel energized and happy to accept my situation, living in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico.

​The following shows the primary party for my birthday.

What do I know now;

HORIZON: For most of my life, I never thought of an ENDING.  Since COVID and my 80th, I know there is a horizon, and yes, I know there is an END.  I just do not know when or where it will manifest.  I'm sure the next adventure will be more exciting.

FAMILY: That is all there is.  I said it, and my sister said it.  It is about the precious nature of family.

TIME: Do not waste it if there is no JOY.

JOY: If there is no JOY, do not do it.  

HEALTH: Have nothing to do with TOXIC people, places, or things.  Move away and toward the positive people, places, and things.  

I refer to this with the same or similar mystery as the Havana Syndrom.  I call this a reflection on the CVS - CORONAVIRUS - SYNDROM.
​
It was back in 2019 that COVID came upon our world and a lockdown occurred.  I was living in Chapala, and isolated in my home high above the city.  I paid for everything digitally and had good food delivered by Pancho's Deli.  I lived well.

My daily routine included preparing meals and eating on my terrace.  I accomplished two major activities: a. I created a book, "la dulce vida," and "moments, or doodles."  I created a book of 420 pages answering questions about my life.  In addition, I created 190 moments or doodles.  So, I lived well.  

BEFORE the lockdown, I was on my journey into Mexico, and adventure.  I was escaping being depressed for 3 years as i had been laid off from my primary work, and was older at age 58, and seemingly did not find work.  I came to the second-best climate in the world and left SAD (seasonal affective disorder) (form of depression) behind.  I was happy.

AFTER the lockdown I seemed to be different: I have noticed that I am super sensitive, so very emotional, where I experience highs and lows.  I am also continuing to follow Abraham-hicks and move away from all people, places or things that are NEGATIVE and move toward all people places or things that are POSITIVE.  I have moved away from TOXIC people.   I have cleaned the house.  

I have found that life is quieter and less festive.  The town of Chapala is less festive, seemingly with fewer des files (parades).  Within this context I have been sad more often.

I have settled in to a life that is quieter, with fewer friends.  I am resolved to re-build a more festive life, and meet new people.  I am cautious as the great secret is that up to 40% of North Americans exhibit signs of mental illness.  To me this includes drug addicts and alcoholics.  I stay away.  

I love being in my home, so that is my preference.  I do not want to meet new people, as I do not trust that they are healthy.  I only want positive people around me, those that lift me up and encourage me.

Before the lockdown, I never thought of the future.  After the lockdown i now know life is finite, so there is an end.  I do not know what the future holds.  I do not know where I should be.  I just characterize it as weird.  

INSIGHT:  LONELINESS How Social Isolation Affects the Brain.  Being alone greatly changes some brain regions more than others.  January 7, 2023 |  Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

THE BASICS
KEY POINTS

• Our need for social interactions is as fundamental as our need for proper nutrition and adequate sleep.
• Social isolation causes decreased white matter in brain regions critical for thinking and emotional control.
• Changes in connectivity between the amygdala and frontal lobes is associated with increased behavioral problems.

One of the most important consequences of society’s response to COVID-19 was the clear demonstration that our need for social interactions is as fundamental as our need for proper nutrition and adequate sleep.

Physical distancing, quarantines, and lockdowns increased the incidence of depression in adults and adolescents. Past psychological studies documented that people experiencing prolonged social isolation, such as orphans and empty nesters, have an increased risk of depression and insomnia.

​

Transformation for me has become part of me - always wanting to be learning and growing and knowing.  Things i know that set me free:  A.  I don't know nor does anyone know the karmic path of another.  The only thing you or I can do is honor the other person and wish them well.  B.  I don't know nor does anyone know the destiny of another.  The only thing you or I can do is honor the other person and wish them well.  Or in the words of Maya Angelo - 'You should always lift people up.'  or i the words of Don MIguel Ruiz:  ' love is the answer ' 

My biggest question is where do I go from here?

All of life is RANDOM and CONSTANTLY changes or transforms.  This blog will contain my view of transformation.  To begin I want to define transition and transformation. 


In my way of thinking transition is moving form point A to point B.  I've transitioned to a new location.  Transformation is when everything is new.  I was a teacher and went back to school and now i'm a doctor:  I've transform my self.  In life the movement from different ages usually is a transformation.  I was a full time worker and now i've transitioned to a non work positon and have transformed into retirement. 


All of life is RANDOM and CONSTANTLY changes or transforms.  This blog will contian my view of transformation. 

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The following is an expression of how life is RANDOM, and don't be surprised.  Letting go and going with the flow is essential to living a life of transformation.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person..

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.

They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,

To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend and they are.

They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,

This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.

Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire
fulfilled, their work is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

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Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.

They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.

They may teach you something you have never done.

They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy..

Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.


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LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,

Things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation..

Your job is to accept the lesson,

Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

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Thank you for being a part of my life,

Whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime. 

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