Dawning of a New Age: How to Be a 21st-century Peacemaker

The New Year is fast approaching, and with it the opportunity to reflect on how we did this past year. It’s an important time to focus on what we’d like to create in the coming year. But this is no ordinary year, as the Mayan calendar officially ends on December 21, 2012, and astrologically speaking, we enter into the Aquarian Age. According to mystics, it’s a time when peace prevails on Earth.
Really? I know, I know; you’re saying to yourself: “Think of all the rancor of the past election, terrorism, wars, and general world violence brought into our living rooms with the nightly news (this is truly a new and gruesome phenomenon). How could this be true?”
But as you take note of this past year’s successes and challenges and set out to manifest an even better year in 2013, ponder this good news: the world is a much safer, less violent place than it has ever been in our human history. As human beings, we are evolving. Slowly.
To some, this seems very hard to believe, especially if they watch the news every night. Yet just past the hype of news stations commissioned to “sell, sell, sell” whatever drama they can find, it turns out that on a historical level, our world is slowly advancing to a less violent time.
Several historians are starting to get the word out, including prominent Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. In his book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, he lists historical trends that are very good news for humankind. As examples, he cites that the number of people killed in battle since the dawn of civilization has dropped 1,000-fold. More recently, genocide was 1,400 times higher in 1942 than it is today. His statistical lists go on and on.
This begs the question of why? Pinker is quoted in an interview saying, "As we get smarter, we try to think up better ways of getting everyone to turn their swords into plowshares at the same time. Human life has become more precious than it used to be." Pinker says this is most certainly due to an increase in education. Teens, he says, are getting smarter with each new generation. Teens today would be considered near-genius a century ago. With this new-found higher IQ, a kinder, gentler world is possible. What I would’ve given to have had this information as a teenager!
This good news is important to remember. If we believed all the hype, all the sensationalism, we might think the world was going to end. Though often the irrational minds are the squeakiest wheels, I caution all of us in the rational realm to stay clear of this negative thinking. We will ultimately drive the collective consciousness of mankind forward based on the mental choices we make today. We are free, and each time we set out to create, it is important to remember this stellar truth. We have a long way to go and there is much work to be done, yet the beauty of it is that as you create of full, rich, and loving life filled with the highest self-expression, you are participating in the advancement of the human race.
Remember, you cannot have a happy ending to a life that was not happy along the way, so go a little wild and create a fabulous life from your deepest desires and make your life a blessing on this planet. Right now. Don’t wait. Very simply, it doesn’t even need to be a struggle.
That we are turning the tide on barbarism is no small thing. This news seemed to tie in well with what ancient yogis have said: that the dawn of this new age, the Aquarian Age, is a time of peace. December 21, 2012 marks the beginning of this 5,000-year period, an age where humankind will be extraordinarily intuitive. With the expansion of our naturally occurring intuition comes the inability to lie to one another. Without lies, manipulation, war, abuse of religious powers, and so on, all become less likely, if not altogether impossible.
Wow. What a time to create a meaningful life, right? So this year, create to your heart’s content, remembering that humankind is doing pretty well. Focus on the positive and watch what happens. Take an active stance to remember that reason will win out over the unreasonable. That love and inclusion will win out over bigotry and hatred. Those of us doing the best work will be on the right side of history.