Written by Professor Marko Pavliha, D.C.L. (McGill) 

One of the most urgent and reasonable questions of any responsible humans is what she or he can do when the world is obviously going crazy, just think about never-ending atrocious wars, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, violence, abuse, climate changes, destruction of nature, pandemics, political extremism, greed, corruption, poverty, obesity, stress, burnout, depression, injustice and many other (in)human demons.

In addition to all these external carcinogenic circumstances, I realized approximately a decade ago that something was also very wrong with my life as there seemed to be an increasing disorder, to use Eckhart Tolle's words, apart from the shining misleading appearance. The shift finally happened due to several personal shocks or crisis which turned out to be my best teachers as it is usually the case. 

Like the prevailing majority of successful people, I also used to believe that academic titles, reputation, popularity, house, luxury cars, money and other plaquettes on the wall of fame are the most important features in somebody's life. Yet when I managed to obtain them I was still somewhat unfulfilled, almost unhappy. Fortunately, I have been interested since my childhood in researching the depths of human psyche and also in personal improvement, exploring the secret world of consciousness and spirituality, the one mind. Namely, as a spiritual scuba diver or intronaut, I strongly believe that in order to survive we, the humans, need a new enlightened self-awareness, compassionate behaviour, global ethics based on universal love and a new reformed, much more equitable rule of law. 

Therefore, I have started meditating twice a day, doing Tibetan rites each morning, learning to be really present here and now and enjoying beautiful nature, reading intensively, watching videos and studying other sources of knowledge provided by Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Michael Singer, Eben Alexander, Larry Dossey, Adrian Kezele, and Marjan Ogorevc, to mention a few.  In addition, I have been exploring enthusiastically the ancient scriptures like Tao Te Ching, Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Dhammapada and Bible because they all offer very similar ethical in spiritual messages. In short, I try to live as healthy life as possible, all in order to be a better human being, and the results are quite encouraging, ask my dear ones: more compassion, love, kindness, tolerance, intuition, synchronicity, regular exercising, no addictions, better writing, etc.

One of the turning points of my life was when I became a professional member of the Galileo Commission which is a project of the Scientific and Medical Network (SMN, https://scientificandmedical.net) established almost half a century ago. SMN is a creative international forum for transformative learning and change. It is part of a worldwide contemporary movement for spiritual emergence, bringing together scientists, doctors, psychologists, engineers, philosophers, complementary practitioners and other professionals in a spirit of open and critical enquiry to explore frontier issues at the interfaces between science, consciousness, wellbeing and spirituality. Insights gained from engaging in the SMN's extensive educational activities enable members to initiate transformative change in their personal and professional lives. SMN organises conferences, webinars and other events on a regular basis and it is expected that one of the symposiums will also take place in Slovenia in the near future.

The Galileo Commission (https://galileocommission.org) is represented by a distinguished group of over 90 scientific advisers affiliated to 30 universities worldwide, many of whom have been active during consultation process leading up to the publication of the report entitled Beyond a Materialist Worldview - Towards and Expanded Science. In particular, I would like to mention the author of the Report, Professor Harald Walach, as well as Dr. Peter Fenwick, David Lorimer, Dr. Ian McGilchrist, Richard Irwin, Dr. Eben Alexander,  Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Larry Dossey and a Nobel laureate Professor Brian Josephson.

The essence of the Galileo Commission Report is that the existing science is too materialistic and predominantly based on absolute presuppositions. This results in the belief that consciousness is nothing but a consequence of complex arrangement of matter, or an emergent phenomenon of brain activity. Such a belief is neither proven, nor warranted. Even more, it is contradicted by numerous reports on near death experiences, non-local perception, parapsychology, anomalous cognition and children who remember previous lives. 

Galileo Commission proposes a dual aspect or complementarity model as a minimum consensus, in which matter and mind, consciousness and its physical substrate, are two aspects of reality. Integrating an enlarged view of consciousness into science will yield a new methodology that will have to be developed: the methodology of radical introspection or inner experience. 

One of my life missions is now also to assist in sharing and spreading these positive messages in order to convince as many people as possible to meditate, contemplate, learn, create and help us all to achieve a paradigm shift in science and in our well-being. Just like Dr. Alexander would say, we should welcome all humans to the revolution, this awakening is crucial for the survival of life on Earth, and will bring peace, harmony and goodwill back in large measure, thus greatly improving the overall quality of life on our planet. 

I have already proposed elsewhere a three-stage action (How to Awaken Human Inhabitants on Our Planet: Fragments for Discussion, Paradigm Explorer, Journal of the SMN, No. 133/2020/2, pp. 23-26):

(i) Networking - bringing together as many conscious organizations as possible;

(ii) acting within civil society and the existing or new political parties to gain access to parliaments, governments and other administrative bodies in order to elect and appoint new type of politicians;

(iii) upgrading the existing curriculums at schools on all levels to allow, enable and encourage teaching and learning on post-materialist worldview.

Regarding the networking, the SMN with its Galileo Commission should become a catalyst of global paradigm(s)  shift(s), connecting, coordinating and focusing in one powerful beam advanced research and other activities performed by reputable individuals and non-governmental and non-profitable institutions, such as the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Mind and Life Institute, Hay House, Eckhart Teachings & Eckhart Tolle Now, Sounds True,  Temple of the Universe, Higher Balance Institute, and many others, also on the Mediterranean side of the Alps, in Slovenia.

Furthermore,with respect to the second stage, evolution and revolution of humankind must occur from the top of the hierarchic society pyramid towards the bottom and not the other way around as it used to be practice throughout the history (although, in fact, all true reforms start within each and every individual and thus at the foot of the pyramid). A radical example of this approach is shown in the Spanish horror movie The Platform (El hoyo, literally The Hole)) which is set in a large, tower-style Vertical Self-Management Centre. Its residents, who are periodically switched at random between its many floors, are fed via a platform which, initially filled with food at the top floor, gradually descends through the tower's levels, each level getting only the leftovers from the previous ones. It is a system bound to cause conflict, as the residents at the top levels can eat as much as they can, leaving increasingly little for those below. Estimating that there are 250 levels (in fact, there are 333 levels), the main character Goreng convinces his fellow mate to ride the platform down with him, rationing the food so all get a share. As they descend, they hand out portions to the prisoners, attacking those who refuse to cooperate.

Consequently, in order to change our world to the better we need mindful politics, a new approach to global problems in order to discover basic goodness and create the enlightened society which will cherish nature and all sentient beings, compassion, love, altruism, peace, honesty, justice, the rule of law (legal state), forgiveness, and other crucial virtues and ethical values. We need fresh, much more conscious politicians and especially leaders who will be elected to the highest decision-making positions with the support from civil society (the one mind orientated organizations, associations, universities, institutes, etc.) and even from those political parties which are sincerely concerned about the future of our planet, the nature and all living creatures. Once "in power", it is to be hoped, they will influence other political colleagues, lobbies, media and other decision makers to achieve necessary modifications of education and upbringing on all levels, from families and kindergarten to universities, working places, and beyond. The role of media is and will be equally crucial.

The political awakening shall occur simultaneously around the globe and not only locally since any isolated attempt would probably result in the Pala scenario of the fictional Island created by Aldous Huxley in his last novel before he passed over, which is - according to Professor David Bradshaw - "his most pessimistic book because in a world of increasing greed, mass communication, oil-guzzling transport, burgeoning population and inveterate hostility, a pacific and co-operative community like Pala's 'oasis of freedom and happiness' has little hope of survival."

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, is a very good starting point providing a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 targets, which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth - all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The ambitious purpose of Goal No. 4, for example, is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The UN members should ensureby the year of 2030, inter aliathat all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes, as well as equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. Member states should also make certain that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture's contribution to sustainable development. The supply of qualified teachers should be substantially increased, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing states.

Unfortunately, there is no specific mention of spiritual growth beyond the religion which should be encouraged and learned during childhood, adolescence and maturity of everybody's life. This is definitely one of the most significant amendments to the UN 2030 Agenda which shall be adopted in the nearest future.

Namely, in order to facilitate the process of spiritual awakening there should be more understanding of holistic education at all school levels which is the third and perhaps the most important stage of my proposed actions. An enlightened syllabus would cover, inter alia, the introduction to perennial philosophy, lateral (out of the box) thinking, the basics of quantum physics and cosmogony, how to awake consciousness, yoga and meditation, holistic consciousness (One Mind), self-healing (mens sana in corpore sano), new compassionate politics, institutions, ethics and law, etc. Such a syllabus on post-materialist worldview might serve, firstly, as a basis for a seminar, conference, symposium, and secondly, as a special course on post-materialist worldview and holistic consciousness at graduate and/or postgraduate university level. However, a simplified version could be also applicable to pupils in primary and secondary schools.

Is all this too naïve or utopian?

"Remember", exclaimed Lao Tzu about 2500 years ago in his legendary Tao Te Ching, "A tree that fills a man's embrace grows from a seedling. A tower nine stories high starts with one brick. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." The gist of the Buddha's universe is the noble thesis that our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think. As Eknath Easwaran put it beautifully in his translation and introduction to the Dhammapada, it follows from this utmost important fact that when we change ourselves, we have already begun to change the world where kindness, unselfishness, nonviolence, and compassion for all creatures achieve what self-interest and arrogance cannot, and where any human being can be happy in good ness and the fullness of giving. The Galileo Commission has already made a giant step forward but the time has come to initiate a worldwide marathon of holistic consciousness.

marko.pavliha@fpp.uni-lj.si