The Prisoners Dilemma: Earth Changes

This is a long one, you may want to make a cup of tea.

We live on an extaordinary planet that seems flat here on the ground but is infact spherical, following a trajectory through space based on electromagnetic fields and moving bodies. Our planet is part of a cosmic system that has lifespans beyond what we can imagine. The earth has often been described as mechanics as all parts function in logical and linear ways. These are the way we think and measure. In truth the planet is organic and self regulating responding to signals seen and unseen. We try to make sense of this world based on our own understanding and that becomes our frame of reference or zero point. Our science has built worldviews around mechanics and function yet the spirit of the natural world has often been relegated to myths, legends and stories of indigenous peoples that appear as fantasy given our scientifically proven facts. We assume if we all agree it is right, maybe it is maybe it isn’t. I like to step out of the box and question the box itself. Take away trained thought and reality changes. Sometimes from a distance I believe I am seeing a boat, I am certain to find it is a buoy. It is stated when Columbus came to the Americas the Indians could not see the boats, they only saw the ripples. Apparently a wise man came and studied the ripples, realising there was something he didn’t know but allowing for it, he then could see the boats. I can also state in market research a billboard was put up in Jakarta and its colour was beige. In research the analysts were confused, why people were not seeing the billboard, thousands driving past each day. Turned out they had not been taught to see beige, therefore it didn’t exist. Makes you wonder about what you would see if you were open.

When I teach children and adults about thinking. I bring in pictures of images that trick the senses, you look at them and suddenly you may find spots flashing out of a grid, logically you know they cannot flash, yet the brain compensates the grid pattern and it creates the dots flashing in the corners. Also the blind spot test is another good example, which is two dots on a card, if you cover one eye and stare at one dot long enough, the other disappears, in truth the dots are still there, but the brain sees one disappear, what you are seeing is your blind spot not the reality of two dots. To move into a new world is to be aware of the blindspot of humanity. That is, there are things you see that may not be real and things you don’t see that may be real, this is where possiibilities open up. It is being open to new possibilities and indeed, realities. Fun ha.

The Gaia hypothesis or theory is a recent development in the way we see the planet, not so much as a mechanical object, or I feel to say, a systems theory, but as a living system, upon and within which life exists. Gaia actually means Greek Goddess (feminine is in both men and women). The theory according to wikipedia, espouses all organisms and their inorganic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated to form a single and self-regulating complex system, maintaining the conditions for life in the planet. The scientific investigation of this hypothesis focuses in the observation of how the biosphere and the evolution of life forms contribute to the stability of global temperature, ocean salinity, oxygen in the atmosphere and other factors of habitability in a preferred homeostasis. The Gaia hypothesis was formulated by the environmentalist James Lovelock and co-developed by the microbiologist Lynn Margulis in the 1970s. Initially received with controversy by the scientific community, some of its principles have been adopted in fields like Geophysiology, Biogeochemistry or Systems ecology. This ecological hypothesis has also inspired analogies and various interpretations in social sciences, politics and religion under a vague philosophy and movement.

So why not hug a tree, I have done that many times clowning around. I did it during an environmental rally invited people to come join me, they were a bit shy. I actually did it in Argentina in a town, my hosts were suprised to see me go up to a tree. Some teenagers were watching thinking ‘crazy gringo’. I did it for the fun of it, to see what they would do. They smiled.

Back to Gaia…

For myself I was unaware of the Gaia theory until I sensed the oneness of the planet many years ago, in a flash of inspiration. I suddenly saw it as alive and an organism in its own right. It was quite a moment. I also saw time as now, I felt my consciousness as eternal passing through what appears to be time, but in truth no time, perhaps this is zero point. My consciousness shifted then. I remember the moment clearly today, where I was. Since then I am aware of the interconnections of the planet and feel respect for this planet and am seeking to learn more about it. All activity is known as it is a living system interconnected, not separate parts. Increasingly I have felt stronger connections to the natural world and am becoming aware of the great intelligence that surrounds me, far advanced to any technology we create, it is not just trees planted but serving a great system. I love the notion of the flow of the system, natural recycling, the movement of air, currents, water and soils. So much is happening that keeps the system going, we barely have any concept of what we are dealing with. I love the experts when they come on tele and tell us as if they know, no-one knows the reality of planet earth, we make up a lot and prove a little. This is the game of life and we are playing our role I guess.

Let’s have a look at the current paradigm on the planet.

These are some musings on how I see the situation having arisen and how I see it as framed.

I think therefore I am. Thinking space

The current paradigm on the planet (as I see it) was derived from religious philosophies and the advent of industrialisation. The former had at its centre the idea that the planet was a resource for humans to use in dominion over living things. Indeed it is here for us to use but the difference is we are not here to dominate nature, we are here as stewards, apart of nature. Our time on the planet is short compared to the geological clock of 4 billion years, so we are passing through. We have choices on how we use the unique time on the planet and how we choose to treat the planet and indeed ourselves, each are a reflection of the other. The more loving (the image of god) we are of all creation, the more in harmony we become (no division on interdependency) and this is natures selection.

Industrialisation arrived after a process of organising resources in stages of hunting and gathering, village markets, barter exchange, farming plots to acreage, trading and exploration and agriculture to more organised structures of industrialisation based on mechanisation. The Ford motor company comes to mind with the Model T Fords on the production line and people adding parts along the way. The stages we went through could be viewed as moving from the Stone Age, to the Bronze Age (metalworking) and onto the Iron Age (iron, steel). So we developed more skills and organisation as we saw benefits from this collective organisation. We were exploring what we could do and excitedly discovering more technology. In reality we were learning about ourselves.

Lets look at the spiritual side (although it is an integrative whole). Spiritually beliefs have moved from indigenous cultures that saw no separation of themselves and the planet and spent time honouring the gods or nature spirits and producing artworks to communicate their beliefs and experiences. They lived as part of the land and took what they needed. They had a deep understanding of the natural world as their ecosystem. Many aboriginal dances and stories were communicating intelligence on how to get to water holes and describing the spirits there. If you go to the outback you can feel it. There were tribal societies that were expeienced as a family unit and a connection to the universe that we seldom see today.

In other parts of the world other civilisations arose on the basis of technologies and religions that were organised around spiritual leaders and stories about man’s connection to the divine. Hey what about women (just smiling here). Books were produced and rules around religion created and strong beliefs that the personal religion was the only way rather than another way of viewing the creator (think cosmos here). For some, religion was a source of moral values a form of unity holding the group together with shared values, for others religion made clear the classifying right and wrong, heaven and hell, others were pious and felt pure following religion and austere methods, some painful as they were aching to be closer to god. Some had visions and so on. Wars were fought over competing ideas and governance and religion were of divine decree. Educational institutions arose out of religious institutions which framed world views with unquestioned authority. The Enlightenment or Age of Reason heralded in an era of questioning the religious institutions and breaking out of the sacred circle of aristocracy and church. Hence the divine right of Kings to rule. The enlightenment ushered in new ideas of freedom, democracy and reason. It broke new ground in science, intellectualism and philosophy, this marked a departure from religion as the source of authority to intellectualism as a time of questioning alternative truths and expanding on ideas. There would have been other realities other then western perspectives, but the literature I have been exposed to doesn’t speak much of histories of other parts of the world from their perspectives (translated) and the stages they travelled through. It seems as if the UK and Europe were the centres of the universe at this time. I have always been mindful of my education focussed on western thought, I would like to have expanded on that. I always remember the word history his-story. We piece together histories like a motly quilt selecting the patches we like and discarding those we don’t, we want to feel comfortable wrapped up in our secure quilt. We call the finished product the truth, yet in reality there would have been many other stages or growth and change around the planet that may have provided a different colour, texture, shape and size here. Also women’s views, I have to bring that in as a woman I find it hard to believe they were quietly in the background raising children, knitting or preparing food. Women are dynamic in my experience and good communicators, there would have been many enlightened women out there, we never heard of. Many whispering in the ears of their partners. Patriarchy did suppess women’s voices in power arenas as the image of the male as breadwinner and protector did replace the goddess notion that was in some matriarchical tribes. In some tribes females were seen as wise and decision makers. As the bearers of children this was seen as creation itself. You only have to step into many families today, who is ruling who. I have to laugh. I love the tradition of men driving, yet women happily sit in the seat next to them. Although I know a few women driving and the partner is reading the map. I love the contradictions in it all. In truth no-one should rule anyone, yet they do. I feel just get a handle on yourself and if you love someone, work with them for the highest good of both of you. Equal opportunity is the truth of the matter, drop the stereotypes and embrace life fully. I digress, or perhaps not.

The time we are moving into is about a new earth and expanding alternative truths to the current system which is clearly affecting the natural world and support systems. I call this developing an ‘earth intelligence’ as the new en-lighten-ment. Seeing the light or new information of a new vision of the world. The wisdom will come from the planet itself, which is indeed a living system.

The current times we are in are both exciting and for many daunting, as physical changes around the planet are evident. I have been reflecting on the causes. On my world trip I travelled the world and tried to hold the enormity of the challenge in my mind. As I flew over a wide range of landscapes from the tundra in Newfoundland, the deserts of the Middle East, the flat sweeping plains of the Mid West USA, the rolling green fields in the UK and Ireland, the forests of Mexico and Guatemala, the dry deserts of Peru, the rising mountains of Machupicchu, the grandiose Andes of South America, pristine lakes of Patagonia, the Mountains of New Zealand and much more. I just stared out the window amazed at the vastness of the planet, yet how small it had become with air travel. I looked for human evidence across the landscape and felt happy when I saw no human impacts as I wanted to see what the earth was like before human occupation. I wanted to see unspoiled forests, clear lakes, the etchings of meandering water on the land, inlets from the sea, the natural profile of a world I barely know. The face I have barely touched. The tastes I had never smelled. That was my feeling. To appreciate this bluestar which I call home. To think beyond the curvature of the earth and reflect on the cosmos from which life has come.

For me some of the key issues which will frame this blog entry was rampant consumption. It is unmistakable in Bangkok, Thailand, India, Egypt, Greece, UK, USA, Mexico (Cancun), El Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Australia etc. There was also much poverty coexisting and I was aware I saw the consumerism in the city centres, there was definitely a divide and to my surprise many were not able to access welfare. This unstoppable ‘juggernaut’ which was the word going through my mind, was happening rapidly and the throw-away society and aspirations had definitely arrived. The strangest part was seeing people beg, how to reconcile these two worlds. I could go into a restaurant and have some food and then someone is wandering the streets hungry. How is it possible to live with that, the Incas never allowed one person to go hungry, why do we? The thoughts could be: ‘They are not me’, ‘thank god I have money’, ‘I don’t want to end up like that, better work hard.’ The fear of being alone and not being helped, seen as less, having to survive becomes the imperative. The idea of a failure of some sort. We tend to demonise those who are not successful, this is what keeps people aiming for the carrot, to be a success in the eyes of their peers. Powerful motivation inclusion. I feel that is the rationale.

For me, the confusion of how we see and treat each other was evident. Global media was another observation. When in Kashmir which was isolated somewhat and under military occupation by the Indians, they hadn’t embraced capitalism for those reasons but global television filtered in, so the young people were really interested in what was going on in western countries and loved American movies. I saw the youth being particularly connected to western values and materialism. This was clear. This is globalisation. It creates needs and wants, fostering consumerism. We aspire to be popular, successful, have a partner, be admired, feel good about ourselves, decent and responsible. This is the illusionary carrot held out and grabbed with both hands.

So going back to the system it is predominantly the expansion of capitalist doctrine around the world. What this means is market based economies where the prevailing rationale accepted is to bring living standards up by providing investment in business and providing jobs, the people can accept this. Self interest is appealed to. The countries have to industrialise and commericalise. They have to develop market mechanisms of supply and demand and pricing to deliver goods and services to bring up to speed with the rest of the world. Thus, to join the global flying high club.

The global market system is based on profit maximisation and it is called a ‘free market’ in that organisations are soverign. This term came from Adam Smith and was actually coined as a reaction to the power and control of mercantilism, trading merchants. He believed if markets were freed then they would find natural levels based on the needs of the people. A term somewhat perverted today. It has connatations of freedom. Governments typically try to attract multinational companies as they want employment and prosperity and hence re-election. That is the bond between companies and governments.

There has been some backlash in South America the Bolivian President Evo Morales comes to mind and the Venezualan President Hugo Chavez who are reacting against US transnational companies. They provided subsidised food to the people and I believe on the back of some packets was the constitution and rights of the people. This was in respose to food security issues. There were water riots in Bolivia in response to privatisation of water. If you have no money, no water. This is the hard edge of capitalism, the idea of free feels like a loss of profit, rather than natural bounty. That issue was interesting as it raised questions of what nature provides for free eg. air, water, soil etc. and the pricing of it. Both these countries leadership come from socialist roots and a peoples movement. Apparently Evo Morales was named ‘World Hero of Mother Earth’. When I was in Bolivia I remember attending a environmentalist meeting the key word I took away was ‘adaption’. This is the word repeated in the Climate Change course I was undertaking. Mitigation is not happening, so we adapt to change given we can’t avoid it.

I myself, just feel intuitively uneasy when I see the waste in capitalism, on my trip to Canada and US, it was worse. I really thought they may be progressive but the throw-away culture was alive and well, actually thriving as was the size of their wastes. I thought of David Suzuki’s attempts to educate the planet on the ecology, genetics, wonder and oneness, the spiritual nature of the system, but it appears global society has not made the changes that many hoped for. Many postulate at why the inertia. It is because our security is locked into materialism, we have disconnected from our spiritual sense which gives you a feeling that all is well, to a state of being that is addicted to what it sees as the source of life. That is my reading of it.

Accompanying the realisation of rampant globalisation is a feeling, certainly from people I met, that they hoped something major would happen. I think more people than you know feel this malaise about what is going on and it is becoming clear through extreme climate events that something is changing. Even the ardent sceptics will be quaking deep inside, for sure. They hang onto the old paradigm even harder to disprove change, as it terrifies them. They are not bad people, just fearful.

So as I travelled I thought about the dismantling of tribal, traditional societies and cultural norms being challenge by the youth in favour of this global consumerist culture. The marketers had been successful in hooking the planet onto consumerism. I am a trained marketer, I can appreciate that. Just imagine if we coopted the marketers into promoting Gaia. Now that would be a coup. To be honest we are hooked also. It is all we have known and we can’t imagine going back to primitive lives, many don’t know how to grow their own food. Increasingly people are finding themselves in cities looking for work, working or surviving. The notion of collapse is very frightening for many as they have no clue what will replace it, it looks bleak for them.

Certainly in the environmental literature I was reading the concept of mitigation (stopping CO2) was categorically stated as not happening. I read about BHP in the paper yesterday spending $6 billion on expanding iron ore and coal production in Queensland. Then we hear of the carbon tax to discourage through the pricing mechanism CO2 industries. There is a fight waiting to happen and actually already has, hence the demise of PM Kevin Rudd (my opinion). So there is a seam of tension (pardon the pun). I didn’t flinch when I read this, the reality is the industries think as industries, not people, they see only sharemarkets and in many respects are locked into the box of economic expansion. Where do they go if they consider that their actions are the carbon sink that doesn’t sequester carbon but sinks the planet. If individuals don’t ethically like it, leave the company. Thus the juggernaut is a way of living through corporate structures, it is not people per se, it is institutions surviving, an insitutional ethos. If they shut down no jobs, there goes security. So they will extract until the show is over. Some may think it is going to sink anyway.

The profit paradigm locks in mindsets to this as a ‘good’ for society as it brings jobs, investments, profits, infrastructure etc. and the list goes on. Yet because economics rewards people on the basis of profit maximisation and self interest and does not factor in ecological destruction which is the basis of survival of all life, it continues the game. The real security is ecological homestasis that produces the basics of life rather than money which buys food and gives us shelter. The economic system undermines life supports and thus life supports undermine the economic system. This is the reality of earth changes.

Thus the illusion that will be shattered by nature (not people) is going to be that real security and stability arise from a balanced homestasis of natural living systems that work in harmony on the basis of their role in the natural world. The system is alive and it is responding to humans crossing the threshold tipping points. People can argue, and as they say ‘until the cows come home’, nature is non negotiable and it is not going to stand up in Parliament and debate it. It simply is what it is and change is inevitable whether you like it or not, you are not in control (another domino). We are not in dominion (another domino) we are part of a natural ecosystem that operates within natural limits, and as I have read from scientists, within fragile limits. Unlimited growth is an illusion of economics and a flaw in the economic analysis upon which the deck of cards precariously balances.

It is like building a house on foundations in a flood plain. The house is slowly sinking but we deny that as we don’t want to have to move the house or change the way we live. So maybe we build it on stilts, put in more reinforcement, but the reality is it is a sinking ship. Why not think differently and move to a place of real foundation, we find that place in truth and connection to our true nature.

However, please do not feel despair over that scenario. There is much more that most people do not know and it lives within a rising consciousness. I don’t like to use the words ‘spiritual’ as it always conjures up images of the esotheric when in truth it is a natural part of who we are, it is the essence of who we are. You can feel your own spirit when you feel love for someone or are engaged in something you love to do, you feel alive and invigorated. You may get a flash of inspiration to go this way not that. You may simply walk through nature and just feel deeply happy. It is feeling your true self and this is where the dilemma gets interesting.

It is indeed a prisoners dilemma. Funnily enough I see Al Gore always with the balancing weigh station, one has the earth the other the gold bar. He asks which one will you choose. In truth the question is where is the real security? Where is the real power…. you know the answer. Very simple. Yet where it is tricky is facing our own fear, that is where the ego jumps in and defends the indefensible out of fear of change.

So back to Prisoners Dilemma this came to me as inspiration as well and I feel it is important to understand. Wikipedia – The prisoner’s dilemma is a fundamental problem in game theory that demonstrates why two people might not cooperate even if it is in both their best interests to do so. It was originally framed by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher working at RAND in 1950. Albert W. Tucker formalized the game with prison sentence payoffs and gave it the “prisoner’s dilemma” name (Poundstone, 1992).

A classic example of the prisoner’s dilemma (PD) is presented as follows:

Two suspects are arrested by the police. The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction, and, having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal. If one testifies for the prosecution against the other (defects) and the other remains silent (cooperates), the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence. If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for a minor charge. If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence. Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent. Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation. How should the prisoners act?

If we assume that each player cares only about minimizing his or her own time in jail, then the prisoner’s dilemma forms a non-zero-sum game in which two players may each either cooperate with or defect from (betray) the other player. In this game, as in most game theory, the only concern of each individual player (prisoner) is maximizing his or her own payoff, without any concern for the other player’s payoff. The unique equilibrium for this game is a Pareto-suboptimal solution, that is, rational choice leads the two players to both play defect, even though each player’s individual reward would be greater if they both played cooperatively.

What is interesting about this is the concept of ‘maximising his own payoff’, sound a bit like economic theory. We are in a dilemma, do we maximise our own payoff or do we cooperate not knowing what the outcome will be. This is the precipice upon which we stand today.

The purpose of this blog is to reconnect people to their true nature, to get over the idea of love as a romantic notion but more of a glue that unites us all. It is the thoughts, feelings and actions that give us a sense of oneness with other people. Changing the prisoners dilemma slightly with regard to maximising own payoff and cooperation. We would be choosing cooperation. It moves us from self interest which is what collapses the system (individual) to best interest (unity). As you start to connect to a feeling greater than yourself or more accurately the ‘greater self’ you are experiencing the oneness. This is the consciousness shift that is happening now as we are shifting to a new perception of ourselves.

Some people find their purpose in life, they find what they are here for and they spend their lives happily living out their passion or vision. This is what it feels like to connect into your purpose. As you become deeply happy you start to feel connectedness to more and more. Happiness brings with it sharing and giving, our true nature when in harmony. It is not about taking and isolating. Thus harmony is the oneness playing out in your life. It is not an esoteric notion, it is just natural connection to all that is. It is connecting to real security.

So to move from the dilemma to the new earth which the planet is already doing. We must first find within ourselves what we love. Don’t get caught up in all the politics and confusion, but return to what is your true foundation in your life. You have power over your own life, not others. They have a path to walk. That is why my comment in one of my blogs is don’t go into argument with people or oppose because that is what we do, by all means speak your truth out of a space of integrity but respect the right of all to see the world the way they are. They are also playing a part in a drama which is here to teach us who we are. We are not here to convince them, just lead by example. We are in harmony with them. To love the people at BHP but to speak truth about how where they put their energy (so to speak) in expanding coal hence greenhouse gases actually will harm their families and the global family. Why not use their knowledge in coal to help us find a sustainable lifestyle, let them become the new heroes that save the planet. They can do it, they have the funds.

So how to make the shift?

To thyself be true. That is the first principle. Speak the truth to yourself, face your denials, and be authentic with yourself. The second, decide the person you want to be in the future and step into that. You do it by visualising it and practicing it. I am a World Peace Clown, I actually went round the world as a clown, I stepped into that.

If you want to be a person that lives in harmony with the planet then think about how you are living (I have to do this to), break the addiction. Don’t worry about what others are doing, only thing that matters is that you do what reflects your truth and take responsibility for your impact. Third thing – go towards activities, people, events that draw you (attract you), things that don’t serve your vision, move away from. For example I couldn’t be a full time analyst anymore, I don’t wish to promote economic growth, so I have become a clown as I am drawn to happiness and children. In the case of people who don’t inspire, encourage and support you (doesn’t mean agree with you), just positive/negative dichotomy, move away from them. Don’t judge them or think you are superior, just follow the vibe (I sound like a hippy now). Choose people who share your vision, your values and encourage you to live to your highest, go there. If inspiration pops into your head, don’t just discount it or minimise it, look at it, if it feels good go for it (only if it doesn’t harm others). These are natures signals coming to you. Trust it, I did and it took me out of the profit paradigm into poverty (yeek) yet I saw it as a gift as I was actually able to see things come to me. Literally things were given to me, jobs came to me, rather than me chasing for survival. It surprised me the reversal, but yes when you take the chance to trust, life becomes interesting. I actually asked for free rent (seems impossible right) well I got it. Now I have time to work on myself to develop myself.

So that is a sample of how we internally shift to start to live in the new earth. It happens within humankind, indeed a kind human. It must start with you, for that is where you have power.

Try not to be despairing about the world, we are all on a learning curve to face what we have denied in the past or felt disempowered to do something about. I saw much beauty in people when travelling, and certainly, as a clown that is all I see. We are incredibly great and perhaps these moments where we experience great uncertainty we see the best in people and open to possibilities. The crisis in Japan showed much kindness and compassion between Japanese people and also from those watching from around the globe, rather than thinking Toyota, electronics and industrial averages as the brand of Japan, we saw the real faces of elderly people, young people, emergency workers, wives, mothers, we saw the society beneath the mask, we saw the humanity. This is what links the hands across the planet. It is in our compassion that we re-unite and it is important that we do as humans ‘being’ not ‘doing’. The days of the latter are coming to a close, we are starting to awaken. This is about a unity consciousness, a transformation and evolution.

Thus: I feel therefore I will become. Focus on feeling the future

I will leave you with Shakespeare ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’

Oh by the way,I could be wrong, make sure you follow your own truth. This is my truncated worldview and limited experience. Go with resonance, that is when it feels right. I don’t follow anyone, just myself. I am just painting a picture for you that feels right to me as I paint it. You can paint your own picture. Probably be a masterpiece.

It is all good. Have fun with change.