Part I The Bad News

The news these days is so distressing most people I know avoid it for the sake of their own mental health. I can’t say I blame them. I’ve reduced my own intake dramatically. Nevertheless, I can’t help occasionally taking a peek at the headlines. Then, inevitably, the standard mix of shallowness and cruelty disrupts any hope of my remaining calm without some deep breathing exercises or a long walk in a wooded park.   

But why, one might inquire, are any of us surprised at the present state of the world? In truth, the tangled mess has been foretold for decades. From the loss of freedom and consumer manipulation (q.v. Huxley’s “Brave New World”) … to the rise of “Big Brother” and governmental suppression (q.v. Orwell’s “1984”) … and today’s blooming “Culture of Narcissism” (q.v. Christopher Lasch).  These notable works are just a few prescient examples. Trump’s emergence comes at the worst possible time. But we can’t attribute the entire mess to him. Conditions for his ascension have been ripening for generations.

So here we are. A looming worldwide climate catastrophe. Genocidal leaders still perpetuating insane wars. The rise of the right, with its xenophobic, storm-trooper mentality. And on top of all this, AI is happy to not only correct your email — but take your job as well. 

Unless one is, say, a trained Eastern Orthodox monk who has learned to conquer accidie (a listlessness brought on by the devil), or perhaps a Mahayana Buddhist who has mastered the art on non-attachment — how can anyone not feel overwhelmed, or even the rumblings of an anxiety disorder, and with that a sense of hopelessness? Fear? Depression? Sleep problems? Stress? Loss of Interest? Suicidal thoughts? Etc., etc…

Yes, it’s difficult to accept. But things are that bad. Finding ways to stay sane, positive and productive is not easy.

My own approach — which of late I have attempted to make conscious — includes a mix of rationalization, false reasoning, questionable premises, false equivalences, hope-against-hope, and outright cherry picking of information. But nonetheless, it has the virtue of working for me.  And for that reason, I am happy to share it.

Part II The Impossible Logic and Benefit of Believing in Miracles

I begin from the simple premise that transforming the world at this point in human evolution will take a miracle. I see no way around that. Therefore, to stay sane, I argue, we must not only allow for the possibility.  We must have faith that it will happen.  

For this to work, it helps to first accept the idea that all life is a miracle. Every moment is a cascading phenomenon that, sparked by a unique intent or purpose, began in some timeless time. That anything got going at all, and is allowed to continue, constitutes a miracle. Believing in miracles also has the benefit of engendering a feeling of gratitude. That helps keep our hearts open when current events conspire to keep it closed.

If you find my home-spun perspective naive, let me enlist a heavyweight to support my position. It was Albert Einstein who said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Let us now consider humankind. Do we honestly believe a society that applauds our worst impulses is capable of solving our most pressing problems? Of course not. Solving human problems requires critical thinking, empathy, inspiration, self-sacrifice, acceptance of the facts, mastery of many specialized disciplines, and a willingness to work together as one. 

In our musical, The Further Shores of Knowing, the earth’s guiding star suddenly goes dark because of humanity’s long history of misguided behavior.  Yes, it’s a fantasy. But I ask you, in the real world, how will the ultimate solution to our earthly problems, should we find one, be any different?? 

We will need people, nations and industry working together — in other words, the many working as one. We’ll need clear goals, super-intelligent ideas and planning, and discipline. And still, on top of all that, with time running so short, we will need a miracle. That’s as succinctly as I can state it.

Ours is a musical for the end-of-time that reveals the conditions for a civilization to continue existing. I know, that’s deep. But don’t hold that against us. And I can promise you’ll be entertained. Behind it all is a logic that Aristotle would trip over, a logic that surpasses any other. To paraphrase Buckminster Fuller, we must dare the impossible. Only then may we be rewarded with a miracle.

Friends, speaking of miracles, I hope you’ll be inspired to take a moment and join us by supporting our production! Your donation is tax-deductible. Think how good it will make you feel to support us… and possibly usher in a new era of enlightened progress!