The following is part of the section on "inner preparedness," which also includes tips on how to "freeze-frame" turbulent situations through mental focusing and deep breathing, as well as a list of the five psychological stages people go through when confronted with the Y2K issue: Denial, Anger, Fear, Depression/Panic, and finally Acceptance/Cooperation. Those communicating about the Y2K issue are advised to Achieve Understanding First, Listen Nonjudgmentally, Listen for the Essence, and Be Authentic. They must do so in an environment of Contribution, Recognition, Clarity, Self-expression, Challenge, and Supportive Management.
This section was written by Corrine McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson, coauthors of Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out and Builders of the Dawn. The pair is also credited as cofounders of The Center for Visionary Leadership in Washington, D.C., and Sirius, an "ecological village and educational community" in Massachusetts.
Some are seeing the Y2K crisis as a social change opportunity. People who have been working their entire lives for political, social and cultural change immediately see its transformational potential. A common response among this group is, "This is what I came here for," or "I've been waiting my entire life for this." They immediately see the systemic implications of the issue, and use their carefully developed prototype projects as seed examples of how we can meet some of the real human needs in this new situation.What many people are realizing is that if there are breakdowns in the infrastructure of the modern world, the seeds that have been planted by all these movements are likely to see exponential growth. Previously uninvolved members of the public will see them as practical solutions they can use in neighborhoods and communities to meet real-life needs. Using well-developed dialoguing and visioning processes involving the entire community, people could develop new ways to organize themselves with community-supported agriculture, barter and alternative currencies, solar and wind energy, wholistic and complementary medicine, and co-ops of all kinds. As people realize they can mobilize their personal resources and contribute to community-preparedness efforts, they feel more confident and empowered that they can get through this Y2K crisis.
[Ed.: Note that millenarians on the far right tend to stress the enduring value of gold over that of solar power. A fascinating digest of often marginal periodicals, The Utne Reader defies easy categorization, but soft-left communitarian concerns seem to form a common thread. While it is said one cannot judge a book by its cover, one can definitely learn a lot about a magazine's readers by scanning its advertisements. Enthusiasms displayed include yoga instruction, hot tubs, the Esalen Institute, ethical investment firms, Working Assets credit cards (a.k.a., "plastic with a purpose"), personal coaches, affirmation alarm clocks, Birkenstocks, non-vinyl shower curtains, recycling, "predator-friendly" wool products (wolves are scared from herds of sheep by llamas rather than shot), teepee kits, adult education, soy milk, vitamin supplements, "Tantric, Taoist and sacred sex" instruction (featuring Kabbazah and Karezza techniques and yogic ejaculatory control), "fairly traded gourmet coffee," natural toothpaste, the intellectual fraudulence of "Dilbert," Windham Hill Records, Tuvan throat singers, nudist travel magazines, improving your Spanish, and "enlightened" dog training methods from the Monks of New Skete.]
