I recently returned from retreat. A week in close contact with my deeper self, the world of nature and other travelers on the evolutionary path of realization. The shift back to daily reality is always a jolt and I found myself choosing to write haiku poetry rather than entering the clanging tumult of cyberspace. I was worried about how I would manage to come back to the blog.
As I pondered these thoughts, a piece of real mail arrived in my real mailbox via a real postman. It was The Noetic Post, a bulletin from the Institute of Noetic Sciences, my friend of many years. The lead article was called Archetypes of Change in a Digital Age by Dana Klisanin, PhD, a psychologist and researcher who has been looking at the Myth of Hero and the emergence of a new myth which she calls the Cyberhero Archetype.
I must say that my first reaction to this was to feel both sceptical and put off. My image was a geek glued to the internet — in their own little world. But as I read on about how myths help us to make sense of our world and actually depend upon the technology of their era to interpret events and experiences, I sensed this was just the jolt I needed to get back on track!
Turning to our current technology we begin to see the role it plays in expanding our awareness and reach — from travel to the moon to connecting with others instantaneously across the planet. A technology that extends our eyes and ears, our hands and feet. “Little by little we are collectively ushering in a new mythos — an era of planetary consciousness. Planetary consciousness is shorthand for the understanding that everything is interdependent — that our lives and indeed all sentience are engaged in an intimate conversation.”
And so she comes to the Cyberhero. The one who serves the Planetary Consciousness by acting on behalf of others, extending the ability to empathize and help others. Through doing this they also contribute to evolving our capacity for compassion. She sees the Cyberhero as a change agent, offering models and actions that expand our awareness of our connectedness with all things and each other.
Wow – this is an archetype that I would like to bring into my own consciousness! This makes blogging and connecting move up a level in my estimation. I immediately realize that I actually know quite a few Cyberheros. In the midst of reading this a friend called and of course I immediately told him that he is a Cyberhero! His reaction was a little like mine. He kind of stopped in his tracks and then he reassessed his role and saw the power of his willingness to struggle and work hard to follow an inner imperative to create an online resource for young professionals on Sustainability & Leadership in business.
How many others are spreading compassion, helping or supporting others on the net, I wondered, and of course did a quick Google search. Here are some things that I discovered:
1. A website to mobilize a petition, to gain support and to create change.
2. An article ” Facebook tackling online conflicts with compassionate touch” on a website for The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education
3. A support system by friends and family for people with critical health issues called CaringBridge
4. A place to help others in need by simply clicking on a link! Care2 Make a Difference
5. Compassionate concern for animals. Compassion for Animals
6. A place that pioneers internet and mobile phone applications, which the world’s poorest people can use to improve their life and help people everywhere understand global problems – and do something about them. The One World Group
Even just sharing knowledge and opportunities through Twitter becomes a way of expanding our caring to others.
It made me realize how many possibilities there are when we are conscious of using the internet in this way. Of course we have plenty of examples of the other side where people are not conscious or altruistic but instead create division and spread falsehoods. But perhaps by reflecting and acting on the archetype of Cyberhero, we could evolve our consciousness to a higher-level of moral values.
Fascinated by the original premise that Planetary Consciousness is shorthand for everything is interdependent, I decided to do a Google search on “We Are All Connected”! Check it out — about one million hits! Is this the new consciousness trying to come to light? Is this the big teaching that the planetary crisis is trying to get us to understand? It is certainly hitting me more and more. Just open up to it and it starts appearing in front of your eyes.
Well then, let’s all be Cyberheroes whenever we use the internet. Or are you already a Cyberhero and just didn’t notice!
Image credit: Spider Art by Julie Falk at Photography Blogger