Carolyn Baker

There is no one story that will replace the American dream, but storieslike this one__nd there are thousands__an inform the myth or mythswe create for building and preserving the next culture. In order to do so,however, we must recognize that we cannot live without myth, for it is anessential part of our humanity. If we attempt to do so__iven the fact thatsomething in us needs myth__ewill only create more myths that echothe American dream__ith themes of heroism, greed, entitlement, narcissism,exploitation, exceptionalism, and myriad abuses of power. How we prepare for and navigate collapse will provide the raw materials for the myths we make and will live by in a postindustrial world.

If collapse is anything, it is a planetary immersion in the maelstrom ofparadox. Unless we understand and honor paradox, we will end up, like all ofthe mainstream media on earth, asking all of the wrong questions.

One of the most important skills we can develop for collapse is thecapacity to listen.

Gratitude is a state of mind that inherently recognizes interdependence with the external world, whether it be other humans, nature, the sacred, or a combination of these.

The innumerable losses of industrial civilization__ collapse will, over time, bring forth a new story and a new relationship with people, resources, things, and the earth. It will necessitate living as if our very breath is a gift and every person in our lives is an opportunity to pass on the gifts we have received. The death of the old paradigm and all of the trappings of industrial civilization will providespace to forge new values, new relationships, and minimize, if not completely obliterate, the concept of debt from human consciousness.

Fundamentally, what all forms of positive thinking about collapse come down to is our own fear of death.

If we can practice opening to the crises in our personal lives as teaching moments, as evolutionary stepping stones, we will be far better prepared emotionally and spiritually for the trauma that collapse will foist on us and everyone around us.

Understanding the shadow masculine or shadow feminine in oneself iscrucial not only for enhancing one __ own wholeness but for championingjustice between genders and all diverse groups in the community. If theshadow is not recognized and dealt with, it will dominate an individual or . . . community, resulting in untold suffering.

None of us really has any idea how many lives we touch or what impact we have on those lives. In most cases, we will never get to see whatdifference we made, but living out loud isn__ about noticing the results. It is about doing what we came here to do, for no reason other than that it is our life purpose.