A Positive Outlook is Imperative: Here are 5 Reasons to be Hopeful

Bad news sells, but it also suppresses creativity. Our brains have developed for millennia with a built-in response to fear that takes priority over all of our other mental functions. This means that when we are faced with an imminent threat our higher-thinking creative brain shuts down, a bunch of adrenaline is released, and the blood goes to our muscles for a fight/flight response. This is the basic psychology behind why shocking, enraging, controversial headlines are more likely to catch your attention and make you click. This leaves many of us in a perpetual state of fight or flight, which means that our creative potential is being suppressed. In a time when we most need to call forth our inner brilliance and consider solutions to address humanity’s greatest challenges there is a way to remedy the situation!

“A look at creativity in business environments found that higher stress meant lower creativity.” -How Stress Assassinates Creativity

Creative Conspirators: Pachamama Alliance is a nonprofit organization and global community that holds the vision of a New Dream for Humanity. Pachamama Alliance co-founder, Lynne Twist is also the founder of The Soul of Money Institute having dedicated her life to alleviating hunger and poverty, while supporting environmental sustainability initiatives globally. She describes our current global paradigm as a trance where consumption, extraction, and exploitation have separated us from our true nature. Pachamama Alliance works closely with indigenous tribes who still maintain a sacred connection between humans and nature while also offering educational programs that bring this wisdom to a society that has lost its way.

“I think the most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” -Albert Einstein

The Gift of Being Human: We humans are social beings who are sustained by the elements, while thriving on inspiration and having a great capacity for love and compassion. Our world is vibrant, alive and filled with abundance because all living organisms exist within a larger network of give and take, a reciprocity between the air, the water, the sun, the plants and the animals. Lynne Twist and the team at Pachamama Alliance created a gift, a balm, an elixir in the form of a video (watch below) to remind us of our inherent power to innovate. It is meant to wake us from the negativity that consumes us on a daily basis and inspire us to action.

“The challenges that we face as a species are dwarfed by our capacity to meet them with love, gratitude, and creative brilliance!” -Lynne Twist

1. Scientists Have Proven That We Can Reverse Global Warming: At a time when most people are thinking that global warming means “game over,” Project Drawdown says “game on!” Their team of 300 scientists have identified 100 solutions that can actually reverse global warming by 2050. The Foundation for Climate Restoration is another organization full of highly intelligent and creative individuals who are supporting many innovations and organizations that are focused on regenerating our climate. See other innovations in the video.
2. The Age of Disposable Plastics is Coming to an End: Our oceans, waterways, and landfills are filled with massive amounts of plastic trash that takes a very long time to decompose in nature. 30+ Countries and dozens of large cities are now banning single-use plastics. Watch a state-of-the-art floating plastic processing plant clean our oceans in the video.
3. The Age of Renewable Energy Has Arrived: Many renewable sources of energy are now cheaper than fossil fuels! Germany now uses about 30% renewable energy and on one day in 2018 ran on 100% renewables! The citizens literally bought the electrical grid back from the private sector creating energy independence. Companies like LO3 have created a peer-to-peer micro-grid and are developing blockchain based innovations to revolutionize how energy can be generated, stored, bought, sold and used, all at the local level.
4. There is a World-Wide Resurgence of Indigenous, Earth-Based Wisdom: As we saw at Standing Rock and elsewhere, Indigenous Leaders along with activists from all cultural backgrounds are organizing to protect sacred sites, and the waters of the world. Tribes like the Hopi and Ashaninka are leading the way with sustainable farming techniques borrowed from their ancient traditions. The Pachamama Alliance brings people from all over the world to visit with their indigenous partners in the Amazon to protect the rainforests and learn about their sacred cultures. A life-changing immersive experience awaits… They are also championing the Rights of Nature which legally protects the land, forests, and waterways from destructive practices like clear-cutting and oil-drilling.
5. A Global Movement for Change is Sweeping the Planet: There are now over 2 million organizations worldwide now working for social and environmental justice. Networks of people are organizing through social media, utilizing modern technology, and ancient wisdom to plant seeds for a better future.

Use the Facebook Version of this video for sharing with your networks!

The vitriolic, angry, divisive media climate that bombards us daily can become exhausting even for the strongest of us. It is a conscious choice to exit this unhealthy feedback loop and create new patterns that perpetuate hope and inspiration. This applies to our internal mental thoughts as well as our social media habits.

If you are feeling like you are ready to activate you can even sign up to be part of the Game-Changer Online Intensive being offered by Pachamama Alliance. Another great way to participate in this global wave of hope and action is to share the Facebook Video available here with your friends and family. Fear may grab headlines, but inspiration is contagious and and your friends will love getting some good news for a change!

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream we dream together is reality.” -John Lennon