Banner design a collaboration of Laurie McCammon, Ann Smith and her grandson Sacha
It’s on everyone’s lips these days: Why do such horrible mass shootings keep happening? What can we do
about it?
We assume that fixing the world has to be overwhelmingly
complex, otherwise we would have fixed it by now. Too much damage has been done. We don’t have enough time, money, will, or
genius to change the mega trends destroying our world. Humans aren’t capable of
changing or rallying together fast enough. But what if these are only true because we insist
on focusing on symptoms rather than on root cause?
Through three years of research for my book, Enough! I discovered that humanity’s skewed
orientation toward the word “enough” was responsible at a hidden root cause
level for most of what we do not want, including scarcity itself. Here’s what I learned:
1. Even when we use the word “enough” we are
more likely to actually
experience feelings of deficit associated with “never
enough.”
Enough is such a commonly used word
that it has an effect on every aspect our lives, whether our self-concept (Am I
enough?), relationships (Does he love me enough?), career (There are never
enough jobs.), money (How do I get enough, have enough or keep enough?), business,
education, politics, and so on. Our
current global culture reinforces the idea that there is not enough and we are not
enough – ever. If we were perceiving “enough”
evenly, the word would just as likely generate feelings and actions associated
with satisfaction and abundance as fear and lack. What we tend to see culturally, however, is
that scarcity mentality has become an overarching lens of lack through which we
interpret the entire world, including ourselves. We perceive
a world in which we are under constant threat of either not having enough or of
losing what little we do have. If we
chase to its root each social ill whether terrorism, gun violence, economic
insecurity, addiction, climate change, disease, corruption or debt, I believe we
find an underlying core belief that we are not enough and do not have enough - and never will.
2.
Never Enough physiologically distorts our ability
to perceive accurately, selecting for the least sophisticated behaviors
available to us.
Never Enough has a cascade effect
on our emotions and behaviors: anger that breeds violence; fear and stress that
disempower us; deep insecurity and paranoia that lead to greed, aggression,
revenge and tribalism. It is not a far
leap to see how any of these paths could lead to gun violence.
Brain science tells us that when we
feel we are under imminent threat, we tend to revert to the most primitive, "reptilian"parts
of the brain, the brain stem and cerebellum which are responsible for quick, and
usually polarized decision-making and actions known as “fight or flight.” We
become susceptible to leaders who offer simplistic answers and either-or arguments
to further polarize people and issues. When
in scarcity mode, we are less likely to access the more sophisticated reasoning
capabilities of the neocortex. We are
fooled into thinking that fast and decisive action are better at ensuring our safety
than careful consideration, negotiation, fact-finding, collaboration and
listening.
But the neocortex is what
distinguishes us as human. It is responsible
for language, abstract thought, imagination, and consciousness. We should be highly suspicious of any
cultural norm which causes us to be less
than we truly are – less curious, less conscious, less imaginative, less in
control of our destinies. Anything that
halts consciousness cannot be part of a viable future.
3. Enough is the cure to eliminating every
social ill.
What surprised me most while
researching for the book was that the shift from Never Enough to Enough is already
abundantly evidenced in our world, in the
sharing economy, green solutions, technological advances, new sciences, and in spiritual
and storytelling wisdom traditions from all over the world. You start to notice how a belief in Enough leads
to better outcomes: innovation, healing, connection, peace, understanding,
compassion, creativity, engagement, genius, resilience and yes, even joy. Whereas the idea of Never Enough causes us to
feel fearful, we become more open, trusting, alive and daring when we believe we
are enough. We ask more questions and
seek to understand complexity and nuance. We grow in compassion and
wisdom. We feel compelled to speak up for
truth and justice. We occupy our more of our brains and hearts, and by doing
so, become bigger and more powerful than we have ever been.
4. Humanity
is the last to know the universe is telling an “Enough” Story.
What does the nature of Earth and
the universe have to tell us about Enough and Never Enough? No creature, no living being or system has
ever prevailed by adopting a Never Enough strategy. Every ecosystem we know of is instead an
intimately interdependent delivery system of Enough for all, forever. I take this to mean that humans, as part of
nature, are actually Enough creatures by design. Our DNA contains instructions for how to co-create an Enough world. We’ve simply forgotten. We’ve spent too many generations locked in
the reptilian brain, too used to the norms, rules and structures that have kept
us tightly focused on scarcity, devoid of heart and connection. In such a
culture, the anguish which would allow a human being to commit mass murder indicates
alienation from one’s own divine enoughness.
The symbol of the anti-gun movement
is the hashtag
#ENOUGH. Let’s make sure we
consciously shift the rage, blame and indignation inherent in the old version
of “Enough is enough!” into the more
empowering “We are enough!” and “We have
enough!” of today. Enough attracts and
creates enough while a “war against” always engages us in more war. I vote for a world in which we and future
generations know we are enough, where we feel seen and know we are precious and
essential, where we no longer need to hurt others in order to assuage our own
deep hurt.
How about you? Do you see the connections between enough as a root cause and a solution? Share your stories on my Facebook or Twitter.
To learn more about Laurie McCammon's upcoming book (April, 2016), Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word, go to www.LaurieMcCammon.com
