Our Bubble

I read a lot about bubbles in the alternate press. They are a common metaphor for people living in a system of delusion that describes the world as one that can be comprehended, exploited, and enjoyed forever. This common bubble provides a world without limits, where people can pursue dreams and careers, "be all they can be," and provide security for their family. Storms pass, leaving eternally blue skies, delicious mysteries beckon, and the weather is uncontrollable.

In this bubble, the United States is governed by the rule of law and seeks only to encourage democracy abroad. Candidates in elections offer a clear choice in governing philosophy, and they seek to sway the electorate ("the people") in order to gain office. The police exist to catch criminals. The military defends us against evil. No NATO country would start a nuclear war. God is on our side and will soon condemn the evil people and establish Heaven on earth.

I understand the bubble, I lived in it for a long time. It is often spoken of derisively by intellectuals and the alternate press. That's understandable but I think it may be too harsh. The bubble serves a function of emotional protection and is probably an evolutionary artifact. To have it burst is difficult. Emerging from our bubble means leaving our comforts and our certainties for their opposites. It means being designated "the enemy" by those with vested interests in keeping the bubble intact.

The bubble is a warm, comfortable place that promotes sleep. The early twentieth century philosopher, G. I. Gurdjieff , said that human consciousness was a continuum from deep sleep to wakefulness and that most people (i.e., 99.9%) spent their life much deeper in the sleeping end than in the waking end. I think there is much truth in that, and it follows that if a person becomes sufficiently awake, their bubble bursts (i.e., they loose a lot of their delusions), and they have to find new foundations for their lives and learn to live with uncertainty.

I have to admit that my bubble burst some years ago and it has been difficult to live in the much darker world revealed. Dreams faded. Hope became hard to come by, but I have been trying to find it and hang onto it. My "inspirational" journal entries come from that quest and, since they are my most popular, I think many people are in a similar place. Or at least, being vaguely aware that things aren't right, they reach out for hope.

I am currently writing three short stories (closer to novellas, actually) that contain this "hope in a dark world after busted bubble" theme, and I plan to publish them in an ebook anthology later this year (keep an eye on my website for news about that). My hope is that they will be engrossing stories with an undercurrent that stimulates bubble-bursting thought.

Often in my quest for hope I look for insight from the writings of John Hogue because he is both a scholar of prophecy, and a careful student of history and current events. He recently published a book of Predictions 2015-16 that is an informed overview of the current world situation with predictions as to what is coming. (You can find my review of Predictions 2015-2016 on the book's Amazon page or here on Booklikes).

In his book, John also addresses the problem of not giving into despair over the dark look of world events and situations. He finds hope for change at the level of the individual, and so encourages us to:

...shift augured attention away from what you can’t collectively prevent, to what you can and are empowered to change. Make yourself a revolution of one human being and the dewdrop becomes a revolution for the whole human ocean...The only revolution that matters is You being the World, not the world waking up to your consciousness.

Such a shift of our attention is the bursting of the bubble. It's not easy but I think it comes down to whether we want to live with a comfort that is not real, or see things as they are with the risk drowning in a wave of vile intents. I tend to choose the latter because I at least want to "know what hits me" when it does.

But I won't live in despair. Being more awake also shows me, as Tennyson says in his brilliant poem, Ulysses:

Tho' much is taken, much abides;

And, free from my bubble, I can fight the good fight, become a revolution of one, and above all, not give up:

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.