More and More

More and more, its becoming visible to me- what’s the work for us. Perhaps, our life’s work. Over 8 years into Youth Alliance, it seems we are just beginning. 

Humanity faces a civilisational crisis - that is made up with ecological crisis because we are consuming twice more than earth can regenerate; economic inequity because less and less people own more and more wealth in the world; political polarisation because nationalistic identity based division is rising world over and even spiritual crisis, because we feel more and more alienated from our own selves. 

Or perhaps, as human beings we are in a stage of transition. From an industrial society to a life sustaining one. From a story of separation to a story of interconnectedness or interbeing. 

From Google

Last 8 years, in our work - we have created spaces for young people to get in touch with their own selves, with nature and with people whose realities is completely different from their own. Initially we said that we shall sensitive them through experiential understanding of social issues and support them to become social changemakers. Later, we built on leadership from inner transformation. Only now, we are beginning to see our work from a lifetime’s perspective. Of supporting the transition of humanity. 

Buddha Doodles, from Google

And we are still finding the right language to say what we intuitively feel. Even as I say it here, it feels overwhelmingly large. I am nevertheless banking on the courage of larger being that runs through me as I say it. 

One thing, has been bang on - is that all our work (in 8 years) has been built on enabling young people to reclaim their intuitive capacity to connect. Many alumni say that for brief period of 10 days, they felt the most connected to themselves and cultivate what felt like authentic relationships. 

That is living from the experience of human connection. Do we continue to live into that experience of oneness, of connection, of interconnectedness? Its difficult. 

Honestly, I have phases of deep felt connection and solidarity with people and other beings and a sense of walking together. And phases of my connection limited to my organisation, or my primary relationship. And even phases of dark isolation. 

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I have often questioned myself what’s the place of this work especially in India where we are still fighting for basic needs. Quality food isn’t accessible to all, we might have a situation of reducing access. We still are home to so many malnourished children. Patriarchal and caste based oppression is still rampant. 

I am deeply aware of this. And I guess aware of the privilege that I have been born into to think and work like this. However, I do see a need for some of us to think longer term even as a lot of us are supporting causes that are more immediate term. 

Even as I write this and mention Youth Alliance often, I am becoming more and more rooted in the understanding that its not the work of one organisation or one group. There’s a movement building up across the world - that is waking up to the fundamental transformation of the human condition. That is seeking and imagining a different world. 

There are many questions, some coming from a place of doubt. Some from a place of curiosity and inquiry. And some from a place of audacious imagination. 

What is the crisis really about? 

How do people from massively different backgrounds experience it? 

What do we need to transition to? 

Is it a new delusion of the privileged? 

How do I prepare myself to continuously be in service of what’s taking birth? 

How do we continue to find co-travellers of this journey across sectors? 

Even as we hold these questions, answering one question in the affirmative seems a certainty - can we continue to support transformation of inner conditions of human beings to enable outer transformation of the world? 

Yes. 

May be its the same thing.