CFM News & Articles

The Need

Us humans are a diverse bunch indeed, but there is a deep need that we all share – the need to maintain balance and wholeness within the Self. Please note that this is not some woolly  ‘out there’ statement that is only relevant to a select few – it’s actually a concept well understood by some branches of modern psychology and applies to all of humanity. Our mental and emotional imbalances are a product of our learned beliefs and behaviours that we have structured within us since birth – especially during our formative years. The need for humanity to start placing the continuation of life and our future generations first, before profit, power or personal agenda (Life First), is directly related to our collective need to find balance within the Self.

We’re consuming the Earth at an accelerating rate

It’s largely due to these imbalances that we, especially those of us who come from industrialised nations, consume so very much. We now consume at such a rate (remember there are now over 7 billion of us!!!) that our life-styles are threatening the very existence of life here on earth. This, and our lack of connection with natural law is the root cause of so many of the challenges we now face as a collective. The thing is, we often consume not through actual need, but because on some level (and maybe buried deep down) we feel empty inside…The thing is, we often consume not through actual need, but because on some level (and maybe buried deep down) we feel empty inside – because there are holes in our wholeness! Through ignorance we look outside of ourselves for something to fill this void, and filling the void can soon become the primary goal. An example of one direct manifestation of this is comfort eating, which most of us have probably experienced at one time or another – right?. 

It’s a natural yearning

Please note that pointing out our human frailties is not intended to be a judgement on humanity. These patterns of consuming are a natural tendency, especially when we’re ignorant of them. To seek into wholeness is a deep yearning of the human being, it’s just that this seeking easily warps into addiction when we are unaware – and there are plenty of ‘things’ in our modern techno-dream that assist us in our self-distraction. We consume fast food to fast cars and easily loose our selves amidst the labyrinth of super-fast information! And during all this, to what degree are we actually aware of the impact, both to ourselves and the environment we are a part of? Externally, the affects are plain to see: poverty, widening class divides, war and habitat destruction to name but a few of the symptoms. This may sound dramatic but these are measurable features of our collective reality, and something that can be addressed and healed by the collective (to heal, from our perspective, means to make whole!).

Isolation is the enemy!

One of the symptoms of feeling empty, or lacking in some way, is the need to isolate ourselves from Life and from ‘the other’ – it ‘seems’ easier this way and doesn’t set us up for failure or conflict. In turn, our collective, internal fragmentation ripples out and gives rise to the fragmentation of our societies and communities. It distances us from the natural world that we are a part of and makes it even easier for us to dominate and consume it. In this isolation, as we consume more and more to placate our fragility and inflate our egos, our resilience and resourcefulness slowly slips away.

The Response

Change comes from within – from us

True life-affirming change isn’t going to occur by simply waiting for our world leaders and international organisations to wake up and step in on our behalf. Remember, they’re actually human too – they just have more power and influence at the disposal of their egos and their own need to maintain control. Can we really trust them to be selfless enough to act on behalf of our children and our children’s children?

Structures that support Life

It’s actually down to us – both as individuals and as whole and resilient communities. To do this effectively we need structures, once ubiquitous amongst indigenous peoples of this earth, to support our wholeness as individuals and to provide our communities with effective forms of communication, wisdom gathering and decision-making. What we are referring to here is the re-establishment of truly democratic community groups and societies that hold the ethic of Life First at their very core.

The indigenous wisdom tradition that informs the Children’s Fire Movement referred to such a (w)holistic system, where all the peoples voices and perspectives are heard and valued, as the Circle of Law. There are many principles, protocols and tools, associated with the Circle of Law, that address this perception of emptiness and support community groups in becoming truly democratic and resilient. We will be sharing more information regarding this on our website and in the CFM Supporters community area.

Pledge your commitment to Life…

It is time for us to make a stand, as a collective, and pledge our commitment to placing the continuation of life at the very heart of all we do. There is a need for us to demonstrate our agreement with this publicly and to not hide it away in isolation where it ‘feels’ safe.  This is one of the primary functions of the CFM: to provide a platform where we can collectively demonstrate our agreement with placing Life First and to support one another in honouring our commitment to life – for our future generations.

Learn more about the ethic of placing Life First

Inspire others and sign the Life First campaign

Become a CFM Community Member

A related article by Naomi Klein