Why Western Models Won’t Last If They Aren’t Prepared to Evolve

Humans are evolving. At an unprecedented pace.

What does evolution mean? For me, it’s a reconnection to the innate wisdom that you were born with. It’s a remembrance of your intuitive capacities that are here to guide you, beyond your logical reasoning.

So, if humans are rapidly evolving, why not the systems?

Systemic change is traditionally long, arduous and painful. Something change happens at this level in a reactionary fashion when the inauthenticity of it is unveiled ie. What may be happening within the US political system at the moment. But usually, the change within humans is needed first, in order to drive change within the systems.

For this conversation’s sake, I bring your attention to four examples of western models that speak to why such change in needed.

Western psychology and medicine.

Western education.

Western spirituality and growth models

Western family structures

You may notice immediately that there is a common theme of keeping humans disempowered within these systems.

The authority figure is very clear — whether it is the psychologist or psychiatrist, the physician, the teacher or the guru. Innately, these structures have to keep the other subservient in order to keep the equilibrium within the system. And so, doctors and teachers continue to be put on a pedestal, in place of finding ways towards true collaboration, which would invite critical thinking of the patient or student in to discern what feels right for them, intuitively. Being led by one’s own inner intelligence, which is very quick to say yes or no as we learn from observing children, is quite a far-fetched idea as our exposure to the hierarchy began very early on. Before we had the ability to make decisions for ourselves.

The primary limitation within these systems is that they have been based on the intellect. And so, the lens is limited to only what the mind can infer, rather than what the body can sense. The latter informing both the conscious and unconscious faculties.

We will first touch on western psychology, we cut the individual off from their family and environment often, believing they can make change without their environment supporting them. We reduce the meaning of previous trauma that is stored in the cellular memory of one’s body, and contain the assessment to the intellect. We create labels to define who one is, disabling them for life as they become so strongly identified with their diagnosis and often, the prescription that follows. Over one million children in the US are medicated for behavioral problems, yet the root of the problem — that going back to family systems and the early emotional imprint carried by the child — is not understood by those who diagnosis.

What we do know if we move into more somatic and relational process is that each of us have the potential to move beyond, that reality given the appropriate support.

Secondly, we briefly look at the way we learn. Upon entering the traditional western education system, children are immediately revoked exploration of their natural intelligence. All testing and grading is geared towards not critical thinking and connecting the dots, but rather memorizing and regurgitating. This process limits the child to what they ‘know’ based on another’s assessment of them, rather than utilizing their ability to assess their own well being, which every human is born with the capacity to express. This begins at the time of birth, as the baby emerges from the womb and cries out for the comfort of their mother. None of us were born without the clear knowing of how we are doing, and to ask for what we need. The only thing that changed that was the programming of another who themselves was programmed to believe that their core human needs to go unmet, and they would still be well.

Thirdly, the personal growth track and spiritual fascination. Much of what has taken place on this side of the world is that humans run themselves into a point in their lives where they become so disconnected from their true nature that an alternative life path is sought. For many, it is personal growth, interwoven with spirituality. This industry is only newly developed in the west, and has quickly become a 30B dollar industry as so many are perplexed as to how they have checked all the ‘boxes’ of life, and are still unfulfilled. So they turn, in their disempowered state, to anyone who may have answers. Yet, many who are sharing the teachings are yet to emBODY the work itself, as they have only learned it primarily from an intellectual perspective. Based on how they have learned to learn within the western education system.

Fourth and final, the family structures that have been developed in the west have been created for efficiency. If a family is unto themselves, they can make clear decisions as to what works for them without regard for their neighbours, for the most part. What this model does is keeps the child reliant on one or two caregivers, both of whom often work full time to sustain the cost of a nuclear family unit lifestyle. Without the re introduction of villages in the raising of children, the child continues to submit to the beliefs of only their parents (often bound by a great deal of stress too) rather than learning through a diverse range of experiences within many relationships.

With that, it can be strongly suggested that the western models have been created from an energy of fear. In turn, they can not help anyone locked into the system go beyond the fear of trusting oneself that had them lean on the system in the first place.

As humanity rediscovers their inner orientation, or the compass that lives within from birth, they will begin to naturally pull away from such systems that are not in alignment with their full potential.

The systems are slowly introducing connection to one’s inner or body intelligence, but it may be a slow and laborious process if those ‘in charge’ aren’t understanding the intrinsic need society has for higher quality support.

So I ask, how you are engaging in the systems? Where have they served you? How are you willing to explore shifting your relationship with any given system, without throwing the baby out with the bath water? Garnering extra resources and support to create a broader perspective? We are in a transitionary time as a humanity. Bridges are being built from the old to the new. This is a better time than any to explore what truly serves you or does not.

At Raising Humanity, we are committed to widening the lens. We are invested in deeply rooted change within the systemic structures of society. We aren’t here to sell coaching programs. We are here to help shift the approach to learning or education- however you define it. Parenting. Organizational leadership and collaborative models. Our contribution to earth’s sustainability from an early age. And much more.

If you feel up to joining us in the village, please do. It’s never too late to contribute in ways that go beyond anything imaginable.