The World is on “Fire”

It has been a while that I have been hearing people expressing their concerns regarding the world's unstable and unsustainable condition and wondering what the future might be. The fear has been explicit and associated with all aspects of society: social, political, economic, and environmental.

As I always tell people, I love "problems." But what I mean is that I love the instigation and inspiration that problems provoke me. Lately, I have been thinking deeply and questioning the world's current condition. What are the options? What can we or I do? I couldn't define any precise solution for all that we have been going through, so I decided to theorize and philosophize around some concepts and beliefs that I have.

While living in California, I had the opportunity to visit the Sequoia National Park. The park is notable for its giant sequoia trees, including the largest tree on Earth. But what I was mostly astonished to learn, was that fire is one of the most crucial elements to the health and growth of giant sequoia forests. The seeds depend on fire to help with their process of germination. Without fire, those majestic trees wouldn't be alive. “The sequoias rely on fire to release most seeds from their cones, to expose bare mineral soil in which seedlings can take root, to recycle nutrients into the soil, and to open holes in the forest canopy through which sunlight can reach young seedlings. They also need fire to reduce competition from other species.” (Source: National Park Service)

Some people might say that the world is literally on fire.

When I say that "the world is on fire," some people might say that it is literally on fire. As you probably have been seeing on the news that Australia, Brazil, California, Europe, and several other locations around the world are fighting against wildfires. Sadly, it has somewhat been one of the consequences of humanity's uncontrolled actions. In this article, I will use "fire" as the outcome of some human behaviors like aggravation, confrontation, discordance, resistance, greed, racism, and negativism. Daily, we go through some of these behaviors. They have been corrupting society for several decades. However, they have escalated in the last ten to fifteen years with the wide use of the internet and social media, which has been working as "fuel" that intensifies the "fire." But, please, don't misunderstand me. I truly believe the internet is one of the most fantastic inventions of humanity. I compare the internet to the dried leaves on the ground that fertilize and protect the soil, but, in the wrong conditions, can also be fuel for a real wildfire. Just like the sequoias use fire in favor of their survival, society can also use the "fire" that we are going through now to awaken and improve our lives. 

Society is divided into groups.

In my perspective, society has been divided into three distinctive groups for a long time. The first group is a small collection of people who are very active in helping and supporting the world and society. This group is aware of its potential, and they consider themselves part of the ecosystem. When they are not satisfied with a condition, or they see an opportunity to make a difference, they do all that they can to find ways to achieve their goals. They have a deep desire to improve our lives, and they have a great sense of wholeness. I will define them as the "sequoias group."

The second is a group of people who do the extreme opposite. They do harmful or negative actions in life without even thinking about the outcomes of their behavior. This group might destroy or denigrate civilization in many ways. They have no sense of community or collaboration. Their ego dominates their thoughts and actions. This is the "fuel group."

The third group—the largest—is the people who are numb to everything in society. This is the "seeds group." They could live their lives without doing anything harmful to the planet, but at the same time, their positive actions are minimum or none. They are the people that generally go to work and come back home without even thinking about what is happening in their community. For many different reasons, they chose to have a good and peaceful self-centered life, that is not wrong or bad. I compare them to the sequoia seeds; they might stay in their “seed status" indefinitely if they don’t have an outside phenomenon, like a mentor, trauma, or casualty, to awake and instigate them to change their status quo and move to a different group. I believe that this “fire” that we are living right now is affecting more and more this group of people. 

Life is dynamic and constantly changing.

I have been noticing that a high percentage of this "seeds group" is starting to awaken and become more aware of their behaviors and surroundings. They are beginning to move from this numb status to one of the other two groups. It means some of them are becoming more active, aware, and connected with society, and they are naturally moving to the "sequoias group." But, at the same time, some are getting lit by the "fire" and moving to the "fuel group." The people on the "seeds group" always had and will have the opportunity to choose who they want to be: "seeds," "fuel," or "sequoias." But now, with this "fire," they have the chance to awaken faster and be more conscious. 

The group of people moving from "seeds" to "fuel" is not a problem for the world or to civilization. Life, in almost every single aspect, needs balance. The ecosystem would not survive if all the seeds became giant sequoias. The same way as we can’t all be “sequoias.” We need the “fire,” the result of the negative behaviors and the problems that we go through in life, to inspire and awaken us to become better. The “sequoia group” wouldn't be active to help the world if it weren’t for the “fire” to motivate them. We all would be "seeds" without the need to improve in any aspect if it weren't for the need for balance. It means that all the ideas, innovations, and developments that we have today wouldn't exist. 

It also doesn't mean that we should push the "fuel group" aside and don't care about them. Some of them will be touched to make a change by example or life circumstances. Several will move to the "sequoia group" at a certain point, but at the same time, a few will move to the "fuel group" as well. 

Is the world going through a broken phase?

I wouldn't say that the world is going through a broken phase right now. I believe it's a phase of challenges, inspirations, and opportunities. It can be a fantastic opportunity to awake and decide where and who we want to be. We can be the "fuel," the "seed" or the "sequoia." But hopefully, most of us will be inspired and instigated to become "sequoias" and lead by example.

Alex Vaz is originally from Brazil. He moved to the US in 1999, intending to explore and develop his skills and passions. He is a marketing and business development leader with a great passion for innovation, entrepreneurship, socio-economic development, philanthropy, human behavior, and arts.