Balance September 2019 - 24

is projecting its collective insanity. And if you don't agree, you're declaring
your own insanity. Period. Furthermore, every world leader I look at, every
national leader of significance, is a thug or a gangster. It doesn't matter
which country I'm looking at.
"The world seems to be led by so-called leaders who are actually thugs
and gangsters. They're interested only in filling their own coffers and
perpetuating conflict in the world so they can take advantage of it.
"So Metahuman is a small offering... It just says we could, if we
wanted to, through a critical mass shift in collective consciousness, move
towards a more peaceful, sustainable, healthier and joyful world. In that
sense, it's timely."

CALL TO ARMS

R

ight now, it feels like the world needs Deepak Chopra
more than ever. No matter what stories you see on
the news (just to pluck three current headlines at
random: raging fires in the Amazon; the ongoing
Brexit saga; and virtually anything associated with
Donald Trump) it seems we could all benefit from
deep breaths, mindfulness and meditation.
But the Godfather of Wellbeing isn't here to
sugarcoat the state of the planet. There's no arm around the shoulder from
the great man (even if BALANCE is, somewhat shamelessly, hoping to come
away from our chat with our chakras cleansed, soul revitalised and essence
enriched). Rather, Deepak is here to tell us, with his blistering new book
Metahuman, that we need to change, or die. We need to wake up and realise
our collective consciousness is vital if we're to reverse ourselves from where
we're headed: "extinction".
"If you look at the world, and you don't have to go far - on the internet,
any news channel or outlet, and it doesn't matter which: Al Jazeera, the BBC,
Channel 4, CNN, Fox News, whatever... Irrespective of how they interpret
what's happening in the world, if you are intelligent, nobody would disagree
at this moment, we are risking our extinction.
"That's not just because of climate change,
although it is a very big risk. It's also because of
poison in our food chains, the extinction of other
species, ecological devastation, social and economic
injustice; it's a totally unsustainable planet."
Yikes. That said, the 73-year-old hasn't got to
where he is today by blithely telling us what we
want to hear. This is one of the greatest thinkers of
a generation, as showcased across 80 books, talks
around the world, his "six pillars of wellbeing", the
audio meditation series with Oprah Winfrey and
much more. That said, to chat with Deepak is so
soothing, thanks in part to that beautiful New Delhi
lilt, even when he's talking about the end of the
world. Why, Deepak could narrate The Silence of the Lambs and you'd find
the experience blissful.
"Soon, because of climate change, [there will be] even bigger mass
migrations throughout the world from regions where people are afraid
of surviving, to other places that are more sustainable. But that in itself
can lead to violence, bigotry, hatred and, ultimately, new epidemics of
diseases. You have to be insane if you don't agree that the world right now

Deepak argues man's attitude is no different now to how it was thousands
of years ago, but it is "modern capacities", such as the advancements in
technology, that make the world a scarier place.
"If you look historically, the world has been like this even since Biblical
times, or before; people have always engaged out of fear and greed and
power," he says. "They've ruined people throughout the history of human
civilisation, so it's not different at all. We are in a very early stage as a species
of our emotional and spiritual development. But what is dangerous about
now is that we have modern capacities with the same Bronze and Iron Age
mentality. We also have modern capacities, like nuclear weapons, biological
warfare, internet hacking, trade wars, and that capacity to destroy is much
bigger than it was in the Iron Age.
"The US alone has enough instruments of mechanised death to destroy
the world seven times over. When you add up all the countries with the
same capacities, the ability to cause human extinction and destroy the
world, you could do it 20 times over. Not that you need to do it more than
once. That is what is frightening.
"I would say human development, on emotional and spiritual levels, is
not even in its adolescence. It's probably infantile. Once we admit that, then
we say, 'What is the key?' The key is self-awareness; everything that you call
the physical world is a reflection of our own collective consciousness. How
we think, behave, speak, act in this world is the world. Period."
And in Metahuman, you will enjoy the experience of having your eyes
opened until you have truly awoken. The book even culminates in an
exercise for the reader: "31 days of reflection", as Deepak explains. "Waking
up means that you know you are projecting the movie that you call life. At
the same time, you would know you had created the movie, and you would
know you could upgrade, downgrade, edit or revise the movie as you want."

One way of waking up is to better connect with
nature, as showcased in new film Earthing,
in which Deepak features and which has its
premiere at London's First Health Optimisation
Summit on 14 September (see our Culture
section for more information). Earthing, also
known as grounding, is something you can
theoretically do now: remove your shoes and
socks and stand on grass. That's it.
"Then you realise that you, the earth and the
universe are not separate; you are all part of
one process," adds Deepak. Thinking of getting
AstroTurf because you're too busy to mow he
lawn? Please don't.
"We know now from the earthing and grounding movement that
connection with nature, even direct contact with the Earth starts with
a tree, will bring down inflammation in the body and start to reset your
biological rhythms. It is a very important insight and, without any side
effects, the best way to energise yourself."
Our relationship with nature, BALANCE offers, seems so one-sided.
Deepak points out "But having conversations like this and expanding the

WE ARE IN
THE EARLY
STAGES OF
OUR SPIRITUAL
DEVELOPMENT

24

BACK TO EARTH
Balance September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance September 2019
