Tony Ryan

So South American. I spotted this message on a cafe window in Buenos Aires back in July. Just get over the whole global meltdown scenario, it was saying to me, and let’s get on with life.

Compare that to a group of people I recently overheard in conversation. To a person, they were lamenting the state of the world today. In most circles, we’d call them prophets of doom. And the pending holocausts (at least in their minds) almost seemed to be something that they wanted to see. Blowed if I know, but they appeared to be getting their kicks out of believing that something terrible is imminent.

Part of the issue, for me, is that this group of people live in one of the most affluent countries on the planet, every one of them has permanent employment, and, as far as I could tell, they seemed to be reasonably healthy. Well, physically anyway. In the most literal sense of the expression, they really do need to get a life.

Now don’t get me wrong here. Perhaps there will be a series of difficult issues up ahead. I’m no Pollyanna; and I support the contentions that the world presently is carrying too much debt, and that we need to act on global warming immediately, and that there are still massive gaps between the haves and have-nots on a wide variety of resource issues.

However, I also know that the collective human spirit, when suitably inspired, will overcome anything. Without exception. Our history is replete with examples of this application of spirit.

However (and it’s a BIG however), it’s still a matter of individual and collective choice as to whether or not we make the effort to release that spirit. We each, and together, create our own lives through the choices that we make every day.

Here’s an abject reality. If you think that your life is going to be miserable, it probably will be.

Here’s another reality. If 6.7 billion people think that the world has a miserable future, then it probably will be.

The concept of self-fulfilling prophecies is more than just a theory. It is often referred to as the Pygmalion Effect. The self-fulfilling prophecy, in other words. If you are convinced that something is going to happen, it actually is more likely to occur. You will sub-consciously (and sometimes even consciously) create situations that are more likely to take place.

So, given all of that, I have two questions for you:

Q.1. Out of ten, what would you predict the next five years of your life to be like? (one would be horrendous, five would be OK, ten would be extraordinary)

Q. 2. Out of ten, what would you predict the next five years of life on this planet to be like?

I’m giving myself a 9.5, and the world a 9. And you know what? I’ll bet that, for me, it’ll probably be about right. So what are your scores?

And here’s my very specific point about all of this. What’s the average score for all of humanity right now? Because, whatever it is, that’s probably where we’ll end up.

And that’s why, when I overhear groups of people in conversation, I would hope to hear people talking about the inspiring possibilities, in which we will collectively release our human ingenuity and spirit.

In your very next dialogue, please focus on the inspiration of solution. And encourage others to do the same.