From the Brain of Dr. Nicki: Good Will Hunting: The Upside News In Our Downside World

2009. Fear abounds. Headless chickens aplenty rushing around, proving there’s nowhere to turn for peace on earth or goodwill to men. We live in a world where people literally trample each other for a bargain; where holiday shoppers shoot to kill; where adult women go online to masquerade as teenage boys in order to systematically reduce the self-esteem of an already fragile young girl; where that young girl then commits suicide. Looks like the fall of the Roman Empire. Looks like the party’s over, the fat lady has sung, the ball has dropped.

Even at the time, though, many disagreed about our apparent societal decline. After all, we made history by electing a black president. Plus, there was the obvious up springing of metaphysical/spiritual interest: Depak Chopra gained huge prominence; films like The Secret and the quantum physics movie What the Bleep arrived on the scene; Echkart Tolle’s Power of Now & The New Earth was all the talk; excitement over The Four Agreements was widespread. All signposts indicating our hunger for deeper understanding. Maybe, just maybe, we speculated, we’ve got a chance. One could hope.

2016: Indeed, the 2008-2009 collapsing economy forced us to go inward for solutions to the external chaos. The show Shark Tank becoming a national phenomenon tells the story. Yes, out of corporate downsizing, company collapses and nationwide panic, thousands of little home-grown companies sprouted up, like mushrooms in the dark. Terrific entrepreneurial opportunities. The economy seems to be creeping back. Meanwhile, in the political arena chaos still bubbles, like hot tar. All bet’s are off. The first woman ever running for our land’s highest office is so old guard she seems just like all the other old guys; and a completely, if-it-goes-in-your-brain-let-it-come-out-your-mouth non-political political wildcard buffoon faces her on the other side. What are we to do?!

As usual we keep trying to “fix” everything. Fix it with labels and fix it with blame. What a waste. We can try blaming social/ gender/ethnic/sexual/status bigotry, or government, or the economy, or the car industry, or the fat cat CEOs or even our parents, but really the buck stops at our own living room doors, because the truth is we have only one primary solution. It’s called Self Awareness. After all, how are we ever going to become more than we are if we never realize who we have thus far been?

Financial recovery may or may not have happened for you personally, but guess what --looking inward is free. The idea that we each as individuals can affect the whole fabric seems far-fetched. Thing is, it isn’t. We are indeed the stone thrown in the center of the pond. Our activities, beliefs, hesitations, resentments ripple out like waves upon the waters. Think about how the last time some one was in a bad mood they left you too in a grump. Every choice we make affects the world’s progress or descent.

If we don’t figure out how to thrive bravely in a world gone mad, everything can indeed be lost. But there’s great news for as it turns out, we’re the fix we’ve been waiting for.