It may feel that we are being divided and conquered — men against women, black against white, rich against poor, Muslim against Christian, and on and on. And that is certainly the intention of some in positions of power.

But as we witness each other’s woundedness with compassion, as we affirm the inherent worth in each other’s precious aliveness, and as we commit to moving forward together in more caring ways, we are doing the final, necessary work of the outgoing era, with its worldview of separation and divergence. With this work, we are not dividing — we are integrating, creating a new, emergent, species-level wholeness that is capable of honoring and holding our distinctions. This is the work that is needed if we are to step into an Age of Thrivability, in which we participate explicitly and intentionally in life’s creative adventure, with reverence and responsibility.

To be clear: the divisiveness we see among those in positions of power — and among their “base” — is not the work of integration. It is evidence of a lack of faith and an inability to see what more is possible beyond what we have known. It is the outgoing worldview having one final temper tantrum of resistance to change.

But for this we can be grateful. Rather than conquering us, the blatant divisiveness is forcing a critical mass of us out of complacency and into fiercely compassionate complicity.

Let’s see each other. Let’s support each other. Let’s steward the spaces and structures between us with great care. This is a fertile moment in the unfolding fate of humanity.

For more on this moment of transition, see the slideshow Humanity 4.0 or the book The Age of Thrivability.

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