I’m on vacation this week and tried to be away from screens as much as I could but, today, after some deep thinking and meditation, I was compelled to write this piece.
I’m working on a longer one called “Modern Golden Age: an Introduction” in which I explore the concept in more detail.
For now, this is just a message, coming straight from my heart to yours.
When I was a teenager, I was lucky enough to grow up in a community that had one of the most fascinating human beings I've ever known: Carlos.
He played the guitar really well, was very articulate when sharing his ideas, a master of conversation, had a profound knowledge of literature and sciences, and was a priest. A Catholic priest.
He was one of the most important individuals in my life. Especially by the role he played in my own spiritual journey.
You see, Father Carlos was not the typical priest.
More than once, I heard him say, to a church filled with Catholics, that some atheists would go to heaven faster than him and some of the people in our community because what mattered the most was the good people brought to the world, not the number of Hail Marys we recited.
He told us, youngsters, that the church needed saints that drank coca-cola and had fun. People that would help other people in their lives. Saints that spent time on “the field of life”, not closed somewhere thinking and reflecting.
He had this ability to move the community through his vision of the Church and God.
Back then, as a 16 yo, I already knew the power of communication.
But Father Carlos took it to a different level.
There were moments in my life when I thought about going to priest school. I wanted to convey ideas with that amount of grit and love.
I wanted to speak words that carried fire within them! When you believe certain ideas and you think you can communicate them in a way that allows for others to be aligned with your vision, that's what you do, right?
However, my path was not to be a priest.
I knew that, Father Carlos knew that and God knew that.
However, the art of speaking, of communicating a vision with such enthusiasm... The ability to move people stuck with me.
This is not only about priests though. Some of the greatest businessmen do this as well, right?
Founders inspiring every single investor through their ideas and actions. The great thought leaders, inspire people through their articulation and plans…
The key ingredient to do such a thing is belief.
A deep belief that, regardless of wanting it, the world NEEDS that specific idea or vision. That it MUST be manifested into our world.
The deepness of a belief changes the way you articulate it.
Personally, I've had a lot of projects in the past, but looking back, none of them made me feel like a "priest". I didn't preach those ideas with that level of conviction!
I'm not talking about shoving ideas in people's minds without any criteria. I'm talking about the burning passion that you feel through someone's voice when they're speaking about their true vision of the world.
I didn't have that.
Until now.
The idea of a Modern Golden Age makes me want to preach it to people.
Makes me wanna grab your attention (through these words, through videos, voice, in-person conversations) and make you FEEL how important this is. How we MUST make this happen.
Sure, I'll write some essays, trying to approach this with a rational, intellectual, articulate approach. I'm working on them. But that's different from this.
This time I’m not writing to your mind, but to your soul.
Because, deep down, I know you feel we need this as well. That the world needs a transformation.
Humanity may be on the brink of a big change and we must act upon it. For the sake of our species, communities, our past, present and future families but, above everything else, ourselves.
One of the possible definitions of a Modern Golden Age is “a moment in time when people are living a joyful, abundant life, working on problems they care about and that benefit humanity.”
It’s the possibility to make a living creating solutions to the biggest problems you feel deeply interested in, not only contributing to a better future for Humanity but also becoming more joyful and kind to others.
You support people in their endeavors because you were supported in your own.
You build a community and you support it because it will, one day, supported you.
Inspired by others, you take ownership of your life and act upon it, serving as inspiration for the ones around you.
You have Courage as a value and Beauty as a goal.
You practice Courageous Beauty in every act you make.
You start your own revolution and others follow.
The reason why this Golden Age would be different from, say, the ones in Greece or Persia, is because we're not bounded to physical spaces.
This Modern Golden Age starts on the internet.
We have all these various communities willing to change the world by starting to change themselves and their members. Internet is the vehicle that allows for this to be true, at this moment in time. The connections, the reach, the serendipity… After we’ve built it, we can transfer it to the offline world.
It’s a pipeline from online to real life.
For this to be a possibility though, you must make a decision. As with any big decision, there’s pain involved. Specifically, the pain of letting go of everything that’s not serving you anymore.
However, the joyful nature that you’ll embody if you accept this challenge, makes it worth it. It will make it easier to let go of all those behaviors and beliefs, practices and goals that are serving other people but not yourself and Humanity as a whole.
This is the decision that allows you to be an active part of the revolution of our time. One where you focus on solving real problems that really care about and make a living out of it. That’s the only thing you have to do to be part of this change and you can make it happen, starting today!
Doing it is the first act of a play that will transform humanity. It will revolutionize our lives!
A revolution focused on love and joy, on the community and wisdom.
A revolution where being yourself is the most profound choice. In fact, it’s the only choice.
A revolution that makes shiftes Humanity, starting with your own change.
A manifestation of Métis in real life.
This is a direct invitation.
Will you answer it?