My presentation on Eric Butterworth’s book Dealing Positively with the Third Millennium PosiTrends or Negatrends went well. The best part for me was the reaction to the various YouTube clips I found to represent the negative trends EB describes in his book. I will give you a link to the video I used for each chapter as we work with it. Because we have already begun our look at some chapters, I include the missing clips in this blog. All of the clips except one have sound. One word of caution, the last link I had did not work because there was a copyright issue with the film clip. That may happen with these clips, so if it is not there when you click on it and it has been removed, there will be a notice toward the top of your screen explaining why. I hope that that will not be the case.
I opened the presentation with a video clip that depicted 1968 events. That year EB published Discover The Power Within You. For those of us that lived through that period we remember the powerful events that still shape our world. Here is the link to that clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JUV34V1OIY . As of this writing, the clip is still there.
We next looked at the 1990’s because it was around 1997 that EB wrote PosiTrends or Negatrends and it was published in 1998. Thirty years after his blockbuster book Discover the Power Within You, EB and the world were still dealing with many of the same type of events. Here is the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3GTZQp5nNQ&feature=related
The first chapter Ground of Being spoke of negative trends toward separating religion from intellect and practicality resulting in a feeling of separation from God and decreased creativity. Here is the clip I used to give visual support to these negative trends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sLvkCX7oiE&feature=related this clip describes a group who believe there is no God which I see as an extreme example of the negative trend EB describes.
Chapter 2, Intrepreneurship for Everyone begins with EB’s description of the negative trends of job loss, job restructuring and a change in the job compensation. Here is a clip that shows two men discussing the transferring of jobs from the United States overseas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgmGGyM24y8
We discussed Chapter 3, Managing Your Own Health Care, in the last blog. I had two clips for that and I include them here for your convenience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJX4wKbRwp8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7u4zUQh1GE&feature=related
The end of the term is near; we finish it on June 3. This blog is a substitute for the twenty-page research paper normally due at the end of class, so it is necessary that I move through the remaining eight chapters quickly. I will briefly discuss two chapters in this blog and the remaining six in the blog next week.
I started this blog saying that I was comparing EB’s work Discover The Power Within You with PosiTrends or Negatrends to see if EB’s theology had changed in the intervening thirty years. It has become clear to me as I listen to my classmates describe the books EB has written during this intervening period, as well as my study of PosiTrends or Negatrends, that there is virtually no change in EB’s theology.
I think EB’s goal in his writing was to appeal to a section of society that is able to accept and use Unity principles in their lives. I do not believe EB’s theology or ideas will work in situations where people are functioning at or just above survival level. In my view, EB does not provide sufficient specific information for people to effectively use his ideas in critical situations such as life threatening illness or poverty unless they have been using similar techniques and have a new thought consciousness. EB is inspiring and gives people a place to start with this new consciousness. He plants seeds of thought and for that, I am grateful to him.
Let us look at Chapter 4, The Relationship Revolution. The negative trends that EB describes in this chapter refer to the behaviors of prejudice toward minorities, bigotry in general, and an absence of peace among peoples of the earth. Here is a clip I particularly enjoyed that speaks to those trends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJTd2eVvfoM
In this chapter, I think EB gets as close as he ever has to advocating spiritual social action. EB believes that all problems between races are essentially problems with people as they attempt to express love toward themselves and their neighbors. He says on page 43, “A great goal for the people of planet Earth in the New Millennium is to resolve the confusion that sets us apart and find the way to communication between people of diverse backgrounds.” The way for us to find that communication according to EB is to shift our reactions to what people say and do away from fear and suspicion to love and acceptance. EB takes ten pages to say we need to follow Jesus’ teaching and use the power of love for others and ourselves.
Chapter 5, Dealing with Stress, is particularly close to my heart and the hearts of my classmates. As we near the end of term, there are what seems like mountains of papers to write and little time in which to do it. EB would caution us that the calendar, the clock, our instructors, our desire to achieve, all these things are part of the negative trend that saps our energy, creativity, and enjoyment of life. This clip shows a group of people in an elevator. The first person to get on the elevator is in a hurry to get somewhere else. Have you ever felt that kind of stress? Here is what happens in the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYEGHuwZhFU&feature=related
EB works to make a case in this chapter for shifting your attention away from stressors to thoughts that soothe and calm. He cites clinical studies that describe the impact of too much stress on the body and the resulting lowered immunity to illness. As he has stated many times before in this book and his other works, he believes we must control our thoughts. He says on page 61, “If you want to protect yourself from the strain of anxiety or the fear of failure, be certain to keep yourself ‘now-minded’.” When we focus on the present, we can change our pace and make time for relaxation.
See you next week. I am going to relax and play with my cat!
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You write: "It has become clear to me as I listen to my classmates describe the books EB has written during this intervening period, as well as my study of PosiTrends or Negatrends, that there is virtually no change in EB’s theology."
ReplyDeleteYou give a few good, specific examples to shore up this powerful assessment. Now, let's move deeper into critical analysis. Why do you think EB remained changeless? Was he that convinced of the rightness of his views, or did he have a committment to classical Unity ideas which made theological reflection a dangerous expedition,a journey away from Truth? Or somthing else...?
Your continued analysis would be helpful here.