Perhaps its time to reassess.

Times like these require a new approach, and I'm not just talking about on Wall Street or in Washington, D.C. I mean everywhere and in everyone.

Our typical human reaction to stress has always been to retreat to the known, to long for the "good old days," and to contract into the fetal position - if not literally, then at least figuratively. Perhaps we are being called to take another look at that approach. Perhaps its time to realize that business as usual, whether in our work, our families, or in our personal lives, can not be sustained anymore. Perhaps it's time for a little falling apart so that the new can arise.

Most of us do not want to experience pain. It doesn't matter whether the pain is physical, financial, or emotional, our natural tendency is to do all that we can to avoid it. But sometimes we must face up to the fact that unless we walk through that pain, and do it quickly, the underlying cause of the pain just might continue to grow like a cancer until it completely engulfs our life. It's kind of like removing a bandage - do it quickly and the pain will be over with quickly as well.

If all of this sounds like I'm in a pessimistic mood, I am not. In fact, I have never been more full of optimism for the future of the human race than I am right now. A restructuring is occurring and it's happening in virtually every area of our lives. We are, collectively, like a giant caterpillar just beginning to enter the cocoon. A metamorphosis is ahead, but first we're going to have to feel like a lump of goo for awhile.

Here's to the butterfly to come.

With Peace and Deep Mystery on your Journey, Tom