thecreativeverse creativity is our human superpower.
It’s exactly in these turbulent times of massive change and chaos, that it’s more important than ever, to choose our humanity first. Read more in Part I below.
Originally published Aug 2024; Updated Jun 2025
Change is Inevitable
Two basic rules of life are: 1. Change is inevitable, and 2. … ~ W. Edwards Deming, Statistician and Economist
We are living through one of history’s most profound transitions.
Look around for just a few minutes and you’ll see it everywhere: change challenging every aspect of life as we know it. Our deeply entrenched systems – the status quo we’ve relied on for decades – no longer able to sustain the demands of our rapidly evolving 21st century civilization.
We’re seeing our current structure break in real-time as our population is becoming more diverse, interconnected, conscious, technologically advanced, inclusive, and globally aware than ever before. And the old frameworks simply can’t keep up.
As we’ve explored in our HTTE series this dramatic cycle of transition we find ourselves in represents both tremendous opportunity and unprecedented challenge. We’re witnessing the birth pangs of a new era – equally exciting and dynamic as it is difficult and demanding.
This tremendous change upon us, is the reason why we stand collectively at a major crossroads. One path represents our existing state, “old business as usual” which in many areas has become toxic, lacks progress and we’re quickly out-growing, and the other path, represents evolution – an innovative, inclusive, new direction that moves us into a new era.
The Chaos of The In-Between / Transition
This crossroads – this overlap between old and new – is where we find ourselves deep in chaos.
The confusion and turmoil erupting across the globe isn’t random. It’s the inevitable result of a profound mismatch: while change has become undeniably necessary, and our old systems clearly no longer fit our evolving reality, many of us still resist that change with fierce determination.
This resistance is the engine driving much of the chaos we’re witnessing. We’re collectively caught in a painful paradox—desperately needing transformation while simultaneously fighting against it.
Everybody Resists Change – The Pitfall of Emotional Attachment
… and 2. Everybody resists change. ~ W. Edwards Deming,
In our Transition post, we shared the profound challenge of attachment in times of change, especially emotional attachment. This is the emotional connection we receive from being attached to people, relationships, identity, beliefs, definitions, status, institutions, and more – because of the bond and security it provides.
As humans, our attachments are necessary and a healthy part of life. They give us feelings of safety, protection, belonging, comfort, and validation.
But here’s where it gets tricky: when it comes to change, our attachments can become blockers of growth and progress. When they’re so deeply ingrained that we fear letting them go – even when it’s time – we end up resisting any and all growth and evolution.
Three Collective Paths Through Transition
Today, we see the challenges of this deeply ingrained emotional attachment playing out across our collective. We seem split into three distinct groups, each taking a different approach to the massive changes we’re facing.
The Change-Forward Collective One part of our collective understands the historic nature of our times and is open and able to ride these overdue cycles of change. Led by growth, progress and heart, this group is adept at letting go of attachments that have met their time or that we’ve outgrown.
This group is emotionally driven by progress and leads the charge for change – actively seeking accountability, actively purging old cycles, and creating new structures that push us toward advancement in the ways we relate and stand up for each other. Think of the leaders pushing for renewable energy, social justice innovations, or innovative approaches to education, healthcare, the environment.
The Middle – Autopilot Group Then we have those in the middle – perhaps the largest group of all. They’re apathetic or unaware that a major cycle of change is underway. This group is deeply conditioned and perpetuates the status quo as if on autopilot.
Their emotional attachment and loyalty is to existing foundations, whether they’re beneficial for them or not. They’re focused on following and maintaining what is, as it is. As long as they’re individually content, they’re not interested in “rocking the boat” or going deeper to explore a better way for themselves or others.
It’s not that they’re bad people – they’ve simply settled for what they see on the surface, and that feels good enough. They go to work, pay their bills, follow familiar routines, and hope things will somehow work themselves out. Change feels overwhelming, so they’d rather not think about it.
The Fear and Control Group Finally, the most explosive of the three: the group led by fear and control. This volatile group is fiercely attached to the way things are. They’re aware of the cycles of change upon us, and they’re intensely afraid of how these upcoming changes will impact their worldview, status, and privilege.
Ultimately, they’re terrified of what they think they will lose or what they might be held accountable for. And their sense of self-worth and value is deeply tied to their status, their privilege and their worldview. As a result, this group will actively seek to maintain some or all of the status quo at all costs even if it means they have to sacrifice their own welfare and well-being to do it. In trying to control outcomes, they’ll do everything they can to actively block and obstruct change through conflict, manipulation, and even violence. In extreme cases, they may attempt to use radical methods to suppress change and push us backwards as a way to secure the status quo even further.
These splits in our collective consciousness are why Transition is one of the most challenging, painful, and emotionally distressing cycles of change we will undergo as a collective. And why our humanity is needed most, now, right now.
Not necessarily because the change upon us is difficult to manage, but because of what the cost of fear will do to us.
The Cost of Fear
Human beings are members of a whole, in creation of one essence and soul. … If you have no sympathy for human pain, the name of human you cannot retain. ~ Sa’adi, Persian Poet
As we proceed forward through the massive challenges inherent in our current transitional period, preserving and safeguarding our humanity will be the primary challenge of our time.
This is primarily because those groups who ferociously lean into fear and apathy will be more than willing to sacrifice their humanity as long as it guarantees the status quo and “their perceived privilege” remains unchanged.
And this is the true cost of fear: the loss of what makes us humans so special in the first place – our ability to love, our empathy, our compassion, and our connection to something greater in ourselves and each other. To sacrifice our humanity for the sake of fear is to sacrifice everything that makes us worth fighting for.
The Evidence Around Us
Today, we can see this loss of connection with humanity manifest globally.
We see the parts of our collective led by fear and apathy, strengthen their efforts towards banning, controlling, expelling, obstructing, anything or anyone that introduces a new paradigm shift. We see continued efforts to retain toxic leaders and crumbling systems, whether they remain beneficial or not, as a way to maintain the “safe” status quo.
We witness an increase in violent conflicts around the world, as some entrenched leaders attempt last-ditch efforts to retain power or gain more control, leading to devastating loss of life and land. And we see increased efforts to control and restrict the fundamental freedoms and liberties of others, especially those who have the courage to stand proudly as who they are.
The Heart of the Matter
This transitional period is expected to be tumultuous and challenging because it triggers powerful emotions in all of us and uncovers potent emotional attachments we probably never knew we had. This makes this period of massive change and transformation less about logic, and more about the heart – the emotions and the attachments (or lack thereof) that drive us.
Understanding this, rather than allow this transitional period to destroy our collective inside and out, we can take the time to become aware of the energies at play and take smart action to unite rather than divide. We can choose the higher path versus the lower path we’ve all been accustomed to for so long – a higher path that changes the game and leads with a greater sense of individual AND collective creativity and humanity – the whole is greater in recognition of ALL its valuable parts.
This era and these times promise to deliver tremendous advancement and growth, OR tremendous pain and turmoil for a long time. Which path we experience is up to us and what we choose collectively.
Choose the path of fear and pay the price. Or choose the path of humanity first and stay true to who we truly are – creating the space for all of us to thrive.
Check out our Part II as we discuss the Humanity First approach!
~ Love, Carmen ♥
