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and to become aware human beings. It was our intention to be the best we could be. Somewhere along the way, we got distracted. Our intentions were derailed. We forgot what it felt like to be authentic. It may seem impossible to escape from our own system of punishments and rewards, but that’s not true. We can bring down the whole structure if we want to.

      It’s interesting to see how each of us creates a personal reality. It’s also interesting to see just how far we go to defend that reality. Rather than defend it, we can make it better. It takes a few basic insights to pull off a revolution. First, it’s important to see how the system was put into place. It’s helpful to see how we got here, wherever we are, and what we can do to change our world. We can explore ways to transform the one who’s describing that world to us.

      Awareness is the ability to see what is, and it’s never too late to open our eyes.

5

       One Mind, One Community

      TO UNDERSTAND THE governing mind a little better, let’s first take another look at the ways in which we’ve been governed throughout our lives. We were each born into a vast community called humanity. Over many thousands of years, humans have created groups, or civilizations, all over the planet. We create groups in order to survive. We agree on certain rules—written laws or ritual customs—so that order can be maintained within those groups. We establish governing bodies made up of respected men and women. We create cities and nations, all run by their own government. Every nation is made of smaller governing bodies, and it all starts with the family.

      A family is its own little nation, traditionally composed of a man, a woman, and their children. A family cannot be defined any one way, of course—a family is formed when people of different genders and ages come together in order to provide for the welfare and safety of the group. The group may consist of two people, a dozen people, or many more. Together they create a home, which is an extension of themselves. Every family is regulated by its own government. Families establish rules of conduct, rules that help maintain harmony within the group: “Work hard,” “Look after each other,” “Respect your elders.” They also devise punishments for breaking those rules. The head of a family makes key decisions, setting the rules and enforcing them.

      One parent may yield authority to the other, or both parents may share power equally, forming government within the family. You and I were born to different families and grew up in different households. The rules were probably different, along with penalties for bad behavior, but we were both domesticated using a system of punishments and rewards. From the time we were toddlers, we learned there was a price to pay for rebellion. Whoever served as the head the family imposed the rules, using the power of authority.