What if things were different?

How many times have you asked this question? How many times have you had a thought that changed the way you looked at things? Have you ever experienced a shift in consciousness about any given concept and the way things looked changed dramatically? Have you ever voiced these changes only to find that the shift revealed to you was not revealed to everyone else at the same time?

In the '80's, the expression "paradigm shift" became hackneyed with overuse and misuse. But a paradigm shift is absolutely essential to the continued health and well-being of this planet and humankind.

This site's main purpose is to begin a list of those "what if" shifts of consciousness, solicit new ones and amend the old ones as we continue to shift.

What if war wasn't the only direction when conflict occurred in the world?

September 11 in the United States was a turning point for many people. Lives were lost. Families ripped apart. Confidence shaken. The response to this violence was violence, which only sets the stage for an escalation of violence.

What if we were actually brave enough to trust in our higher power and break the cycle of violence?

What if the President made a call to the leaders in Afghanistan and said; "Something's obviously wrong here. We need to talk about the ways we can avoid having this situation occur again." Sound simplistic? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Analysis and reanalysis of the cause and effects are not necessary. All that's required is a true commitment to reconciliation, resolution and love. Miracles do happen!

What if we stopped talking about "Campaign Finance Reform" and instead pursued "Campaign Reform"?

Money to purchase power and influence seems to be the biggest corruptor of the political process in the United States today. Recently Tom DeLay was insulted that anyone would think that influence could be purchased from an esteemed body like the U.S. Congress. Who do you think he is trying to convince?

What if all campaigning; Print, TV, Radio, Internet was eliminated in favor of official statements from each candidate on the issues identified directly by the people? The printed information could be made available on line and at the Post Office. Media analysis of the candidates statements would also be eliminated in favor of the people's individual analysis of the candidates statements.

What does this accomplish? Well money is no longer necessary to buy the flashy, trashy ads. Candidates don't enter office in debt. How candidates will deal with issues becomes important again. The "Beauty Pageant" patina is removed from elections. Real leaders can emerge, replacing the talking head puppets we've had to live with forever.

What if an apology was actually a viable option?

We have become a litigious society sidestepping responsibility, filing a lawsuit at the drop of a hat, blowing small events out of proportion. What if, when a situation warranted, an apology and a sincere attempt to right the wrong took the place of denial? What if that apology was accepted graciously.

Take a traffic accident as an example. A car is rear ended. The assumption is that the event is an accident. No one takes aim and means to run into you unless some other mental pathology is at work. If you are the one doing the rear ending, accept the fault, be kind and have an attitude of wanting to make things right. If you are the one rear ended, be fair. What have you lost? What are you likely to lose? What's reasonable?

Transfer this logic to any other "conflict" and you'll see how well it works.