I received a text from several of my friends the other day, all stating the same thing, “The news is so sad”. I don’t often watch the news, so I figured I might as well take another second to see what was so sad. I’ll be cursed if they weren’t right. Shootings at an Orlando Night Club. Bombings in France. Sparked controversy over unknown ailments. A generalized sense of fear growing. A pandemic, so to speak, of anxiety over what the next “big” attack will be. I’m fortunate enough to live in the suburbia lands where problems like this don’t really interact. Just this morning, I reread an article in Istanbul. The headline: 41 dead, 270 injured in Airport Attack. I knew that even though despite this terror in the world existing, that there was some form of light at the end of the tunnel.

I remember growing up and watching those around me turn their backs to the maelstrom that formed at the edges of society. As a young child, I recall a conversation between two teachers about how the terror attacks in New York the year prior that, although bad, were certainly not the worst thing. I recall a conversation I overheard, a conversation whilst at work between two customers who debated why it's crazy how citizens of Syria would ever want to leave their country, claiming that “things couldn’t be that bad”. I saw these behaviors in the older generation. The Silent Generation, for the longest time, have been blamed for the issues the society the modern individual lives in. They turned away from the problems in the world, actively dehumanizing the efforts made by prominent progressivists to this day.

And yet, there is a growing surge. A sense of social, political and humanistic awareness spreading. More and more people are choosing to leave behind their pride and realizing that there truly is a bigger picture out there. I ask you to examine the political spectrum for a moment. Sure there are polarizing views, but we now have a nation that is so determined in voting one way or another. The idea of a “landslide” victory is no longer a possible reality. Politicians are more and more being crucified by their inability to keep stories straight as the Modern Individual has adapted a powerful lie detector called “The Internet” to seek out b.s. The Modern Individual is no longer satisfied with ensuring their own life is serene, but to happily provide aid to those who need it most.

Despite this darkness and chaos in the world, people everywhere are beginning to see over the valley. Perceptions and awareness are no longer two dimensional concepts, they have effectively become a character trait. On my end, I won’t even engage with an individual who doesn’t align with the #BlackLivesMatter movement or can’t understand why people wouldn’t want to use binary pronouns. There has been a shift, one where the most powerful individuals are now both outnumbered and overwhelmed by those seeking a change in the institutional confines of the world.

Life, as we know it, is shifting. The goal is no longer to procreate, to advance oneself. The apparent goal is now to preserve one another. To shed the idea of The Self and become immersed in the idea of a singular world, united to advance the justice and rights of all those within it.

Hence why this article is called “Phoenix Rising”. In mythology, the Phoenix is a creature who must first fall apart in order to be reborn anew. It will continue to repeat this cycle forever. The world has fallen already, but this sense of need for change is nothing less than indication of a better tomorrow. An indication that the world is rising once more. That despite all this anger, confusion and chaos; there is a greater life ahead. We collectively must fight for it.