by Bob Trowbridge

Created on: February 03, 2009

Every day, each of us makes choices, large and small. These choices determine our future. Some affect our short-term future and some have an impact for many years to come. As all of us, around the world, make our choices, the future of humankind is formed.

In J.K. Rowling's book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," She has Dumbledor say to Harry, "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." This is because our choices, to a large degree, determine how we will use our abilities.

It's easy to see, with hindsight, how certain choices can lead to disaster. These choices need not be significant, but they gain significance as other bad choices are added on. Our current economic crisis cannot be blamed on any one choice. It is the result of many bad decisions by different persons and organizations that ultimately created a perfect economic storm.

For us, as individuals and collectively, the problem is that not all of our choices are conscious. The direction of our lives and the direction of humankind will be determined by our unconscious choices as well as our conscious choices.

Wall Street, the bankers, and the Federal Reserve did not consciously decide to destroy the economy. They made choices that looked toward short-term gain. They made assumptions that were unconscious but they should have known better. They say that the stock market swings between fear and greed. These often play on us unconsciously.

What are some of the kinds of unconscious thoughts or attitudes that can lead one to a negative future? Billions of dollars are spent every year on psychiatrists, therapists, counselors, gurus, spiritual leaders, self-help books, and conferences, all designed to help us create a better future.

Most are predicated on the idea that we are all wounded in one way or another, either by our childhood experiences and/or our past lives. The problem we face in creating a better future, individually and globally, is that our past experiences continue to influence or even cause our present choices.

It is not always my present conscious adult who makes the decisions. I may have a fearful child who makes some of my decisions for me. I may have learned not to trust people. I may be a pessimist and expect life to be hard and expect to be betrayed. I may have low self-esteem and not feel worthy of success or happiness.

All of these attitudes and beliefs, and many more, represent the crucible that forms my future. I cannot make my future better

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