Preach! For all the articles and talk we see about some new “great spiritual awakening” happening right now, I think you’ve hit the nail squarely on the head. What this “awakening” means, in non-spiritual “woo woo” talk, is exactly as you say: societal/machine roles vs individual human authenticity.

I’m seeing more and more people choose the latter, the former be damned. Even folks (Boomers too!) who don’t realize what they are choosing between are choosing authenticity over the old roles. Anecdotally, my parents are examples of this, even though they are still leftist-wary, Christian conservatives in rural Mississippi. Over the past 5 years, and increasingly more here recently, I’m seeing them choose authenticity. That is where we meet and agree and I applaud them to keep going. It’s the same with my brothers.

I’d like to think that my life choices of being unashamedly “me” have provided them the example and validation they need to feel safe in doing the same. Perhaps that’s so. But there definitely is a wider wave rolling through the collective.

Indeed these are exciting days, for better or worse!