Y2K: the Problem and the Promise with Jay Earley & Tom Atlee

Program Description

At midnight on December 31 of 1999, you might be thinking about something besides New Year’s resolutions as you enter a new century. You might be wondering whether the world as you know it will cease to exist. Will our economic system collapse? Will travel arrangements become an impossibility? Will your toaster, microwave, car or pacemaker suddenly be out of commission? Will nuclear power plants go berserk? Whether the Y2K problem scares you, confuses you or even bores you, this is a dialogue you will want to hear. You will find out what the problem is, how it’s going to affect your life, and what you can do about it. Equally intriguing are the psychological, spiritual, and mythological implications of Y2K. Tom Atlee, founder of the Co-Intelligence Institute, brings out a key issue surrounding the problem: “It’s forcing us to come to terms with the fact that we share a collective fate-and that we are co-creating that collective fate.” Psychotherapist, social theorist and Y2K community organizer Jay Earley adds: “And we thought it was going to take an invasion from outer space to bring us together!”

Atlee is co-author of Awakening The Upside of Y2K (The Printed Word 1998); Earley is author of Inner Journeys: A Guide to Personal and Social Transformation (Weiser 1990), and Transforming Human Culture (SYNY 1997).

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• What the Y2K problem is, and how it will affect you personally
• The positive side of Y2K
• Why you can’t prepare for Y2K all by yourself
• Psychological and spiritual aspects of the Y2K phenomenon
• Why our leaders may not be telling us all they know
• How grassroots communities are getting local governments involved
• The unique uncertainty of Y2K
• The multitude of systems that will be affected by Y2K
• What about nuclear power plants and weapons sites?
• The surprising opportunities of Y2K

Program Number: 2756              Host: Michael Toms             Interview Date: 1/19/1999