But we have become, at this late stage, as we enter the geologic era of the Holocene, in which the human presence is shaping the form of the planet, the consciousness of the Universe looking back at itself.  This is our only task, nothing more, nothing less, being the consciousness observing the world around that consciousness, which of course calls to mind the Buddhist notion of rigpa, clear thoughtless mind of pure consciousness like, nimble as perhaps, light itself.  We look up at the Milky Way and the Milky Way, the stuff thrown into matter by the original Big Bang, is looking back at itself, appreciating itself, aware of itself.  We have become as the historian, as the caretaker, as the curator, looking back on Abraham Lincoln more than we can really follow very well his example, which of course feels awkward, because we would like to be like him, a man of action.  Action itself is no longer possible (ask anyone in Washington), but this allows another possibility, which is that if we point out, raise a voice, enough of us, over the sheer indecency of Citizens United, for example, we might bring such shame upon those few who do claim power, that we might set up, as nothing else can, the overturning of it.  Aware of itself, eating local produce, the world has the possibility of a Jimmy Steward Mr. Smith, of a Gary Cooper type figure, a good decent in many ways average and unremarkable individual, a kind of Huckleberry Finn coming to influence the big wheels, crazy and as much of a great impossible longshot as it sounds.  Such an outsider, such a democrat, that even the hearty Teapartier could not say no to, forced by internal rules to jump on the bandwagon or reveal themselves as hypocrites.  A person with so many obvious faults that no one could really bring up anything against him as an issue, "he's a drunk who watches pornography..."  "yeah, but he already admitted that himself years ago, we just don't make a big issue out of that kind of a thing anymore, because hey, at least he's honest.'  The honest consciousness of the Universe looking back at itself, which carries law and reason enough to bear listening to.