I have felt for a long time that man was entering a "new" age, and many others have expressed the same belief. There's no denying that we are at a pivotal point on our planet. Wars are waging. Diseases are spreading. Climates are changing. We have advanced more technologically in the last 200 years than we have in the previous 2000! Yet we still wage war, pollute our planet, and live in states of fear, anger, and depression. So while we've figured out how to split an atom and map the brain, we still can't seem to get along with one another on a global scale. We can't even get along with "that idiot" in front of us while we're driving. Well, I think that's about to change.
World peace will be realized only if the consciousness of the world elevates to the point that the majority of people realize that we are one. We must realize that we are all one. There is no separation. The thought that we are separate from one another is all in our mind! Our egos have established identities with our labels of ourselves and others. For example, I am a good person. If you believe that you are a person that is good and someone accuses you of being bad, your ego recoils in the thought that someone does not recognize that you are a good person. "You can't accuse me of being bad! I'm a good person! How dare you!" Substitute "good-bad" with "wise-dumb", "rich-poor", "righteous-evil", etc. Anytime someone accuses you of being something that you do not believe yourself to be it causes severe bruising to your ego and you will want to retaliate. This is one of the leading causes for most of the strife we experience in this world. It all comes down to the thought that we are separate and as such we must define what we are and are not. Then we condemn that which we are not. For example, a Democrat will condemn a Republican, a Christian will condemn a Muslim, a Red Sox fan will condemn a Yankees fan. This need for identity through separation is a most peculiar one. I have struggled for a while to understand it and it's purpose and have come to the conclusion while this paradigm serves a unique purpose it is one which has run its course and is about to be replaced by a new paradigm.
If you had asked me a few months ago if this was even possible I would have said bullocks! However, after contemplating this subject for a while and looking back at where we've come from and realizing where we are headed if we don't change course, I now see the logic of it all. I am going to attempt to convey to you my big-picture theory here so fasten you seat-belt.
One of the biggest questions I have held without answer for a long time has been, "Why is conflict necessary, and why do people seem to thrive on creating these dramas and conflicts in their life?" We all have experienced this irrational behavior both unto us and by us. And we love it! Think about it. Without drama and conflict our lives would be pretty boring, no wars, no divorce, no Jerry Springer. Hey wait, that actually sounds like a good thing, and indeed it would be. However, there are always unseen consequences. Let's look at the root of what causes these conflicts to begin with.
Every great conflict begins with someone feeling that they have been wronged in some way. This can take many forms and ranges from one feeling a lack of respect to having a loved one killed. These ego-created conflicts can last for generations as neither side will ever admit that they were wrong and in some way can justify their actions. The ego will never admit that it is in the wrong. That is part of its function. The ego is the part of our mind that separates us from each other by way of judgments. It's the part of us that says, "I am this, but I am not that." Ego likes definitions and relies on others to confirm these. This is why we have clicks, clubs, churches, and countries. We love to be defined. Why is this? Why is it necessary for us to see ourselves as separate from one another, and why must we condemn those we find in opposition to what we have defined ourselves as? Well, here's my theory.
Einstein proved that the physical reality that we all know is one of relativity. If you have a hard time understanding this one, think of it this way. In order to have the concept of temperature you must not only know what heat is but what cold is as well. If all there was was white, we would have no concept of black or any of the gradations in-between. So if we follow this logic we realize that far cannot exist without near and good can not exist without bad. This is the great polarity of our universe and is present in almost every aspect of it. From the magnetic poles, to gender, to matter itself. (Oh yeah, scientists recently proved that such a thing as anti-matter does exist.) So if this is the nature of reality how could there ever be world peace? We just established the fact that in order for us to know what peace is we must also know what war is. So how could a level of global peace ever be achieved within the current paradigm of reality that we currently exist within? It can't! But what if the paradigm changed?
Changing the paradigm of our entire species would require one of two things. (Or both) The first would be a global cataclysm. Something on the order of a meteor strike or severe climate change. This would force many to realize that what we have here is precious and fragile and should be handled with care and love. The sense of global community would be strengthened only after emerging from such an event, as preceding and during a so called Armageddon the world would be in absolute chaos and panic. Those who are unable to coexist with others in a civil manner would find themselves ostracized from the new close-knit communities and will either starve to death or find the business end of a shotgun. This would truly be a time of chaos and pain. However, true growth usually requires pain, and as we emerged from such an event, a renewed spirit of connection and peace would begin to take hold as man reconciled his differences in light of the fact that we are all stuck on this big rock together and need to learn how to get along. This has happened before. It will happen again.
The second option for a global paradigm shift is one of less gloom and doom and the one I would personally like to see. Are you ready for this one... Extra Terrestrials! Imagine if they decided to show up one day. What would our reaction be? Naturally, there would be those of us who out of fear would immediately try shooting them down. However, if a species has evolved to the point of interplanetary travel, don't you think their consciousness has evolved as well? This is the point I had a hard time answering. My first thoughts were of our own culture and the fact that as an American I am living on land that was conquered by a technologically advanced race, and Nazi Germany was the technologically superior country until the end of WWII. So what would make me believe that if a race of beings from another planet have developed the technology to travel the stars why would they not be malevolent in character? Because we're talking about a species that have had over a million years to evolve. Let's look at our own time-line for a minute. We have only 6,000 years of recorded history. This is a blink of an eye in cosmic terms as our planet is believed to be billions of years old and our species is actually a relatively new one at only 200,000 years. Our current boom in technology is only 200 years old and one can only imagine what we'll come up with in the future if we can manage not to blow ourselves up. Man has become much more civilized than his predecessors though, and although corruption and plunder still plague our politics and murder and rape still plague our streets, it's not as bad as it once was. We do still act more like parasites than symbiotic creatures, but we are gradually improving. We are slowly evolving, and each succeeding generation seems to slowly be grasping the concepts of coexistence and unity. We are however at a fork in the road in our time-line, and the direction we take will depend on the state of our collective consciousness. This is why I believe that the introduction into the Universal community would help us to realize that we will not only identify ourselves as Americans, Mexicans, Asians, etc, but as Humans and as Earthlings (or Earthians, which I prefer). Think about it. What if you could actually stand face to face with a being from a planet halfway across our galaxy. How would that change your perception of reality? Would you view your place in the universe differently? Now imagine everyone elevating their concepts of existence to a higher level. This would truly spark another age of enlightenment! The technology exchange alone would be incredibly powerful. Imagine finally gaining access to free energy and gravitational amplification. This is the holy-grail of transportation and energy production. This would eliminate several of the issues and perils man-kind faces today. And although a convenient visit from ET would be nice, I fear we are going to be responsible for cleaning up our own mess. Nature has a thing for learning the hard way. Survival of the fittest exists because it works. If we are to survive we must become more fit, mentally, physically, and especially spiritually. No alien is ever gonna ask us to come out and play if we can't figure out how to get along amongst ourselves.
So begin to affect the change you want to see. Practice random acts of kindness. Hold the door for one another. Help when you can and thankfully accept help when it is given. Don't get upset if you don't get your way! Grow Up! We're an advanced species and we need to start acting like it!
One of the biggest questions I have held without answer for a long time has been, "Why is conflict necessary, and why do people seem to thrive on creating these dramas and conflicts in their life?" We all have experienced this irrational behavior both unto us and by us. And we love it! Think about it. Without drama and conflict our lives would be pretty boring, no wars, no divorce, no Jerry Springer. Hey wait, that actually sounds like a good thing, and indeed it would be. However, there are always unseen consequences. Let's look at the root of what causes these conflicts to begin with.
Every great conflict begins with someone feeling that they have been wronged in some way. This can take many forms and ranges from one feeling a lack of respect to having a loved one killed. These ego-created conflicts can last for generations as neither side will ever admit that they were wrong and in some way can justify their actions. The ego will never admit that it is in the wrong. That is part of its function. The ego is the part of our mind that separates us from each other by way of judgments. It's the part of us that says, "I am this, but I am not that." Ego likes definitions and relies on others to confirm these. This is why we have clicks, clubs, churches, and countries. We love to be defined. Why is this? Why is it necessary for us to see ourselves as separate from one another, and why must we condemn those we find in opposition to what we have defined ourselves as? Well, here's my theory.
Einstein proved that the physical reality that we all know is one of relativity. If you have a hard time understanding this one, think of it this way. In order to have the concept of temperature you must not only know what heat is but what cold is as well. If all there was was white, we would have no concept of black or any of the gradations in-between. So if we follow this logic we realize that far cannot exist without near and good can not exist without bad. This is the great polarity of our universe and is present in almost every aspect of it. From the magnetic poles, to gender, to matter itself. (Oh yeah, scientists recently proved that such a thing as anti-matter does exist.) So if this is the nature of reality how could there ever be world peace? We just established the fact that in order for us to know what peace is we must also know what war is. So how could a level of global peace ever be achieved within the current paradigm of reality that we currently exist within? It can't! But what if the paradigm changed?
Changing the paradigm of our entire species would require one of two things. (Or both) The first would be a global cataclysm. Something on the order of a meteor strike or severe climate change. This would force many to realize that what we have here is precious and fragile and should be handled with care and love. The sense of global community would be strengthened only after emerging from such an event, as preceding and during a so called Armageddon the world would be in absolute chaos and panic. Those who are unable to coexist with others in a civil manner would find themselves ostracized from the new close-knit communities and will either starve to death or find the business end of a shotgun. This would truly be a time of chaos and pain. However, true growth usually requires pain, and as we emerged from such an event, a renewed spirit of connection and peace would begin to take hold as man reconciled his differences in light of the fact that we are all stuck on this big rock together and need to learn how to get along. This has happened before. It will happen again.
The second option for a global paradigm shift is one of less gloom and doom and the one I would personally like to see. Are you ready for this one... Extra Terrestrials! Imagine if they decided to show up one day. What would our reaction be? Naturally, there would be those of us who out of fear would immediately try shooting them down. However, if a species has evolved to the point of interplanetary travel, don't you think their consciousness has evolved as well? This is the point I had a hard time answering. My first thoughts were of our own culture and the fact that as an American I am living on land that was conquered by a technologically advanced race, and Nazi Germany was the technologically superior country until the end of WWII. So what would make me believe that if a race of beings from another planet have developed the technology to travel the stars why would they not be malevolent in character? Because we're talking about a species that have had over a million years to evolve. Let's look at our own time-line for a minute. We have only 6,000 years of recorded history. This is a blink of an eye in cosmic terms as our planet is believed to be billions of years old and our species is actually a relatively new one at only 200,000 years. Our current boom in technology is only 200 years old and one can only imagine what we'll come up with in the future if we can manage not to blow ourselves up. Man has become much more civilized than his predecessors though, and although corruption and plunder still plague our politics and murder and rape still plague our streets, it's not as bad as it once was. We do still act more like parasites than symbiotic creatures, but we are gradually improving. We are slowly evolving, and each succeeding generation seems to slowly be grasping the concepts of coexistence and unity. We are however at a fork in the road in our time-line, and the direction we take will depend on the state of our collective consciousness. This is why I believe that the introduction into the Universal community would help us to realize that we will not only identify ourselves as Americans, Mexicans, Asians, etc, but as Humans and as Earthlings (or Earthians, which I prefer). Think about it. What if you could actually stand face to face with a being from a planet halfway across our galaxy. How would that change your perception of reality? Would you view your place in the universe differently? Now imagine everyone elevating their concepts of existence to a higher level. This would truly spark another age of enlightenment! The technology exchange alone would be incredibly powerful. Imagine finally gaining access to free energy and gravitational amplification. This is the holy-grail of transportation and energy production. This would eliminate several of the issues and perils man-kind faces today. And although a convenient visit from ET would be nice, I fear we are going to be responsible for cleaning up our own mess. Nature has a thing for learning the hard way. Survival of the fittest exists because it works. If we are to survive we must become more fit, mentally, physically, and especially spiritually. No alien is ever gonna ask us to come out and play if we can't figure out how to get along amongst ourselves.
So begin to affect the change you want to see. Practice random acts of kindness. Hold the door for one another. Help when you can and thankfully accept help when it is given. Don't get upset if you don't get your way! Grow Up! We're an advanced species and we need to start acting like it!
3 comments:
Coincidentally, (if there is such a thing) my world literature class has been studying THE PHENOMENON OF MAN by Chardin. I had to write a post about one of his ideas that I thought was important. I think it coincides nicely with some of your thoughts (not surprising).
Here goes:
“Our habit is to divide our human world into compartments of different sorts of ‘realities’: natural and artificial, physical and moral, organic and juridical, for instance. In a space-time … the frontiers between these pairs of opposites tend to vanish. … are not the artificial, the moral and the juridical simply the hominised versions of the natural, the physical and the organic? From this point of view, distinctions we cling to from habit (at the risk of over-partitioning the world) lose their value.” (pg. 222)
I find it easier to accept the reality of what is from this perspective. It is hard to see things for what they are, when you are busy labeling them.
Remove the partitions and we all become just people. Not hippies or police or blacks or whites or fat or thin or good or bad. Just people.
Good luck and bad luck (accidents) become fate/destiny or just happenings.
I think one has to be careful, however, not to carry this train of thought to far. True, science and religion point to a universe that emerged from one source. Not two or more, but one. That one split and became limitless varieties of the one. On this level, it is all one. But we as physical beings experience a physical world of differences. Without differences we would experience nothing at all. If true singularity, then there is nothing to experience. Our best guess says that this was the beginning point and could possibly be our destiny as well.
Science has of yet been unable to determine whether or not there is enough gravitational pull in our universe to stop and reverse the outward expansion of the universe set in motion by “The Big Bang.” If so then the universe will collapse in on itself and there will be a point of singularity once again. This is the scenario that Chardin makes a case for. If not, the universe will continue to expand for all eternity and there will never be another physical singularity.
Neither of these scenarios exclude the possibility of some higher plane of existence free from the physical world that would be one with the infinite (God). Perhaps in this plane of existence (unity), experience could still be had/observed without being bound to it. (As I mentioned, in singularity, this is impossible. There would be nothing to experience.) I think this is exactly the whole point of our universe. Experience. God experiencing itself. It could not do this as a singularity and since, by definition, (mine anyways) it is the only thing there is, it had to split itself into This and That. Yin and Yang. The rest is the story of the universe as we know it.
From the point of view of unity, there is no bad or evil, only the illusion of such things. It all is one. However, there must be This and There must be that in order for there to be experience. If there were no Yin there would be no Yang. If there were no evil then there would be no good. No day = no night, etc.
Return to the quote, “Our habit is to divide our human world into compartments of different sorts of ‘realities’: natural and artificial, physical and moral, organic and juridical, for instance. In a space-time … the frontiers between these pairs of opposites tend to vanish. … are not the artificial, the moral and the juridical simply the hominised versions of the natural, the physical and the organic? From this point of view, distinctions we cling to from habit (at the risk of over-partitioning the world) lose their value.
But this is the part we have to be careful not to carry to the extreme. Humans are physical, spiritual and mental beings having a physical, spiritual and mental experience. Therefore, it is appropriate to talk about good and evil or hot and cold or any other phenomenon. We are experiencing these things, (as is God.) To say that these things are not happening on some level would be an untruth.
Why do these things happen? Because it allows God to have an experience. Will these things ever stop? Only if and when the universe becomes a singularity again. If God is in control of it, then the statement could be rephrased, “Only if and when God decides that he is through having experiences.” I personally don’t think that will ever happen. I don’t see the point. So I don’t think that there will ever be an end to a complex universe. Perhaps Unity, but not Singularity.
Perhaps we could isolate any one aspect of experience such as Good/Evil and eradicate that without having to do away with the universe entirely. The only way to do this is to stop “divid(ing) our human world into compartments of (good and evil).” It’s a matter of perception. Things will happen, and we will perceive them as either Yin or Yang or that which is neither/both (GOD).
End Post
Once again the Bagwada comes through with insight and wisdom. My question back to you would be this: In light of the Yin and Yang qualities of our current physical reality, do you believe that the eradication of certain polarities will take us closer to the "singularity" and is that a "good" thing. For example, racism. Someone who defines themselves through their race and condemns others through theirs usually seems to be on a lower evolutionary plane than those who realize that race is simply another beautiful difference which makes the world more colorful and interesting. Racism is simply a mindset or paradigm. Eliminating racism does not eliminate the differences, but illuminates the oneness contained within the difference. This is why I suggested that a public visit from ET would help to enlighten the masses to our oneness as a species. I realize that this would not eliminate the concept of racism and in fact may simply shift the unfounded hatred toward our new cosmic neighbors, but I do believe that it would help to usher in a new age of oneness within our own species.
Do you think that this is even possible? Or is the world "perfect" as it is? I understand that miracles can only happen in the face of calamity, but is it not wise to avoid the calamity to begin with? Is it even possible?
As always your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Be Well My Brother!
In looking at my last paragraph again, I think it was perhaps a bit hastily written.
In the following sentence :
Perhaps we could isolate any one aspect of experience such as Good/Evil and eradicate that without having to do away with the universe entirely.
Substitute "God" for "we." Take the rest of the paragraph as a separate idea relating to a mindset of unity.
To answer your question: Yes. True eradication of certain polarities will take us closer to the "singularity." My opinion on wether or not this is a good thing only goes so far as to say that complete singularity would be completely boring.
Your point about racism is a good one and once again appro-po to my school discussions at the moment (coincidence?) Important to note, though, that this example is different from a singularity. In this example, race still exists, we have just become at peace with the differences. We no longer struggle against them.
I am struggling with wether or not to call this a mental state of unity or something else such as a state of acceptance. I am leaning towards the something else.
Thoughts?
I do think that your scenario is quite possible. I also tend to lean towards calling the world, "perfect as it is." It is wise to avoid calamities if possible and wether or not we actually do have control over fate, it is wise to operate on the assumption that we do.
I would also like to add a third option for paradigm shift. It is one that has worked to a large extent in the past. It is a gradual shift. It is evolution. Not of the physical kind but of the mental, spiritual, and emotional kind. It is what Chardin suggested was our inevitable future in THE PHENOMENON OF MAN. I don't know that it is inevitable, but it is at least a strong possibility. We have come so far. Who says we can't continue to progress. I believe we will.
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