After the previous chapter, which focused on the Preciousness of Human Life, it is appropriate to pay a homage to the idea of Miracle of Life with respect to the moment it starts, by asking the question: When Does a Human Life Begin? For however small this chapter ends up being, doesn’t matter as much as showing respect to this important area. You see, it is important to bring it up, because in the next chapter, namely “The Existential Paradox,” we approach this same issue with a different set of questions: When does a human life end, or can it end? We can start by bringing up something that was said in the very beginning of this section: “If we cannot create Life in a lab from scratch, with the same building blocks that Life uses to create multitudes of life forms we find on Earth, would it not then mean that the core essence of our being is not found in matter? This leads us to a staggering conclusion: the gift of Life is passed on — this is why we have babies, to continue as a species — see? Against this backdrop, it is reasonable to ask ourselves: What is Life, really?”
From the aforementioned, we can conclude that the parent’s Life Force*1 is temporarily anchored to an egg and a sperm. This happens via morphogenetic field, which is why the egg and a sperm can “survive” outside the body. It is astonishing to realize that Human Life comes into existence in just a fraction of an instant, and yet, there are so many aspects involved in this process that we have only scratched the surface. To this day, it is still a mystery as to when Human Life can be said to begin. As a result, this topic, in and of itself, is also a cause for a heated debate in the world today for obvious reasons. For curiosity’s sake, it is worth mentioning that in the time of Aristotle, it was widely believed that the Human Soul entered the forming body at 40 days (male embryos) or 90 days (female embryos), and quickening was an indication of the presence of a Soul.
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*1 Life Force has many different names in different parts of the world. In China it is called Qi, in Hawaii it is called Mana, in India it is called Prana, in Christianity in the Western world it is called the Holy Spirit.
We have two parent cells, a human egg and a human sperm — their sole purpose in life is to meet each other and fuse to create a one cell human being. The development of a new human being begins at fertilization when a sperm fuses with an ovum to form a zygote. So in this sense, it can be said that Human Life begins when the elements of a potent sperm merge with those of a fertile ovum, but on a deeper level, the answer is not so straightforward. You see, here we arrive at the question of the most profound: What is it that makes you — you? What is it that makes up the whole of who you are? Are you just a bunch of cells put together randomly, nothing more than a collection of cellular tissue, the processing organs, innervating nerves, bones and muscles — or, are you more than that? From the extraordinary moment of fertilization, our bodies form a design unlike any other, through a wondrous process that is both a replication of an ancient blueprint and a uniquely individual expression. These structures from bones to the tensile fiber of muscles, the processing organs, innervating nerves, and the oceanic fluid systems of the body — don’t alone make a human being.
Even though our physical bodies start out as single cells — it is clear that Life is more than chemistry, DNA, RNA, proteins, enzymes, and heredity — Isn’t it? So now, then, the question becomes: What happens in fertilization? What is it that gives birth to a new life? The question of when life begins is essentially one of the moment of ensoulment (the moment at which a human being gains a Soul). Why? Because it is the Soul, whether the vegetable — and lower animal variants, or the Human Soul — that when joined with a material entity possessing a particular potential exclusive to its nature, brings life or animation. This means that just as a lightbulb is useless until it is connected to electricity, the raw substance of our body does not become human until it is infused with the Force of Life (prana, qi, chi). This mysterious Life Force expresses itself through the projection of light from our eyes; it circulates the blood through our hearts and causes the ceaseless cycle of inspiration and expiration. This Life Force also provides us with a blueprint for optimal movement in the form of universal movement patterns that govern all our actions — these patterns organize our intentions into effortless actions.
~ ∞ ~ The Preciousness of Human Life 2/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~
By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to the miracle of life, it is worth highlighting the following truth: life really is precious and transient – it is a window of opportunity, and it won’t last forever. To someone who is observant and has a keen eye for detail, it may be impossible to notice that people don’t really understand how precious human life really is – far too many take it for granted, failing to see, recognize, and acknowledge not only the immeasurable value of human life, but also the deeper implications and possibilities that the human life presents us with – those of spiritual in nature, you see? We can see this in the way we humans are going about things – from cradle to grave, people are sleepwalking through their lives. Not only do they have any sense of how unique and precious human life is, but they also have no idea that they are asleep; people are dreaming dreams that are influenced by external stimuli. In this state of enchantment, their minds are open not only to the influence of the will of others, but also to all external circumstances, primal drives and desires that keep the vicious cycle alive – keeping people distracted, keeping their minds focused on anything but the true nature of their existence – preventing them from seeing the true value of their lives.
Now, we should ask the question: What is it, exactly, that makes us precious? Well, some would say that there are as many answers as there are people who ask. While many would like to list various qualities of humans compared to other forms of life, the truth is, though, that those are but attributes of being human – describing appearance rather than the essence, you see? Those who have gone through internal processes of spiritual growth and development, change and transformation – without exception, would agree that what makes us precious is what we hold within – connection to our Inner Being – to our Soul, through which we can connect not only to the deeper aspects of ourselves, but also to the Truth, to Spirit – God, if you will.
It is this same core essence within each of us – the Human Spirit, which ultimately unites us all, and that is what makes us precious – our innate ability to recognize and acknowledge, to be aware of and reflect on this Truth. It is our innate capacity of being able to reflect on the nature of our own thinking and feeling, our own past and future, our own life and death, on the nature of consciousness, and on the nature of awareness itself, which makes self-reflection possible – see? It is our innate ability to recognize that the core essence of another is essentially the very same core essence of oneself – we are all expressions of the same core essence of Infinite Awareness of Living Life, and that is what makes us precious, does it not?
That said, we should reflect on how rare a human birth is. No one knows exactly how many millions of different species there are on Earth, and how many millions more there are to be discovered. Considering the aforementioned, and taking into account how many millions of species have lived on Earth and have then disappeared – it is clear that humans are outnumbered many times over, if not by orders of magnitude. For every human, how many billions of other life forms there are on Earth? What are the odds that you were born as a human instead of any other of those life forms? With such a rare opportunity to experience life, one should appreciate human life – and not just their own life, but others’ as well. Even though we are fundamentally different from each other, we can do well to appreciate our differences. We may be different on the surface, but underneath, at the very core, we are all the same – human, awareness, consciousness – see?
We often think that our human population is huge, when in actuality, it is very small compared to the vast numbers of beings in other forms. That is to say, there are millions upon millions of life forms on, above, and below the Earth and in the oceans. Keeping that in mind, it becomes not only obvious, but crystal clear that a human life is all the more precious for being so difficult to obtain. Therefore, one should truly contemplate the rarity of life in the universe, and then the rarity of intelligent life in the universe. When taken that into account, one should embrace the sheer beauty and marvel of it all – and to top it off with the appreciation that comes from the following: keeping in mind how many other forms of life there are on, above, and below the Earth, what are the odds that you were born as a human, that you exist as the unique you that you are? And so you see, when properly digested, everything does, indeed, start to fall into perspective, doesn’t it?
Let us conclude this chapter with the following thoughts. Would you have the same opportunity to spiritually grow and mature if you were born as an insect or a jellyfish, instead of a human? Would you have the same opportunity to recognize and acknowledge, to be aware of, and to appreciate your very own preciousness if you were born as a frog or a bird, instead of a human? With a little contemplation and reflection, the inevitable and unavoidable realization begins to dawn on you with its adamant presence – in this regard, human beings are, bar none, unparalleled to anything else living on Earth. From this realization arises the appreciation of the preciousness of human existence, for it presents us with a rare opportunity to consciously evolve and grow spiritually. This brings about the question: Of all the people on Earth, how many bother to think about such things at all? A short and concise answer – only a few do; of those who do, only very few contemplate, and even fewer reflect upon it. Now, considering that it is fairly rare these days that someone would go to such lengths, how many of those individuals who think about, contemplate, and reflect upon such things, recognize the cyclic existence of sentient beings? How many of those are willing to create the ground of happiness rather than the ground of suffering? And furthermore, how many of those recognize ignorance and all that arises from it?
~ ∞ ~ The Preciousness of Human Life 1/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~
Now that we’ve had discussions on many wide-ranging topics with regard to human beings, it is time to reflect on the preciousness of human life. In this chapter, we will see how closely the miracle of life and the preciousness of human life are connected and linked together. As an opening remark, it is worth noting that not everyone is able to see that human life is precious, not everyone has the capacity to think about and reflect upon such things. It follows, naturally, then, that not everyone has the appreciation for the deeper aspects of the human experience; such appreciation that some curious individuals who are initiated to the mysteries of life would have; such appreciation that some individuals who are involved in with understanding of the same would have. It is, of course, possible to awaken such curiosity within, and with it, the appreciation for the deeper aspects of the human experience, for the miracle of life and the preciousness of human life, you see?
That said, a good way to start the discussion about this topic would probably be through something that evokes a sense of awe and wonder, if not sheer mystery and marvel, don’t you think? As we have learned from the previous chapters, the probability of life existing at all is infinitesimal – the odds against the existence of life on Earth are said to be on the order of 10^10^123 – a figure so large that one could not possibly even write the number down. And yet, amidst all the odds against – here we are. This gives us some perspective with regard to the rarity of intelligent life in the universe. And not only that, but it also gives us the perspective needed to see the preciousness of human life with more clarity. The creation of our fine-tuned universe and intelligent life in it – the two unfathomably rare, if not mystical occurrences, makes it clear that the universe we find ourselves in – has a purpose: to facilitate intelligent life, which makes it a purposeful universe, does it not? Wouldn’t this then suggest that also human beings have a purpose? If we really think about it, wouldn’t the improbable odds of life existing in the cosmos suggest that everything that exists is a result of a miracle?
By now, at this point in the book, it must have become obviously clear that everything that exists is indeed a result of a miracle. Does it not, indeed, require a miracle to have living beings come out of non-living matter? But how can something come out of nothing, how can living beings come out of non-living matter, and how can intelligence, unparalleled to anything else we have come across – intelligence found in nature, emerge from nothing? Well, it can’t – not without a miracle, you see? Does it not, indeed, require the involvement of a Higher Power to initiate, cause, and bring forth such a miracle? In this sense, life is a mystery, one that may not be resolvable by means available to us, that is, by usual, traditional means of logic and reason as we know and practice them today, including, but not limited to, astronomy, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and ontology.
By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to the mystery of life, it is worth highlighting the following truth: if one wishes to get a glimpse of this mystery, one would need to aspire to go beyond the thinking mind, to go beyond traditional means of logic and reason; one would need to use their faculty of intelligence to its fullest – to unleash its full potential to cover such aspects as intuition and inner knowing. In so doing, one becomes dissolved in something far more powerful – becoming part of something much greater, beyond ourselves; and in this becoming, one is able to pierce the veil between ordinary life and the mysterious regions of the Soul – into greater Innerstanding, wherein the transcendent nature of Life is experienced. This transcendent part of life can only be experienced through one’s innermost being – it is here – within, where the preciousness of human life crystallizes; it is here – within, where understanding, overstanding, and Innerstanding meet to form a clear, powerful, alive, and vibrant comprehension. And so you see, the answers lie beyond the limits of the known, and the truth lies beyond the narrow limits of conditioned perception.
If we move beyond our preconceptions, transcend beyond limiting beliefs, ideas and concepts that has been handed down to us from previous generations, if we go above cause and beyond effect, above birth and beyond death, above happiness and beyond suffering – we discover what lies beyond the limits of the known. Therein, can we find true knowledge and wisdom, memory and information, universal love, peace and serenity that connects us all; therein, beyond the limits of the known, the mystery reveals itself to those who seek it – see? Furthermore, if one wishes to get a glimpse of what this mystery entails, it requires one to appreciate paradox; accommodating different viewpoints within a broader perspective; seeing the opposites as complementary rather than contradictory – they are, after all, equally important parts of the whole. You see, wisdom and understanding lies in paradox – even if something contradicts itself, it can still be true; some would call this ‘coincidentia oppositorum,’ or just simply Unity of Opposites. A thing is both what it is and what it is not, and yet it somehow escapes contradiction – that’s how the Miracle of Life is possible, that’s how something can come out of nothing, and living beings come out of non-living matter – see?
While one marvels at the extraordinary nature of life, we cannot but conclude that life is, truly, a Living Miracle – something to be cherished and nurtured; to be alive is the greatest gift of all, is it not? Indeed, each of us is a living testament of the miracle called life. Is it not, indeed, a miracle that you exist? Is it not a miracle that you exist as the unique you that you are? Is it not a miracle that you were born as a human instead of, let’s say, an insect, or a jellyfish, a frog, or a bird? Is it not a miracle that you were born with a capacity for intelligence incomparable to any other life forms we are aware of? Is it not a miracle that Intelligent Life can evolve to a level of consciousness, to a point where it can trace back its history to understand its own origin and its true essence? Is it not a miracle that Life can become aware of itself through the vehicle of a living form that has the capacity for self-reflection? You see, as far as we know, human beings are the only form of life that has this capacity of being able to reflect on the nature of its own thinking and feeling, its own past and future, its own life and death, on the nature of consciousness, and on the nature of awareness itself, which makes self-reflection possible.
~ ∞ ~ The False Sense of Self (Human Doing vs. Human Being) – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
In the West, our culture emphasizes the pursuit of happiness through external means. By contrast, in the East, traditional culture emphasizes acceptance of the conditions of existence, positing the idea that happiness is found within. And so it goes that in the West, we live in a consumer-driven society that tries to tell us that money does buy happiness – “the more we buy, the happier we will be,” goes the slogan. In a society where the prevailing worldview is materialistic, values are created by advertisements, which results in that actors, musicians and other “famous” people are followed as though they were gurus, nearly worshipped as modern day avatars or gods. This has a direct effect on the self-image of a consumerist – it is rooted solely in physical appearance, social status and material success. It is this idealized and artificial lifestyle that is then pursued as the principle means to achieving life satisfaction, happiness and contentment or the so-called “good life.” All of the consumerist’s creative and intellectual energy is redirected towards a goal – which is, in essence – an illusion created largely by the commercial interests of corporate and the entertainment industry.
The name of the game here is persuasion. You see, ordinary everyday people are influenced and persuaded by advertising, marketing and the various forms of media to behave and act in certain ways. And so it goes that people in the modern Western world promote the idea that “more is better,” in order to justify their never-ending need for more. With the immense amount of advertising we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it is not unsurprising that there are many things we feel we want and need. Advertising plays on our fears and the need for social acceptance. You see, advertisers exploit our innate drive for fulfillment and unity, our inherent need for social connection and bonding; and not only that, but they also exploit our desires, our sexuality, and our love of pleasure for the marketing and sale of everything from toothpaste to cars. As a result, “hyperspenders” emerge out of all this – they often think that collecting expensive toys will enhance their overall satisfaction with life. Yet, the honest truth is that these material possessions doesn’t seem to bring us inner peace and happiness – or do you beg to differ? Satisfaction in life is not a function of what you can buy in a store – see?
The materialistic worldview has resulted in excessive production of short-lived and disposable items, and thus the Western society has become a “throw-away society” where consumerism is being worshipped. Indeed, we live in a culture of hyperconsumerism where we can, and do buy nearly anything. Sadly, beyond the basic necessities, awful lot is spent on useless things that end up in landfills; in a throwaway culture, even human lives are seen as disposable – see? We take what we need in the form of raw materials and cheap labor to invest in our “culture,” we then feed it back to the world in the form of cheap material possessions, which in turn further the image that we have more and hence somehow better. As long as we keep up the illusion, the gears keep turning. Doesn’t this fit the definition of a parasite? The consumerist-driven capitalist economic system is indeed a parasitic paradigm which is only going to lead to more problems and eventually to self-destruction – one has to be blind not to see it.
However, despite this obvious dichotomy, people seem to hold a belief of an unlimited material progress that is to be achieved through economic and technological growth. It goes without saying that this kind of growth always comes with a price tag. You see, the harsh truth is that materialistic progress is cutting deeply into the natural resources of Earth; it’s also poisoning the environment with its waste products and threatening the ecological equilibrium. And so it goes that in today’s world, nature seems to represent merely a reservoir of resources to exploit – a set of forces and obstacles to channel and tame. We have come to look upon nature as something separate from ourselves, something we could master, control and manipulate to obtain specific benefits for our species. All this because we were taught that our species has been given dominion over all others and over the Earth itself. As a result, people silently give their consent for it to happen. This results in that our increasing wealth is concentrating in the richer countries, and the poorer countries are increasingly becoming more and more indebted to the richer ones. Because of this, there is widespread impoverishment and destruction of indigenous cultures.
And when it comes to scientists who are driving the scientific and materialistic progress; well, their code of ethics seems to be tied to our current paradigm through which we perceive ourselves as separate from everything else. All because of monetary or political interests. The relationship between science and politics has been well established, with the politicization of science becoming increasingly apparent in recent years, having extended into nearly every scientific field, including biology, physics, medicine, and the social sciences. That is to say, we humans are so driven by greed, power and profit that even scientific ethics are largely guided by the commercial interests of corporate industry. The politicization of science has reached a point where even scientists do not examine their own motives very closely. This obviously leaves the question lingering whether there is any code of ethics at all these days.
By virtue of the aforementioned, it is clear that as things stand now, most of what scientists do is not life-furthering and life-preserving, quite the contrary – it is life-destroying more than anything else. You see, physicists design weapons systems that threaten to wipe out life on Earth, chemists are contaminating the environment, and biologists are releasing new and unknown types of microorganisms without knowing the consequences. On top of that, psychologists and other scientists are torturing animals in the name of scientific and materialistic progress. What we have created is a world where not only do we believe that we are individual beings, but that we are separate beings – separated from each other, from our environment, and the very Earth that sustains us. Against this backdrop, it is obvious that the world is in trouble – which is an understatement, to say the least.
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On that note, nowadays there are people in the scientific community who have come to the conclusion that maybe we have messed up this planet; but worry not, because these people think that they have a solution. You see, they have suggested that we should go find (or perhaps create) a new one. These people think that with the aid of technology, we could export life from Earth to other planets, and someday perhaps even leave our solar system. Given the underlying motive and incentive, this must be the ultimate delusion of a throwaway society, don’t you think? Even considering such an idea is nothing short of absurd. What does it tell about us, if among other things, we are ready and willing to throw away our home, as well?
Are we really so disconnected from everything that we truly think that the only way to solve our problems is to relocate somewhere else. So that we could mess it up all over again? The reason we are having problems on Earth in the first place is because we have ignored what nature is capable of giving us when we live with nature’s principles rather than against them. Let me ask you this: As things stand, if we relocate, how would it be any different than now? You see, if we relocate, not only are we exporting life from Earth, but also our prevailing culture and lifestyle, including our views, values, customs, traditions, beliefs, morals, ethics, and so on. Considering that these are largely dependent upon the materialist paradigm, which in turn is driven by the capitalist market economy, it is highly probable that we would repeat our mistakes – such is the nature of us humans, it seems.
Now, let me ask you this: If we take into consideration everything we have discussed in this chapter, isn’t it ironic that people buy the things they don’t need, with the money they don’t have – to impress someone they don’t like? And now we can ask the following questions: Why is this? From where does this kind of behavior come from? Where does it spring from? What motivates someone to act in this way? Well, in our deepest core, we all know that we are part of something bigger than ourselves; and because of this, we sense that something is lacking from our lives and we try to fill the void with anything – be it people, money, education, sex, drugs, travel, entertainment, cars, houses, or other material possessions – big or small. Yet, the truth is that satisfaction in life is not a function of what you can buy in a store; happiness in life has little to do, if anything, with what you wear, drive, eat or drink – see?
Upon deeper examination, one finds that the drive for contentment, fulfillment, and unity is innate in every human being – we all have a need to experience a life of meaning and purpose; we all have a need to feel a sense of belonging. It is this drive that is the impelling force behind our desire for love, and emotional, mental, and physical intimacy. However, when it comes to fulfillment – it can only be achieved through a pattern of living in which we focus on two primary spiritual needs: 1.) Continuous growth, 2.) Contributing beyond ourselves in a meaningful way. Out of these two arise other, somewhat deeper spiritual needs, foremost of which is Self-Actualization, and ultimately – Transcendence.
We find contentment when we choose gratitude. It’s when we take a step back and see the beauty of what we have, and choose to focus on everything we already have that we can find happiness. When we look at what’s really important in life and appreciate everything we have, it takes the same circumstances and allows us to see them through new eyes. What’s noteworthy is that these primary spiritual needs can be just as vital to life as food, water, and air. Unless we discover how we can satisfy these needs, we will be off track with unhappiness and emotional distress. You see, if these spiritual needs are not met, a person is spiritually unwell, and therefore struggles with finding meaning and purpose, which is another way of saying that eventually, in the long run, the individual will become emotionally unhappy, tense and anxious, confused, and sometimes even depressed.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
~ ∞ ~ The False Sense of Self (Human Doing vs. Human Being) – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
In this chapter, we continue our deep dive into humans as we know humans, after which we will shift gears a little and turn our focus on the preciousness of human life, and further along the line, we find ourselves discussing existence itself. But for now, without a further due, let us dive into the topic at hand, shall we? But just before we do that, a quick reminder: as mentioned earlier, it’s going to be a wild ride from here on out, so better brace yourself because the pace is not going to get any slower. So, here we go. We live in times of confusion, disillusion, and ignorance, in a world where being genuine and honest is rare, where inauthenticity and insincerity, immorality and inhumanness is running rampant. If one is observant, they cannot but arrive at the conclusion: it seems as though humanity has become to disintegrate and devolve; people seem to suffer from a spiritual decay, a spiritual disease that is eating them from within – they have become to deteriorate and fragment from within. As a result, people react more and reflect less, do more and accomplish less, talk more and say less, generalize more and specify less.
Any observant individual can see that humans as we know humans today, are blinded by hubris and denial of things obvious – they have become arrogant and selfish, hollow empty shells, wandering through life like a ship lost at sea, drifting farther and farther off course; it’s like there’s no one home, you see? It seems that vast majority of people choose to remain that way. In an age of individualism, people are blinded by the false sense of self, slumbering in an illusory dream; unable or unwilling to wake up, they are driven by the cravings of various sorts – everyone seems to want the same things that others do. Blinded by groupthink, people are like a flock of birds or herd of sheep, nearly all of them running at a given time in the same direction. Isn’t that precisely the epitome of selfishness, the paradox of individualism?
When people are looking outside, they never have to look inside – until one day, something happens that reveals just how asleep they are. Suddenly, they realize that their sense of self, which has been formed and constructed out of their ideas, images, beliefs, assumptions, interpretations, expectations and desires is not really who they are. As this happens, one has to be overwhelmed how much their life has been driven by someone else’s narrative. When we look around us, and pay attention to our surroundings, we can see that no one seems to have any idea what they are doing and everyone is just pretending, which brings us to an important point: as humans, most of us live immersed in our daily lives with little thought of who we are, why we are here, or where we are going. This means that most of us are completely unaware of the fact that real freedom and happiness can never come to us from outside ourselves – they can only be found within, you see? As such, most of us have never realized the True Self – our innate Spiritual Nature, which is the Living Essence beyond name and form, words, ideas and thinking.
Because in the Western culture, people have been accustomed to think in certain ways, it reflects back to us in the way we live, behave and act. This, in turn, governs and shapes our culture, which is a collection of unvoiced agreements of how to be and act as a part of society. And so it goes that our evolvement as a species is keyed to the culture because it directs the way people assume how they ought to think, feel, be, act, and live – see? Identified with mind and body, ignorant of our True Nature, we derive a false sense of self from outside of ourselves – from what we have, what we do, or who we are connected with – our possessions, our social roles, how others see us, and so on and so forth. To a large degree, this is due to the pressure of “fitting in.” You see, our whole lives we are told who we are by our society and our culture – even as babies we are told who we are by our parents and others we come into contact with.
Most parents project expectations onto their offspring and put pressure on their children. While all this may come with good intentions, it is precisely those good intentions that often lead us astray, which is another way of saying that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” as they say. In other words, good intentions, when acted upon, may have unintended consequences. You see, what we learn as children about who we are, or who we are supposed to be – greatly influences how we see ourselves as adults. And so it goes that as we go through life, we may feel the pressure of fulfilling those expectations. Taking into consideration that most of these projections are parents’ own unfulfilled expectations for life, it would be beneficial to learn to identify where the influences are coming from and ask oneself: why it was in these people’s interest to place these expectations on me, and then let them go. It is saddening that some people want their children to be carbon copies of themselves – or do you beg to differ?
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, and their passion a quotation. ~ Oscar Wilde
Furthermore, as we grow, our parents pass onto us significant beliefs about the world and whether or not we should be wary of it or embraced by it. And so it goes that we are shaped without knowing and conditioned without choosing. Out of all this, we accumulate a fixed perception of the world, that is, a worldview or philosophy of life. Everyone has a worldview that is mostly unconscious – it is a perspective that we have about the things around us. In other words, it is what we believe to be true, or more specifically, what we believe is possible. And so it goes that most of us have a worldview that is arrived at unconsciously – a lens of unquestioned beliefs, through which we view everything. This lens will shape our understanding of who we are and where we came from, how we decide what is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, and our concept of perfection and imperfection.
By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to the lens through which we perceive the world and ourselves, it is paramount to highlight the following consequence: as a result, we begin to formulate a belief that we are only these limited physical bodies and mind. This belief begins to ingrain in us the idea that we are nothing but a product of an amoral, evolutionary process – an accident, if you will – insignificant creatures in a vast cosmos; and because of this, we live in constant fear that the limited self we have identified with – will die, cease to exist, and return to nothing. In part, this is the result of scientific materialism – a view that physical reality is the only reality there is; that all things are composed of material, and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions; that the brain creates consciousness and that consciousness cannot survive without the brain; that the death of the brain is the death of the individual and the death of consciousness.
Because this view has spread its roots deep into our collective worldview and belief system, or short, consensus reality, we humans have developed a false sense of self which is dependent on the materialist paradigm – see? Although bringing innumerable benefits to our world, the materialist paradigm has created unprecedented challenges that threaten the continued existence of humankind and the biosphere. This ethos disregards the perils of our present interference with the intricate web of relationships upon which life on Earth depends, which goes a long way to demonstrating how deep our willful blindness and ignorance of the obvious really goes. We are an integral part of this great web of life, and hence it is obvious that we cannot survive without respecting all aspects of it. If we destroy our habitat, whether inadvertently or deliberately by continuing on our present path – we may risk destroying ourselves.
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From the aforementioned, it becomes not only clear but self-evident that our sense of self is learned, experienced and defined by the mirror that others reflect back to us and by our own projections onto others. Because our sense of self is learned, we are steeped in a particular perception of ourselves from the moment we are born. Not only is our perception of self skewed, but also our perception of reality, as well; not only is our individual perception of reality biased, but also our collective perception, as well. This we can call ‘the human condition.’ It has colored our perception of reality and molded our beliefs and values to what they are today in ways most of us don’t realize. You see, the disconnection from our true spiritual nature has distorted our perception; everything has been turned upside-down – morally, ethically, spiritually, and logically: the truth has become lies and lies have become truth; light has become darkness and darkness has become light; good has become evil and evil has become good; justice has become injustice and goodness has become wicked.
In a way, the human condition, from which the false sense of self originates and springs – is a collective story, an unstructured narrative we buy into and believe in. This collective condition, or story, if you will – has shaped not only the individuals themselves, but also our culture. You see, stories are the foundation of our lives and character, and because our lives are influenced by the stories we tell, they have the power to create our reality. This is why the stories we tell ourselves can make or break our future. Without awareness, we give our personal power to the story, and in so doing, the story writes itself. But with awareness, we recover the control of our story, and in so doing, we can choose what stories we believe, and in turn we can change the old story to better fit our needs and values.
Unfortunately, the stories we live by today largely come packaged not as spiritual or communal quests but as aspirations for material gain, which results in that we always seem to be wanting more. No matter how much stuff we have, we always seem to want even more. The Western “culture” believes the capitalist idea that the more is better; that to have and own more is somehow better. And so it goes that the master narrative of the modern world is the story of the capitalist market economy, a powerful but deeply problematic story. As a consequence, we live in a culture that is materially rich but spiritually poor, which is another way of saying that we are experiencing the poverty of the Spirit. And so you see, we live in a society that has lost its heart – saddening truth, isn’t it?
Against this backdrop, we can see that we seem to regard material things as paramount to life, and hence we forget that there are far more important and meaningful aspects like knowledge and wisdom; we also seem to forget that our lives are far too valuable to waste chasing possessions. In our hubris, we have lost our perspective about what is good and wholesome; blinded by the false sense of self, we are driven by the cravings of various sorts, and so it goes that we want more money, more wealth, more status, more power, more influence, more excitement, more love, and basically more of everything. Here we should ask ourselves: Why are so many of us driven to accumulate more of everything, without any evidence that they provide us with contentment and fulfillment? We can only arrive at one conclusion: this endless craving of material possessions is our desperate way of trying to alleviate our spiritual thirst for deeper fulfillment, with severe consequences.
We live in a consumer-driven society that tries to tell us that money does buy happiness – “the more we buy, the happier we will be,” goes the slogan. In a society where the prevailing worldview is materialistic, values are created by advertisements, which results in that actors, musicians and other “famous” people are followed as though they were gurus, nearly worshipped as modern day avatars or gods. This has a direct effect on the self-image of a consumerist – it is rooted solely in physical appearance, social status and material success. It is this idealized and artificial lifestyle that is then pursued as the principle means to achieving life satisfaction, happiness and contentment or the so-called “good life.” All of the consumerist’s creative and intellectual energy is redirected towards a goal – which is, in essence – an illusion created largely by the commercial interests of corporate and the entertainment industry.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
~ ∞ ~ The Game of Survival – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
Furthermore, when we say that we are earning a living – it simply means that we must pay for our very own existence; to be part of society, to be part of the community, to be part of social interaction that happens largely through shared activities. The way this happens is through various means, some of which are not so obvious. What is obvious though, is that each of us seems to have a price, and this is what is expected of us – to follow along like everyone else; to be obedient and submissive under the rule and pressure of the system. This, in turn, propels the underlying human condition to ever greater heights – widening the divide between rich and poor, increasing the gap between the haves and have nots, resulting in growing inequality and deepening poverty, increasing ruthless competition and social injustice along with it. As a result, wealth and power is concentrating at the top, into ever fewer hands.
This happens in spite of the fact that for the first time in human history, we have the capacity, the knowledge, the know-how, and the resources to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment; in spite of the fact that for the first time in human history, we have everything we need to make life equal for everyone; in spite of the fact that for the first time in human history, we have a real opportunity to bring about transformational change – to see life and its associated activities through a holistic approach; to create a totally different kind of social and economic structures, to create systems based on non-centralized, distributed and emergent approaches that would benefit many instead of the few. Dichotomy couldn’t be any more apparent, don’t you think? At this point, it is all about the will – or the lack thereof, you see?
At the time of writing, it appears that we are not ready to break free from our old ways – not just yet, it seems. This is why the shackles of the old system keeps us mesmerized through the perception of limitation. The system we have in place encourages inequality and the growth of power structures where the power is concentrated to the few on top. This type of top-down leadership is outdated, and more importantly, counterproductive; this type of top-down approach benefits the few at the expense of the many; the few on top make the rules that people on the bottom abide and live by – and this, quite frankly, makes the many on the bottom of the hierarchy slaves to the few on top. And because majority of the people live inside the system, being part of the system – they are very much dependent on the system – so much so that they remain servants to those few on top without even realizing it.
It is against this backdrop that we can more easily understand why it is overwhelmingly challenging to rise above groupthink and herd mentality and break free from the game of survival. It is precisely the aforementioned that keep us enchanted by illusion; we are too blind to see beyond appearances. As a result, people are sleepwalking through their lives, having no idea that they are asleep; people are dreaming dreams that are influenced by external stimuli. In this state of enchantment, the mind is open not only to the influence of the will of others, but also all external circumstances, primal drives and desires. This is why humans are concerned more with having than being, which is another way of saying that modern humans live to have and to own – not to be and truly live. From this, the question arises: Do we really want to be free, and furthermore, what does it mean to be free? And so you see, if people want to be free, they first have to free themselves from the overwhelming desire to have more of everything. The honest truth is that we are not free until we can imagine ourselves being happy without all these material things – if we cannot do that, then we do not really own those things – they own us – see?
There are a couple of other remarks worth making before we leave this chapter and shift gears. That said, considering all the aforementioned, a picture begins to form – humans as we know humans, are beings who like to complicate things; sometimes to the utmost extreme or even beyond absurd. We begin to see the absurdity in our way of life when we consider that in many ways the modern Western life resembles hunting – the only difference being its sophistication. You see, instead of hunting in the woods, modern humans hunt in an urbanized environment. The word ‘hunting’ has taken on a whole different meaning, though. One of the reasons is that we have outsourced the killing of animals and the production of our food to the multinational corporations; what’s left from the actual hunting is that in today’s world, people find amusement and sense of sport in competing for jobs and hunting a mate.
Furthermore, when we look around in our urbanized environment, there’s little life to be seen; most animals that we know and recognize we have only witnessed on screens – through our TV’s, laptops, “smart” phones and tablets. If we take into consideration everything we discussed in the previous chapters, isn’t it ironic that we call them “animals,” but ourselves “humans” – as if we are two completely different life forms with nothing in common? We see animals as beasts, and ourselves as people; at the same time we are calling their actions barbaric, yet ours as tradition; while animals kill to survive, we kill even as we call ourselves civilized – quite a dichotomy, don’t you think?
And it doesn’t stop there: we don’t only kill – we also raise life to be killed; the saddest part is that we do so not because we need to, but because we like the taste of flesh and the feeling that comes from the actual killing – and this is what we call “normal.” There’s clearly something wrong with this way of life – one has to be blind not to see it. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once wrote something that exemplarily encapsulates the mindset that drives the world today, and thus it reflects the collective values we hold:
Man is the only animal which causes pain to others with no other object than causing pain. No animal ever torments another for the sake of tormenting: but man does so, and it is this which constitutes the diabolical nature which is far worse than the merely bestial. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer.
When it comes to traditions, it goes without saying that certain traditions are good and beneficial for us, if not essential; they keep us grounded and give structure to our lives, but there is always the other side of the coin. You see, the honest truth is that if we never question the traditions of our past, how could we ever be able to evolve? We should not blindly believe, accept and subscribe to traditions, customs and beliefs just because they have been handed down for many generations, neither should we blindly believe anything because it is spoken by many or written in books. We should rely on experience, not on theory – for you see, theory is just theory – abstraction without substance.
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When it comes to traditions, it goes without saying that certain traditions are good and beneficial for us, if not essential; they keep us grounded and give structure to our lives, but there is always the other side of the coin – see? The honest truth is that if we never question the traditions of our past, how could we ever be able to evolve? We should not blindly believe, accept and subscribe to traditions, customs and beliefs just because they have been handed down for many generations, neither should we blindly believe anything because it is spoken by many or written in books. We should rely on experience, not on theory – for you see, theory is just theory – abstraction without substance.
In closing, there is one fascinating aspect to consider; and if you catch my drift, you may even laugh a little. Earlier in this chapter, we used the following terms: “game”, “survival”, “competition”, “race”, “species”, which all link together in ways not immediately obvious. Thus, it requires a shift in perspective to fully get it. A little reminder to get you up to speed: “In this game, the individual humans are caught up in a never-ending race to acquire more of everything; another side of the coin is that nations are in endless arms race to acquire more and more powerful weapons.” From this, the question arises: Could this also be the reason as to why we call ourselves the “human race,” instead of the “human species?” Did you catch the pun? You see, a race is a competition to see which participant is the fastest or best; and we are living life as though we are on a race track, competing with everyone else to stay ahead in life.
It is against this backdrop that we can more easily understand why we use the term “species” in this book when referred to humanity as a whole. When it comes to the terms themselves, there is quite a difference between the two; but before we explore them any further, it is paramount to highlight the following: in today’s world, the term “race” has certain connotations associated with it which are not very positive or constructive. First and foremost, the term is segregative, more than it is integrative. In other words, the term “race” seems to promote segregation, which is the arbitrary separation of people on the basis of their race – grouping humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories. On the other hand, a species, by definition, is defined as the largest group of organisms in which two individuals are capable of reproducing fertile offspring – to pass down genetic information for the future generation.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
~ ∞ ~ The Game of Survival – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
The purpose of the following two chapters is to give some perspective on why it is difficult to achieve a lifestyle that reflects higher values, morals, ideals, and principles in today’s world; why it is challenging to strive towards higher evolution, towards inner transformation, by which inner peace, happiness, contentment and fulfillment is attained and maintained. As we continue to take a deeper look at ourselves as humans, we cannot help but see one particular issue. This issue is fundamentally keyed to the human condition that we explored in previous chapters; it is threefold in its nature and it can be broken down into following parts: 1.) Competition, 2.) Scarcity mentality, 3.) Survival mode. Each of these parts has an effect on the other parts, which means that each of these parts affects the whole. In other words, each part cannot be separated from the other parts, for they work in unison, you see? Let us explore this further.
Upon deeper examination, it becomes not only clear but self-evident that we as human beings are a competitive species living in a competitive society – almost every aspect of our lives is a competition. This sense of competition seems to be embedded in our mindset – we are relentlessly running around, rushing from one thing to another, always wanting more and more, in hopes of winning some sort of prize. People tend to value goals over process, which makes them restless and uneasy when not occupied. Why is this? Well, the reason for this can be found in our upbringing; you see, this sense of competition is drilled into our youth at a very early age. It is unfortunate that so many people are treating life as a competition – or do you beg to differ?
Granted, there are some benefits that can be gained from this, if done correctly – through a sensible combination of play, creative activity, cooperation, and fun. However, the manner in which the competition is conducted in all levels of society is the complete reversal of the aforementioned. As such, this sense of competition is playing havoc with our social and moral values, which results in that we tend to be selfish, jealous, envious, and even aggressive towards other people. There are exceptions, of course; however, this seems to be a growing trend, especially among people in Western countries. As such, people are driven by hedonistic desires to satisfy their wants and needs – ready to fight it, possibly even at the expense of their own lives.
And with this, we arrive at another aspect of the same issue, namely “scarcity mentality.” This aspect is equally important as the other, for they are closely related, you see? A scarcity mentality includes seeing things from a perspective of lack; the mindset of lack in turn forces one to see things in a more competitive way. To give an example: most people seem to live in a scarcity mentality where they see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there; and if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everyone else. People with this mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit – even with those who help them. These kinds of people also have a very difficult time being genuinely happy for the success of others. The irony here is that we live with a mentality of scarcity on a prosperous Earth that’s teeming with abundant life, but for some reason we are geared towards the destruction of life – rather than nurturing and preserving the Gift of Life itself.
There is yet another closely related aspect of this issue that we should take a look at, namely “survival mode.” When one looks around in the world today, sooner or later you just see it with your own eyes – most people live in the “survival mode,” which prevents them from tapping into their brilliance and inner genius. They get by in life, but they are not really living – they are just existing. They put in their time, punch the time clock and live for the weekends – they never really have any major goals or major drive in life. There are exceptions, of course; however, this seems to be the case more often than not. You see, if the basic needs are not met, people are not motivated by the higher needs either. One of the biggest reasons for this is the system we have in place – it promotes inequality, ruthless competition and social injustice among many other things.
In turn, the modern human life has become a world-wide competition – the name of the game is survival. In this game, there is one rule over others: we must pay to live, to exist – therefore we must do anything and everything to acquire money to pay living. It is essential, for you see, money gives us access to the ability to feed our families, send our children to school, and to maintain our health. We work and stress about our ability to obtain money because our access to the goods and services we need ultimately relies on obtaining money. In this game, the individual humans are caught up in a never-ending race to acquire more of everything; another side of the coin is that nations are in endless arms race to acquire more and more powerful weapons. Our whole lives seem to revolve around money and acquiring more stuff – to the point where we obsess about money even beyond fulfilling our core needs. People tend to value money over time, until time is almost up. Always rushing from one thing to another with the mantra: “time is money,” and yet constantly searching for more time, complaining about working too hard.
Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. ~ Dalai Lama.
It is no accident that there is a word ‘be’ in “human being.” You see, the noun ‘be’ describes the state of having existence in the present moment, which goes on to say that being human is our foremost nature – after that comes everything else – including doing. Ironically, society expects us to be busy – always running around and doing things; there are even commercial slogans, like “Just Do It!” to promote this lifestyle. The more we observe people around us, the more we can see how humans have evolved to become empty shells, ego-driven human doings – instead of human beings. Taking the previous into consideration, it is always good to consider why we are doing all the things we are doing. The honest truth is that by spending more time on ‘being’ than doing, we are able to become more happy and fulfilled – simply by being connected to ourselves more deeply and more often – see?
A closer observation reveals the harsh truth about this game – a game of survival that we are all taking part in; no matter how one looks at it, the game itself seems to be rigged – privileged, rich & powerful have always a head start. These kinds of people can afford education, housing, transportation and financial resources beyond ordinary reach; they also have a well established social network of people who are already deeply engaged in the game, e.g., in business, banking, law, politics etc. In these circles, there are people who want to hold onto their power and status with all means necessary. This powerful elite – if you will, controls the system; which in turn controls the people – see? This invisible power structure, in turn, governs and shapes our culture – which is a collection of unvoiced agreements of how to be and act as a part of society. In this way, people are participating in keeping the system alive – quite a dichotomy, don’t you think?
Even though we have everything we need to make life good for all of us, for some reason – we are unwilling to do so. It is more than disconcerting to realize that somehow we have built ourselves a collective slave-system; self-imposed system where we are slaves to what we slave for – it doesn’t have to be so, but unfortunately, it is. This is completely backwards in so many ways – or do you beg to differ? Unfortunately, most people don’t seem to notice it at all – it seems that the “average Jane & Joe” are too busy to notice what is happening around them, or even care for that matter. The blindest of us would like to deny it altogether, and some would like to argue that its nature is so subtle that it doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s due to the fact that in our Western culture we always want to sugarcoat everything, so we say that we are “earning a living.” In so doing, we are fooling ourselves to believe that we are somewhat free in a society that is based on modernized form of slavery.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
