~ ∞ ~ The Game of Survival – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~

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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 This type of top-down leadership is outdated, and more importantly, counterproductive; this type of top-down approach benefits the few at the expense of the many; the few on top make the rules that people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.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ The Game of Survival – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~

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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.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 4/4 – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~

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And with this, we arrive at a conclusion of profound importance: when we exploit nature, we exploit ourselves – as individuals, and as a species. From this, the question arises: If we are doing all this, can we call ourselves civilized? Oh yes, most certainly we call ourselves civilized alright – how could we not, after all, we are humans, not animals, are we not? But now the question becomes: How civilized are we? If we are civilized, which by definition means to be at an advanced stage of social and cultural development, would it not require us to treat all living things with respect? What would it take for us to see that we as a species are on borrowed time? Needless to say, for those who have eyes to see, it may come as a bit of a shock to realize that our lives are intimately bound up with the fragile organism of life on Earth and the interdependence of all species.

This is where we face the inevitable: you see, there’s no gentle way to say this – the survival of our species is threatened as never before by an ethos that seeks dominance and control of nature. This ethos reflects a vicious and brutal desire to conquer and master nature for our own purposes, shows no respect for the Earth, and disregards the perils of our present interference with the intricate web of relationships upon which life on Earth depends. We are an integral part of this great web of life, and 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. What we leave behind for those who might survive is but a fable of a highly advanced race of beings called humans – who in their naivety allowed themselves to be destroyed by their hubris.

Here we can but imagine how this fable might be told several thousands of years from now; how there might be a myth of once great, highly advanced race of beings, but the archeologists and scholars of that time would dismiss as complete nonsense; how there was a myth that told of a time when there was an advanced civilization living on Earth. Their level of advancement was so incredible that they could harness and control the forces of nature. They were so advanced that they were almost gods – they had supernatural powers – you see, they could look at the little device in their hands and speak to one another, even see one another on opposite sides of the Earth. They could fly around the Earth; they could even send people to the moon, but they became corrupt; they became cruel; they became conceited and arrogant; they imposed their powers on other less powerful people around the world. And so it happened that this once great species faced their own demise, and only few lived to tell the tale.

From the previous, it becomes clear that the human story unfolds against a backdrop of deteriorating conditions of the Earth – the only habitat for human life in the universe. 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. This has to be the ultimate delusion of a throwaway society*1, don’t you think? What does it tell about us, if among other things, we are ready and willing to throw away our home, as well?

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*1 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. This area is explored in more detail in the chapter The False Sense of Self.

From this, the question arises: Are we really so disconnected from everything that we truly think that the only way to solve our problems is to relocate – 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. Hence, yet again, we should ask ourselves: Why is it that we are geared towards the destruction of life – rather than nurturing and preserving the Gift of Life itself?

It is against this backdrop that we begin to see the absurdity of our current situation. Therefore, one should be inclined to consider whether we deserve to live here on Earth. If we are incapable of respecting and caring for it, do we really deserve to live here? Even more importantly, we should be asking the question of whether humanity is worth saving, and at what expense? The honest truth is that it’s no one else’s responsibility but ours to change our ways, which brings about the question: Are we capable of saving ourselves from the path of self-destruction we are on?

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And if we are incapable of saving ourselves – who’s to save us? Aliens? Well, I would not count on that, and I bet you wouldn’t either. What about Angels and other Celestial Beings of the Divine nature? Or perhaps God? Maybe, who knows? And if so, is it probable? It is here where the reader of this book is called to use their faculty of reason and inner knowing, for you see, it is up to us individually to arrive at a conclusion whether there is a greater plan for humanity or not; whether or not there is a higher power that guides us.

But let us suppose, for a moment, that somewhere out there in existence there would, indeed, be such beings. So, let us entertain this idea for a brief moment, if not for any other reason than to illustrate just how obnoxiously absurd our present day situation in all of its paradoxical absurdity is. Well, then, what purpose could it possibly serve to save a species that is naive, irresponsible, and immature? And to what end? So that they could repeat the same mistakes all over again? And if some kind of Divine intervention were to take place, how would it affect our free will? Is it not, precisely, through our free will, by which we are permitted to be ignorant in the first place, repeating our mistakes? Is it not, precisely, through our mistakes, and by the difficulty and suffering they cause that we are eventually able to see, realize, and acknowledge the error of our ways, and through this process, in turn, change?

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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~ ∞ ~ Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 3/4 – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~

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And with this, we arrive at another aspect of the same. We may be sentient – yes, but truly intelligent – no. To be truly intelligent is to be able to make the realization that we may not be truly intelligent; to be truly intelligent is to recognize and acknowledge the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life – human, animal, plant; and the responsibility shared by all not to exploit natural resources. For sure, we are intelligent on an individual basis, thus being highly advanced in cognitive terms, which has allowed us to achieve many technological wonders, but whether that sets us totally apart from other animal species (whom also display cognitive powers of a lesser but related kind) is a debatable question; and when it comes to being truly conscious*1 – it is highly debatable.

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*1 This area is explored in more detail in the section, titled CONSCIOUSNESS, in the chapters 1.) The Mystery of Consciousness, 2.) What Is Self-Awareness?, and 3.) What Is Living Awareness?, also in the section, titled AWARENESS – in the chapter The Art of Mindful Living.

As we continue this discussion of evolution, it is worth pointing out the obvious: the problem with us humans is that we always seem to be thinking in terms of physical evolution – forgetting or just simply ignoring the spiritual aspect altogether. In truth, it is not only important, but necessary component in this process – one could even argue that it’s the sole purpose and reason for our existence. You see, it seems plausible that intelligent life in the universe is so incredibly rare that it only happened once. If this is indeed the case, then what does it say about us human beings? That we are special beyond imagination? Now, if we are to suppose for a moment, that we humans are, indeed, the pinnacle of evolution – would it not then mean that consciousness is the end goal for evolution? Furthermore, wouldn’t that mean, then, that the telos of mankind is to achieve Self-Awareness through inner exploration, awareness and insight?

And now, if we can see evolution as a spiritual path, we must then see that consciousness is the most spiritual thing there is, and therefore we must be willing to surrender to the spiritual process – the process of fulfilling the telos of human existence, if we are to evolve further, you see? When we consider that most of us believe in the idea of a Soul or Spirit – the part of us that makes us who we are, would it be so hard, then, to imagine that much like our physical bodies change and evolve over time – so do our Souls? Wouldn’t it make perfect sense, then, that Souls get stronger as they gain experience and grow wiser as they learn through experience; eventually remaining Self-Aware of their True Essence? But, alas, because we are incapable of consciously recognizing the spiritual aspect of the whole evolutionary process, we are quite desperately seeking materialistic solutions to escape our inevitable, impending death – as if it would somehow solve the dilemma of impermanence*1.

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*1 This area is explored in more detail in chapters 1.) The Existential Paradox, 2.) The Fear of Annihilation (Non-Existence), 3.) Change Is the Only Constant.

Let us go deeper, and explore this more. Universe in its entirety can be regarded as one gigantic process of becoming, of attaining new levels of existence and organization, which can also be called a genesis or an evolution. In other words, universe can be seen as a continually transforming living system, one gigantic process of passing down information that life needs to expand, develop and unfold. Because we human beings are an inherent part of the universe, part of nature, we too are in process of becoming – the human being as a species is constantly attaining not only new levels of existence and organization, but also new levels of consciousness and awareness.

We have evolved to our present human level collectively, but further progress requires a concentrated effort on the part of individuals. Next, there is the point at which self-consciousness or awareness emerges – most of us are still a little below this point, though some are a little above it. In a way, these two can be said to represent lower and higher evolution – what separates these two is the level of awareness. The higher evolution is distinguished from the lower by the fact that it takes place in and through awareness. It follows, therefore, that progress in the higher evolution is at the same time a progress in awareness – becoming aware of awareness itself, you see?

It is noteworthy to mention that not every individual is going to go through this process of further evolution – spiritual evolvement, if you will. You see, higher evolution involves individual’s use of their free will, and hence it would be better to call it Conscious Evolution, or Involution, which means transformation, i.e., a process that follows the completion of evolution in the human form – the process of fulfilling the telos of human existence. Should one choose to utilize their free will to rewrite their story, and consciously take part in their future growth and expansion, integration and transformation – is entirely up to them, and them alone. This, in turn, can lead to the emergence of a collective awakening, which holds the potential for a balanced world where humans are conscious participants in the evolution of their cultures, and even of the entirety of human society, you see?

By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to awakening, it is worth highlighting the following: awakening is something that takes place within each of us whenever we are ready to remember our eternal nature, whenever we are ready to take that first step in remembering who we are at the deepest level of our being, whenever we are ready to know our core essence as Spirit. Therefore, awakening is connected with free will. It is through our free will that we develop spiritually and refine our ethical faculties; and this is where it gets interesting. You see, as mentioned earlier, the experience of free will is closely connected and related to the experience of self-awareness, which means that we can only apply free will to that which we are aware of, to that which we have “control” over; only if we are aware of ourselves, and thus of our actions – is it truly possible to experience that which we call free will. If one chooses to utilize their free will, and consciously – with dedication and effort, strives towards higher evolution, then there is the point at which transcendental awareness begins to emerge, and with it, awareness of Reality emerges – this is the point of no return, on a path toward Self-Actualization – see?

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Although we seem to be incapable of recognizing that there is, indeed, a spiritual aspect to our evolution as human beings, we have come far in our journey to understand ourselves and our relation to our environment. Our understanding of evolution has grown to such an extent that we are finally able to recognize that evolution is a product of cooperation and altruism among organisms living in close association. We are just beginning to learn that sustainable life is the property of an ecological system – a biotic community and its physical environment. Although there is much work to be done, this is an excellent starting point for further development. But here the question becomes: Is it too little, too late? One thing is certain, unless we mature and grow spiritually, we will remain as spiritual infants. There is a maturation process in our natural life as we grow from being infants – to being young men and women – to being adults; in the same way, we should mature spiritually, as well.

This brings us directly back to the human condition, which is the root cause of all our dysfunctional behavior, both as individuals and as a species. It doesn’t take a genius to see that we are like teenagers, running around causing trouble everywhere we go; we are restless and uneasy when not occupied, and constantly looking for distraction, as if we are incapable of just ‘being.’ Hence, it is very important to ask ourselves: Why is it that we don’t seem to be able to adjust ourselves to the physical environment without destroying it and ourselves in the process? Considering that we are meant to be the custodians of the Earth, the ones who take care for its plants and animals, and protects its natural beauty – we should be showing respect for our Home – the Earth; showing gratitude for all the abundance that the Earth gives us every day. But unfortunately, as things stand, quite the opposite is true.

You see, metaphors of the mechanistic worldview has provided the justification for the exploitation of nature that materialism, industrialization, and unchecked appetite and greed has demanded. As a result, we have designed organizations and leadership models based on this worldview and now we live with the results daily. And so it goes that 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. But let us step back and think about it for a moment; even if some people were to believe that we ought to have dominion over all living things, would it not require us to treat all living things with respect? There is a difference between caring and exploiting – see? It is unfortunate that we have misunderstood the concept and twisted it to fit our selfish desires, which of course comes with a price and consequences. We eventually have to face up to the consequences of our actions, “you reap what you sow,” as they say.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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~ ∞ ~ Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 2/4 – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~

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From this, the question arises: What is it that really sets humans apart from other animals? Is it our ability to reason? To feel emotions? To communicate by language? To care for others? Or is it our free will? And what does having free will even mean? Wouldn’t it mean that we have the choice to stop and think about the consequences of our choices and actions? We can begin answering these questions with the following: What sets humans apart from other animals is our ability to reason, plan, assign meaning, and cooperate; other than that, it is our mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies that really sets humans apart from other animals.

This is where the term ‘spiritual’ comes into play. You see, ultimately, it is our spiritual nature that sets us apart and allows us to express ourselves creatively, with feelings and emotions; to do things such as art, music, sculpture, dance, creative writing etc. It is our spiritual nature that finds us asking the ultimate questions: one’s meaning in life, what happens when we die, is there something more than day-to-day existence? There is a point, a moment we arrive at where the inevitable strikes us with its adamant presence – this is one of those moments. You see, if we are spiritual in nature, then this life is just one phase of existence and not our final destination. By the same token, if this life is only the first phase, then there is a very good reason for living a virtuous life, is there not? So therefore, maybe the real question we should be asking is: Why is it such a struggle to rise above these bodies and their desires to return to one’s spiritual origins?

Well, as pointed out earlier, we are highly evolved, sophisticated social animals, which brings about its own set of challenges and consequences. You see, most people lack both present moment awareness and sentient awareness, which makes it difficult to practice free will. The weakness of will, combined with ignorance is what gets us in trouble. Now, let me ask you this: If you don’t have control over your thoughts, feelings and actions, then who does? Who’s in control, then? From this, the question becomes: Do you have free will, and furthermore, do we as humans have free will? Although it is widely believed that all humans have free will, it isn’t so straightforward as one might expect. Why is that? Let us explore this further and see if we can find out, shall we?

The question of free will is deeply profound and intriguing; it is one of the oldest and most enduring questions facing humanity, and hence it is of great importance – not only for its ethical implications, but also because our moral values spring directly from the experience of learning how to live and coexist with other people. Our understanding of free will in relation to ethics will influence the way we think about justice, the way we treat and meet other people, and the way we take care of other people in need of help and so on – see? It is through our free will that we develop spiritually and refine our ethical faculties; and this is where it gets interesting. You see, the experience of free will is closely connected and related to the experience of self-awareness. The truth is that we can only apply free will to that which we are aware of, to that which we have “control” over; only if we are aware of ourselves, and thus of our actions – is it truly possible to experience that which we call free will.

And so you see, the question of whether humans have free will is not so straightforward as one might expect. Why is that? Well, firstly, we have choices from which to choose, but now the question becomes: If someone or something presents you with a set of choices, does it qualify as free will when you make the choice from the predetermined selection? Secondly, having ownership over one’s life, health and well-being adds a level of responsibility and accountability that can be hard to get accustomed to. This is why most people prefer to live their lives in ‘autopilot’ mode, or just simply in a voluntary unconscious state. Thirdly, free will only apply to those who truly have it – not all people have the same will. In this sense, free will is a privilege – see? So this being the case, we should ask ourselves: If most people live their lives in ‘autopilot’ mode, based on the contents and programs that are stored within their subconscious minds, how many conscious choices have they really made throughout their lives? Have they utilized their free will, and if so, to what extent? To what extent then can it properly be said that we have free will?

Keeping all that in mind, it is an understatement to say that there’s a certain irony in that we are searching for the signs of intelligent life in the universe, even though we cannot even recognize other forms of intelligent life here on Earth, let alone recognize and acknowledge the unity of humanity – there’s a huge dichotomy here – don’t you think? The irony becomes even stronger and more apparent when we consider the fact that we cannot even coexist with other life here on Earth. You see, the irony is that we as human beings are evolved enough to realize that we have a deeper understanding of consciousness than other creatures we recognize, and yet we are not smart enough to realize that we are destroying the very conditions on Earth that make life possible for us.

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However, upon deeper examination, it can be seen that maybe we do, indeed, realize that we are destroying our environment; but then it makes the situation even worse, does it not? In our hubris, we have lost our perspective about what is good and wholesome. Driven by the primal fear of death and survival, we are increasingly encroaching on other species and their habitats like savages; no matter how far we have evolved – this seems to be the defining theme that lives on. From this, the question arises: Is that what intelligent sentient species really do? At this point, some might ask: What is wrong with us humans? Why is human history an endless saga of warfare, conflict, oppression, exploitation, domination and misery?

Well, usually this inherent part of humanity is explained away by our physical animal heritage. When we really think about it, we can realize that for thousands of years we have used it as an excuse to do nothing, to make no progress at all; we have used it as a convenient scapegoat when necessary. Therefore, our divisive behavior which make us fight and compete for food, shelter, territory and a mate – is justified by our savage animal instincts. Unfortunately, in a similar way, many also turn a blind eye to the aforementioned oppression, exploitation and so on. This is where we go off the rails – big time. You see, all too often we just stand by and watch as these things happen – doing nothing, saying nothing. It is no wonder, then, that history repeats itself, would you agree?

It is our passiveness and ignorance that keeps us segregated, under the rule and influence of others, which in turn makes us frustrated. Our frustration turns to anger, and anger turns to fear that expresses itself as rage, which eventually turns against us. More to the point: every time we try to explain away our destructive, divisive behavior – what we are actually doing is that we are trying to escape the responsibility of our actions. To be truthfully honest, when we are capable of explaining our actions with excuses – it tells us that we are well aware of what we are doing; justifying our actions with excuses is always a conscious choice – or do you beg to differ? However, as we continue to take a deeper look at ourselves as humans, we can see that we are far off from being truly conscious, rendering our so called free will questionable.

But even more to the point is the fact that we as humans are not acting divisively only because of our animal instincts, habits and behavioral patterns, but also because we choose to do so. This leads us to conclude that humans as we know humans – are like this; the truth is – no matter how difficult it is to bear: underlying all of our marvellous accomplishments in every field imaginable, we humans have also been the most ferocious and malicious beings to have ever lived on Earth. Just like an animal going in circles and chasing its tail, so do humans – repeating their mistakes. For only through pain, seemingly, do humans grow. Through mistake, or suffering, or difficulty, they seem to realize the error of their ways. It is not to say they cannot learn in a pleasurable and comfortable atmosphere, for they can! But humans as we know humans, cannot believe the obvious, they cannot hear the truth, and they will not do what is good for them – this is why humans learn by their mistakes – see?

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 3/4 – The Essence of Life: Part III ]

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~ ∞ ~ Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 1/4 – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~

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In the following few chapters, we will take a deep dive into humans as we know humans; each of these chapters build upon each other, gradually adding new layers of depth and complexity to the whole, which in turn gives room for more context to emerge to support the wholeness – and so does the bigger picture emerge, a story of humans as we know humans; their challenges, weaknesses and shortcomings, but also their strengths and opportunities. In this regard, it can be said to be an unapologetic exploration of the human species, which is struggling with the human condition and all the difficulties and challenges it brings. As such, it goes without saying that if we are to understand why we humans are the way we are, it is essential to investigate the mindset we have developed over time. Furthermore, if one is to transcend self-imposed limitations, it is paramount to understand from where these limitations originate and what weighs us down. There’s one thing left to say before we dive in – brace yourself because it’s going to be a wild ride from here on out. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. So, here we go.

Humanity perceives itself to be the most advanced species on Earth, and quite possibly in the whole universe – the pinnacle of evolution, superior to any other life form. Thus, we humans like to believe that we are ‘uniquely unique,’ the most sophisticated creation in all existence – we are, after all, as far as we know, the only intelligent, sentient bipedal species known to exist in this universe; and yet, we are at war with other fellow human beings – quite a dichotomy, don’t you think? Taking that into account, some would say that humans as we know humans today, are the antithesis of what is meant by “intelligent, sentient being” in its deepest sense – for you see, the activities of such beings certainly would not include causing pain to others with no other object than causing pain.

According to this “superiorist” view, humans have somehow transcended evolution and raised themselves above the survival of the fittest – becoming quite simply, the fittest; and yet, in all actuality, every species alive today is at the pinnacle of the evolutionary process – those that are not, just simply no longer exist. Granted, maybe we are most evolved to live in suburban areas, but that doesn’t by any means make us the “be-all-end-all” pinnacle of evolution. You see, all species evolve to sustain their determined placement in nature, which means that we humans are not more evolved for ocean life than the great whites, and no more evolved for jungle life than tigers. In other words, if you drop us into the middle of the ocean, we quickly see that we’re not even close to the pinnacle of evolution for that area – even shrimp are more evolved than we in that situation.

By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to humans as the pinnacle of evolution, it is worth highlighting something that is both paramount and funny at the same time. You see, we humans are ingenious in ways we make something to match our needs or fit our worldview. In this regard, it’s funny how this works: first we announced that everything on Earth could be separated into two groups – the animate and inanimate; then not only did we place ourselves in the first group, we further insisted on measuring all other life forms on Earth against ourselves. In this respect, we treat ourselves as the “masters of the universe,” making the rules as we go – bending them as we see fit. Convenient, isn’t it?

And now for the paramount part of it: when we compare ourselves to other species in terms of evolution, it is simply preposterous to assume that totally and utterly different species could somehow be compared in the same fashion. The comparison is simply impossible because eventually it all boils down to perspective – life is a spectrum, not something where we can fit different species into strict categories. And so you see, with different measurement criteria – ants, bats, octopi, dolphins, or even bacteria could very well be seen as the “be-all-end-all” pinnacle of evolution. To put things in perspective, perhaps we would do well to remember that bacteria predate us by billions of years, and are highly likely to outlive our species by billions more.

As for curiosity, humans consists of more microbial cells than human cells, and their genes form an integrated part of whom we are, which is another way of saying that we are more bacteria than we are anything else. This once again brings about the question: Who, and what are we, really? We are human beings, yes, but what does that really mean? Normally, one might take this to mean that at least on a biological level, we are defined by our own genome. But living in and on the human body is an ecosystem of microorganisms that outnumber our own cells by at least a factor of ten.

As we continue our discussion, it is good to remember that biology defines human beings as animals – the reason for mentioning it should become apparent later. As indicated earlier, we humans like to believe that we are ‘uniquely unique,’ and this is why we think very highly of ourselves. As the only mammal endowed with the gifts of speech and reason, we should be grateful for these gifts and use them wisely. In the following few paragraphs, these aspects are discussed with respect to how they may impact one’s awareness of themselves. Let us start with language, speech and communication since there are a couple of things worth mentioning in this regard.

Before we move further along, it is paramount to highlight the following: the human ability to speak, reason, and form complex social relations make us unique among species, but in no shape or form does it make us the “be-all-end-all” pinnacle of evolution. Humans have their unique qualities, yes, but so do flowers, animals, trees, insects and so on. Our uniqueness intertwines with everything else’s uniqueness, which is another way of saying that our uniqueness is a relative concept which depends entirely on the observer’s frame of reference.

On that note, complex communication is one of our defining features – yet all too often we dismiss the fact that every species communicates – even single-celled organisms have the ability to communicate; what’s noteworthy is that this communication doesn’t have to be in the form of the spoken word – it could be done through actions, gesticulations, chemicals, sounds, or even dances, you see? This goes on to say that spoken language is our preferred way of communication. In this sense, there is nothing special about spoken language. You see, speech is the production of sounds that make up words and sentences; communication is the transfer of information (thoughts, ideas, and feelings); language is the method of communication. It’s not to say that spoken language is not a wonderful tool, for it is, it’s just that this form of communication is more often than not, inefficient – precisely because of its complexity – see?

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Now, some might want to argue that language has given us a major advantage over other species. Yet, we still don’t know when and how we began using language. Surely, language has given us a way to wonder, ponder and speculate, but the question is: Has it benefited us in any way, and if so, how has it benefited us? Granted, the creation of language has given us the ability to communicate and express ourselves, but at the same time it has enabled us to conceal not only our true thoughts, opinions and intentions, but also our deepest feelings and emotions, as well. Language is our prime means of communication, and yet the most outstanding characteristic of this communication is that it always falls short of what it aims for. And so you see, it is against this backdrop that we can see the paradox of language: it is futile and yet vital.

Furthermore, in spoken language, much of the meaning is determined by the context; similarly, spoken language tends to convey subjective information, which is problematic in more ways than one. You see, in actuality, language can only convey an idea of what something appears to be, for you see, language cannot ever describe it fully; this, of course, makes spoken language inefficient. Even though language is a process of free creation – its laws and principles are fixed, and also the interpretation of words are infinitely varied, which only further adds to the inefficiency. More broadly, because language cannot ever describe the true essence of our existence and our experience of it, we are forced to use sounds, signs and symbols in an effort to re-connect with the Life-force that runs through everything. So in this sense, there’s a certain irony in that we have to use words to explain why language is a limited form of communication. In conclusion, the specialness of language is as much relative as our uniqueness.

This brings us to an important point: we should not make the mistake of thinking that we are above other creatures, but sadly we do; and for this very reason, we are more dangerous than any other species. As such, we place much more importance on ourselves than we do anything else; this is where our pride gets in the way – that is, we consider ourselves to be the masters of the Earth, and to have the ability to adapt our environment to our desires instead of having to adapt to it; and because of this, we abuse and exploit it. In truth – as mentioned so many times before, we are not separate from the Earth – we are interconnected with it and everything on it.

Although some humans consider themselves as spiritual beings – physically, we are still animals, with all the same attributes as any other animal. Unless we accept this truth about ourselves, we will lack self-knowledge of the most basic sort, as we come to learn later. We may be sophisticated social animals, but animals nonetheless. As such, we have animalistic drives that press for biological survival and sensory pleasure within persons. These include bodily drives such as hunger, thirst, and sleep, but also primal urges such as fear and sex; it is our main primal instinct to spread our seed and reproduce. If you look at any other animal, their whole life purpose is pretty much just to reproduce and multiply. This applies to humans as well, you see, we cannot deny this natural instinct which explains why we think about it so much.

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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony

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[ Click » here « to read the next part: Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 2/4 – The Essence of Life: Part III ]

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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."