Infinite Quantum Zen

The game of survival 1 of 2 - the book alan watts zen awareness

~ ∞ ~ 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.

___
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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

[ Click » here « to read the next part: The Game of Survival 2/2 – The Essence of Life: Part III ]

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."

Masters of storytelling 2 of 2 - the book alan watts zen meditation awareness mindfulness

~ ∞ ~ Masters of Storytelling – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

Now, let us expand this a little. From the above-mentioned, it becomes obvious that human life is clearly a story. More specifically, human life can be seen as a repeated story, or as a series of stories that are more or less related, intertwined and interconnected. If one takes a moment to reflect on their life, they could reasonably see it in terms of various story lines, whether parallel or intersecting or distinct.

As it turns out, there is a term for this type of understanding: “samsara,” as it is called in Sanskrit. It refers precisely to the idea that human life is a repeated story; the one we all have been caught up – a dream from which we are unable to wake up. Samsara is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth – see?

This brings us to something called a “Hero’s Journey,” or short, a monomyth. In the following few paragraphs, we will briefly look at this, but just before we do that, let me ask you this: Is it not indeed the case that we are all heroes of our lives? Is it not, indeed so, that we are all on a journey – some more invested and committed than others?

Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Monomyth (Hero’s Journey), asserts that various myths, legends, and fairy tales throughout human history share a common story structure involving a hero who departs from known reality in order to confront a series of trials and tribulations before returning home as an initiated master of both realms.

In his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell studies many hundreds of fairy tales, folk tales and legends in order to unearth a common “pattern” in the structure of stories. Campbell defines this as the “monomyth” or “hero’s journey” – the typical trajectory of a story, across all cultures and religions. Comprising three stages – separation, initiation, and return – the hero’s journey offers a narrative framework for understanding the progression of a character, namely the protagonist.

The journey, according to Campbell, usually includes a symbolic death and re-birth of the character. The religious idea of “cleansing” is also important, giving a sense of the character transforming from old to new – the character arc. The journey undertaken sees the character undergo both physical and emotional battles, which work together to bring them to a better understanding of their life and their place in the world. As such, the journey is full of duality – symbol and spirit; body and soul; manifest and myth; plot and story. In other words, as the character does (action), he or she becomes (character arc).

If there is anything to take away from this, it is this: stories we tell reflect who we are, what we believe, and the futures we envision. This is why powerful stories resonate within us. In a similar way, archetypes of the characters resonate within us – some more, some less. We identify with certain characters more than others, be it heroes or the villains or something in between, because we share those tendencies inside of us.

Powerful stories show the light and the dark, point to a greater cause, teach, and leave room for interpretation. The interesting part is that not only do stories share common elements and structure, but so does human life as well – our individual paths may be different, but they share many common elements.

Even though each path is different, they all lead to the same final goal or destination – eventually. Some paths are more difficult than others, having many obstacles to overcome; some are full of hardships and suffering, while others may provide moments of joy only to be followed by extended periods of distress. Even though each path is different, on constant remains: like a river flowing into the sea, the Soul returns to its Source, becoming one with the Ultimate Truth, eventually experiencing absorption of Self into the Ultimate Reality – this is the Hero’s Journey, you see?

The journey becomes much more easy when one realizes that life has its own order, its own discipline, if you will. Hence, you simply move with it, you float with it – you don’t try to push the river, you become one with it and the river takes you to the ocean. Indeed, we are all on a journey – some more invested and committed than others; the path we tread is full of ups and downs – and some of them are very steep.

Sometimes we may feel that we have lost our way on the river of life; with its many twists and turns we might find ourselves wondering which direction to take. But all is not lost, for you see, if we choose to use our free will to find the strength that dwells within, we find hope – a compass directing us in life. With patience and persistence, we continue to move forward, overcoming any obstacles we may face, and eventually we will prevail, you see? And this is where the wisdom lies – sometimes the obstacle is the path, for every obstacle presents an opportunity to grow and become better – see?

If we take into consideration all the above-mentioned, we can arrive at the conclusion that everything seems to be cyclical – not only the stories we tell, but also our lives and everything in it, including our thoughts and ideas; everything in life seems to be rediscovered, reinvented, recycled, reused and repurposed time and time again – intriguing, isn’t it?

And so you see, as it has been before, so it shall be again, and what has been done will be done again; life is a full circle; coming back around, again and again, in hopes of meeting ourselves; in hopes of seeing and really knowing ourselves; around and around and around we go, in this thing we call life – see?

And with this, we arrive at another aspect of the same. Earlier in the section titled PROLOGUE, we briefly discussed the idea of “Original Thought,” and reached the conclusion that this thought preceded any other, and hence everything springs from this singular source. Therefore, everything arises in dependence upon this thought. This is also the main reason why we don’t actually have any original thoughts, even though we might think we do. Everything that can be written and everything that can be said, has already been written and said before using different flavors of words.

Indeed, there is no such thing as “original ideas,” for you see, everything is derived from the one and only Original Idea there ever was, is, and ever will be. All we have are merely new creative expressions of what has already been said, written, or otherwise expressed – see? And now you may ask: Why? Well, to answer that question we would need to start with the following truth: the very words we use to express our thoughts are coming from outside of ourselves, and therefore it is extremely difficult to think freely and independently.

The words we use in our language comes from the community we live in and were brought-up. Words themselves are symbols representing things and ideas known to us; language is created out of these words and used by masses of people to express things and ideas experienced by their senses and mind. So when we think in a language that our community gave us – it means that eventually we are not thinking our own thoughts. Intriguing, isn’t it?

And when it comes to originality: at first glance, it might seem that everything that is presented as being “new, fresh, and original,” is actually a variation of what has been done before. We see this clearly in our world today – every story we tell each other is in some way or another a recycled version of previous stories we have told. For instance, the movies and TV-shows of today are just retelling of the same stories that have been told for thousands of years.

In much the same way as traditional stories are recycled versions of previous stories we have told, science is also a story, a narrative, and scientists are storytellers who keep circling the same ideas and theories time and time again.

Science, therefore, is a work in progress, a construction that emerges at a very specific juncture in the hi(story) of humanity; it is a story about ideas – often abstract, often technical, often complex – and all the energy and profundity and drama of science comes from the interactions between these ideas. All this drama that comes from the battle of ideas might be our downfall in science, and its salvation in spirituality – intriguing, isn’t it?

We can conclude this chapter with the following: considering all the aforementioned, one should be inclined to ask the following question: Is it not, indeed so, what has been said long ago, in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10), and is it not, indeed, that it holds true even today?

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new?’ It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”

___
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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

[ Click » here « to read the next part: The Game of Survival 1/2 – The Essence of Life: Part III ]

Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"

Masters of storytelling 1 of 2 - alan watts the book of zen meditation awareness mindfulness

~ ∞ ~ Masters of Storytelling – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~

In the previous chapter, we touched upon the truth that the stories we tell build up our world. The context in which this was brought up involved something called the human condition, from which the false sense of self originates and springs. You see, the human condition is basically 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. This is because 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 brings us to an important point: if there’s anything we humans excel at, it is most definitely storytelling. We make stories for everything, and this is why stories are how we learn and remember – they provide a way of understanding our place in the scheme of things by structuring our understanding of events. Stories are how we make sense of life because they root us in an on-going stream of history by providing us with a sense of belonging and helping establish our identities.

For thousands of years, we have used the art of storytelling to enlighten, to inform, to provoke, and to entertain. And so it can be said that at the very core, our shared reality is based on stories – the stories we tell build up our world. Indeed, every culture is built upon stories and beliefs passed on by its leaders, family members and elders.

All cultures have stories about the beginnings of the universe, and thus all religions have stories at their heart explaining our existence and purpose here on Earth. Stories are our interpretation of reality – they describe to us how we believe the world is. Indeed, our entire worldview and memories are created out of our stories.

Stories are clearly a double-edged sword. You see, at best, stories can encourage, inspire, and inform; they can also be healing and cathartic for both the teller and the listener alike. At worst, stories can be harmful in several different ways: they can express falsehoods, half-truths, attitudes and dispositions that can lead people feeling and behaving differently than they would otherwise.

This, in turn, can have much greater consequences and impact than most realize, even long-lasting, civilization-wide consequences. You see, unfortunately, often times, we adopt our stories as truth, and because we believe in them, stories become our reality – they create the world we perceive and inhabit.

This leads to the creation of an agreed-upon concepts of reality – more specifically, a social construct*1 called “consensus reality.” It refers to an agreed-upon concepts of reality which people in the world, or a culture or group believe are real (or treat as real), usually based upon their common experiences as they believe them to be.

_______
*1 A social construct is something that exists as a result of human interaction – it exists because humans agree that it exists; some examples of social constructs are countries and money.

In this type of consensus view of reality, we are often involved not only with our representations of the world, but with our representations of those representations. This is why we humans believe that there is a real world “out there,” but in all actuality, the “real world” is always interpreted by our mind and filtered through our senses, which goes on to say that what we see and hear are merely interpretations of reality through our minds and bodies. In other words, based on our beliefs we create representations of what might be out there in the world — see?

It is against this backdrop that we can understand the following: each moment everything is happening on the canvas of Life, which is being painted with non-material things like awareness, consciousness, feelings, emotions, experiences, memories, thoughts, and will, but also with material things such as particles, cells, neurons, and endless other interconnected pieces that come together like the colors of the spectrum. It is precisely through our stories how we make sense of it all, you see?

Although storytelling has evolved along with our language, communication and technology — the basic premise remains intact — stories (narratives) communicate ideas, and thus we teach and learn through story. In so doing, we learn to perceive the world around us through the stories we tell each other. And because the stories we tell create our future, it is paramount that we learn to tell better stories.

To begin to break away from the old, outdated and outmoded, limited narrow view of the world, which is colored by the human condition — we need a new collective story, that of empowerment, equality, compassion, and unity — see?

Hence, it is reasonable to ask ourselves: What would our life be like if we would include the storyteller into our stories? Not as some external unspecified entity narrating the story, but as an intrinsic part of the story — the listener, the story and the storyteller becoming one intertwined symbiosis of Living Life; we humans ourselves being active storytellers of our collective human story, you see?

Now, let me ask you this: What could we accomplish if we truly cared about each other and each others’ well-being? What could we accomplish if we really took care of the whole world — allowing people to think clearly and express themselves in creative ways instead of suppressing every non-conventional creative endeavour?

Because stories are the foundation of our lives and character, they have the power to create our reality, and this is precisely why the stories we tell ourselves can make or break our future. This realization has many implications that have not been fully recognized. You see, 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.

Should we choose to reclaim our personal power and recover the control of our story is entirely up to us, is it not? Should we choose to learn from one another and help each other along the way, is once again, up to us — both individually and collectively. Now, take a moment and imagine the endless possibilities we could achieve, dream, envision, and create together.

What will our future hold and what will it look like is but anyone’s guess, what matters most is the truth that our future is ours to envision, discover and co-create together. We are the ones who write our own destiny, with how we choose to live our lives, with what we choose to learn, unlearn, and relearn, with what we choose to let go and leave behind, with what we choose to envision and create, and what we choose to cherish and value — see?

Should we choose to use our free will to rewrite our story and redefine how we do things — is entirely up to each and every one of us. Is it not, indeed, up to us to choose our path? The decision is ours, and ours alone, and has been so from day one. Should we choose to acknowledge it, is once again, up to us. Whichever path we choose, it will surely determine the fate of our species for a long time to come.

___
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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

[ Click » here « to read the next part: Humans – Masters of Storytelling 2/2 – The Essence of Life: Part III ]

Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"

Are humans the pinnacle of evolution 4 of 4 - the book alan watts zen meditation awareness key

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

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?

_______
*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? 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?

___
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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

[ Click » here « to read the next part: Humans – Masters of Storytelling 1/2 – The Essence of Life: Part III ]

The pinnacle of evolution 3 of 4 - the book alan watts zen meditation awareness key

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

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.

_______
*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.

_______
*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?

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.

___
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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

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

The pinnacle of evolution 2 of 4 - the book alan watts zen meditation awareness key to happiness

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

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.

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?

___
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~

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

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