PART III
CHANGING THE GUARD AND RE-GROWING THE GARDEN
“Why don’t we go for Heaven on Earth, just for the hell of it?”
— Swami Beyondananda
There’s good news, and there’s bad news. The bad news: civilization, as we know it, is about to end. Now, the good news: civilization, as we know it, is about to end.
True, the seemingly insurmountable crises that currently challenge our existence can be taken as an obvious portent of civilization’s imminent demise. However, below the turmoil evident on the surface, there is an even deeper, more profound reason as to why our civilization is ending. The core beliefs upon which we have built our world are leading us to our own extinction—that’s the bad news.
The good news is that new-edge science has drastically revised our current paradigm’s core beliefs. By definition, revisions of paradigmatic beliefs inevitably provoke a profound transformation of civilization as its population assimilates the newer, more life-sustaining awareness.
More good news is that ours is not the first Western civilization to rise and then fall out of favor. Three earlier versions of civilization—animism, polytheism, and monotheism—preceded and contributed to today’s culture of scientific materialism. So, there is precedent for the furthering of our evolution.
As with any living organism, the birth of a civilization is initially characterized by a developmental period during which novel cultural ideas are introduced to the mainstream public. As a society matures, effective life-enhancing beliefs become canonized and perceived as cultural law, and these concretized beliefs lead to rigidity in a society’s behavioral patterns.
The lifespan of a civilization begins with new development, peaks with rigidity, and ends with decline.
Over time, a society’s fixed beliefs inevitably precipitate irresolvable environmental challenges. At this stage of its life cycle, the cultural mainstream’s inherent rigidity expresses itself as an active resistance to change, even when confronted with life-threatening crises. Inflexibility in a time of upheaval precipitates a rapid decline of the aging society.
Today’s world situation reveals that we are deep in the throes of global life-threatening challenges that are directly linked to civilization’s misperceived societal truths. We are entering a transition period between a civilization that is dying and one that is struggling to be born. From the ashes of the old civilization arises a new one—we are living the story of the Phoenix.
Every day, increasing numbers of people are awakening to the reality that civilization, as we know it, is going to end. This conclusion isn’t exactly a surprise; a world in chaos with overwhelming crises can be taken as a reliable warning of imminent upheaval. Now that we have been forewarned, are we forearmed to deal with the exigencies of such a massive social upheaval? Perhaps a more important question might be, “In the inevitable transformation of our world, will we be able to avert the trauma of revolution and, instead, opt for global healing through evolution?”
THE FORK IN THE ROAD
We are now speeding toward our third transit of the balance point between the spiritual realm and the material realm. What lies before us when we arrive will be defined by our choice between two alternative paths. We may choose to stay in the same familiar world of dueling dualities, wherein religious fundamentalists and reductionistic scientists continue to polarize the public. This path will obviously continue to take us toward the same destination we are heading to now—imminent extinction.
Or, as we return again to the balance point, we may choose to resolve our differences by seeking harmony over polarity. By combining formerly factious elements into a unified functional whole, we can open the door, transcend historic dualities, and experience an evolution that will provide for a higher-functioning, more-sustainable version of humanity.
The potential behind such a seemingly miraculous resolution is not based on some pie-in-the-sky, Pollyanna thinking. The positive vision supporting this probable future is inherent in the wisdom offered by civilization’s basal paradigm. However, we are not speaking of the wisdom of the current civilization’s paradigm, a belief system with flawed myth-perceptions that directly contribute to today’s global chaos. Rather, we are speaking of a new basal paradigm, one based on an integration of new science and ancient spiritual wisdom. While no official name has yet been designated to describe the next version of civilization, we will identify the new basal paradigm as holism.
As with civilization’s previous paradigms—animism, polytheism, monotheism, and scientific materialism—holism must provide acceptable answers to the three perennial questions prior to becoming civilization’s official basal paradigm:
1. How did we get here?
2. Why are we here?
3. Now that we’re here, how do we make the best of it?
HOW DID WE GET HERE? THE HOLISTIC VIEW
Cosmologists agree that before the appearance of matter the Universe was comprised of an entangled matrix of invisible energy referred to as the field. After the Big Bang, estimated to have occurred 15 billion years ago, physical matter precipitated out of that energy field and has been entangled with it ever since.
The principles of quantum mechanics emphasize the primacy of energy fields in their influence over matter. Consequently, the Universe’s matter is organized by information, represented as energy patterns contained within the field. The principles of quantum mechanics lend support to Socrates’ notion that invisible forms, or souls, are responsible for shaping the physical realm.
Because the field’s information existed prior to the material world, we can easily entertain the notion of creationism in which an organism’s form existed in the field as a defined energy pattern before the physical organism appeared on the planet.
Over a period lasting billions of years, Earth’s physical matter gradually assembled into complex physical forms that complement the field’s invisible information patterns. In linear time, the first living organisms to appear on the planet were simple bacteria. Through the use of adaptive mutation mechanisms and epigenetic modifications, primitive cells were able to select and alter their genetic code in order to better accommodate their environmental niches. Heredity-modifying processes provided living organisms with a mechanism to continuously adapt to new and ever-changing environments.
The time-dependent process of assembling physical matter into cells followed by the assembly of cells into complex organisms, such as humans, represents the linear process of evolution. Therefore, it appears that the origins of the biosphere’s organisms are derived from both creation and evolution processes.
In a paradigm of holism, former polar opposites are revealed to be entangled parts within one whole system. This especially applies to the dueling polarities of creation and evolution, processes that are inseparably entangled in the dance of life. Holism recognizes that both the creationist notion of a pre-existing pattern and the evolutionist theory of how this pattern is manifested over time are pieces of the cosmic puzzle that, when put together, approximate reality.
As we will learn in Chapter 11, Fractal Evolution, Nature has utilized a geometric formula to shape the dynamic assembly of communities of living systems. In contrast to Darwinian theory, which suggests evolution is random, the new science implies that evolution represents a purposeful process in which individual organisms survive by adaptation and thrive by becoming members of a larger community. Each participant is an interdependent member of the community, making a contribution to the whole and, in return, reaping the benefits.
WHY ARE WE HERE? THE HOLISTIC VIEW
As mentioned earlier, James Lovelock proposed the Gaia hypothesis in 1972. He theorized that the physical Earth and the living biosphere form a complex interacting system that can be considered as a single organism. The hypothesis states that the biosphere has a regulatory influence on Earth’s environment, balancing and buffering the physical characteristics of the planet in order to sustain life.
Organisms introduced to an environment modify and disturb the original conditions of their ecological niche by engaging in life-sustaining biological activities such as eating, breathing, and eliminating waste. In an effort to restore environmental balance, Nature employs adaptive mutations and epigenetic mechanisms to shape the evolution of subsequent new species whose life activities contribute to the restoration of harmonious balance in the ecosystem.
The Gaia hypothesis emphasizes Nature’s tendency to move toward balance and harmony. A fundamental example of Gaian harmony—one so obvious that we often fail to see it—is the entangled relationship between plants and animals. Plants require carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and excrete oxygen as a waste product, whereas animals breathe in oxygen for respiration and excrete carbon dioxide as a waste product. One couldn’t survive without the other.
Humans, like every other organism in the biosphere, are here to support environmental balance, to buffer it, to sustain it, and to encourage harmony. Among Earth’s organisms, human beings are unique in that we are consciously aware of our evolutionary process and potential. We are here to use our evolved awareness to support environmental harmony.
We can view the environment in terms of a delicately balanced seesaw. When a new organism is added at one end, the seesaw becomes unbalanced. To re-create balance, Nature will either eliminate the original organism or evolve a counterbalancing new organism at the other end of the seesaw.
The impact a species has on the environment’s balance is directly related to how close it is to the seesaw’s fulcrum. A species straddling the fulcrum can readily alter the balance by simply shifting its weight toward one side or the other. Humanity has evolved to the point of, essentially, standing on the fulcrum of evolution’s seesaw, and we must recognize that we exert a truly powerful influence over the balance of Nature.
Ignorance of our responsibility to the planet’s welfare has contributed to a number of life-threatening ecological crises. In light of new insights concerning humanity’s role in planetary evolution, we must become consciously aware of our impact on the environment. We must redirect our awareness toward reduction of our environmental footprint so that we shift our influence toward greater sustainability.
As Lovelock suggests, the biosphere represents a giant living and quite aware organism comprised of all the world’s cells, plants, and animals. Every cell is an aware sentient entity. Through the evolution of cellular communities, cells were able to greatly amplify the power of their awareness, and, in the end, create the advanced intelligence of the human mind. The history of evolution maps the developmental advancement of awareness through the expansion of community. Perhaps that evolutionary directive—accumulating awareness through expanding community—offers a clear direction for our currently evolving civilization.
NOW THAT WE’RE HERE, HOW DO WE MAKE THE BEST OF IT? THE HOLISTIC VIEW
We make the best of life by making the best life we can—for ourselves, for others, and for our planet. For insight on how to accomplish that, we need only look within our own bodies: a model community of 50 trillion individual cells that have learned to live and work in harmony. We humans can direct our conscious awareness to learn how to do what our cells already do—create a civilization endowed with health, harmony, and bliss.
Our destiny as human beings at the fulcrum of Earth’s seesaw is to use our awareness to create sustainable technologies that enhance our survival and lessen our environmental impact. In Chapter 12, Time to See a Good Shrink, we will take a journey beneath our skin and observe exactly how societies of cells have created successful, life-enhancing communities. Human hubris would have us believe that we are Earth’s most highly intelligent creatures and that all other organisms are less intelligent. In fact, many scientists might argue that primitive organisms, such as cells, display no intelligence at all.
This might be a good place to recognize this important fact: cellular technology created us! In designing the human body, cellular communities developed amazing technologies that were needed to manipulate, regulate, and precisely control their environment. Interestingly, most of the advanced technologies created by cells are still beyond the grasp of human science and awareness. Therefore, we argue, in contrast, that we have a lot to learn from cells.
Technology is an integral element in the evolutionary process. Considering that we are following an evolutionary path similar to the one taken by our cells, we are also destined to use technology to ensure our survival. This is counter to the arguments of Luddites who would have us forsake all of our technological know-how and return to the Garden as hairless pets.
Actually, our evolutionary destiny is to re-inhabit the Garden, only this time in full awareness of our journey. In the same manner that cellular technology provided for the success of cellular communities in a human body, we must recognize that human technology will provide for the success of human communities on our planet.
The chart below compares the beliefs of the current basal paradigm of scientific materialism with that of the evolving paradigm of holism. As is evident, the answers to the perennial questions are profoundly different, and the consequence is that civilization, as we know it, is about to divert from its present course of apparent self-extinction.
The perennial questions, as answered by the scientific materialism paradigm and the holism paradigm
| Perennial Question | Scientific Materialism | Holism |
|---|
| How did we get here? | Random acts of heredity | Via a combination of creation and adaptive evolution |
| Why are we here? | No other reason than to go forth and multiply | To tend the Garden and acquire awareness for humanity’s evolution |
| Now that we’re here, how do we make the best of it? | Live by the law of the Jungle | Live in balance with Nature recognizing that all is connected |
When civilization evolves into the paradigm of holism, we will have come full circle to reacquire the awareness once held by our animistic forebears. We will once again realize oneness with our earthly environment, and, at the same time, we will honor the influence of what we call field, or spirit, that shapes our material existence in every moment.
The human population is awakening with a rapidly growing awareness that the key to a healthy, happy life in a thriving Garden requires us to recognize that we are each and all cells in the body of humanity, that we are conscious and conscientious caretakers and cultivators.
The Universe appears to be in an ever-unfolding spiral of evolutionary development. Having reflected on the past and examined the present, we are now ready to consider the parameters of a healthier future. We stand ready to reject the programming of habitual fear that has enslaved us and inhibited our growth. We are learning that the path to healing and breakthrough necessitates that we unite polarities that have fractured civilization. Humans across the planet are on the threshold of accepting their “humanifest destiny” as conscious co-creators.
A STATE OF “EMERGENT SEEING”
As we’ve already seen, the old paradigm beliefs exert their influence invisibly through every institution in society as well as in beliefs firmly embedded in our own psyche. For transformation to take place, a critical mass of us must divest ourselves of these obsolete beliefs and then invest our awareness and activities so as to be in harmony with the new emergent paradigm.
But in order to re-grow the Garden, we must first change the guard. Those dated beliefs of scientific materialism that stand guard at our doors of perception must be retired and relieved of duty. We must welcome a new basal paradigm, one that is based on an integration of new science and ancient spiritual wisdom, one that weaves old dualities into a unified holistic worldview.
In Part III, we move from our current state of emergency and declare our desire for a state of “emergent seeing.” We offer a story to help us emerge from our limiting identity as separate individual cells and come to recognize ourselves as unique and important interdependent cells in the body of humanity.
In addition to Chapter 11, Fractal Evolution, and Chapter 12, Time to See a Good Shrink, Part III contains four prescriptive and visionary chapters that apply fractal awareness and the wisdom of the cells to human economics, politics, individual consciousness, and collective spiritual understanding. Each chapter, built on the truths uncovered in new-edge biology and quantum physics, offers insights on choices that increase the likelihood of civilization realizing a life-sustaining spontaneous evolution.
The One Suggestion: Maybe Ten Commandments are too many. Maybe all we need is one suggestion: “We’re all in this together.” Chapter 13 is an exploration of the field, the mysterious and invisible shaping force that connects us all, which reveals that we truly are all entangled particles in the same field of dreams. This chapter affirms that humanity’s survival in a holistic paradigm is predicated on adopting the Golden Rule as a universal operating system.
A Healthy Commonwealth: We are cells in the body of humanity as well as citizens of the biosphere. Consequently, we must declare that economy and ecology are one and the same. In fact, the English words economy and ecology both originate from the Greek oikos, which means “household, house, or family” and was, as it relates to both financial and environmental wellness, the basic unit of society in most ancient Greek city-states.
Chapter 14, A Healthy Commonwealth, provides new science and sustainable trends that offer a promise of a new economics that is harmonious with the planet and with true human needs. That’s good oikos.
Healing the Body Politic: Chapter 15, Healing the Body Politic, prescribes a holistic treatment that contrasts the conventional Newtonian approach of temporarily masking symptoms through practices such as political repression. Instead, we consider a new system of justice—a balance—that stops us from wasting energy by suppressing symptoms and, instead, liberates that energy for actually solving problems. By accessing the healthy central voice of We the People, we bring to light vital, life-affirming elements that have been missing in our political conversations.
A Whole New Story: Chapter 16, A Whole New Story, focuses on the processes needed to release and complete the old story so that we can begin a new one. The new story integrates opposing polarities to maximize the benefit of each position while moving beyond static positions to solve problems at a higher level.
As we free ourselves from limiting and self-destructive programs on both the individual and cultural level, we become free to write a new story. What would our world look like if we declared an end to the old story of domination, greed, fear, and hatred? What if we dismissed all old grievances in a worldwide ceremony and declared ourselves healed? What if we finalized the old story by concluding, “and they lived happily ever after?”
Well . . . we could begin living happily ever after right now—immediately—by bringing our own happiness with us.
The possibilities we could unleash are beyond imagination!
