From illusion of order to chaos to order
Daily it seems that someone asks me about the current presidential primary in the United States. These questions come from friends in Australia, Canada, England, and many other places. If not asking about the long lasting, crude, bitter campaign the United States they might be questioning the political situations in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, or in almost any other country including their home country. They might also comment about the fact that the British are considering whether to stay as part of the European Union
Of course, political strife, war and mass death is not a new phenomenon in human history. It is also not new that a relatively small percentage of we humans enjoy a grossly large share of the necessities and luxuries of the world while the rest of the population starves or barely survives. We have explained this gross disparity with many different theories. These include:
• Survival of the fittest –biological determinism.
• “The poor you shall always have with you.”
• Natural or pre-determined classes of people.
• Harder work by some.
• Superiority of size, production or any number of other factors.
• Race superiority.
• Bigger and/or more effective weapons.
• Blood – blue blood of the royal class.
• Form of government.
• Right of a few “good or smart or industrious/creative” people to make money and decide who is deserving of “help”.
• Being “God’s” chosen people.
Despite all these theories, many individuals, groups and nations seem to be experiencing the current distress, fighting, fleeing of refugees, acrimonious political campaigns and civil strife as worse or somehow different than preceding periods of history. The differences which I can identify are:
• Mass and instant communication – constant bombardment via the printed word, internet, phone, radio and television. Unless one lives in a places where one has limited or no access to phones, satellite access, or electrical access one cannot totally escape “the news” from around the world whether that news is about the results of a recent suicidal bombing, the latest disease outbreak or the latest attempt to hold some individual or group accountable. It can also be what many of us would consider trivial. Most of the world has now known since the evening of March 3, 2016 that Donald Trump believes he is well endowed. I wager that I am not the only person who, prior to this announcement had not only not thought about Mt. Trump’s genitals but had not wanted to think about or even imagine he has genitals.
• There is no denying that certainly in the United States and in other countries the industrial revolution allowed a significant number of people to rise from relative poverty to having homes with cars, electricity, air conditioning, refrigerators and televisions. These same individuals and families took vacations and many managed to send their kids to college. There was many who felt that they had improved life for themselves and their children.
• In the United States and perhaps many other countries often covert and some overt violent actions were performed under the guise of being the good people who were keeping the world safe for democracy, god or …
• Superpowers, particularly the Soviet Union and the United States, manufactured and controlled the bulk of nuclear weapons and the behavior of many other countries.
• The rise of feminism, socialized medicine, the right to live and thrive regardless of sexual orientation, race, age, differing abilities continued and in some parts of the world continue to grow.
• An attempt to hold on to a limited religious understanding of the “purpose” of this life journey for humans and other life forms. Those doing this are often sure that they have the only true and direct communication with the one true God. These belief systems co-exist with an ever broadening of a spiritual base which allows for the inclusion of many different concepts of a higher power or the God of one’s understanding.
• The ability of individuals around the world to compare notes and organize into communities.
• The increasing difficulty of holding on to the belief that the universe of which we are a part is the only one or that we are the only possible living beings.
• The increasing ability of many nations to develop and threaten to use nuclear weapons.
• The increasing acceptance that we have created a way of life which is destroying the planet.
• An increasing realization that we have overpopulated this earth and/or can no longer deny that the abundance of some means the death of others.
As I re-read the above, it occurs to me that it is an age of letting go of many illusions. I suspect that when one lets go of illusions and does not immediately replace them with with other illusions one is left with chaos. From this chaos will emerge a new order on the level of this universe or a new order on the level of multiple universe. What cannot happen is a return to the former state of illusions. That is one of the major problems with illusions. Once we have realized that they are illusions we can no longer return to our former state.
Letting go and the resultant chaos is uncomfortable. It is interesting that this brings me back to the advice to the Christian theologian, Soren Aabye Kierkegaard, to take that leap of faith. This may not be the particular theological faith of Mr. Kierkegaard, but the process is the same. We must leap off into the unknown and trust that what happens will be what is needed to happen in the evolutionary process. Or not!
My personal belief is that we are at a period in history where the positive and negative forces are battling a an intensity never before experience on this planet. I personally think that the positive forces are stronger and will, in the long run, be the victor. Whether or not I am right, I know I do not want to add to the negative energy and will continue to have faith that we humans can allow love to win.
Written March 5, 2016
Daily it seems that someone asks me about the current presidential primary in the United States. These questions come from friends in Australia, Canada, England, and many other places. If not asking about the long lasting, crude, bitter campaign the United States they might be questioning the political situations in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, or in almost any other country including their home country. They might also comment about the fact that the British are considering whether to stay as part of the European Union
Of course, political strife, war and mass death is not a new phenomenon in human history. It is also not new that a relatively small percentage of we humans enjoy a grossly large share of the necessities and luxuries of the world while the rest of the population starves or barely survives. We have explained this gross disparity with many different theories. These include:
• Survival of the fittest –biological determinism.
• “The poor you shall always have with you.”
• Natural or pre-determined classes of people.
• Harder work by some.
• Superiority of size, production or any number of other factors.
• Race superiority.
• Bigger and/or more effective weapons.
• Blood – blue blood of the royal class.
• Form of government.
• Right of a few “good or smart or industrious/creative” people to make money and decide who is deserving of “help”.
• Being “God’s” chosen people.
Despite all these theories, many individuals, groups and nations seem to be experiencing the current distress, fighting, fleeing of refugees, acrimonious political campaigns and civil strife as worse or somehow different than preceding periods of history. The differences which I can identify are:
• Mass and instant communication – constant bombardment via the printed word, internet, phone, radio and television. Unless one lives in a places where one has limited or no access to phones, satellite access, or electrical access one cannot totally escape “the news” from around the world whether that news is about the results of a recent suicidal bombing, the latest disease outbreak or the latest attempt to hold some individual or group accountable. It can also be what many of us would consider trivial. Most of the world has now known since the evening of March 3, 2016 that Donald Trump believes he is well endowed. I wager that I am not the only person who, prior to this announcement had not only not thought about Mt. Trump’s genitals but had not wanted to think about or even imagine he has genitals.
• There is no denying that certainly in the United States and in other countries the industrial revolution allowed a significant number of people to rise from relative poverty to having homes with cars, electricity, air conditioning, refrigerators and televisions. These same individuals and families took vacations and many managed to send their kids to college. There was many who felt that they had improved life for themselves and their children.
• In the United States and perhaps many other countries often covert and some overt violent actions were performed under the guise of being the good people who were keeping the world safe for democracy, god or …
• Superpowers, particularly the Soviet Union and the United States, manufactured and controlled the bulk of nuclear weapons and the behavior of many other countries.
• The rise of feminism, socialized medicine, the right to live and thrive regardless of sexual orientation, race, age, differing abilities continued and in some parts of the world continue to grow.
• An attempt to hold on to a limited religious understanding of the “purpose” of this life journey for humans and other life forms. Those doing this are often sure that they have the only true and direct communication with the one true God. These belief systems co-exist with an ever broadening of a spiritual base which allows for the inclusion of many different concepts of a higher power or the God of one’s understanding.
• The ability of individuals around the world to compare notes and organize into communities.
• The increasing difficulty of holding on to the belief that the universe of which we are a part is the only one or that we are the only possible living beings.
• The increasing ability of many nations to develop and threaten to use nuclear weapons.
• The increasing acceptance that we have created a way of life which is destroying the planet.
• An increasing realization that we have overpopulated this earth and/or can no longer deny that the abundance of some means the death of others.
As I re-read the above, it occurs to me that it is an age of letting go of many illusions. I suspect that when one lets go of illusions and does not immediately replace them with with other illusions one is left with chaos. From this chaos will emerge a new order on the level of this universe or a new order on the level of multiple universe. What cannot happen is a return to the former state of illusions. That is one of the major problems with illusions. Once we have realized that they are illusions we can no longer return to our former state.
Letting go and the resultant chaos is uncomfortable. It is interesting that this brings me back to the advice to the Christian theologian, Soren Aabye Kierkegaard, to take that leap of faith. This may not be the particular theological faith of Mr. Kierkegaard, but the process is the same. We must leap off into the unknown and trust that what happens will be what is needed to happen in the evolutionary process. Or not!
My personal belief is that we are at a period in history where the positive and negative forces are battling a an intensity never before experience on this planet. I personally think that the positive forces are stronger and will, in the long run, be the victor. Whether or not I am right, I know I do not want to add to the negative energy and will continue to have faith that we humans can allow love to win.
Written March 5, 2016
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