Have you noticed how much activity there is nowadays towards making the world a better place? (or is it just me?!)
I’m amazed and very hopeful about all the efforts I am seeing towards increasing humankind’s understanding and compassion towards each other and the environment.
I expect you are involved too, in one way or another, in improving your life and the lives of others, right? It’s fantastic, isn’t it?
Today I’m sharing with you a few gems I have handy. And I’m also working on more writing that I hope will help even more in the next few weeks.
Thanks for your email. Unlike you, I am not as optimistic as you are on the status of the world. Yes, there are more activities nowadays trying to make the world a better place. Yet, we don't see much result. The reason, I think, is because the world is completely messed up. What most people considered to be “correct” are in fact not. And very few people bother to use the “result” produced as a gauge to see if we are on the “right” track or not. Our medical science is “wrong”. Our physics is “wrong”. Our social structure is “wrong”. Our economic structure is “wrong”. Our religion is “wrong”. Our political structure is “wrong”. And the list goes on.And the result is obvious. Our climate is messed up. Our economy is messed up. Our world politics is messed up. Our environment is messed up. Our health is messed up. Our world is so messed up, to the degree that I think a “correction” is now inevitable. In other words, things are going to get much worse before it gets better.For those who are willing, we must all try to do the following:1. Integrity – absolutely no lies no matter how small.2. Responsibility – stop blaming anyone, including ourselves. Take responsibility and take action.3. Inquiry – question everything you know as “true”, and gauge what you know by the “result” produced.4. Service – serve others.I do not talk of religion or spirituality. To me, it is just “is”. It is how nature operates. It is simply “science”.I do not know how much time we have, but I suspect that we don't have much left. What will happen, will happen. If I survive all the coming disasters, I will help to rebuild the world by teaching what I have discovered. That, I think, is why I am alive now.James
Hi James,Thanks for sharing your thoughts. In general I agree because I think the world is getting much worse in many ways and many of our assumptions about the world are incorrect, or at least not complete. We are in a phase of major readjustment, and the slower the change comes, the more painful it will be. However the pain we feel also facilitates the change, so they are in balance. I believe things are and will get both much worse and much better.I also agree with your list of solutions. And I would add another one, that is to focus our attention on what we want and what is working, rather than what is wrong and not working. We naturally create more of whatever we put our attention on. Focusing on the solution creates the solution. That's why I am purposeful in focusing on the change, the positive and our continuing creation of what we want.Cheers,Angela
Yes, focusing on solutions is very important. That is a natural outcome when one takes full responsibility over everything one encounters. In other words,Integrity creates the foundation of reality that we operate in.Responsibility creates the solution.Inquiry creates awareness.Service creates love.It is now clear to me that most of the world is asleep (or not aware). They are also mostly irresponsible and have little integrity. As mother earth corrects itself, most likely these people will not be able to survive on this physical plane. (That is purely a speculation on my part. I will know for sure when it happens.) :)James
Nice distinction, James. Yes, solutions come from responsibility.I have another thought on your comment about religion, spirituality and science. I have realized lately that 'mysticism' as a form of spirituality refers to exploration of internal experiences which can be done from an entirely scientific viewpoint. Just like scientific explorations in Psychology, mystics experiment with different internal experiences and share and compare their experiences. Humankind actually has thousands of years of experience in this exploration which we can build on and learn from.This form of spirituality is based on evidence, not on belief. It aligns with your 4 keys. I'm very attracted and excited by the opportunities it presents to upgrade humankind's understanding of itself.I would also conjecture that love creates service, not the other way round. Love is our natural state. That's what I experience myself and through watching others reduce their fears so that love can express itself.How does this thinking align with yours?
I didn't know that you posted a reply on your blog! Good that you sent me the link.First of all, psychology is not a science, as I define science. I think it is voodoo, similar to today's many other so called “sciences”.I don't understand what you mean by mystics and internal experience. I can't identify that with any of my experiences. To me, things are just “are”. And when you truly understands how it works, it is science. Anything “believed” is no longer a science and instead becomes a trap. That is why we have to “inquire” constantly.The problem with the word “love” is that it is a heavily abused word. Most people when they said “love” actually mean “need”. Next time when you hear that word, see if “need” is what they really mean. So I use the word “service” instead. When honestly performed, it is actually “love” without the “need”.James
Indeed, the meanings we apply to these words have a big difference on our understanding. Science. Belief. Inquire. Love.That's an interesting idea that service could equal the true meaning of love. I can see that.As far as gaining more perspective on science and how it can be used to help us understand life more fully in the age of quantum physics, I find Ken Wilbur's 4 quadrants model very useful. There are 4 different views of life that are equally valid and have been used unequally at different times to produce only partial understandings of all of existence. Let me know if you're interested to discuss this more.http://holons-news.com/fourquadrants.html
I read the material you mentioned. I have a different view than Wilbur. First of all, there is NO “objective”. All views must be “subjective” in nature, as you need a “subject” to “see”. When people use the word “objective”, they usually mean the “subjective views of many other people who agree with each other”. However, no matter how many people shared the same view, that view is still subjective in nature by its viewers.All views are transient in nature, until you can “see” the “whole” picture (or get to the bottom of it). When you reach that stage, you are “god”. (see below)As to the other 2 “inter..” quadrants, they are all “common views and beliefs” to me. Their only use is for our survival, but at the same time, they bound us to a “prison with no gate” (as in Zen).When I use the word “science”, I mean “the understanding of how things operate”, or “the laws of nature”, or “laws of the universe” etc. I do NOT mean the “science” that we have today, which in essence is a “religion” based on some “beliefs”. When you truly understand science, you will know “god”, and you are “god”. (“god” = “creation” = “is” = “nature”. “god” is not some idol that someone worships, which is a “belief”.)When believed, science is a religion.When questioned, religion is a science.I guess you didn't read the ebook “The Simple Science of Being” that I sent to you. I would encourage you to do so, as it might trigger you to start inquiring into things that you thought are “true” before.James