Is the World illusion? By Vazdev Major religions agree this world is not the real thing. Some of the synonymous religious terms describing our planetary environment are a place of temporal existence for trials and suffering, Samsara—ocean of birth, disease, old age and death—and Maya, illusion. The bottomline is the same—it’s no good here because there is a better place for the human soul called heaven, spiritual kingdom, or nirvana. The notion—truth to believers—is said to be revelation from God, whether He is Vishnu, Krishna, Yahweh, Buddha, or Allah, its veracity hardly questioned by believers. Besides, nature and the universe always escape understanding by man. Thus, divine revelation comes as most convenient recourse in forming metanarratives—for it is intrinsic among humans to have life meaning. Ironically followers of various religions disagree among themselves how to attain salvation from the clutches of this “unreal” world. Even non-believing materialists declare life merely an accident and treat Nature as material resource to be exploited and enjoyed. Here, believers are in cohorts with non-believers for they adopted the same extractive and exploitative attitude. Is it surprising that Earth resources, particularly biological diversity, diminish so fast? So quick is Man in cutting off his own natural lifelines that self-annihilation is closing in as real threat. Do we need to toe the chasm of extinction before we consider survival of species as option? We learned from gradeschool billions of atoms assemble together to build up material things. Similarly, numerous cells connect, cooperate, and shape tissues that in turn form organs constituting the physical body. This interactive and cooperative disposition of basic building blocks of matter and life, normally taken for granted, is actually responsible for the formation of bigger and more complex systems—ecosystems to bio-regions, on to planetary and galactic systems! The same expanding evolutionary impulse sociologically motivated man to form families, clans, tribes, communities, and nations. True, competition is present in Nature and credited by materialist scientists for the survival of the strongest species. But that perspective has been proven inferior to the deeper observation that the evolutionary impulse seeks expansion and complexity through unification, harmony, and equilibrium. By evolution’s aforementioned virtues to connect, complexify, and grow, the concept of Sustainability became keyword in discussing development. Without sustainability development degenerates into futility. Originating from a great flaring forth this evolutionary energy is prevalent in the cosmos, still working in each atom, molecule or living cell, in culture and society, out into open space, expanding by billions of miles per second, seeking out bigger, more complex forms and systems to function harmoniously, in greater and even greater equilibrium. Is this illusion, or is there purpose, yet unknown, operating here? Who knows what other lifeforms, intelligent or otherwise, it has created in its limitless expanse along its 13.7 billion-year evolutionary path? We are in a matrix more magical than anyone can imagine, clearly beyond our petty ways. Any theory can only succeed in limiting its immeasurable immensity within the confines of the puny human mind. How can anyone put into words that which is beyond the scope of human expression? Even claims of divine revelation, to make human sense, cannot be rid of restricting religious gastronomy. Nobody is in the right position to disclose to humans what evolution’s finality is. Presumably only a God to whom everything is subjective would be able to do that. But why should it be His concern? Unless He is so bad an author that He commits the error of anti-climax. Genetic evolution is an experiential learning process of transcending and including. Human eyes, for example, having developed from that of fish had transcended the aquatic environment but still possess fundamental piscine design, which is why its origin has been traced. Cutting off the evolutionary process to reach some imagined heavenly state is counter-enlightenment. Undermining Nature therefore is human folly no matter how it is rationalized. It is a grave offense committed against the very Mother that nurtured life so it could be experienced. With man’s current metanarratives, close to seven billion ingrates in human form inhabiting the Earth’s surface for another century, or less, will abort 65 million years of biodiversity evolution—the sure way to extinction. But there is a way, both scientific and spiritual, that could give humans an understanding of Nature’s mysterious ways and higher purpose. Any two or more things vibrating harmoniously will come closer together and, should the vibrations achieve similar frequency, they become one. Logically, by attuning our lives to Nature’s groove we experience evolutionary meaning and, eventually, achieve its grand purpose. Divert yourself from materialism’s meaningless maize. A glimpse at some of Nature’s mysteries would be enough to boggle our minds out of human hubris. Why not enjoy the magnificent cosmic ride? Fear is the illusion.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 08:43:21 +0000
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