Life remains a big mystery for all involved. How did we get here, how did it all begin and where does it all lead to? Many people asked these questions, and entire societies emerged depending on the answers given. While current predominantly accepted answer to these big questions seem simple, they might reflect an unhealthy tunnel vision.
How did we get here? Coincidence. The universe acts like a giant quantum computer, pre-programmed with rule sets which randomly create systems of higher complexity. Basically Newton's clockwork universe revisited, full of inevitability and determinism.
How did it all begin? Big Bang. The strictly causal universe popped out of less than nothing into existence, without cause. While everything within universe seems to follow causal relationships, universe itself lacks any cause. In other words: The existence of universe, or its origin, kind of breaks the entire rule set valid within universe.
Where does it all lead to? Entropy. Everything deteriorates, transform from order into chaos. The entire universe will run out of fuel, and collapse in itself, popping as mysteriously and inexplicable out of existence as it emerged.
This big picture of things diminishes our existence, our individuality and our consciousness to nothing but an inevitable by-product of rule-based processes beyond our intentional influence. While this concept of reality has been promoted and believed lots, it doesn't really reflect what happens.
The three questions seem to go to the core of life, the universe and everything, yet from a perspective making our existence the centre of importance of the whole universe. These questions address the 'objects' of our thinking, without addressing thinking/observing itself.
This virtual conversation could not take place without consciousness. Any word, any thought just attempts to describe the experiences available to consciousness. Please allow yourself for a moment or two to live without a concise definition of consciousness, and trust your idea of it (at least as long as you believe that you're endowed with it).
Let me now propose 'consciousness' as primary 'substance' of our universe. Like the ocean consists of water molecules, consciousness consists of 'spirit' molecules, distinct yet closely linked. Our 'self', us being represents one droplet in the ocean of consciousness. Matter as we know it emerges as consequence of consciousness, never as its cause.
It might take a bit of contemplation to shift our perspective from materialistic, deterministic object based thinking towards process-focussed thinking. The word consciousness describes a process, yet the english language lacks the precision of specific terms for different states of this process. Dhyana, samadhi, satori can not be properly translated into the language of cultures which subscribed to materialistic fundamentalism.
The western culture replaced the quest for liberation, for moksha, with the illusion of personal liberty. Like in many areas, some cleverly installed maya (illusion) suggests already 'being there', no need to move deliberately into the direction of love, compassion and understanding. The Western culture has ostensibly reached the level of enlightenment about 2 centuries ago. No worries, mate, we totally got it.
If you grew up in a culture claiming to have descended from an 'enlightened' culture, it's easy to assume that the systems in place reflect enlightened ideas. Unfortunately, the existing systems of governance and economy fail to provide access for everyone to the abundance of resources our planet offers. The firm believe that the current world is the best possible, after a quasi linear development to excellence, hinders participation in individual growth and evolution of society.
From a process-focussed perspective, change of structures of society appears natural and inevitable. The very same evolving structures have rather quality of static snapshots, gradually adjusted towards more 'efficiency' when seen from a materialistic-deterministic perspective. Considering the lack of success in making this planet work for 100% of humanity using the current systems of society, restructuring society in radical new (old) ways seems the next potential evolutionary leap.
Before I leap to far ahead, I'd like to step back a bit to introduce my understanding of the process of evolution. Individual systems combine with other other systems towards higher complexity and diversity in order to succeed coexisting within an environment. From one-cellular beings via multicellular life forms evolution increased complexity and diversity of the biosphere of Mother Earth.
As an ongoing process on all levels of life and consciousness, comparing evolution to a race to the top, with humanity as its most important outcome, makes only little sense. Everything permanently co-evolves. Humanity's attack on biodiversity tears holes in the web of life which endanger its own existence. The temporary madness in global human interaction, war, pollution, starvation only paves the path to a massive fall of so-called civilisation.
Unless we decide to organise our support systems in ways that work for 100% of humanity, to consciously evolve our communities and ourself, we have little chance to avoid witnessing the empire falling, and taking many with it. Understanding evolution as on-going process, and not merely as propaganda tool to justify a culture of domination, can facilitate shaping our evolution of society without creating unnecessary suffering.
