Where did life come from? How did all of this stuff get here? Stuff meaning you and me and everything around us. Who put it here? Or, was it simply grown out of the cosmos?
Certainly, humanity has major competing viewpoints on the subject: There are those that believe in evolution and those that believe in a divine creator. Neither belief can be fundamentally disproven or championed over the opposition. This, is a good thing. We need opposing ideas to push back on each other. Perhaps the true answer lies in a combination of both beliefs, perhaps neither of them are right and it’s something entirely beyond our conceptual ability. The point is: we are all trying to figure life out, and we should try and understand things in a collaborative but competitive environment.
What do I think?
I believe that the Universe is alive, just like everything else in this natural world, and we grow out from it and alongside it.
Take a blueberry bush, for example. It starts very tiny, almost infinitely so, and eventually grows into a green bush with lovely leaves and strong branches. Then, after it matures, it starts producing berries. Some of them are sweet and some of them sour, each with its own individual characteristics. A few of the berries fall to the ground and are squished, a few are eaten by birds, some are picked and turned into delicious blueberry muffins, others are just foraged and eaten on the spot.
To me, humans and other creatures are the blueberries and the universe is the tree itself.
We grow out of the tree of life just like everything else, and a myriad of different outcomes can occur to humans just like it can to the blueberries. Some of us live long and happy lives and others of us are sick from the moment we are born. Human beings are obviously more intelligent than a blueberry, but we share characteristics with life and to suggest that we are wildly different from other living things, including blueberries, is egotistical. We are one in the same with plants, just as we are with the sharks in the water and the stars in the sky. Life is all made from the same molecules that produce the ground we stand on.
However, it’s perfectly acceptable and probably preferrable that humans show empathy towards living beings. We have the capability to do so, and we should apply it whenever possible or necessary. Because, while we are like the blueberry, we are capable of more thought and we should apply our knowledge according to our own desires. If you’re a person who has deep emotional connections to those that are suffering, then you should continue to invest yourself in helping others. Likewise, if you’re siloed and prefer to take care of your own and don’t want to be bothered with the trifles of the general public, that is ok too. My point is, you should do what you feel is best for your life in any given moment.
Attempting to go against what you believe is not the answer. We should embrace what makes us happy and try to enable that enjoyment as much as possible. because when we go against who we are, then we arrive at cognitive dissonance. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort you feel when you say something, do something or behave a certain way that goes against your vales. This clash of beliefs and disruption of thought can also occur if you have two or more conflicting beliefs and you’re torn between them” (Cleveland Clinic).
I firmly believe that people should do what they find enjoyable, as long as it does not interfere with another person’s enjoyment of life. Other people have the right to enjoy their lives too, and infringing upon that right is against our core-tenets. We should seek to lift ourselves up and bring others with us. Focus on meditation, going against egotistical ways of thought, and disengaging with attachments.
Alan Watts is one of the biggest influences on my journey into Zen practice. I find myself aligning with his perspective on a lot of these topics, so you will see his quotes quite often. Further, I will review his writings and discuss them in other posts and on the forums. We will, of course, bring in other writers and voices to hear other points of view. It is paramount to consider opposing voices and opposite ways of thinking. We want to encourage alternative ways of thinking to better expand our understanding of the cosmos.
As Alan stated, we are a growing and living part of our universe. We grow along side of it and within it, and we experience the universe just like we experience our own lives. We are witnesses not only to the things happening to us, but also to the things happening around us.
Key Takeaway
We live in a time of grand spectacle. Life is in full swing: the oceans are waving, the warmth of the sun is on our shoulders, and we get to experience the splendor and beauty of the natural world. Take it in, stop and listen to the wind blow or the birds chirping, and simply enjoy it. Experiences are fleeting, but they are also around every corner, enjoy them as they come to you and live in the moment.
Comments