Make Humanity Whole Again: Part 1

It’s the summer of 2022.

The whole world is waking up to the aftermath of a global pandemic and lockdown measures that strained every part of society. There is a war raging in Eastern Europe that is disrupting, displacing, and devastating human life, and bringing the world to the brink of nuclear conflict. There are ongoing wars and conflicts around the globe not covered by mainstream media, and most government agencies seem more aligned with the interests of corporations than the needs of the general population.

With conflict and uncertainty on the rise like never before, and with tolerance and understanding in short supply, perhaps it’s time to step back and ask some important questions.

Namely: How did we end up here? And what can each of us do to heal these divisions? 

Even though our current world situation involves a host of complex issues perhap there are simple and essential ways we can respond, so as to begin the process of reclaiming the fragmented parts of ourselves, our society and our world

I’d like to suggest that we look beyond the world of form and appearances, to the essence of who we really are. Because if the solution can’t be found externally then perhaps it lies within. 

And perhaps the problem lies within as well - in a world view that cuts us off from our own essential nature.

The scientific world view

Four hundred years ago, the French philosopher Rene Descartes postulated a fundamental distinction between mind and matter, with abstract human reasoning privileged as the bedrock of truth.

This privileging of reason ushered in the Enlightenment era, which saw western culture reorganize itself around the principles of science and technological progress rather than the church.

Although this shift in paradigms ushered in remarkable, indeed miraculous, discoveries and undreamed of material development, it also robbed us of something essential as well.

In reality the founding fathers of sciences were actually profoundly spiritual in their outlook. Sir Isaac Newton described many mystical experiences in his private writings, and in his scientific observations discovered many paradoxes that materialism alone can not fully explain. Descartes was also devout catholic and tried to prove the existence of God through many rational arguments.

What they and others intuited was a formless unity and order beyond the material dimension, and their scientific discoveries in the 17th century aligned very closely with the insights of ancient mystical traditions.

But as science began to penetrate more deeply into the material world, matter itself began to be viewed as more important. And gradually, the outlook of materialism developed, which held that nothing exists except matter and that consciousness was a mere byproduct of the external world.

From that outlook comes the loss of our innate divinity, and from the loss of our innate divinity comes the conflict, discord and disconnection that is the basis of the trouble and strife we see today.

What I’m suggesting then is a reunion and reconciliation between the two aspects of our individual and collective humanity - the world of form and formless, of spirit and matter, of the head and the heart.

And all of this starts with you and me.

A reunion with ourselves

Within each of us, there is an open, limitless and loving space that encompasses and celebrates our multiplicity and diversity. It is a place where all views are seen and heard, and in which all things are united. 

Whilst this place is the same for all of us, there are many different direct and indirect ways to access it. 

In part 2, I shall further explore this theme.