It is important to
first understand what life means and what it entails if you are going
to attempt to change your personal life. Life does not belong to the
first Creation described in the last chapter but rather is added to
it. Before Life appeared, the universe consisted of a process of the
dispersion of Energy. Our planet was formed and gave up much of its
heat and energy. Materials that would react together did so and gave
up their individual energies, the outer layer of the earth cooled and
solidified. The world was settling into equilibrium. But then Life suddenly
appeared and was able to reverse this deadening loss of order and available
energy called Entropy.
Two different forms
of life appeared quite suddenly on the scene. One form could absorb
the relatively feeble energy of the sun and use it to combine inert
carbon dioxide, water, and minerals from the ground into a concentrated
fuel or food. The other form of life consumed the fuel to become mobile
and free to move about with capabilities for using the fuel to change
the face of the world. In order to do both of these, Life had to create
special molecules called enzymes to extract and concentrate energy for
the stationary plant life as well as other enzymes to obtain energy
from the fuel for the mobile animal form. The creation of the enzymes
had to appear simultaneously with the two life forms.
The activity of the
enzymes is controlled within both life forms by an inner control system
with data that is contained within DNA molecules. This gives individuality
and freedom to both life forms. For instance, plants can optimize their
growth and then survive during the night without sun. Animals can eat
and then move freely according to their inner data. Within both life
forms exists an individual expression of Law or data to which can be
added new Law if required. Higher life forms give evidence of their
individuality with physical characteristics such as form, height, strength
and mental capability differing from others within their own species.
Variation in an individual characteristic such as the height of an oak
tree follows what is called a normal distribution law that is a further
characteristic of higher life forms.
Most life forms are
able to control their future to some extent. Some plants are able to
project new growth into greater sun exposure or roots toward increased
water supply. In general, life forms must control their future if they
are to survive. This can be stated as: life forms that can adapt and
change to future demands will survive, whereas those that cannot will
probably die. In this endeavor, variations in each life form assist
or hinder.
Another interesting
aspect of the higher and more complex life forms is that although they
are highly individualistic they must also exist in nearly perfect union
with other life forms. Nature attempts to remain in balance and will
quickly restore harmony by shifting some individual characteristics
such as rate of procreation, dormancy, sociability, stamina, strength
or endurance in the affected species. The slight shifting of individual
characteristics over a large population and over an extended period
of time results in large changes that are able to counter any imbalances.
This slight shifting
of individual characteristics can also take place under intentional
direction over a prolonged period of time. A parent, for instance,
keeps introducing new things to a child very slowly over a period of
time without losing the union or relationship with the child. Similarly,
political and religious viewpoints change very slowly without the majority
of the people being aware of it. Any attempt to suddenly change anything
is however met with resistance. As an example, it is not possible to
suddenly change your viewpoint about a person or to change your taste
in food.
The ancient Greeks
had a very good description of life that can further add to the above
discussion. Life to them was evidenced by growth or puffing up coupled
with a very subtle exhalation of something. As an example, unconscious
persons can be tested for life by holding a smooth surface such as a
mirror or a piece of glass up to their nostrils and observing if a fine
condensation of moisture appears on the surface. This same phenomenon
was also observed with plants. Growth and exhalation therefore characterized
life. The Greek word for growth was orgao which means to swell and exude
moisture from which comes our word organic.
The power of some
individuals to change their world was explained by the ancient Greeks
as being due to the manner in which they breathed. Powerful people such
as warriors, orators, people expressing strong emotions or exerting
themselves had one characteristic in common. This characteristic was
the manner in which they exhaled. Plants and weak individuals had a
rhythmic, slow and gentle breath, but the powerful people had a very
forceful and deep exhalation that came from their lower body instead
of from their chest. The power was attributed to the forced breath just
as life had been attributed to a gentle exhalation. This deep forceful
breath called pneuma in Greek or Spirit in Latin, became identified
with the inner drive or power of an individual.
In the modern world,
it seems strange to equate an individual's spirit to a particular breath,
since the modern thinking would be that any breath follows or is caused
by the brain's response to an outer situation. The thinking brain is
considered to be in charge and controls the body whereas the ancient
model required the brain to respond to the breath or inner spirit. The
controlling aspect of the spirit will be discussed in more detail in
Chapter Twenty, but for now, it can be pointed out that the ancient's
model may be far more accurate than the modern thinking. The power of
the breath can be briefly introduced now with the simple reference to
the times in which you encountered some new dynamic situation in which
your first response was to gasp with a forced breath. Following this
gasp, you many times felt that you were taken over by the situation
and your brain and body responded in some uncontrolled manner.
The nature of breathing
became important to our ancestors. India perhaps led the world in the
development of a science of using the breath to invigorate the body
and mind called pranayama which means control of the life force.
The source of the
higher power, evidenced by the forced power exhalation, was universally
considered to be in the belly, bowels, or lower abdominal region. This
region was considered to be the seat or heart of power, passion, and
creativity in developed individuals. Even in the modern world you hear
of individuals speaking of 'gut' feelings, 'gut churning' as well as
inspiration 'rising from the guts'. Further, the modern world associates
the use of the breath as a method of calming the emotions by taking
a deep breath, relaxing and letting the breath exhale slowly or by holding
the breath. One interesting sign of leadership in a group can be observed
by listening to the conversations. The leader will invariably speak
with a lower pitched voice and with a more forced exhalation. Listen
to someone, for instance, who is wishing to control or take command,
his voice will lower in pitch with more exhalation. Ironically, almost
everyone in the modern world has been conditioned starting at an early
age to pull their tummy in, tighten their anus, and to breathe in their
upper chest, all of which prevent the full usage of the exhalation.
One very early definition
of a human being indicated another aspect of an individual that has
been lost through the centuries. The Greeks called humans anthropos
that is derived from the word for an individual, aner , and the word
for looking at something with wonder or receptivity and openness, optomal. The higher forms of a human were therefore able to fully see and were
more than just physically resembling an individual anthro-poid.
Optomal
is more than observing, but is also associated with learning, being
changed or being overwhelmed by that which is looked at . The ability
to see something clearly without your own bias or expectation is not
however, a common characteristic of the individual in the modern society
who is conditioned to only see in part with a particular bias. As a
simple example, it is very difficult for most people to see their family
members or friends as they truly are. This is evidenced by the fact
that they are seen as unchanging from day to day despite the fact that
they are changing as much as the observer. The ancients found that special
exercises or practices were necessary to see individuals and things
as they truly are, such as being able to see an enemy as no different
from your friend, to see your mother as no different from a woman on
the street, or yourself as no different from a beggar or famous celebrity.
The above characteristic
of looking with openness can be exemplified when you are attempting
to impress some friends with a story about yourself. You watch their
face very carefully to observe whether you are telling the story improperly
and adjust your style of telling the story depending upon their observed
facial expressions. This simple introduction into control can then be
seen as looking, optomal, and changing the driving force, pneuma, to
reach the desired goal.
The looking, the driving
force and the goal are not normally easily perceived and, in fact, are
generally hidden under the veneer of being civilized or of being controlled
externally by your society. In general, what you see when you look is
what you expect, desire or fear. The driving force of life is tightly
suppressed by years of conforming to acceptable activity levels with
surrounding people and interactions. The goal is generally already formulated
tightly in your mind as to what you and the world should be. The ability
to formulate new goals is also suppressed with a very limited and rigid
image of your self and world.
In order to change
your self and world and become more full of life, it is obvious that
you must be able to fully 'see' a world as it is to become and then
activate yourself in the new world to change it. The next chapter will
discuss how the aspect of seeing can be changed by your view of the
future or your goal.
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