Pilgrimage ~ Day 5

Aside from dwelling on logistics, is there any purpose of being human in the world and how is it possible to discover meaning through all that is experienced? 

The world, like some vast library, has many stories to choose from.

There is a story that has been passed down through the generations that humanity has in some way sinned and fallen from grace. So its purpose is to seek atonement and to re-establish itself as being worthy of residing in a place of paradise or Nirvana.

This story has given humanity a vehicle through which it can debate and put into practice a moral code and it has given an explanation for and some meaning to a reality of adversity and suffering. It can offer hope in the midst of confusion or despair.

Then there is a story which speaks of the world as resembling a swirling pool of energy, one that allows for such energy to be harnessed in benevolent or malevolent ways in line with the skills of certain individuals, those who have access to or mastery of such energies and the willingness of a group to pay homage. Such a story has allowed for humans to feel connected to something that is larger than themselves and to believe that they are active participants in the cycles of nature and the course of events on earth.

There is also a secular model of the world and one which has skilfully embedded its jewels of reason, science and logic as being at the very heart of civil society. Its story might follow a script that there is not some unknowable intelligence that is presiding over a course of the universe. This in turn, implies that any meaning and purpose of being human is entirely what our intellect determines it to be and that any success or recognition of our efforts lies in this life rather than any concept of a next.

Such a story might encourage observation of data, relationships and cycles and to pay particular attention to what can be seen or is measurable, rather than what can be felt, intuited or is otherwise founded in belief. A controversial aspect of this story is a belief that the value of a human being, whilst not necessarily inherent, lies in their participation and measurable contribution to a structure, hierarchy or agreed upon needs of a group.

Each of these stories has its validity and merit, as they offer us a glimpse of how humanity has tried to make sense of and to give meaning to its existence and its place in the world. As models of reality or world views, they are able to provide us with a sense of order, shaping our attitude, our relationships and our choice of behaviour in the world. Until such time that is, as they no longer do.

It may be that we come into proximity with an alternative model of reality and our mind is open and inquisitive, allowing for doubts about what we have so far believed to be right or true to arise. Insights will emerge as we are willing to contemplate the information of our experience.

If we dwell in a state of confusion, it can bring with it a sense of fear and desperation. It may be that we try to preserve and cling more tightly to what we think we know is right and to what has previously given us meaning and a code of conduct to live by in the world.

We engage with our reptilian brain as we employ an adversarial and tactical mode of response. An image of such a stance could be that of trying to a cling to a pole at its very tip and protesting vehemently as the whole pole slowly sinks into a quagmire. Whichever side of an equation we are on and whether it is that we are shouting 'infidel' or 'terrorist' at one another, we miss that we are both sinking and into a medium which is greater than we are.

World views, much like empires, seem to have an in-built tendency to erode and collapse. At their zenith, they proclaim to be a standard bearer of what is deemed as being progress in the world. In the footsteps of the Enlightenment period, the Western world since the mid-nineteenth century has seen the role of established religion move into decline. The rise of industrialization, migration to towns and cities, economic growth, spread of wealth and social reform has in the midst of its contributions, shaped our perspective of opportunity, productivity, freedom of choice and of belief, democracy, material value and success.

Many would congratulate the Enlightenment period as being a precursor to the many scientific and technological innovations which have contributed to a sense of economic and material growth over the last 200 years.

And yet, there are many people in the Western world who are sensing that something has gone very wrong with the process of or reach of capitalism. The scrutiny of and adherence to what the market wants or needs, as if it were a living entity in its own right, may have become too specialized or efficient, particularly when viewed through a lens of preserving wealth of a minority being more highly valued than an increasing planetary and human cost.
 
In many respects, the human mind, once it has firmly latched onto a particular world view and a sense of purpose, can using its capacities for logic and reason, function with an efficiency that is not too dissimilar to that of a machine.

Nikola Tesla said "There is a difference between progress and technology, progress benefits mankind. Technology does not necessarily do that."

There may be value from revisiting what has commonly been interpreted or understood as technology so that it is not regarded as an output, an invention or as something which resides as outside of ourselves. In which case, Tesla's observation that there is a difference between technology and progress makes considerable sense. Particularly when we also bring in Carl Sagan's observation that "science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge".

As we face some of the growing concerns of the world, including climate change, large populations, food and water availability, energy and security concerns, there is often a sense of optimism and reassurance that science and technology will come to our rescue.

We are not making progress if we are participating in a way of thinking or a world view that is eroding a sense of reverence for life, adhering to a philosophy that is by its very nature contributing to an increasing inequality of wealth and resources and is depleting planetary resources faster than is sustainable.

What may be required if we are to genuinely embrace progress, rests not so much in a blind faith in science and of what might arise out of a prevailing way of thinking but has more to do with a shift in the way that we think. It is only through contemplation of how we regard ourselves and our place in the world that we might be able to perceive some of the revolutionary technologies that await.