Cosmic Nature & Humanity
I have discussed what will be helpful perspectives on Nature, but now I must address how those observations move us into prescriptives, including what many think of as ethics.
A holistic appreciation of these previously outlined aspects of the universe can be inspiring and can even contribute to 'profound spiritual experience'. But these are simply descriptions of our world and even profound experience, by itself, is often fleeting. Remember that the aim of our spiritual path is True Happiness, which can only be achieved through a shift in 'character', made possible through regular practice over time. And what we are putting into practice are 'teachings'.
But how can a simple description of the universe, even in sacred tongue, help us?
Our teachings must relate to the universe in which we find ourselves, because they are prescriptions for our ailments. Knowledge of bacteria and its effects on teeth will naturally lead to a conclusion: 'if' we wish to avoid disease, we 'ought' to keep teeth clean. Likewise, knowledge of how the world works will naturally lead to conclusions on how we ought to live, because all beings share the goal of True Happiness1.
In fact, not only is knowledge of Nature essential to ethics and behavior, but it could be said that without considering facts about our world and ourselves, there would be no basis for understanding what we ought to do.
Thanks to what study of complexity is showing, we can see the common threads between fields once thought vastly different or only analogously similar. This underlying order means that it is not unreasonable to notice a common trait found throughout the universe and see it as a useful guide to understanding some aspects of our own lives and relationships. Indeed, it could be said that people who are naturally wise, or come to be wise, have a knack for noticing these common relationships and connections, even if not always consciously.
At their most tentative, they can indeed serve as simple analogies or reminders - a kind of 'physics as myth' for conveying lessons. But more often than we may realize, they underscore a primal truth about how the universe works which plays out in the relationships between people or between aspects of our personalities or other systemic processes.
These profound truths about the universe generally cross the lines between living and non-living systems, between animals and people, etc. That is why personification is often a helpful tool for comprehension.
Therefore, we must uncover what implications these truths about the universe have for us, as we attempt to live well within it. We must understand the bridge between Nature and humanity.
For example, in our description of the universe, we began with the Logos - the fundamental rationality upon which the universe operates. Becoming familiar with this makes clear that reality is subtle, complex, and relative and naturally suggests we beware absolutist claims and dictates in our own lives. Seeing that all things in Nature have their place helps to engender a sense of tolerance and diversity. It also makes us keenly aware that we will never fully understand or control everything, and internalizing that realization helps to alleviate many kinds of anguish2.
The trait of Polarity in the universe also shows us that all things we think of as good or bad come from the same dynamic system. When we see things opposing us, hardship, or loss, remembering this can greatly enlighten our approach. Just as the Divine Fire is the underlying creative proclivity of the universe, we too can be creative in imagining the perspectives of others as we withhold judgment and disagreement long enough to understand them.
Lastly on the Divine Fire, our appreciation and awe at the many ways the Divine Fire operates throughout the cosmos can help us to remove ourselves from the center of our mental universe as we mature.
Moving on, the trait of the universe we call Interdependence can be a very powerful insight. Even when we think we understand interdependence, it frequently has a way of showing up to surprise us. Interdependence makes clear our connection with other human beings, and indeed life, the planet, and the cosmos. It suggests that many of our actions may have effects more impacting than we imagine or that may be counter intuitive. Caution and forethought is therefore an obviously beneficial habit. All things happen when conditions are right, and this can be helpful in seeing that we must be patient, tolerant, and ready for the right conditions when interacting with others.
Impermanence is an especially interesting aspect of the universe, as how we think about impermanence plays a big part in how we deal with change, loss, and growth in life. Coming to terms with the ever-changing nature of the world is essential to achieving happiness, independent of conditions. Later we will explore practices that help to get there.
Emergence shows how simplicity and elegance can lead to profound effects, and we can apply these approaches in our life as well. We can make use of this principle by acting in ways that are subtle but impacting, due to their timing and compatibility with the situation at hand3.
The dispersed 'bottom-up' organization that emerges in complex systems has a lot to teach us about working together in communities, at work, or in society as well.
And the trait called The Aggregate Self brings into focus understandings of ourselves which help to mitigate the ego and bring us out of our solitary frame of reference into a more objective perspective of events, not so clouded by self interest.
As I have given examples of above, all of the traits outlined about the universe have something to tell us about how we ought to live to best achieve True Happiness. The principles and practices I will present have been created with these perspectives in mind.