TO BEGIN WITH
Yep, this is the introduction, so if you generally skip them, now’s the moment. But if you like to know the context, here’s where to find it.
One Being One falls naturally into three parts. The first retells an ancient story – the perennial and universal spiritual or mystical philosophy. The second looks at some aspects of this philosophy in the context of everyday human life. The third relates it to some primary aspects of one of the prevalent belief systems of present times – the scientific worldview.
It is, by design, a short book, and the intention has been to present only an overview and an introduction to the matters under discussion. Something to suggest a spiritual way of looking at ourselves and the world around us.
The essential theme running throughout is the common denominator and harmonizing thread linking all aspects of existence – the dimension of being, consciousness, or spirit. It is called universal because that is exactly what it is. It is present in all beings, human or otherwise, and it pervades the entire universe. It is the One – the One Being, the One Spirit, the immanent divine presence.
As human beings, if we can understand something of this universal Spirit of which we are all a part, it will change our lives and the way we interact with each other. In a world of increasing globalization and multi-culturalism, an understanding that all human beings share a common spiritual heritage would seem to be an answer to so many problems. It is a realization that transcends religions and belief systems, and all human divisions of wealth, social status, education, intelligence, and the like. At the same time, it honours and respects the colourful and variegated pageant of the global human society. Wherever and whoever a person may be, they are all a part of the One Spirit, the One Being. No one is excluded. Indeed, all possess the potential to realize their inner identity with this One Being.
When it comes to the world of science, an understanding of this universal spiritual perspective is something that is largely missing. Yet, when it is brought into the picture, it helps shed light on a number of basic conundrums. On the whole picture, actually. And because the scientific worldview is so prevalent in present times, this introduction concerns itself largely with the scientific perspective, a subject addressed more specifically in the latter part of the book.
It must be understood that science, as an explanation of “life, the universe and everything”, is only another belief system, another way of looking at things. There is a significant difference between science as a means of understanding, manipulating and utilizing material forces and science as a description of the ultimate Reality. These two aspects of science, however, are rarely distinguished, and these days the one is commonly mistaken for the other.
Modern science suffers from the lack of an inherent spiritual perspective. No one can deny that the last 150 years have witnessed incredible technological advances. Yet these achievements have led to the rape and wreck of our planet in a previously unprecedented manner. It seems to me that if science had possessed a foundation that had given it an intrinsic moral, ethical and spiritual perspective, we would never have travelled so enthusiastically down this road of self-destruction.
Individual scientists may possess deep ethical, human and spiritual understanding, and there is no doubt that many take the consequences of the application of scientific discovery very seriously. But science as a logically consistent description of the mechanics of the material universe rigorously excludes anything but raw empirical data and intellectual theorizing thereon. This need not be so.
Recent years have seen the rise of the Intelligent Design movement, which proposes that evolution and other natural processes are driven by a higher Intelligence, rather than by chance and natural law.
Much depends, of course, on how you perceive the nature of this ‘Intelligence’, but the idea has unfortunately been taken on board by religious fundamentalists, eager to provide proof of a creationist belief system drawn from Genesis. That makes no sense to me, but the idea of nature being permeated by an essential Intelligence or Consciousness that gives rise to all the natural ‘laws’ and ‘principles’ known (and unknown) to science does not seem like such a bad idea. After all, these ‘laws’ must originate ‘somewhere’ beyond the confines of space and time. But whether we call this Intelligence ‘God’ or ‘Nature’ or anything else makes no difference to the existence of the universe. And our conceptions of this unseen Intelligence are bound to be somewhat limited.
Sadly, the espousal of Intelligent Design by ‘six-day’ creationists has resulted in a head-on confrontation with neo-Darwinian, ‘nothing-but-chance-and-matter’ evolutionists, and a consequent polarization of positions. The result has been an entrenchment in old ideas on both sides of the divide, and we now have fundamentalist scientists as well as fundamentalist Christians.
But, as futurists say, “The weak signals of today give rise to the strong signals of tomorrow,” and I suspect that there are probably some elements of Intelligent Design that will in future be incorporated into the accepted view of the evolution or constant change among the species.
I guess that what really needs to shift is an understanding of the actual nature of the ‘Power’ or ‘Intelligence’ pervading nature that has given rise to such a well-ordered universe. It may be staring us in the face, but we are still not seeing it. That is largely what this book is all about.
One Being One, then, is an overview and a general mystical perspective on “life, the universe, and everything”. And so far as I can see, there is no conflict here with good, definitive, evidence-based science. After all, true mysticism is the quest for a higher Reality, and that also entails a clear, direct and honest appraisal of the physical universe and our relationship to it. It also requires an intensely honest and focused examination of one’s own self, in order to uncover the true nature of that self.
So, while science is the study of matter by mind, mysticism is the exploration of consciousness by consciousness. And though both are dedicated to the quest for truth, there’s bound to be a difference in the methodology. But this in no way invalidates either one or the other. Not only can the two co-exist peacefully, but the one can draw strength and inspiration from the other.
Put another way, you could say that there are two ways of trying to understand the universe. There’s the scientific, rational, analytical, and objective view that regards the material universe as the only reality. And there’s the subjective view that seeks beauty, truth and meaning, looking to find a higher Reality in the sphere of being or consciousness. There is nothing incompatible between the two. In fact, in one sense, they are already united, for the objective view only exists within the subjective consciousness of the observer. It seems to me that science would be greatly enhanced were these two viewpoints to merge into one perception of the Whole. Indeed, some forward-looking folk reckon that this is the direction in which science is developing.
I have to admit that what is written here often relies on a priori reasoning, on taking certain things for granted. I’ve tried to present things in a logical manner, but I do presume the existence of an all-pervasive, unseen Being or Intelligence. But then many scientists presume the material world to be an independent, external, self-created and self-organizing reality. That is also a priori reasoning.
Everyone has to have some starting point which they take for granted. None of us start with a blank page. We all bring our individual minds and psychologies to bear upon whatever comes within our orbit. In fact, it seems to me that you cannot (by reason) prove or disprove the existence of a higher Intelligence. We begin with a belief or feeling, which we then try to substantiate or justify by reasoning.
One final point. Though you’ll find some acknowledgments at the end, I decided to dispense with endnotes, references, bibliography, and all that sort of stuff. They make a book dense. And these days, with the prevalence of the internet, it’s so easy to find whatever you are looking for. Except Reality, of course.
