Photo by Karlis Reimanis Unsplash
“One of the greatest obstacles to the pursuit of truth is thinking that we have found the ultimate answer. If we stop, so will the ever-unfolding revelation and understanding of truth.”
What does it mean to be human? What is humanity's natural state? Where do we look, and how do we determine the answer to such a question with any level of authenticity?
Observation.
Observation is an essential tool in our toolbox for navigating a well-lived life. Teachers of mindfulness, contemplation, and meditation, attempting to help us better enter the awareness of the “now,” often refer to the role of being an observer. When it comes to the betterment of humanity, this practice is important, without question. However, as is true of any practice or tool, it has its limitations.
I love science. Although I did not do well in school, science was the exception! I am wired to ask and figure out how things work. Observation is an important part of science. But I can’t help but chuckle sometimes when I hear the phrase “Trust the Science.” For science to work properly, there has to be a healthy mistrust of science or our observations, or we get stuck in what we have observed.
One of the greatest obstacles to the pursuit of truth is thinking that we have found the ultimate answer. If we stop, so will the ever-unfolding revelation and understanding of truth. A good example of this is that not that many years ago, science had us drinking puppy urine, thinking it would make us healthier! I, for one, am glad science didn’t stop there!
Qualified observation
When it comes to observing humanity and determining our identity, where do we turn? Observation can be a tool that can greatly help us. But at the same time, observing people's conditions and interactions could lead to some pretty ugly conclusions about what it means to be human. Just open up one newspaper, and I promise you you will have more than enough observation to convince yourself that you want to be anything but a human.
But what would we find if we looked into the depths of ourselves? If we looked past all the fears, manipulations, controlling, and dysfunctional behavior we observe, what would we discover?
Science has studied the depths of the invisible world for many years, seeking to discover the source of matter, universes, and life. They were seeking to discover the smallest particle, believed to be the building block of matter. Time after time, they thought they had found it, only to discover there was something smaller, something deeper. Thankfully, they didn’t stop. Quantum science has helped us realize that if we travel deep enough into the invisible, we will eventually discover that there is only light. We discover that light is the source of all things!
What is that light? Some describe it as Energy; some describe it as Spirit; still others call it source, The Universe, or God; my favorite is Love!
I think I can hear someone say, seriously? You look around this world and think it all comes from love? How could you be so delusional?
I get it; I struggle sometimes to see it as well. But this brings me back to my title question: “Which came first, disconnection or dysfunction?” Are we disconnected from Love because we are so dysfunctional? Or are we dysfunctional because we’re disconnected from the awareness of Love? When humans behave so poorly, is it because we are fatally flawed? Is it because, as some theologians have said, we are totally depraved? Or is there a deeper reason?
Much like the scientists who didn’t stop when they thought they found the smallest particle, we need to continue to look deeper. We need to look past the striving, wars, and hate fractions, past everything that divides us. It’s time to look to our source. When we do, I would contend that we will begin to discover that it was the disconnect, the forgetting, the earthborn amnesia that has blinded us from seeing what humanity truly is.
I hope all of us become observers, but not “stuck” observers, thinking we found the answer so we can stop seeking. Let us keep looking deeper and deeper until we truly remember who we are as offsprings of love! Even then, it’s not time to stop searching. The depths of love from which we come can never be exhausted. As long as we have breath, there will always be more to seek and explore.
When we discover our true identity, we will find the answer to the question of what it means to be human, the answer to the question of what our natural state is. We will discover that the dysfunctional state the human race is in today is a result of unconscious disconnection from the source. Or, as I like to put it, living unaware that we draw our very essence from love.
So yes! Call me delusional, but I’m going to stake my hopes for humanity on the belief and knowledge that the source of everything is love, and we are a product of that love!
Welcome to The Quest!
Love and Blessings,
Wayne
I love that this piece encourages us to remain open-minded and curious, always searching for deeper understanding and connection. It's a hopeful call to embrace love as the fundamental force shaping our existence. Amazing work, Wayne!
It is always in the absence of being, and becoming that we reach unanswered questions that we have longed for in life. Your arguments here are relevant and each of us has a way to see and come to that which is truthful..