A new view of Man as consisting of more than simply a brain will be emerging

INTEGRAL ECOLOGY James W. Patterson Sunday, February 25, 2007

In one of many contributions made by Sri Aurobindo, to what is now known as "Integral Ecology", was a reference to "Dharma", a term familiar in India, and in recent years known in the West as well. He said of this term that ones Dharma was "upholding of tradition and the fulfillment of one's social position and responsibility."

The relevant perspective I would like to expand upon just a bit is "ones social position and responsibility" and how ones view of this is determined not by ones cognitive choice alone, but as a subtle consequence of multiple and unknown processes working within the whole of oneself. In the fairly near future, a new view of Man as consisting of more than simply a brain will be emerging, and as this new perspective takes into account the "whole" of the human being, or what I refer to as the WRHB, for "Whole Resonant Human Being", what we traditionally considered "choice" will be much more complicated. As we discover the difference between the brain and the MIND for instance, we will have to determine which is responsible for our choice. Ones brain relative to the current matter at hand, or some subtle agenda being pushed by ones MIND which is coloring ones cerebral choice?

And as if the personal processing was not complicated enough, what will happen when this matter of "choice" moves into the legal arena? What determinations will we have to make as to guilt and innocence, for example? These are "future" problems and they relate to an evolving humanity seeking a greater understanding of previously unknown dimensions of those within it, just as the problems of our changing environment demand a more expanded and "integrated" understanding of previously unconsidered dynamics.

Sri Aurobindo, who was living the history of Eastern mysticism, spoke of a need for Man to awaken what he labeled a "super mind"as part of the natural Spiritual maturation of Man in his nation. His view was that this elevating of consciousness would rise within Man almost like a rising tide lifts all boats. The question I believe is not to doubt his view, which seems more reasonable than not, but to rather ponder whether this naturally rising consciousness might not need some help in keeping the timbers of the dock from crushing each other in lateral movement?First one must anticipate the rise of the tide... and this is probably not a "normal" thing to do since most people are quite busy living their present life and rarely consider what has not happened as yet. So, we are looking for those among us who tend to be "abnormal". To me the term "abnormal" has a different connotation that it may hold for you?

I simply mean those who are naturally pulled toward future looking. Those among us whose view is anticipatory rather than focused on what has just happened. Some do this intellectually and some do so via psychic precognition. The intellectual is speculative and based on assumption, while the other is speculative and based on facts that must be interpreted. Both are usually ignored by a world attempting to keep up with the present rate of evolutionary change.

There is a need to make common what has traditionally been of limited interest. That which philosophers have pondered for generations is rapidly becoming what the average human being must begin to ponder. But who will bring the highly speculative down to earth for common consideration? Sheer numbers makes this task difficult. One man in a small village yelling of a fire may awaken those close to him, but if it is the forest just outside of the village that is burning, more voices must be raised to sound the alarm to the entire village. But if many are misinterpreting a fog bank in the red of early morning...

There must be a training of specialists whose role is to teach others, who in turn will spread the word of both change, and how this change can be comprehended. To accomplish this task, the "specialists" must be Knowledgeable of more than just what the brain can know. And this is where the various realities that are being named today, with new and different names, must be found by those "unusual enough" to cognitively and empathically bring all this barely emerging body of awakening realities into an understandable whole. No small "responsibility" and certainly one requiring an unusual Dharma.

My own view of the future parallels that of Sri Aurobindo, and not unlike him, I too have looked to the Eastern mysticism and "insight" to discover that the more things change, the more they remain the same... not in appearance, but in basic and fundamental Reality. It is the emerging unknown within Man that the MIND within Man will try to run from, and in so doing cause Man to stumble and panic. It is the reinforcing of a subtle and flexible "upholding of tradition", of making change less frightening by the "specialists" that will allow Mankind to "fulfill its social position and responsibility"absent excessive pain and suffering.

The "specialists" must receive a training that is both intellectually substantial, and emotionally capable of removing them from the panic that those around them will insist they participate in. The only way to practically achieve this level of detachment is to eliminate fear of the unknown from within oneself. As one empties from "within" oneself the misperceptions of fear held within his/her MIND, into these spaces rush Consciousness as Knowledge, and it is this Knowledge that allows the "specialist" to touch others with understanding and cooperation. Surely the virtues of the future will be understanding and cooperation and the challenge lies in discovering who among us are the "specialists" of the future?

My next offering will attempt to identity the "specialists" among us, and to suggest what changes in their education might be required to "tap" the unique potentials within them if they are to guide us into a future that seems to be escalating relative to rate of change. Posted by James W. Patterson, Ph.D., Esogist at 2:30 PM