To begin: there is a Common Source for the whole of creation… a Creative Force from and through which the whole of the universe emanates… a Source and Force that lies beyond that which is perceivable through the senses. The essential nature of the Ultimate Source is love. A characteristic of the Source is intentionality. This intentionality is revealed to humankind through the word and the works – the whole of the universe, the totality of creation.
We, humankind, are particular manifestations of the works of our Creator. We have been imbued with the characteristic of life – we are living human beings. As such, we are not only members of the human family, but we are also real and true members of the larger community of life. Humankind is not separate from, above or outside of the larger whole of life… a truth that does not diminish the uniqueness of our humanness, but rather increases the significance of the roles we have been given and are called upon to play.
At the essential core of our humanness are two impulses or urges: the longing to return, and the yearning to become. Built within each and all is the longing to return to the Source of our creation, and a yearning to become what we are intended to be – a yearning to discover and fulfill our purpose, our calling. Whereas these innermost strivings can be ignored, denied or occluded by the forces of culture and religion and the demands of existence, they are – through reflection – accessible and experience-able. This is particularly true of the becoming aspect of ourselves in the time we are now living.
We human beings have a characteristic way of working that involves structures and structuring. We have a desire and requirement (that seems to exceed that of other living creatures) to generate and produce both visible and invisible structures – structures that emanate from function and form, doing and being, science/engineering and art. We also create mental structures around phenomena so that we can reflect on, analyze and think about them.
Two phenomena that we have and continue to work to build mental constructs around are the word and the works of our Creator. Through reflection and study, we seek to gain increased clarity and deeper understanding of the intent and embedded intended ways of the Creator; and by so doing, we gain truer insight as to who and why we are… as well as, perhaps having the Creator himself revealed to us. The common name for our mental constructs around the word is religion; and that name we attach to our constructs around the works is philosophy.
Religion relates to that innermost aspect of our humanness: the longing to return to and be one with the Source of our creation… a longing that seems to be shared by the Creator. Religion falls in the domain or sphere of the human family and its relationship to the Creator. As such, it takes on the character of human-centeredness.
Philosophy – living philosophy – relates to that other innermost aspect of our humanness: the yearning to become. Whereas religion has as its aim the hereafter, living philosophy holds the here and unfolding now as its aim. It works to enable the seeing of our role – individually and collectively – not only in relationship to human life, but also relative to the whole of life and the life processes of earth.
Living philosophy is life of the whole-centered. Life-centeredness does not diminish humankind or human life, but rather adds significance to the part we are intended to fill in the unfolding intent of the Creator… a part that carries with it the requirement that as we engage in our natural tendency to improve our existence – advance humankind and human life – we do so under the wisdom and guidance of what is right and good for the whole of life… for life itself.
Living philosophy, like its complementary partner, religion, recognizes the one Source of creation. It works to access the wisdom behind the works such that reason can be properly guided as it goes about generating structures. Living philosophy guides the mind that ponders the structure and structuring of the universe to look for understanding that will enable all human beings to become better instruments, better role players, and better enablers of the evolutionary and unfolding intent of the Creator. Living philosophy demands that humankind give full consideration to the life processes of earth and the whole of life by accessing our conscience and allowing it to guide us as we go about the business of living and working. It requires that we not only ask, “Is this right and good for humanity?” but also, “Is it equally right and good for life itself?”
Our ability to access and act from our conscience is dependent upon our capacity to see and honor essence… for it is through essence that we are able to be true and faithful to the intent of our Creator. Whether we are dealing with a physical thing, a living being, a living system, or a planetary energy field, the intent and the wisdom behind its creation lies in its essence – the source of patterns that represent its true nature and work in the world. This essential understanding is revealed to us through reflection… reflection that works to see the essence and whole of something, and carries with it the intent to be an instrument, thus denying the illusion of being the actual source. Reflecting in this way, wisdom is accessed, spirit can enter, and processes unfold beyond that which could be created by other means.
Living philosophy has faith in the intent and intended ways of the Creator. It acknowledges a Source of creation, and readily accepts our instrumentality – the need for humankind to uncover and cooperate with the intent. It acknowledges the reality of the unfolding intent of the Creator as being one of directed uncertainty… not predetermined, but one in which humankind has a significant and critical role to play – a role that, given the precarious situation facing life on earth (human life, the whole of life), requires we work expeditiously and diligently to realize the potential that lies within our intended authentic humanness. We need, and life needs us, to become fully and truly human – to pursue a path along which the potential of each and all can be realized.
