Has any sizable portion of humanity
ever had a genuinely lively sustained hope in the future of Humankind?
Has any group, nation, political or religious demographic ever from the heart been convinced that the natural movement of humanity over
time is to a state of unprecedented unforced harmony and creatively
tensioned peace? Has a major mass of humanity yet found itself
in love with its own species and highly expectant that the brightest days of life
on earth are yet to be? Why even such a thought brings scowls and
cynical smiles from both the typical religious and nonreligious
person of our day.
Yet isn't such a living united hope essential for providing the motivation for marshaling the resources and taking the necessary actions precisely what is needed for such a good future to even be possible? We ask, 'Where could such a hope and motivation come from? It has never been found consistently before?" Most of us say we are very 'positive' in our view of life but the longer such a conversation goes the more the underlying pessimism is revealed, for tragically it is our pessimism about our own species, about the likelihood of the human collective to help shape a world that is actually much better, more informed by knowledge, good mindedness and genuine mutual care than has yet existed.
Pierre de Chardin envisioned such a hope and a source of motivation behind it and he found support for this in his Christian point of view buttressed by scientific evolution. We may be moving in that good direction far more than we suppose. Part of the contents of this essay seeks to point out that at a deeper, often barely conscious, level even our broadly experienced pessimism is being challenged by real life enhancing forces that grow stronger, in-spite-of, by the day.
Yet isn't such a living united hope essential for providing the motivation for marshaling the resources and taking the necessary actions precisely what is needed for such a good future to even be possible? We ask, 'Where could such a hope and motivation come from? It has never been found consistently before?" Most of us say we are very 'positive' in our view of life but the longer such a conversation goes the more the underlying pessimism is revealed, for tragically it is our pessimism about our own species, about the likelihood of the human collective to help shape a world that is actually much better, more informed by knowledge, good mindedness and genuine mutual care than has yet existed.
Pierre de Chardin envisioned such a hope and a source of motivation behind it and he found support for this in his Christian point of view buttressed by scientific evolution. We may be moving in that good direction far more than we suppose. Part of the contents of this essay seeks to point out that at a deeper, often barely conscious, level even our broadly experienced pessimism is being challenged by real life enhancing forces that grow stronger, in-spite-of, by the day.
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| Pierre Teilhard de Chardin |
To start these thoughts, Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) presented a vision of the future of
humanity that may be the most positive, and I think surely with the
most scientific substructure, ever described in much detail. Teilhard was a Jesuit Priest and true to the Jesuit motto of 'God in
all things' saw an imminent 'mind in matter and life'(my phrase) at
work in the processes of the world's evolution.
He was a world wide highly respected evolutionary paleontologist/geologist who devoted his life to the direct study and interpretation of meaning of the fossil record of the world. Based on patterns of biological and social evolution he 'saw' in the record what made it certain to him that humankind is not at the end of it's extension of consciousness and mind but hardly just begun.
He saw evidence there that, unlike other animal species, which continue to seek to spread out from itself on the earth like a fan shape, that human beings' evolutionary process has entered a time, over the past few thousand years, of strong 'convergence' on and intense understanding of it's mindfulness of itself. He notes how especially in the most recent 100 years humanity physically covers the full skin of the earth, unlike any other species, and has been 'pushed' by this crowding and 'infolding on itself' through such things as wars, world wide communications systems, machines , a growing sense that the greatest problems faced in our survival are now ' all our' problems that can only be adequately addressed as a united humanity; whether it be efforts to contain wars, find cures for horrendous diseases, addressing wide swaths of humans who live without adequate food, water and health care or threatening changes in climate and pollution.
The world more and more shares a common serious research of connected community through science(For example we and Russians are in joined space programs.) for a full range of 'truth seeking' that more and more of all that is is accepted as an important part of all our shared reality.
Like it not we are in each others face and communities; we are learning more about each other no matter how much we may resent it. We can try as individuals or religious/political groups or hermits to run away from the pressures of this gigantic infolding pressure but that choice we know is becoming less feasible every day. Is it more wise to consider as Teilhard that our human species itself is a growing developing organism still in its prime and which shows signs of having a 'collective mind or brain' that is far more than any separate disconnected human minds. This does not mean the forces are coercive over the individual but that we are being naturally and evolutionarily prepared to be ready for the next phase of higher consciousness. Unlike in previous millennia we humans now can reflect on the patterns and participate in our own evolutionary process. This we are already doing in numerous ways. And there are other ways in which we have not yet with a united mind taken up the responsibility to exercise this new unprecedented humanized/divine power.
He was a world wide highly respected evolutionary paleontologist/geologist who devoted his life to the direct study and interpretation of meaning of the fossil record of the world. Based on patterns of biological and social evolution he 'saw' in the record what made it certain to him that humankind is not at the end of it's extension of consciousness and mind but hardly just begun.
He saw evidence there that, unlike other animal species, which continue to seek to spread out from itself on the earth like a fan shape, that human beings' evolutionary process has entered a time, over the past few thousand years, of strong 'convergence' on and intense understanding of it's mindfulness of itself. He notes how especially in the most recent 100 years humanity physically covers the full skin of the earth, unlike any other species, and has been 'pushed' by this crowding and 'infolding on itself' through such things as wars, world wide communications systems, machines , a growing sense that the greatest problems faced in our survival are now ' all our' problems that can only be adequately addressed as a united humanity; whether it be efforts to contain wars, find cures for horrendous diseases, addressing wide swaths of humans who live without adequate food, water and health care or threatening changes in climate and pollution.
The world more and more shares a common serious research of connected community through science(For example we and Russians are in joined space programs.) for a full range of 'truth seeking' that more and more of all that is is accepted as an important part of all our shared reality.
Like it not we are in each others face and communities; we are learning more about each other no matter how much we may resent it. We can try as individuals or religious/political groups or hermits to run away from the pressures of this gigantic infolding pressure but that choice we know is becoming less feasible every day. Is it more wise to consider as Teilhard that our human species itself is a growing developing organism still in its prime and which shows signs of having a 'collective mind or brain' that is far more than any separate disconnected human minds. This does not mean the forces are coercive over the individual but that we are being naturally and evolutionarily prepared to be ready for the next phase of higher consciousness. Unlike in previous millennia we humans now can reflect on the patterns and participate in our own evolutionary process. This we are already doing in numerous ways. And there are other ways in which we have not yet with a united mind taken up the responsibility to exercise this new unprecedented humanized/divine power.
So this compressing nature of our
species' evolution is hardly a pleasant thing that we would have ever
sought or desired but it is as real as anything we can consider. Teilhard's 'God is in all things' may be the best way for us to accept
what is stronger than any separate or combined human effort could stop.....
and better yet to see these awful 'growing pains' as evidence that
we are actually moving to a 'knowing' of our fellow humans that has
never happened before. And where 'knowing' happens, also what Teilhard calls a 'new kind of love not yet experienced by humans' can
also be a new part of the collective human consciousness. There is
a growing sense, whether one rejoices in it or fears it , seeks to understand it or just rejects it, that there
is no 'one religious faith that is the only right one. '
Many of us have a sense that we have crossed that line some time ago (one most of our parents never even had to consider and would have shuddered to consider) at least intellectually, no matter how exclusive the sermons we still hear tell us to reject it. Our nation's drastic change of attitude toward the portion of our fellows who are LGBTQ in sexual orientation/gender is another example of how 'by better knowing others' we also better care about them and their well being and their personal pursuit of happiness. This was in a real sense experienced as being politically forced on many Americans. But for those who have had a significant transformation they are nearly without exception that they have 'improved' their personal knowledge base, understanding of such things and their moral consciousness.
Surely, many will fight these rather 'destined by evolutionary' patterns of change with all their might. But I think Teilhard's understanding of the 'big picture' would be to recognize a rejection of such patterns in the fossils themselves, and now in our daily outer reality, as a lost cause and truly a last, and maybe somewhat stubborn, gasp for the air of a world that has really already passed away. Arguments about such deeply proven and successfully used in every area of life concepts such as biological evolution are hardly worthy of an argument in our present time. Teilhard, a man of strong Christian faith uses little time for such 'leading nowhere' discussions.
Many of us have a sense that we have crossed that line some time ago (one most of our parents never even had to consider and would have shuddered to consider) at least intellectually, no matter how exclusive the sermons we still hear tell us to reject it. Our nation's drastic change of attitude toward the portion of our fellows who are LGBTQ in sexual orientation/gender is another example of how 'by better knowing others' we also better care about them and their well being and their personal pursuit of happiness. This was in a real sense experienced as being politically forced on many Americans. But for those who have had a significant transformation they are nearly without exception that they have 'improved' their personal knowledge base, understanding of such things and their moral consciousness.
Surely, many will fight these rather 'destined by evolutionary' patterns of change with all their might. But I think Teilhard's understanding of the 'big picture' would be to recognize a rejection of such patterns in the fossils themselves, and now in our daily outer reality, as a lost cause and truly a last, and maybe somewhat stubborn, gasp for the air of a world that has really already passed away. Arguments about such deeply proven and successfully used in every area of life concepts such as biological evolution are hardly worthy of an argument in our present time. Teilhard, a man of strong Christian faith uses little time for such 'leading nowhere' discussions.
Examples of a developing higher
collective consciousness, and of homonization( the process of persons becoming convinced that they are personally connected to all others as part of a whole) are all about us. I just watched the
popular movie Life of Pi where the key character takes on a
belief of parts of three major world religions and , comfortable
or not, most viewers today received 'in their hearts' his
thoughtful approach to religion as a positive happening. This is the
psychological fact experienced even if their church dogma would
tell them otherwise. Such a movie would have received strong
disapproval from some religions even a few decades ago for including
that 'harmony of the religions' scene at the very beginning of the
story. Any day's news gives examples of ' fundamental improvements
in human caring' which our enfolding on ourselves as a species is
helping create. We, unlike former generations, are bombarded with most every kind of ambiguous
moral scenario of real life and asked what we think is truly moral
and right. Unprecedented mass audio/visual communications
give nearly all humans such learning moments every day.
The world has already changed so much, much of it toward something better. Two Americans with the deadly Ebola virus are being flown to the U.S. , increasing in some small extent the possibility that the disease could find this as an entrance to affect other Americans. Eight decades ago the public would not have been informed in real time,and enabled to react, to what higher officials were doing. And if they had may have said the infected should not be brought to our shores? There is surely that excluding voice today but I think it is that same gasping for the past voice, destined to become a whimper. My guess is that a majority of Americans, through reasonable trust in officials, do approve this decision today due to a commonly held view of the sacredness of all lives and that this facility had been planned and built ( in harmony with many workers and experts) as the best place to help one with this disease. 'When we can, let's do good' among fellow humans', seems to be a growing mantra. The fact that the major drug companies have not yet invested in finding treatments for this deadly disease seems to be directly linked to it being a 'poor peoples' disease. This kind of 'selecting' who gets best care would be frowned on in a collective humanity with a raised consciousness(homonized) that De Chardin's evolutionary pattern projects is now underway.
I suspect congress is far behind the general American consensus that it should be a government priority that children languishing at our southern boarders, no matter how they got there, should be given basic life and soul sustaining resources while working with involved others on the best course of long range action. These are immediate examples of the kind of 'inclusive human values' regarding life that would be expected to be a natural consensus-not ones enforced by a committee of any kind- with the collective raised consciousness being advocated by evolutionary patterns in the vision of Teilhard.
The world has already changed so much, much of it toward something better. Two Americans with the deadly Ebola virus are being flown to the U.S. , increasing in some small extent the possibility that the disease could find this as an entrance to affect other Americans. Eight decades ago the public would not have been informed in real time,and enabled to react, to what higher officials were doing. And if they had may have said the infected should not be brought to our shores? There is surely that excluding voice today but I think it is that same gasping for the past voice, destined to become a whimper. My guess is that a majority of Americans, through reasonable trust in officials, do approve this decision today due to a commonly held view of the sacredness of all lives and that this facility had been planned and built ( in harmony with many workers and experts) as the best place to help one with this disease. 'When we can, let's do good' among fellow humans', seems to be a growing mantra. The fact that the major drug companies have not yet invested in finding treatments for this deadly disease seems to be directly linked to it being a 'poor peoples' disease. This kind of 'selecting' who gets best care would be frowned on in a collective humanity with a raised consciousness(homonized) that De Chardin's evolutionary pattern projects is now underway.
I suspect congress is far behind the general American consensus that it should be a government priority that children languishing at our southern boarders, no matter how they got there, should be given basic life and soul sustaining resources while working with involved others on the best course of long range action. These are immediate examples of the kind of 'inclusive human values' regarding life that would be expected to be a natural consensus-not ones enforced by a committee of any kind- with the collective raised consciousness being advocated by evolutionary patterns in the vision of Teilhard.
Without continually quoting Teilhard I am attempting here to express in my own words what his
kind of vision might mean if, welcomed at first or not, a large mass
of humanity became infected with such a hopeful view of the future of
humankind in a very natural and non compulsory way. Teilhard is
obviously speaking of a major transformation in world view, in how we
imagine Sacred presence, and in the capacity to 'care for the other'
that the world has not as yet experienced on any wide scale.
That to me is why his vision is very much spiritual, because
it believes in such possibilities and thus naturally comes to zestfully expect them. And perhaps in some real sense actually creates them.
Such a vision of the eventual
evolutionary complexities and consciousness that Teilhard lays out
are not new. This kind of vision of humanity has been stated, but
surely only in brief moments and situations realized in the real world, by
the most prominent spiritual leaders throughout history. I think of
the statement in Hebrew story where they are told by God, ' You are blessed
that you may be a blessing to the rest of humankind'. The gospels
state this culmination of the human story in various imagery. Jesus
speaks of reality becoming 'on earth as it is in heaven.' One
gospel opens with angels declaring the end game of humankind as
there being 'peace on earth and good will to all people.' Jesus
prayed that ' They all( humans I'd interpret) be one.”
Christian people can broaden their understanding to know these visions were just that and have not in any grand way become humanity's reality, quite the contrary it seems. So the Christian vision remains in process. With just that much of a change in perception these can become statements of a still living hope that are in exact harmony with so much of Teilhard's vision, and I suspect to their initial revelatory meaning. But most have not read them that way, with that challenge and hope.
In contrast to Teilhard's vision of the human collective future, many have taken literally NT images that depict an end where God loses relationship to most of his human family due to their supposed incapacity to live morally or faithfully enough. It is believed then they suffer forever in Hell or are simply written off as if they never lived, struggled and loved. This is an old idea that for centuries had public support but paradoxically generated hopelessness for most of humanity. Such a concept of Hell has fallen off dramatically including in many of the conservative Christian churches even in the last ten years.
I just ask for practical analogy: If a parent lost, for whatever reason, all loving relationship with three out of four children. Would she be OK with herself by saying, “Oh well. I did my part. I'll just pretend they never lived. I'll evaporate their human memory, tears , fears , joys , hopes laughter and smiles” Then I will just enjoy eternity with my one child who did measure up and I was able to keep a connection with. I think the ethical foundations of the transformed/evolved collective human psyche that Teilhard envisions could never support such an attitude by either a human or by a God. And in accordance with the belief that such a raised consciousness is already in progress, I do not believe that most humans today would find such a view compatible to their own heart's voice.
Christian people can broaden their understanding to know these visions were just that and have not in any grand way become humanity's reality, quite the contrary it seems. So the Christian vision remains in process. With just that much of a change in perception these can become statements of a still living hope that are in exact harmony with so much of Teilhard's vision, and I suspect to their initial revelatory meaning. But most have not read them that way, with that challenge and hope.
In contrast to Teilhard's vision of the human collective future, many have taken literally NT images that depict an end where God loses relationship to most of his human family due to their supposed incapacity to live morally or faithfully enough. It is believed then they suffer forever in Hell or are simply written off as if they never lived, struggled and loved. This is an old idea that for centuries had public support but paradoxically generated hopelessness for most of humanity. Such a concept of Hell has fallen off dramatically including in many of the conservative Christian churches even in the last ten years.
I just ask for practical analogy: If a parent lost, for whatever reason, all loving relationship with three out of four children. Would she be OK with herself by saying, “Oh well. I did my part. I'll just pretend they never lived. I'll evaporate their human memory, tears , fears , joys , hopes laughter and smiles” Then I will just enjoy eternity with my one child who did measure up and I was able to keep a connection with. I think the ethical foundations of the transformed/evolved collective human psyche that Teilhard envisions could never support such an attitude by either a human or by a God. And in accordance with the belief that such a raised consciousness is already in progress, I do not believe that most humans today would find such a view compatible to their own heart's voice.
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| Atom Bomb Explosion |
Teilhard remained a devoted priest to the end of life. His works reflect his formal faith. This
may be a problem for some and seem as contradictory to his 'God in
all places' point of view. You can decide for yourself. I find him
fully embracing all people and all aspects of the created world. His
approach to scripture is seriously symbolic and allegorically
understood. He speaks of 'The Christ symbol being the alpha and the
omega.'
He was numerous times taken away for his excavation sites by fearful church leaders and sent to different parts of the world. He would only start digging again wherever he was and he reported he was always sent inadvertently to exactly the place he needed to go to discover the very facts he needed to support his vision. His main works were censored by the church until after he died. Like so many of our species' courageous geniuses of large mind and heart he suffered much for the gifts he managed to bring back to us all. What a legacy if some day it may be said of Teilhard that he greatly helped clear the way for a broad based collective living hope for humanity when such hope had truly never been consistently and collectively found. He taught his peers how to trust in themselves and their yet undeveloped powers for good and love which had nearly completely escaped their imaginations.
He was numerous times taken away for his excavation sites by fearful church leaders and sent to different parts of the world. He would only start digging again wherever he was and he reported he was always sent inadvertently to exactly the place he needed to go to discover the very facts he needed to support his vision. His main works were censored by the church until after he died. Like so many of our species' courageous geniuses of large mind and heart he suffered much for the gifts he managed to bring back to us all. What a legacy if some day it may be said of Teilhard that he greatly helped clear the way for a broad based collective living hope for humanity when such hope had truly never been consistently and collectively found. He taught his peers how to trust in themselves and their yet undeveloped powers for good and love which had nearly completely escaped their imaginations.
This is only a brief essay introducing
some basic thoughts of one of the most positive visions ever
imagined, and by a man of high caliber, strong knowledge in his area
of expertise and an authenticity that is born out in the biography of
his life. In his book The Future Of Man he not only lays out clearly in layman's terms his science based vision but he also anticipates some very real
questions that serious readers would ask.
I recommend for reading The Future Of Man to anyone interested in a strong possibility for hope in a bright future for humankind. Also The Phenomenon Of Man.
Teilhard reflects on how many concrete negative realities and disappointments are contributing most positively to the movement of humanity's learning toward a higher human complexity and consciousness including: war, infighting of all kinds, unemployment phenomena, discovery of the atom bomb, downsides of human technology, efforts at totalitarian(authoritarian) governments, and the human record of there always being bullies, trouble makers and what most think of as generally 'bad actors' ".
Human geniuses with extraordinarily large minds and hearts are not an accident in the world. We surely ought to listen, even if we have to stretch ourselves, to the ones who are here for our very own times. This is surely one of them. An incredibly wise, deep and encouraging voice for our unprecedented chaotic times. If you read Teilhard try comparing the ideas described to what you are hearing at work or on TV or from most of the preachers and politicians. You may be refreshed and catch the possibility of a 21st century hope.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin
