On the way to the world – on the way to yourself
Introduction
All of us are on the way to ourselves, to such ourselves as the chosen Path will make us.
These texts present the essence of my reflections and the positive changes that have occurred in me. These texts come from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that they will help you to look at yourself differently, approach your life philosophically, and find answers to some important questions.
Content
• Who am "I" in psychology? How are we different from animals? What are "lower instincts" and "higher instincts"?
• "The starry sky above me and the moral law within me" according to Kant. What is morality? How is morality related to the picture of the world?
• What is more important - heart or mind? What is the Great Oughtness? Is it easy to take the path of the Great Oughtness?
• My body I. Who is the boss?
• "I am a warrior". What does it mean?
• I am the main force of evolution. How does the correct perception of yourself allow you to live life effectively? How can you effectively deal with your shortcomings? How does the correct self-perception contribute to a healthy life?
• Barriers to happiness. What is fear? Illusory fears and how we can cope with them. Mindfulness - How does it help you pull yourself together? Freedom: on the way to the world – on the way to yourself. What does it mean to be free?
• I know how to be happy.
Instead of the epigraph
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow,
To run where the brave dare not go.
To right the unrightable wrong,
To be better far than you are,
To try when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star.
This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far,
To be willing to give when there's no more to give,
To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live.
And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this,
That one man scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.
The Impossible Dream by Mitch Leigh
Text I
Part 1
Who am I?
Many psychologists and philosophers tried to answer this question. With the answer to this question our journey begins.
"I" in psychology
In psychology, we consider "I" as the major part of our personality that perceives itself as "I" and contacts with the outside world. There is also such a term as "self". We can say that an individual feels his self - that is, his identity and uniqueness. Our personality is a deep center, which ensures the separation of an individual from the world around him. We can say that we are aware of ourselves from the moment we are aware of our "I".
Part 2
The Caterpillar’s Question
Do you remember the Caterpillar from “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”? The Caterpillar asked Alice: “Who are you?”. This question turns out to be not as simple as it seems. People answer this question in different ways, mentioning their social status, nationality, job, etc. All of these answers, however, do not provide an exhaustive answer to the question. Even be answering: "I am a human", we only designate that Humans (Homo sapiens) are a species of highly intelligent primates. That is, we only emphasize where we are on the evolutionary tree of biological organisms. In other words, the concept of "man" (homo) refers, in fact, only to our body, to our biological component. In other words: if there is a body, there is a person, if there is no body, there is no person. Perhaps some will agree, but I want to go further because for me a person is much more than a “meat suit”. If you agree, then let’s go! However, before that, we should answer one very important question.
How are you different from cattle?
There is one philosophical text that I like. It’s called “A few words about Vlay”. I will translate a few lines from the story: “Vlay asked Evnar: “The soothsayer told me that I would lose myself. What does it mean? Have I lost myself? And you told me that his words were true. Has something happened to me? " Evnar said: "I have been waiting for this question." Then he asked Vlay: "Are you doing well?" He replied: “Good; just don't send me away; and if you want to send me away, you should better kill me." Evnar asked: "Am I good or bad, and who am I?" Vlay replied: "You are a kind person, and you are called Evnar, and I respect you as my father." Evnar asked: "Who are you?" Vlay replied: “I am Vlay, and I have told you who I am already and I can tell you again." Then Evnar asked him: "Are you man or cattle?" He replied: “I am a man; how can I be like cattle? " Evnar asked him: "How are you different from cattle?" Vlay replied: "Here are my clothes, and I live in a house, and I work, and I cook food on fire, and I speak with a clear speech, and I am stronger than cattle." Evnar replied: “A beast is dressed in fur, a bird - in feathers; even a fish is dressed in scales. An ant builds a house for itself, and a wasp; an animal digs a hole for itself or makes a den, and a bird builds a nest; even a little snail has a shell in which it lives. Every creature works, finding food and making a home for itself. You can feed without fire, and you will not die of hunger. Your speech is clear to me, but a dog's speech is clear to another dog, a bird's speech to another bird, a mosquito's speech to another mosquito. And you are weaker than cattle, for you will not kill a bear without a weapon or a trap, but it will kill you. You cannot rule over the cattle with your bare hands, and the snake is stronger than you, and a pitiful louse can torment you by biting, but you cannot prevent it from sleeping by biting it. How are you different from cattle?" Vlay replied: “I am a man; and a man takes food with his hands, and not with a muzzle, and keeps it, and he composes songs, and loves his spouses and children, and builds traps for the beasts, and has fields." Then Evnar said: “The squirrel takes food with its hands and arranges storage for it. The bird sings beautifully, and the frog can sing. Wolves have spouses, and every creature takes care of its cubs. A spider builds nets for its prey, and it extracts a rope from itself - but man cannot do that. Cattle know how to do without fields - and a person will die of hunger without his field. How are you different from cattle?" Vlay replied: "Man has weapons, and knocks down trees, and walks on two legs, not four." Then Evnar said: “Man invents a weapon for himself, and a bear already has fangs and claws, a snake and a wasp have a sting, and a bird beats with its beak. A bug can tumble down a tree and even simple rot can. A bird walks on two legs and even flies, but man cannot fly. How are you different from cattle?" Then Vlay said: “If so, then I don’t know; it turns out that the cattle are better than me in other matters. " Evnar told him: “Behold, you see that you are like cattle; Shouldn't I drive you into a barn where the cattle are?" Vlay replied: "I think you should"; and Evnar told him: "Then go into the barn." And Vlay entered the barn, and Evnar closed the door” (“A few words about Vlay” by Atarkhat).
Part 3
How are you different from cattle? The answer to this question turns out to be not so simple. There is an answer in the story: “Another time Evnar said to Vlay: “Have you understood why man is not like cattle? Cattle live as they live; their life is like a river in the banks. It will not overflow the banks and irrigate the land, even if there was a drought, and crops and forests perished. Human life is like moisture that nourishes the world: it penetrates everywhere and nourishes everything and everyone, giving its strength and itself. Cattle cannot make their life that way, but man can: that is the difference. Whatever cattle do, they do it only for themselves or for their kind. They obtain food for themselves; they love for themselves; they defend themselves.
Man is different as he loves everything and lives for the sake of everything; cattle do not want to know either the past, or the future, or what is above the sky - but a man wants to know all these and can know, and lives for all these. Such is the mind of man, that he wants to know all these and can, and such is the soul that he can love it all, and such is his life that he can feed it all with himself. Cattle are not like that; and that is why there is a man in the world, so as not to be cattle. Cattle live from the world, and man lives for the world. Cattle take from the world for themselves, - so, they drink from the river, and water does not come in it; man will drink a sip from a river - and pour out the moisture of his life to the whole world so that it does not die from drought. This is the difference between man and cattle; remember this, so as not to be cattle". (A few words about Vlay by Atarkhat).
I brought this passage out not only of love for philosophy. It is directly related to the definition of our "I", our self. If we admit that a person is something more than a "meat suit", then what is he? And before answering this question, let's answer the following: how are we different from animals?
By the law of the jungle
There is an opinion that man is an animal, just a bit more intelligent. And if we compare animals and people according to their physiological needs, then we will see that they have a lot in common. Both animals and people need food, sleep, protection from dangers, and reproduction. However, there are needs of a higher level, such as social needs, creative and cognitive needs, and aesthetic needs. At the top of the pyramid is spirituality. Which needs characterize human beings? What happens if a person decides to live according to his instincts and his ego? Can we say that he lives "by the law of the jungle"? And what is meant by this law?
Any animal is guided by instinct. This is an innate hereditary "program" inherent in all species, a tendency to a certain behavior or course of action. The more complex a creature is, the more it can "deviate" from instinct in favor of its program of behavior.
At first glance, it seems that the behavior of animals is selfish and that they live "by the law of the jungle", where the strongest survives and where everyone cares only for themselves. Is this so, and can the behavior of animals be called selfish? I'll take an ordinary mouse as an example.
Its life is fleeting and full of dangers. On average, a mouse produces offspring four to eight times per season. Mice are born helpless and blind. After that, they begin to develop rapidly - and in less than two weeks, they begin to see. After another week, they are already able to survive on their own. During the day, mice are in their shelters, and at night they go out to feed. They are unpretentious in nutrition and, if necessary, can make long-distance migrations. Only due to high fertility, mice manage to maintain their populations, since they have a huge number of natural enemies. These are birds, and predatory animals, and domestic animals. For example, an owl kills up to a thousand rodents in one year.
Each mouse steadily follows its main instinct - reproductive instinct. Its whole life is a race for survival, which boils down to giving birth to offspring. And as soon as mice become able to survive on their own, a mother seeks to give birth to new ones. All other instincts of the mouse, which allow it to stay alive, are also indirectly aimed at reproduction. Thus, we can say that a mouse takes care of itself only insofar as it will help preserve its species. Also, thanks to this, albeit unconsciously, mice support populations of other animals. For some predators, mice are the only food that makes them able to survive in winter.
Here I would like to introduce two concepts that will further help to describe the behavior of humans and animals: "lower-level instincts" and "higher-level instincts". The lower-level instincts here mean a tendency to a certain behavior or a course of action that allows you to satisfy the needs of a particular individual. They can include both physiological needs and higher-level needs, such as the need for respect or recognition. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they are aimed exclusively at the benefit of a particular individual. In other words, this is all that allows us to satisfy our ego.
Higher-level instincts are understood here as a tendency to a certain behavior or course of action, which is aimed at the good of the species for animals, and, accordingly, for the good of people and society for humans.
In the case of animals, as we can see from the above example of mice, the lower-level and higher-level instincts work in tandem. A mouse satisfies its own needs, but this is aimed at supporting its species as a whole, and indirectly - at supporting other species. The situation is similar for other animals. From this, we can conclude that the "law of the jungle" sounds more like "one for all and all for one" rather than "every man for himself". Although the strongest survives, the rules of the game are aimed at the maximum preservation of each species.
We see that the division into higher-level and lower-level instincts in the animal kingdom is very arbitrary. And since animals, thanks to instincts, fulfill the program of nature itself, then for them, the higher-level instincts are a priority, and the lower-level instincts work for their implementation.
Here there is a hierarchy of values: first a species, then a separate individual; and, accordingly, a hierarchy of instincts: first the higher-level instincts, and only then, as a consequence, the lowest-level instincts. Nature's priority is the preservation and development of the species, and animals realize this. And although in the process of evolution some species disappear and others appear, it is not animals that are to blame, but complex natural processes. Climate change and other difficulties force animals to adapt or disappear, and old ecosystems are replaced by new ones, in which animals also work for the common good.
From this amazing interaction and the hierarchy of lower-level and higher-level instincts, which allows animals to combine caring for themselves with caring for the world, follows the inability of our smaller brothers to show selfishness as such. Therefore, if we define altruism as the ability to put other’s interests above our interests, then all animals, within the framework of their instincts, are ultimately inherent in altruism. For people, this concept, of course, acquires a deeper meaning, since it is based on a set of moral norms and principles.
Why should we then distinguish between higher-level and lower-level instincts? Animals do not have this division, as they live in harmony with the world and follow its hierarchy and its values. Of course, here I introduced these concepts to talk about people.
Part 4
So, now when we have figured out what underlies the behavior of animals, we can talk about people. Can they behave like animals? What does it imply?
Let’s analyze the needs of a person and speculate where the border between egoism and altruism lies. If we are talking about physiological needs, such as, for example, sleep and food, then they belong to the most basic needs, on which survival is built. This also includes safety. If we consider the social needs that humans have and the zoosocial needs that animals have, we will see that there is a lot in common. Zoosocial needs of animals are realized through interaction with other individuals of their species during sexual, parental, territorial behavior (PV Simonov. "Neurobiological foundations of creativity" M.: Nauka, 1993). Animals, just like humans, need self-development, they investigate and study the world. Studies show that they, like humans, need to manage events, which is transformed into abilities and competence (Yarrow, Messer, 1983).
If we are talking about the needs of the next level, such as a need for creativity or aesthetic needs, then things get a little more complicated. You can relate to animals such as primates, but this is beyond the scope of the topic. Spiritual needs, such as, for example, self-knowledge and introspection, are already inherent in people.
As mentioned above, the behavior of animals, based on the harmony of higher-level and lower-level instincts, allows them to satisfy their needs for the benefit of the individual and the world at the same time. If we consider people, then more complex thinking gallows us to act not only altruistically, but also egoistically. Here the higher-level and lower-level instincts no longer act as a single mechanism of evolution necessary for nature, and therefore their apparent separation occurs. This will allow us to see the difference between animals and humans more clearly.
The satisfaction of needs in this light takes on a completely different meaning. A person can analyze his actions and wonder why he performs this or that action, why he satisfies this or that need. It’s interesting to point out that, at this level, it no longer matters whether we are talking about physiological needs or spiritual ones. In other words, altruism and selfishness can accompany any human action. And here the attitude starts playing a major role.
For example, a person can eat with the thought that this will give him strength for a necessary and good deed, or he can simply fill his belly for pleasure. All other needs are satisfied according to the same principle - either for the sake of pleasing your body and your ego or for a good deed. Even the spiritual sphere is often reduced to selfishness, when a person seeks knowledge or enlightenment solely for the sake of his own "spiritual growth", while not caring about other people and the world.
Part 5
A man, unlike animals, can live exclusively on the principle of satisfying his ego. If he puts the lower-level instincts over the higher-level instincts, it does not go naturally for the benefit of other people and the world. In other words, unlike animals, the lower-level instincts of man aimed at satisfying his ego, without the participation of consciousness, will, and desire, do not in any way pass into higher-level instincts. Thus, “When a person allows himself to descend to the level of an animal, he inevitably falls below” (Sayings of Atarkhat).
If you look at what is happening in the world, it becomes obvious that the superiority of the lower-level instincts over the higher ones inevitably harms the world and people. Here I will not mention the problems of modern society, but I will note that for thousands of years they are still the same: poverty, wars, violence, hatred, and others. Nature allows us to independently make the right choice and realize how it really should be for evolution to proceed properly, and for human beings to remain humans. Animals and their correctly placed priorities - even if they are placed unconsciously, but correctly - are an example for us. The strength of a person lies in the fact that he can and should set these priorities on his own, relying on what should and what is necessary for the world. Examples are before our eyes. The natural world is an example of a properly working mechanism. And it is not difficult to imagine what will happen to this world if it suddenly abandons its due in favor of something else. This is obvious even on the example of our ordinary mouse. What will happen if a mouse refuses to follow its instinct and begins to live "for pleasure"? What if mice go beyond what is necessary, behave aggressively, start fighting, hate each other, attack each other? In other words, they will behave as people sometimes do. What will happen to these mice, to their species? That's right: it will die out very soon. And people will say: “They got crazy!” This is exactly how this behavior, which can lead to the extinction of the species, looks like. This is abnormal, weird, and scary.
For humans, creatures with an active mind, who are far superior to mice in awareness, this behavior looks not just abnormal, but absurd. Is it worth it to be the pinnacle of evolution on this planet if we have not learned the norms of life, intuitively understandable even for an ordinary mouse? Can we still be considered an intelligent species? Do we need this kind of mind if it leads to degradation? Therefore, such a saying as, for example, "It's "dog-eat-dog" world", in reality, is not very fair towards dogs, which can never sink to such lows as people.
But don’t panic yet. Everything is not that sad. And a man should not consider himself worse than an ordinary mouse. Nature centers hope on us, and therefore it gave us new opportunities. After all, “If stars are lit, it is something that somebody needs? It means someone wants them to be? " (V.V. Mayakovsky). Man is the result of evolution, and his ability to separate higher-level and lower-level instincts, to choose between egoism and altruism, was given to him by Nature for a reason. As Immanuel Kant wrote in his ethical theory, " Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me". The moral law is born in man as a result of his destiny, a new stage of evolution. By choosing the higher-level instincts and life for the good of people and the world, man overcomes resistance and consciously rejects the inappropriate in favor of the due. This is how a new quality of his Spirit is born, more perfect. Animals are deprived of this opportunity to make a moral choice, which means that this evolutionary leap is not available to them. Therefore, the fact that man can sink to such lows as an animal is justified by the fact that he can give the world much more than our animal friends.
Awareness allows us to understand ourselves in a new way, to rise above instinct, as a natural program, to choose our own. Looking at how the world lives, we can create our world - based on the same good rules, only more perfect. Man can make this beauty seen and understood, breathe spirituality into it and give it even greater value. A man should and can live for the good of the world. He can recognize his weaknesses and overcome them. He can cognize the Truth, see the world as it is, and see his good purpose. He can love like no other. Therefore, my favorite quote is: “If you knew how good you are, you would never do evil, and you would be happy” (Song of Rohami).
Part 6
Who am I?
So, now we can return to the definition of our "I", our self. And here we see the following. If the word "human" refers to our body. However, we admit that we are more than that. We are different from other "unconscious" living organisms. But who are we? And how should we call ourselves? Usually, when we talk about someone who is a role model, honest, strong, moral, ready to help others, great support for the world, then we use the word “Man” with a capital letter.
Here I want to draw your attention to one very important point. When we emphasize the word “man”, when we write it with a capital letter - “Man”, we point out his personality, his Spirit. It would seem that such a “Man” is a value in himself. Is it true?
Here is an example from a philosophical article: “If you have read “Monday begins on Saturday” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, then you probably remember one of the most interesting characters - Cristobal Junta. Cristobal Junta is the former Grand Inquisitor, now head of the Department of the Meaning of Life at the Institute, who proved theoretically “that death is by no means an indispensable attribute of life”. He is fundamentally concerned with problems that have no solution (“It’s nonsense to look for a solution if it already exists. It’s far more interesting to deal with a problem that has no solution”). And also, as evidence of his skepticism, there was a huge poster on the wall: "Do we need ourselves? " (article "Do we need ourselves?", Popular spirituality and science journal "Our space").
The origins of the answer lie in another question, which can be considered a question of questions: What is the meaning of human life? Here you shouldn’t think of your answer, since it does not depend on you at all. "And on whom then?!" - you might object. And I will answer: “The world, you live in. What is your world like? What shapes your “coordinate system?”
The point is that a person does not exist by himself but as a part of the world. If a person disappears, the world will remain, but if the world disappears ... that's right, a person will disappear with it. It is obvious from this simple logic that a person is not a value in himself. Man is a part of the universal mechanism, and if he exists, then he is necessary for something, since nothing exists for no reason in nature, and everything has its place. Here you can talk about both an individual and humanity as a whole. Why do humans exist as an intelligent race? This question is answered by many philosophical doctrines, and all in different ways. And it is obvious that the answer, for example, of a Christian will be different from the answer of a Buddhist or materialist. Each of these people thinks within their picture of the world, and it is this picture that determines the meaning of human life.
For example, if we think that man is something more than a body, that he is a sentient being with his personality, who can give the world more than all other species, then it becomes obvious that the goals of such a creature go beyond simple matter. If we look at the universal mechanism as an integral developing system in which each particle takes its place, then humanity will not be an exception. Billions of years of evolution have gone to the emergence of an intelligent species capable of being aware of itself and qualitatively changing the world around it - and nature strived for this for a reason. This is part of the evolutionary process. It is another matter whether people are aware of the role they play in evolution and why they appeared as conscious beings. Like any living system, the Universe develops according to certain laws, and the emergence of those who are aware is a new stage in its development. Humans differ from animals in their capacity for awareness. And this quality at the highest level is manifested in man through spirituality. With the advent of those who are aware, the evolution of matter fades into the background, since the evolution of Spirit becomes available. And this is a fundamentally new leap. It is for this that humanity appeared - for the realization of itself as a conscious species, for evolution through Spirit. It is the spiritual qualities that turn "man" into "Man" with a capital letter. And here we come to another very important question - "What is morality?"
Part 7
What is morality?
First of all, we need to define morality. Different sources give this concept different definitions, but, in my opinion, they all boil down to something like the following: Morality is the inner spiritual qualities that govern a person, ethical norms, and rules of behavior are determined by these qualities. Some sources add that these qualities are based on the ideals of good, justice, duty, honor, etc., concerning people and nature. This addition, however, needs further clarification, because such a concept as "good" is not the same in different worldview systems.
How is morality related to the picture of the world?
All world spiritual traditions in one way or another are aimed at the moral development of their followers, but they provide a different basis for this. For example, in Buddhism, moral practice is aimed at liberation from suffering, and morality in Christianity is a means of serving God. Thus, we can say that in Buddhism, good is that which helps to get rid of suffering. For example, refraining from intentionally causing harm to living beings. In Christianity, God is considered the most important representative of good and the source of this concept itself, which means that the fulfillment of the Divine is considered good.
We see that the concept of good, and hence of morality, is inextricably linked with the picture of the world, which is described by this or that worldview. Different traditions describe the world in different ways, humans’ place in it, the meaning of their lives and their goal, and, accordingly, morality as a tool for achieving this goal.
The Buddhist worldview explains the necessity and possibility of getting rid of suffering and talks about how this can be achieved. Christianity tells people how to come to God and what moral standards should be followed in this. This is how any spiritual tradition works. It answers the questions "How does everything work?", "What is our place in this system?", "What is the meaning and purpose of our life?" and "What needs to be done to achieve this goal?" Each of these questions is extremely voluminous, and answering them within the framework of any worldview, one would have to state the entire doctrine, and then give detailed explanations to it.
For example, if we say that the Universe is a living system that develops according to certain evolutionary laws, and the emergence of a sentient being is a new stage in its evolution, then this allows us to answer the question about the place of man in the Universe. Sentient beings are the new evolutionary force in the Universe. The universe is colossal, its size is beyond our understanding, and it would be very presumptuous to believe that humanity is the only intelligent race in the Universe. With such a variety of life on one single planet, it is ever hard to imagine what a variety of life exists in the vastness of the Universe and beyond.
Watch a short video about the size of our Universe. It is beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLcrBXl37BQ
Part 8
We can say that intelligent races (there are certainly many of them in the enormous Universe), are a new evolutionary force in it. We can say that the development of each particle separately should lead to the gradual development and improvement of the entire living system. Its particles reach a level of development sufficient to cognize the structure of the world and their place in it, to understand the difference between what is good for them and the Universe, and what is bad, and make the right choice between the first and the second, thanks to which they improve morally. This determines the meaning of their existence. We can say that the collective consciousness and intelligence of the Universe are scattered in countless living beings, including humans. Thus, in our case, the more perfect a person becomes, the more perfect the Universe becomes.
From this follows the corresponding evolutionary principle: since the perfection of the Spirit underlies the evolution of the Universe and guarantees its further existence, it is precisely what is good for it. Opposition to this process is harmful and endangers its further development and life. This principle is also true for the particles of the Universe since at this stage, improvement is carried out through them. It would be correct to say that each particle is identical to the entire Universe, and is both a particle and the whole organism at the same time. Thus, the purpose and meaning of the existence of particles and the whole organism are identical. The task of sentient beings is to contribute to the evolution of the Universe, for its life is their life, and its death is their death. To move evolution forward, they learn and make a moral choice in favor of good, overcoming resistance. Resistance is a threat to existence for everything, including the Universe and its particles, including people. Resistance for sentient beings is the ability to deviate from the good and make a choice in favor of negative qualities and actions arising from them. In other words, people need to develop their moral qualities and improve their Spirit, overcoming vices. The future of the entire Universe depends on this.
It is important to note that all particles are in constant interconnection, and without the beneficial activity of each of them, there will be no cumulative beneficial effect. It is important to understand that this effect is achieved cumulatively, that is, the Spirit is constantly being improved. Since the Universe is an integral system, the improvement of the Spirit of one of the particles immediately leads to the improvement of the Spirit as a whole, and its improvement immediately improves the Spirit within each particle. Without the correct work of the particles, each of them in particular, and all of them together, there is no future, they will perish. Thus, the main aim of each person is understanding the world and its laws and life for the benefit of the world and people and, as a consequence, for the benefit of the entire Universe, and himself as a particle of this Universe.
"The starry sky above me and the moral law within me"
I would like to return once again to the quote by Immanuel Kant: " Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me" The path of humanity to knowledge and spirituality is very thorny, but, despite all the ugliness that people do, there is something unchanging in their souls: this is the desire for good. It is this aspiration that leads to the formation of the so-called "universal human values", which, in one way or another, in a long and difficult way, are nevertheless formed in mankind.
As mentioned above, spiritual development is one of the stages of evolution, which means that good qualities are initially present in every person. Their "voice" steadily and invariably rings through the noise of delusion and ignorance, and allows people to slowly but surely move in the right direction. We can say that morality is inherent in humanity as an impulse, and despite all the hardships and difficulties, its shoots sprout among different cultures and peoples. As Mark Twain said, "Kindness is a language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear".
Many of these values are familiar to us from childhood, even from fairy tales, and they are perceived as universal and taken for granted. Many children will not hesitate to say which heroes of a fairy tale are good and which are bad. They do not doubt that being honest, brave, and kind is good, but being a deceitful and cruel coward is bad. And here no worldview systems are needed because this is obvious at the level of common sense. This enters into the consciousness of people and is perceived as a value in itself. Therefore, we often speak of a good deed as something that we do at the behest of our hearts. A person subconsciously reaches for the good, like a flower to the sun, intuitively, feeling it with his soul and heart.
By the way, it is this “good spark” that allows people with different worldviews to come to the right conclusions at certain points. And even if they do not know exactly how the world works, they seem to subconsciously adjust their worldview to the desired result. We see that all adequate spiritual systems are aimed at the moral development of their followers - and this is how it should be because it is natural for sentient beings.
Part 9
What is more important - heart or mind?
What is the role of the mind in moral development if people can listen to their hearts?
If you look at the world around you, at all its troubles and misfortunes, it becomes obvious that “a good spark” is not enough. The ability to listen to your heart is not enough, because without reason, without understanding and awareness, evolution is impossible. A moral choice is necessary for the evolution of the Spirit, and to do it, you need to understand why you should do this. If there was no such need, only animals that are guided by instinct and are unable to transcend it would inhabit the Earth. Man is not like an animal, because there is such a necessity in the Universe. It is necessary for the Universe that, overcoming the resistance, the conscious ones improve their Spirit. For this, sentient beings should understand what is bad for the Universe and them, and what is good. This understanding is based on knowledge of the world order. It is achieved through the active mind that we are endowed with.
It should be pointed out that the presence of resistance is a prerequisite for the possibility of choice, and therefore, for development and improvement. Resistance itself and, as its absolute, the tendency of non-being, are necessary elements of evolution. They are not evil for the Universe by themselves. Evil is destructive and wrong actions that sentient beings do. In other words, evil arises at the moment when a person makes his choice in favor of evil. The ability to overcome evil, on the contrary, leads to perfection. Mind is necessary for a person to know and understand how the world works. Through knowledge, a person gets rid of delusions, which, in turn, provoke vices and improper actions. When a person gets rid of delusions, he embarks on the path of the Great Oughtness and can become what he should be - the driving force of evolution. Thus, his heart and his mind acquire a single strength and a single path.
Part 10
What is the Great Oughtness?
By the Great Oughtness, I mean the highest aim of human life. As mentioned above, the meaning of life of sentient beings, including humans, is to contribute to the evolution of the Universe. This is achieved through knowledge, moral improvement, and work for the good of the world. A person follows this path consciously, with goodwill. The meaning of every person's life and his path, like a stream, flows into the great river, striving for a single good aim. The path of each person is one with the path of humanity and the Universe, and this path is called the Great Oughtness.
Each person, setting goals for himself, should contribute to the Great Oughtness, and not contradict it. The meaning of life of a person is identical to the meaning of life of mankind and the Universe. Small is like great, and great is like small, and there is no insurmountable difference between them since they share one life. The entire Universe has one aim, the same for all its particles. Humanity is building a bridge to the future. This is a common future for the Universe, humanity, and each person individually, and there is no other future than this. Building this bridge, each person simultaneously works for the good of the Universe, for humanity, and the good of himself as a part of the whole. Small and great are united by one life and one breath: we breathe - and the whole world breathes, the world breathes - and we are a part of this breath. Awareness of this unity and the path of the Great Oughtness is the only path possible for humanity because we were born for it. A person who has embarked on this path takes the same path with the world and finds his true place in it.
Is it easy to take the path of the Great Oughtness?
To answer this question, I will allow myself to quote the following: “Everything that exists takes its place in Nature. Each of the particles of the Universe exists for something, plays its role, does its job. This also applies to intelligent races ... The entire evolution of life forms - both on Earth and in the entire Universe - is aimed at creating creatures in which the active mind could awaken ... so that they can understand themselves and the world, learn what is good, and what is evil, learn to make the right choice between them, to become better, more perfect ... This is what we call the Great Oughtness. This is a concept of a universal scale. Every intelligent race which is born in the Universe is born with the Great Oughtness "(article "Atlantes and Caryatids of the Universe", Popular spirituality and science journal "Our space"). Oughtness comes from the world order and the laws of Nature. In other words, everything in Nature is born with a specific purpose, plays its role, follows certain laws. This is how an avocado tree grows from an avocado seed. It will not grow into an apple or citrus tree. The Great Oughtness is inherent in us by Nature. This is an immutable law. We can turn the blind eye to our destiny, we can go into ostrich mode, but this does not change anything. We are still a part of the Universe, we are still its driving force, we are still born for greatness, and we are still intelligent, conscious beings by nature. We may succumb to weaknesses and temptations, but we were born for something else: to overcome, to develop, to go for the good. And to give up on this is like trying to give up on being humans. You can't avoid it; it is only possible to be capricious for a while. Man is free to crawl and roll about, but his destiny is to walk. This is how evolution works. And this means that Nature has provided us with everything we need to be human: intelligence, willpower, striving for the best, etc. We have all this in abundance. Each of us. Therefore, I now will answer the following question: "Is it easy to take the path of the Great Oughtness?". The answer is: it is natural. Is it easy for a tree to grow from seed, make its way to the sun, and bear fruit? Maybe not always easy, maybe sometimes you have to break through the concrete. But a tree does it, and it's worth it.
How to realize the most important things and embark on the path of the Great Oughtness?
First of all - and this is the most important thing - you need to cognize. Mind is given to a person so that he can understand, see the essence, build logical connections and draw conclusions. It is necessary to learn to have a complete picture, to say: "This is the world, and here I am, and here is my place in this world, and we are inextricably linked with each other." There is no mysticism in this: scientists, researchers, thinkers, and each of us does it every day - each from his angle. The world is multifaceted and complex, but it is cognizable. We study, learn, make mistakes, refute our mistakes and learn from them, make generalizations and conclusions, prove, explain, teach others. This is how the process of cognition and accumulation of universal human experience goes on. Not everything has been studied and proven by science, but the day will come and people will learn more. And many things that they have already realized, but cannot yet prove, will one day be proven. The Great Oughtness is a logical conclusion from the picture of the world if you look at the world carefully and think about how it works. And people gradually come to it, they create a better human-oriented society, learn to respect and protect each other's rights, love, make society more "humane". Slowly but surely this process is going on, otherwise, people would have exterminated each other long ago, because it is always easier to rip apart than to build up. The impulse for creation in people is stronger than the impulse for destruction.
Let’s go back to the Caterpillar
Let’s go back to the characters of Lewis Carroll again. We have already come a long way and looked at a man from a new angle. We found out that the definition of our "I" is inextricably linked with the picture of the world and is conditioned by it. The meaning of life of each person and humanity as a whole is not groundless, and also depends on this picture. Now man is no longer just a creature that exists by itself, without purpose and meaning, but the most important part of the Universe, the driving force of evolution. Now, let’s see how this valuable philosophical experience works in real life. How can we change our lives now?