Martin LeFevre: Resolving the ‘Riddle of Man’

As I see it, human consciousness is an unexplained contradiction in the infinitely dynamic order of the universe. Consciousness is not ‘evolving,’ and things are going from bad to worse. Is there an understanding of the relationship between humankind and the universe that offers genuine hope?

The attempt by many to blur the distinction between human consciousness and the natural order is just making the human mind more confused. Given that consciousness is not evolving, but rather growing more and more disordered, does that mean one must just give up, as so many have done?

No, the choice between cynical self-absorption and New Age self-absorption is no choice at all. But can we really find out what humankind’s place in the universe is?

Religious beliefs previously served to give meaning to the many, while enabling the few to have control. But belief systems in recent decades have become increasingly reactionary, whether in the Judeo-Christian or Islamic worlds. But there is an experiencing of something ineffable, having nothing to do with belief.

If one believes the universe is a completely random interaction of energy and matter, then an inseparable cosmic intelligence and sacredness beyond thought (without implying any kind of personal God) are just the inventions and illusions of despondent or despotic minds. With the negation and quieting of thought however, there is an experiencing of the living order, mystery, and sacredness that permeates the cosmos. But as it is, human consciousness is a great contradiction and conundrum. It used to be called ‘the riddle of man.’ This mystery cannot be resolved by science, or by mushy appeals to the ‘oneness of our deeper selves.’

Evolution is working out something significant in human consciousness. (Not that Earth, much less 'man,' are the center of the universe; just that consciousness is obviously coming to a head here, apocalyptic theology notwithstanding.) Symbolic thought is generating unsustainable levels of fragmentation and disorder on this planet. No other life form on this planet operates as we humans do using thought.

The central question to my then mind is: How did our extraordinarily powerful human brain, defined and dominated by 'higher thought,' evolve from the infinitely dynamic order and wholeness of the universe?

Given the right conditions and enough time, evolution, in its random way, apparently produces brains capable of symbolic thought. That doesn’t imply a hierarchy of dominion, much less ‘man being created in the image of God,’ but rather an enigma, and growing crisis for the species in which conscious thought evolves.

Though it's an incredibly powerful adaptation, symbolic thought rests on a principle that is the antithesis of the wholeness and order of the universe. Simply put, whereas the universe operates in seamless unity, ‘higher thought’ separates things. That is its essential nature and function. Not understanding the mechanism of thought within us, it has fragmented the earth to the breaking point, Al Gore’s traveling road show of global warming notwithstanding.

On one hand, the ability to mentally and physically remove ‘things’ from the environment has given the human species immense powers of manipulation and control over our environment, even down to the molecular level. On the other hand, using thought without insight into its nature and limitations is fragmenting the earth, cultures, and people all to hell.

That means consciousness as we usually know it, is a growing momentum of useful knowledge and useless accretion. The net result is increasing division, conflict, and fragmentation. In other words, the accumulation in consciousness of useless content (for example, hurts and hate, grudges and garbage) is the source of darkness and evil in the world.

Despite the growth in scientific knowledge, human consciousness is not, essentially, an ascending spiral of progress, but a descending spiral of chaos. There have been other opportunities to change our basic direction throughout history, but this may well be our last chance to change course.

Thought-based consciousness has reached a point where the fragmentation it is generating threatens the viability of the Earth’s ecosystems. But self-made fragmentation is also putting tremendous pressure on human beings to radically change.

The great paradox is that symbolic thought is both a necessary precondition for conscious, silent awareness of the intelligence that permeates and transcends the universe, and the greatest impediment to that awareness. Therefore self-knowing is not just a path for Buddhists and Socratic aficionados; it has become the indispensable foundation for the survival of our species.

This explanation for the ‘riddle of man’ comes closer than ever before to resolving the mystery, but the explanation will not change the explained. That requires self-awareness and inner spadework, and no person can compel another to take the path of self-knowing; it has to come entirely from within.

So is there a cosmic intelligence that cares about the fate of humankind? Yes, but not about 'man' as a special creation, much less about us in any separate or personal sense.

There is an intrinsic intent in the universe to evolve, through a largely random process, brains capable of awareness of the intelligence that permeates and transcends the universe. That same intent 'wants' (to use an unavoidably anthropomorphic term) humankind, the only species on this planet with the capacity for conscious awareness of cosmic intelligence, to radically change.

When human beings passionately share that intent, we participate in ongoing creation and the unfolding mystery of life. Enlightenment means stepping out of the stream of the past, of conditioning, of consciousness as we've known it for tens of thousands of years.

- Martin LeFevre is a contemplative, and non-academic religious and political philosopher. He has been publishing in North America, Latin America, Africa, and Europe (and now New Zealand) for 20 years. Email: martinlefevre@sbcglobal.net. The author welcomes comments.

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