Our interconnected consciousness

Purposeful Living

By Chris Akins / 11 years ago

Jung proposed a universal consciousness.  In other words, he proposed the notion that we are all part of the same, dynamic, living system.  We are all interconnected, not only with each other, but with all things in the universe.  This is not a philosophical statement.  Physics supports this idea, at least on a molecular level.

We are stardust

Science shows us that we are all, literally, made of stardust, as is everything else in the known universe.   Almost every element on Earth originated from the heart of a star.  Think about that for a moment!  Understand that even though we may look differently on the outside, on the molecular level we are all the same.  More than that, there is nothing on that molecular level that distinguishes us from the planet on which we live, or from the solar system, or the universe itself.

If we can take this perspective we begin to understand the interconnectedness of not only organic life, but of the entire planetary and universal system.  Perhaps we may begin to understand that we are all recycled in this system, and in that way remain a part of it for eternity (or at least until the system runs out of energy, or more accurately when all existing forms of energy are converted to heat).

It’s time to change our paradigm

Many ancient civilizations seemed to recognize this interconnectedness on some level, even though they may not have had a scientific understanding for its basis.  In our modern era, especially in the west, we seem to have lost this awareness, and taken the view that we (human beings) are the masters of our environment rather than a part of it.This attitude towards our environment, and towards other human beings, is bringing us closer to environmental and human catastrophe on a global scale.  Personally, I do not think the challenges that lie ahead of us (unless we change course) will be the end of humanity.  But, I do think that a significant portion of humanity will cease to exist  (or be converted to another form of energy) as a result of our hubris, and it’s not necessary.

Our planetary resources are not unlimited.  And we exist in a living, breathing ecosystem.  We can no longer afford to treat our planet as a slave to do with as we will.  We need to change our way of life to one that respects our environment, and that is more sustainable.