15 December 2014 10:22 PM

How do we know what is alive and what is not? Have you ever wondered?

When you look at the stars, do you believe they are alive? Do you think our galaxy, the Milky Way, may be alive? Have you ever questioned whether our solar system as an entity could be alive? Is our planet alive?

How do we know?

We usually believe something is alive when it has movement and when we feel it has intent. So, if something doesn’t move or express intent we can perceive, is it not alive?

Is a wall not alive?

Well, let’s explore what a wall is made of. Is it made of atoms? And are atoms static or dynamic? From what we know they are dynamic as the elements (protons, neutrons, electrons) that make it what it is are in constant motion. If this is true, then the whole universe is dynamic, but we don’t always perceive it as such because a wall is a wall: it doesn’t move, it doesn’t talk, and it is just there.

Actually, it appears to just be there, but if we looked closely we could see that the atoms and molecules that make it what it is have intent; the intent is to be a wall. This form was given to it by the people who made the wall. So, what about a rock? No one seemingly thought about making a rock; it is just there. Well, what is the rock made of? And are those elements alive?

From a macro-perspective, things seem to be static; they present themsleves to us as “things”, therefore, not alive. Animals and humans seem to be alive because they move and they appear to have intent.

But from a microscopic perspective we can see a whole world that appears to be alive; it is in motion and these motions are not random; they have patterns and structure.

Have you ever wondered how this could be? How is it that the universe doesn’t fall apart? What gives it its structure? The universe has what scientists call “laws”, which are consistent patterns which are always present. Why is this? Who knows?

If we look at the world from a microscopic view point we see a fascinating world in constant motion, being affected constantly by its environment and by human participation (quantum physics). And if the micro- is what makes the macro-, can we say that something is not alive?

Just like a cell in our finger may not know that it is part of a hand, an arm and a whole body we call human, so we humans may not be aware that we are part of something or “someone” much bigger than us. But this something doesn’t seem to talk to us in words, so we assume it is not alive.

If the wall doesn’t talk to us, of course it is not alive; this is what we think. But could it be that the wall does talk to us, but we may not understand it or be sensitive enough to sense it?

Imagine you had the capacity to see not only the rock as you normally see it, but that you could also see all the interrelated forces that make it what it is. Imagine that you could see all the atoms and its parts in motion as they make the structure of what we call a “rock”? Would you say the rock is alive?

From this perspective, is there anything in the universe that doesn’t contain life?

Do we need to define life?

Webster dictionary defines life as: “the ability to grow, change, etc., which separates plants and animals from things like water or rocks”.

Is it possible that the whole universe is growing and changing but we may not be able to see it? If we looked at Earth from above, from far enough away that we could see its whole shape, could we say Earth was alive? Or is it just an inanimate object on which life exists and evolves?

The planet is full of forces: the oceans are moving, the air travels, the earth is shifting, volcanoes are erupting, clouds are going from place to place, rain comes down, and thunder explodes. We have fertile soils that help plants grow. We have deserts where dunes shift from place to place as the winds blow. We have animals constantly reproducing.

The planet is moving in unison and coordination with other planets around the sun and the sun is moving along with the galaxy, not randomly but with a pattern, and our galaxy is traversing with other galaxies. From this perspective, is there anything that does not seem alive.

I wonder if humanity is too materialistic to look past the gross forms of the world and perceive the subtle ones. Are we so myopic that we don’t see deeply enough into the cosmos to consider that we are part of something far bigger and vaster that we can comprehend?

For practical purposes it may be good to say that a wall is just a wall and that a tree is just a tree, but if we are to truly value life, if we want to comprehend it and be grateful for it, we need to look deeper. If we want to expand our perception of who and what we are, and our place in the universe, it would be good to stop seeing ourselves as the entity around which everything revolves.

And in becoming humbled by the magnitude of the universe, micro- and macro-, we may see that even who we think we are is a mix of forces, molecules, atoms, electricity, magnetism and much more that makes us what we are.

And if we are part of something bigger than us, just like the finger is part of our hand, can that thing or being be aware and intelligent? How could it not be, if we are aware and intelligent? And if that exists, could it communicate with us? Could it be constantly aware of us, but not us of it?

What would the world look like from the perspective of a bigger entity and what would that entity be like? Maybe that entity is Earth? Maybe we are part of a whole living organism called Earth, that is part of one bigger called a solar system, that is part of one bigger called a galaxy. What if each of them is intelligent and aware? Wouldn’t that be amazing?

But how could we prove they are aware and intelligent unless these entities talk to us? Could it be possible that they are actually communicating with us constantly, but not through cell phones or emails? Maybe these huge living organisms are waiting for us to mature and stop running like headless chickens from place to place so we can stop and listen, so we can be calm and see.

See what?

See that we are alive, that we are aware, that we are made of life and we are part of life.

And if we saw this, we could be joyful and proud of being part of a powerful and beautiful system that pulsates as we do, that sees as we do, that touches as we do, but not in a way that we perceive.

Imagine what it would be like if you could experience and perceive what it’s like to be a planet, a galaxy or solar system! Imagine if we could experience the awareness of a planet being aware of everyone that is on it. Imagine if we could experience a galaxy being aware of itself, or the whole universe aware of each of its parts?

If we could experience even glimpses of these levels of awareness, I believe we would be more respectful of everything, because we would see everything as being made of the same things that we are made of. And we would see that we are deeply connected by forces that our senses do not perceive.

And maybe then we would cry deeply and fall on our knees, letting go of the arrogance of thinking we are the kings of the world. Love would come into our minds and hearts and we would see that the everything is connected by an intent that we couldn’t see before; we would see that love is what creates the synchronicity of existence and that all things, big or small, are an expression of it creating the magnificent dance of life.

Oh, what a beautiful day that would be, the day when we all see that we are one living being, one living organism experiencing itself, loving itself, creating more of itself, growing itself.

What else would we do then but follow its example and do just the same--from our place, our level of awareness and influence.

What a beautiful day what would be!

With love,

Alive!