177. MICRO/MACRO WORLDVIEW
Theoretical physics professor Fritjof Capra said that we are in transition from a mechanistic to an ecological worldview. In The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems, Capra said, “Ultimately, deep ecological awareness is spiritual or religious awareness.” He added that in Nature, we find “wholes” that consist of webs of relationships.
We live in “living systems” or networks that interact to achieve their ultimate missions. The network interactions and interdependent evolutions generate feedback that contributes to a self-regulating, self-organizing capacity. This suggests that our survival, health, and growth are at the heart of and cared for in the Creation.
As we know from neuroscience, our minds function as living systems. They help us not only to think, but also to know and to live a better quality of life based on what we learn. Our nervous, immune, and endocrine systems are all network connected.
A living system worldview can reduce our anxiety about how to survive the bits and pieces of life. A living system worldview reminds us that we are part of a creation with hope-grounded confidence that the big picture is more promising than the TV screen might suggest. This might make a difference in the way we view the news, deal with people and parties that are different, and interpret what people say.
Applying this worldview thinking to a big issue like national healthcare, we hear macro-thinking advocates who propose national healthcare for all of us. Then we hear what might be considered micro-thinking advocates who raise questions about the national debt, quality of healthcare, examples from nations with national healthcare, the role of private industry research, and other issues that relate to the big issue.
This concept of living systems stirs me to ponder the connections between system thinking, consciousness, dialogue, purpose, and stewardship. I believe there is meaning in these connections.
We live in a complex universe. In recent generations we are discovering more about that complexity. We are discovering the systemic nature of the universe. At the same time, we are discovering more about the quantum nature of the micro and macro world in which we exist. We are being made aware of energy at the root of our existence. We are discovering more about our brains and how they have evolved in our species to equip us for living in complexity and with increasing appreciation for living in networked systems. We are becoming more aware of the mystery of our consciousness and how the levels of our consciousness can stretch to embrace inclusiveness and the potential of synergistic relationships.
Dialogue has been demonstrated to be an effective means to open us to that potential and to forge the networked relationships needed to flourish in the living systems of our creation. In our human history, which has been guided by theology, philosophy, and psychology, we are led to ponder more deeply about the meaning and purpose of our lives. The more that we allow our consciousness to guide us in this unfolding journey, the more we take seriously what it means to be stewards of this complex, systemic, emerging universe in which we live. And, of course, as it has been in our long human history, we wonder about how all this began, what sustains it, and why.
So, let us end where we began in this post:
Theoretical physics professor Fritjof Capra said that we are in transition from a mechanistic to an ecological worldview. In The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems, Capra said, “Ultimately, deep ecological awareness is spiritual or religious awareness.” He added that in Nature, we find “wholes” that consist of webs of relationships.
Q: To what extent do you see the connections identified above?
Check out: https://dialogue4us.com.
