“A human being is part of the whole called by us ‘universe.’…We experience ourselves, our thoughts, and feelings as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of consciousness.”
Albert Einstein, Letter dated 1950
How the Big Bang Developed Something Called “Mutual Guarantee”
Let’s take a short break from the hustle and bustle of life in this postmodern, self-entitlement-afflicted age and see where the concept of mutual guarantee comes from. Deep in the heart of the vast universe lays a spiral galaxy of no particular distinction. Within it is an average-looking star that has surrounding planets and asteroids, just like numerous other stars in the universe.
But, on the third-removed planet from the star, there is a phenomenon that doesn’t exist on the other planets—perhaps on none but that one planet; although, the universe is too vast to know for certain. That phenomenon is called “life.”
Life is a peculiar phenomenon in that it is dynamic and constantly changing. However, it does not change randomly, but rather in a very clear direction: from simplex to complex and from separation to integration. A publication by the MIT Haystack Observatory—an astronomical observatory owned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology—explains that “the universe was dominated by radiation” and that after the Big Bang, “…quarks combined together to form baryons (protons and neutrons). When the universe was three minutes old, it had cooled enough for these protons and neutrons to combine into nuclei.”
From this beginning, the process of increasing integration and complexity continued with the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets. On at least one of those planets, the process continued beyond the mineral level to that of the organic level, what we know as “life.” This was made possible when organic materials combined in a way that gave them a unique quality: self-replication. As they continued to merge in sync with the course of evolution, they grew even more sophisticated, learning specialized tasks and then performing those tasks for the benefit of the entire congregation of cells (or molecules within a cell.) They relied on the rest of the elements in the group to provide for their necessities while they continued to contribute their unique functions for the benefit of the others. These cell colonies were Nature’s first examples of mutual guarantee, and the principles that applied to them billions of years ago still apply today, to every living thing.
Mutual Guarantee Can Revolutionize Human Society
After approximately four billion years, the human race appeared on earth. We humans, unlike the rest of Nature, feel that we are distinct, separate from all other aspects of Nature. We feel that we are superior—not part of the entire system, but above it. The trait that humanity has indeed introduced into Nature’s system is the sense of self-entitlement. All other animals, plants, and minerals perform their tasks as Nature dictates, through instincts and acquired behaviors. We, on the other hand, have the freedom of choice to work for our own interests or, alternatively, for the interests of others in our society.
If we look at Nature, we will see that choosing mutual guarantee and preferring the interests of society over self-interests are, in truth, more beneficial to the individual. Take the human body, for example; we see here that no cell can exist if it operates only for itself. Likewise, no human can exist alone, caring only for itself. Imagine: seven billion people on earth farming the land, but each and every one doing so only for self; likewise, digging wells and pumping water only for self; hunting for food and providing clothing only for self. What would happen to our society? Indeed, what would happen to us?
Thus, it is self-interest that compels us to work together. Yet, there is something within us that urges us to work for ourselves, seemingly overlooking our actual interdependence.
Returning to the example of the human body, evolutionary biologist Elisabet Sahtouris eloquently explains the concept of interdependence among self-centered elements in a presentation she gave at a November, 2005 conference in Tokyo: “In your body, every molecule, every cell, every organ…has self-interest. When every level…shows its self-interest, it forces negotiations among the levels. This is the secret of Nature. Every moment in your body, these negotiations drive your system to harmony.”
The Enormous Benefit of Integrating With Nature
If we can see that the course of evolution continues today—that is, not stopping once homo sapiens appeared, we would realize that the direction from simplex to complex and from separation to integration continues to be Nature’s course. The only difference from times before is that although the human species is never forced to integrate, conditions are now “ripe” for us to willingly choose integration over separation. If we choose correctly—to integrate, the response of Nature will be positive: a life of harmony, balance, and prosperity.
It follows that the process by which the world has become globalized—as in a global village—is not a unique incident, but a natural extension of the nearly 14 billion years of evolution that started with the Big Bang. The crisis that humanity is experiencing today is not the collapse of civilization, but the emergence of a new stage in humanity’s development—one where humanity, too, becomes a single entity that is conscious of its interconnectedness and is working in harmony with it. When we achieve that awareness, we will be as a single organism where every organ works to benefit the whole and where the whole responds in kind by providing for the organ’s every need. This is the highly desirable state of mutual guarantee!
Written by Michael Laitman
Michael Laitman is a global thinker dedicated to generating a transformational shift in society through a new global education, which he views as the key to solving the most pressing issues of our time. He is the Founder of the ARI Institute, Professor of Ontology & Theory of Knowledge, PhD in Philosophy, MS in Medical Cybernetics. You can find him on Google+, YouTube and Twitter