Today - The importance of ORDER.

I know that I have commented on this before but I strongly believe that today, in April 2022, it is even more necessary for Governments, all Governments, to be VERY careful.

 

These turbulent and extraordinary times require that we should all take time to reflect on what we, as belonging to the species Homo Sapiens (“wise man”?) can start doing now and keep on doing into the future. 

 

We need to reflect on the full meaning of the term “civilization” and how this is expressed by our current ways of life and the general disorder we generate.

 

Such reflections may, just may, help to redress the disastrous and damaging ways we, as a species are despoiling the very Earth, the Nature, we need for survival.

 

To this end I offer the following extracts from quite an old book – but the sentiments expressed are, to my mind, still valid and very true:-

 

From “African Genesis” by Robert Ardrey, (Fontana Books paperback, 1970).

Pages 393/394:-

 

“But no animal compulsion stands alone in the debate of our instincts. And so I return to my second assertion, that civilization is a product of evolution and an expression of nature’s most ancient law. Far antedating the predatory urge in our animal nature, far more deeply buried than conscience or territory or society lies that shadowy, mysterious undefinable command of the kind, the instinct for order. And so, when a predatory species came rapidly to evolve its inherent talent for disorder, natural selection favoured, as a factor in human survival, the equally rapid evolvement of that sublimating, inhibiting, super-territorial institution which we call, loosely, civilization.

 

It is a jerry-built structure, and a more unattractive edifice could scarcely be imagined. It’s greyness is appalling. It’s walls are cracked and eggshell this. It’s foundations are shallow, it’s antiquity slight…… Yet however humiliating the path may be, man beset by anarchy, banditry, chaos and extinction must in last resort turn to that chamber of dull horrors, Human enlightenment. For he has nowhere else to turn.

 

If man is to survive without war, a gloomier conclusion could not be written that that this fragile, despicable, unattractive structure must become our last court of appeal. It has failed us consistently in the past. It tends to fall down every thousand years or so.”

…….

 

“But the choice is not ours. Never to be forgotten, to be neglected, to be derided, is the inconspicuous figure in the quiet back room. He sits with head bent, silent, waiting, listening to the commotion in the streets. He is the keeper of the kinds.

 

Who is he? We do not know. Nor shall we ever. He is a presence, and that is all. But his presence is evident in the last reaches of infinite space beyond man’s probing eye. His presence is guessable in the last reaches of smallness beyond the magnification of electron microscope. He is present in all living beings and all inanimate matter. His presence is asserted in all things that ever were, and in all things that will ever be. And as his command is unanswerable, his identity is unknowable. But his most ancient concern is for order.”

……

 

“You may read his command in the regularity of turning things, in stars and seasons, in tides and in striking clocks….”

 

“Where a child is born or a man lies dead; where life must go on though tragedy deny it; where a farmer replants fields despoiled by flood or drought; where men rebuild cities that other men destroy; where tides must ebb as tides have flowed; there, see his footprints, there and there.”

 

 He does not care about you, or about me, or about man for that matter. He cares only for order. But whatever he says, we shall do. He is rising now, in civilization’s quiet back room, and he is looking out the window.”

 

The importance of order.

As this turbulent and extraordinary year of 2020 draws to a close I think we should all take time to reflect on what we, as belonging to the species Homo Sapiens (“wise man”?), can start doing now and keep on doing into the future. 

 

We need to reflect on the full meaning of the term “civilization” and how this is expressed by our current ways of life and the general disorder we generate.

 

Such reflections may, just may, help to redress the disastrous and damaging ways we, as a species are despoiling the very Earth, the Nature, we need for survival.

 

To this end I offer the following extracts from quite an old book – but the sentiments expressed are, to my mind, still very true:-

 

From “African Genesis” by Robert Ardrey, (Fontana Books paperback, 1970 pages 393/394) - as an aside, Ardrey was one of the first people to suggest that human beings first evolved in Africa:-

 

“But no animal compulsion stands alone in the debate of our instincts. And so I return to my second assertion, that civilization is a product of evolution and an expression of nature’s most ancient law. Far antedating the predatory urge in our animal nature, far more deeply buried than conscience or territory or society lies that shadowy, mysterious undefinable command of the kind, the instinct for order. And so, when a predatory species came rapidly to evolve its inherent talent for disorder, natural selection favoured as a factor in human survival the equally rapid evolvement of that sublimating, inhibiting, super-territorial institution which we call, loosely, civilization.”

…….

 

“The choice is not ours. Never to be forgotten, to be neglected, to be derided, is the inconspicuous figure in the quiet back room. He sits with head bent, silent, waiting, listening to the commotion in the streets. He is the keeper of the kinds.

 

Who is he? We do not know. Nor shall we ever. He is a presence, and that is all. But his presence is evident in the last reaches of infinite space beyond man’s probing eye. His presence is guessable in the last reaches of smallness beyond the magnification of electron microscope. He is present in all living beings and all inanimate matter. His presence is asserted in all things that ever were, and in all things that will ever be. And as his command is unanswerable, his identity is unknowable. But his most ancient concern is for order.”

……

 

“He does not care about you, or about me, or about man for that matter. He cares only for order. But whatever he says, we shall do. He is rising now, in civilization’s quiet back room, and he is looking out the window.”

 

Worthy or unworthy?

What are we? Just an accident of nature (but then what is nature?) or is there some design and purpose behind the creation of life? Nobody knows!

And further to this conundrum I add that we human beings, generally, seem to be hell-bent on destroying the very environment that allowed all life to propagate.

I know I have written about this before but when it comes to understanding the “Tragedy of the Commons” it is well worth reiterating the facts. These “commons” are those resources which benefit all and that we all rely on, water (including those species that live in and on the water), the soil and the air. Free access and unrestricted demand for finite resources (minerals) ultimately reduces those resources through over exploitation. This exploitation occurs because of the financial benefits that accrue to individuals or groups, hence a desire to maximise the use of the finite resource without regard to the deleterious effects borne by all – even those unaware that such voracious exploitation is taking place.  

The fact that money appears to take precedent over what is best for all is pure greed. I am thinking particularly of the current, apparently intractable, divide between the political Left and Right and the socially unacceptable imbalance between the very wealthy and the vast numbers living in poverty, together with the deniers, generally those whose affiliated to Right-wing politics, who oppose political reform and who have an apparent inability or unwillingness to accept the we, humans, are destroying the very environment essential for survival.  

It would be well for all to reflect on the fact that all wealth – the economy that politicians love to invoke – is totally dependent on the air; the soil and water, both fresh and salt. Without these there would be nothing.  

“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity––then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective.” (David Suzuki)

I will now quote extracts from a speech attributed to Chief Seattle of the Suquamish and Duwamish people in what is now the State of Washington DC (though there is some dispute as to whether or not this was “ghost written” for him):- 

“What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of the spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected ….. 

….This we know; the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected ….. 

….You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His compassion is equal for the red man and the white. The earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. 

The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. ….

….Where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. The end of living and the beginning of survival.”

And so it seems to be. The sea ice is retreating; the permafrost is melting; much of the World’s ground water is contaminated. Many millions of square kilometres of the land is now so degraded that huge quantities of chemical fertilizers are required to get anything to grow. Many square kilometres of cropped land is sprayed with insecticide and weed killer. Many millions of square kilometres of forested areas are burning in drought-ravaged areas. Many millions of tonnes of waste, of all types, now pollute the oceans. Many millions of tonnes of chemical and noxious gasses are polluting the very air we breathe. 

But all this is accepted because of money; because of the “need” to grow the economy; that same “economy” which only exists because of people whose very lives depend on clean air, unpolluted, productive land and unpolluted water.  

 Makes me wonder!

Tyrants beware!

History is never kind to those who abuse their fellow men. History is never kind to those who attempt to immortalize their achievements. History is never kind to those who blow their own trumpets.

And Nature has a way of taking over and restoring order, Her order.

I offer my one loyal reader this poem (by Shelley) that tells the story, far better than any words I could ever write, of how Hubris and Pride will always lose to Nature and be brought down:

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

  Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

  Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.

And on the pedestal these words appear:

  ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!’

  Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

  The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

                                    

What is a Man today?

I know that this is fighting talk and I am headed for trouble but my one loyal reader is interested in what is it that determines the title of Man (as in the male of the species homo-sapiens)? Recall that this is a noble title with noble antecedents!

I have understood for a long time that being a man (male) is not a simple thing and that women are a jump or two ahead of men when it comes to many aspects of life – they have to be - after all life is created within them. For instance women are generally more nurturing than men; women generally have better developed social skills than men; women generally are more dextrous (more developed fine motor skills) than men.

Please note: in spite of what many men would like to believe, there is no difference in the levels of intelligence – despite the jokes and disparaging comments about “dumb blondes”! Women are, generally, no less intelligent than men.

Manhood has been honoured since time began with many attributes that have been associated with masculinity and virility, which refer to male qualities and male gender roles. But being a Man has a bit more going for it than this – men are not (I hope and trust) just useful in procreation or in lifting heavy boxes or for reaching items on the top of supermarket shelves. No, no! We are more than that, much more.

While it is a physiological fact that men, generally, are larger and physically stronger than their female counterparts this “advantage” has associated social effects. It is generally accepted that males (for reasons never fully understood or explained) are more adept at map reading with a generally better sense of direction than females. Similarly males, generally, have better mechanical skill than females and (in my limited experience) seem to be more logical. I will however admit to not fully understanding my wife of thirty-four years – I am sometimes baffled by the insight, the deep understanding and the (occasionally) completely ‘out of left field’ comments and opinions that she expresses.

There is a major fault in many males (I have to admit) in that they often assume that this physical “advantage” in size and strength extends to  other human attributes and that men are in some way superior to women with greater intelligence, a better ability to organize and a better ability to guide and lead. These perceived apparent superior abilities, by males, are at the root of the reason why there are so few women in leadership roles – or so I firmly believe.  

It is true that most heroes of myth and legend are men; most world leaders (of countries and companies) are men; most of the best chefs are men; most of the best architects are men and there is a long list of other areas in which men seem to predominate. There is, however, a much darker side to males which cannot be hidden.

Men are greater risk takers than women. This attitude towards risk taking, and the normally greater associated dangers, is a major contributor in the fact that men generally die younger and that most serious crimes (crimes of violence – rape, grievous bodily harm and murder) are committed by men. There is also no known reason why but most psychopaths are male.

But like it or not men and women are together in this world and need to learn – surprisingly even in this Twenty-first Century – that each provides essential attributes that enhances the other; that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”; that men and women are different from each other in many ways but that there are more similarities than differences and that we need each other, no matter what.

Finally there is a fascinating quote in an old Weekend Australian newspaper (14/15^th June 2003) which I read again the other day. It is extracted from “Anatomica - The Complete Reference to the Human Body” (Random House) which illustrates the extraordinary qualities of Nature (which is not defined) and which really tell me that “Man and Woman” are indeed partners in a strange and as yet not fully understood species of animal called Homo-sapiens:-

“Women are characterized as the weaker sex but it is men who need a helping hand from Mother Nature. The male disadvantage extends throughout life. From birth, male babies are less likely to survive childhood, while at the other end of life, on average men die younger. Nature maintains the balance between men and women by ensuring more boys are born than girls. For every 100 girls born in Australia about 106 boys are born. A study published by the European Society of Human Reproduction found that ... the usual ratio is 511 boys for every 489 girls in every 1000 births (statistically 104.5 boys for every 100 girls).”

 And I proudly declare that I am NOT a misogynist – after thirty four years of marriage I wouldn’t dare claim otherwise!

New Beginings

While recently moving house and “binning” unwanted stuff I came across an old wallet of mine in the back of a drawer. I checked to see if I had left anything in it – there was nothing except a fortune cookie from some long forgotten Christmas past. It read as follows:-

“You will enjoy good health – that will be your form of wealth”.

I was rather taken aback at having this thrown in my face, as it were. It is true that I am fortunate in that I do enjoy good health and I certainly appreciate the fact that no amount of money can “buy” good health but I was surprised to have this presented to me in this manner. It was the last thing I expected but then Nature, at the time and place of its choosing, has its own way of reminding us of important facts.

This last fact – that Nature has its own way of presenting things - led me to reflect on what Al Ghazali said (he was a Muslim jurist, theologian and mystic born in Iran and who lived 1058-1111 CE) - we can learn from everyone!!:

“Punishment is the natural working out of consequences, and not an arbitrary infliction imposed ab extra.”

From this statement, by a somewhat circuitous route, I arrived at a point where I was thinking about current events in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria (Al Ghazali spent some time in Damascus). If punishment is the result of consequences - the natural flow of events from cause to effect - then the suffering being experienced by the peoples of Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria (and by extension many of the Allied military) would be, logically, the result of some previous circumstance or circumstances (the cause).

If we examine Afghanistan for example we find that, certainly in recent times, they have had the beliefs and wishes of others imposed on them – first the Russians and now the Americans and their allies.

The Russian incursion into Afghanistan lasted nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. As part of the Cold War (the West vs Soviet Russia) the conflict between Soviet led Afghan troops fighting multi-national insurgent groups (predominantly Muslim but US aided) known as the mujahideen was very violent.

The mujahideen won and the Russians were forced out in 1989.

Now for the Americans and their allies (including Australia) the Taliban are the “enemy” in Afghanistan – but both the mujahedeen and the Taliban had their origins in the original Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and are indirect creations of the US from their attempts to weaken the Soviets during the Cold War.

Also, indirectly, it has been alleged that the early foundations of al-Qaeda stem, at least in part, from the relationships, the weaponry and the billions in US aid that was given to support the mujahedeen in their fight to expel the Soviets.

The Afghan people are a tough and independent lot – they resent any incursion by anyone.

What goes around comes around!

Then there is Iraq. I know the Saddam Hussein was a very unpleasant character but he unified and modernised Iraqi society and facilitated the education of millions of Iraqis (both male and female) to such an extent that he was even given an award by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Everything worked, people had food, employment and a level of social services that were unprecedented among Middle Eastern countries in what was an (admittedly enforced) secular country.

Now it is a disaster. Iraq is a mess of sectarian violence. Tens of thousands of Iraqis died as did thousands of Americans and their allies in the invasion of that country. For what? Bombs and general shootings are still killing hundreds of these unfortunate people. And to make matters worse previously reliable electricity and water services are now somewhat problematic and the previously excellent social services are virtually non-existent and there is high unemployment. Also it is not a “Democracy” such as would be approved by the “West”.

Syria is something else again. The current civil war (upward of 40 000 have died and millions have fled their homes) appears to be an extension of the “Arab spring” movement but would seem to have been high-jacked by the “Muslim Brotherhood” which had its origins in Egypt and others apparently affiliated to Muslim extremists and al-Qaeda.

All indications are that Syria will end up as a fragmented failed state despite the efforts of other Arab countries and the “West” who are desperately trying to prevent this.

America and the West cannot hope to impose anything resembling the Western Ideal of Democracy in the Middle East if the peoples concerned are not prepared to embrace it. If they do embrace Democracy it may be a version, a local somewhat altered version, a cherry-picked version. It will be, however, what they choose. Let it be – it will be a “grass roots” from the bottom up movement to allow the local populace a voice in running their country.  It cannot and will not be something imposed by outsiders (and non-Muslims at that).

The West, by trying to interfere in the internal affairs of these countries (something the West would never accept if the roles were reversed) has started a sequence of events that it has no power to control. If the West does not like the results – the consequences – of its interference then the West must look to itself.

As Al-Ghazali said (see my quote above) “Punishment is the natural working out of consequences, and not an arbitrary infliction imposed ab extra.”

The Arabs are not children. They will sort themselves out.  They are an intelligent people some of whom have been caught up in a quasi-religious, quasi-political ideology and, combined with a distorted view of history, are trying to impose their views and to recreate a long lost “golden age” of Arab achievement to match the West. Their “power” comes from a strict interpretation of the Koran and  application of their version of Islamic Law.

Let them be. Leave well alone. The West must learn to take responsibility for, and accept the consequences, of its actions (good or bad).

Remember what goes around comes around!

We need some harmony and order in the world.

Nothing is permanent in Life. Nature is dynamic. Life is dynamic. It must be so, because everything that is alive, either moves, grows or in some way changes with time. Nothing stays as it was and trying to keep something as it was is similar to chasing rainbows. This is the order of Nature. The order that dictates that a salmon shall return to the river of its birth; the order inherent in the cycle of the seasons, in the ebb and flow of the tides; in the spiral galaxies, in the stars and their courses, the order can be sensed in the regularity of all turning things.

We may not appreciate it but the universe is unfolding as it should – there is order and harmony in the way things happen. Nature is harmonious in its entirety. When order is absent and chaos reigns then there are problems. And have you noticed something – we humans are the only creatures on the face of the earth that can actually create disharmony? An ant cannot create disharmony, because an ant will always behave as an ant should; it is in its nature to do so; likewise with parrots or any other creature that you care to name. They cannot be anything other than the way nature (evolution, creation?) has dictated they shall be. Human beings on the other hand can and often do behave in strange and violent ways that cause havoc with the natural order of things.

The natural world is in our genes, we are all from the earth; when we die we return to the earth. We need order, we need harmony – chaos disturbs us, we become afraid and then panic sets. We cannot, as a species abide disorder and lack of harmony in our lives. Disharmony creates fear of the unknown and unhappiness is the result. Just look around at the world.

But we cannot expect harmony and order in the world outside, if there is no order or harmony within each of us, within ourselves. I cannot be happy and have harmony and order in my life if I know that my wife, or my children are unhappy, because of some emotional ‘disorder’ or ‘dis-ease’. It disturbs me greatly that there are others who are unhappy; who lack harmony within themselves and therefore are instrumental in creating disharmony amongst others.

Harmony between people can only come about when we treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. Harmony and internal peace and order will only be evident when we remember the Law of Cause and Effect. That what we do will affect not only our families but also many others. Remember the ‘six degrees of separation’? Knowing six people is alleged to give us a link to everyone in the world. So we must treat all sentient beings in an ethical way because we are all interconnected – it is in our genes. To do anything else is to invite chaos and unhappiness.

Harmony and nature.

What is more natural than harmony? Nature, as in the natural world, is harmonious – its colours, its sounds, the very balance between the various elements of earth, water, air and fire (warmth) are just right for us and the animals and creatures that inhabit this beautiful planet. It is inherent in the music of the spheres. Why then do we humans seem to be hell bent on upsetting the balance, and creating disharmony? What can I, you, we, do about it?

The first thing to remember is that for there to be balance and harmony in our lives we need to be balanced and harmonious within ourselves. We must be balanced and in harmony with ourselves, with who we are – remember we are the most important person in our lives. Finding this balance, establishing harmony is a never ending process. It is a journey of discovery and the most important that we will ever undertake.

By harmony and balance I mean that we each understand our place in the world, that we are part of humanity, that we are not better (or worse), or more important, than anyone else. That each of us has our place and our contribution to make in the great scheme of things. I am not sure that we need to ask the question, “Why?” all we need to do is to do our best.

If there is no balance, no harmony in your life, how will you see the necessity to have harmony and balance in the world generally? You can’t! Some readers may have realised that I like poetry and if you follow the full meaning of the following lines I don’t believe that you or anyone will go too far off balance, or be too ‘disharmonised’:-

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” – that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. (John Keats)

What is it all for?

What is it all for? Life I mean. What makes us happy? What brings contentment or joy? Money? – I don’t think so. Possessions? – again I don’t think so. Position of eminence in the world? – not necessarily. You may have all those and good on you. You have worked hard and saved hard. But without good personal relationships and at least some vague idea that there is more to Life than is presented to us on a daily basis, then I believe that happiness will prove to be elusive.

My personal belief is that there is a great deal more to life than I currently understand, or perhaps more accurately, than I am prepared to admit in my heart of hearts. The other day I heard from a man who, to take advantage of the worlds demands for ‘bio-fuels’ has a large recently cleared area, now a palm oil plantation, on the island of Sarawak. What appalled me was his blasé comment that he, and his family, has employed hunters to ‘cull’ elephants that used to graze in the area, now his plantation.

This gave me pause for thought. At the end of the day, of our allotted span of life, can any of us look back with pride at our achievements? Can I? If there is more to life than making money how do I find it – what should I do? I need to rely on my own resources. This must be my own journey of discovery.

If relationships are so important to our well being is it just relationships with other humans or does nature feature as well? “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamed of in your philosophy” (Shakespeare – Hamlet).

In this secular age I am reluctant to deviate from the ‘norm’ and introduce anything other than secular topics. But I feel sure there is more to Life than secularism.

All the ancient devotional writings, known to us as scriptures, and all the philosophical writings from ancient India, Persia, Egypt, Greece, Palestine and China, all great literature and poetry, and all great art, all start with the premise that the basis of life is spiritual. They all attempt to inspire the reader or viewer to look beyond the immediate, apparent existence, to something more. That man has a soul; that love is the driving force. This was never questioned.

Plato, in his dialogue ‘Phaedo’ (Jowett translation), expresses this very eloquently when, discussing the soul and its continued existence, Socrates said, “If death had only been the end of all, the wicked would have had a good bargain in dying, for they would have been happily quit not only of their body, but of their evil together with their souls.”

I have my beliefs and they influence what I write. I know it cannot be just love for another human – it must be love for all sentient beings. This is a hard lesson to learn.