Author : Bill Ellis
To be or not to beThe mortality and immortalityFor most of the 5.4 billion years that the cosmos has been in existence, there was
no one to ponder the question of to-be or not-to-be. While quarks evolved into
atoms, the atoms, into molecules, and the molecules into cells, consciousness of
being did not exist. Each new step of evolution brought new entities and new
properties. Only in the evolutionary phase when brain cells had evolved the and
created the human mind did 'being,' -- the property of thought and consciousness,
-- emerge. Only in this brief miniscule submoment of cosmic evolution has the
sense of being existed. Only in this small window of time have humans been the
source of conscious being and recognized, as Descartes put it, " Cogito, ergo sum"
(I think therefore I am).It is safe to say that for most of the past billions of cosmic years I, as an
individual, did not exist. It is also reasonable to believe that in billions of future
cosmic years after my death I, as an individual, will not exist. Only in a brief,
transient flash do individual people exist. Certainly I was not before a zygot was
formed by the union of cells from my two parents. And certainly the development,
by chemical and biological means, of an embryo from that zygot did not have the
property of independent action and conscious thought. It is also clear that when I
drew my first breath on being born I was not the evolved being that I was to
become. The question "to-be or not-to-be?" was not in my mind. My process of
becoming a human being was still ahead of me.It is clearly impossible to identify all of the experiences in one's life that
contributed to one's development into a unique being. Everyone is learning every
moment from birth to death, from waking to sleeping. Each moment is a step in
becoming. Our bodies, brains, and minds slowly evolve from the nothingness of
our births to the to the final passage back into dust. If there is no heaven or nirvana
into which to pass it is reasonable to think we come to an end.So far I have written about only two aspect of being -- the body and the mind.
There is a third aspect.It's probably more the essence of who we are than the other
two. It's more ethereal and more everlasting. I'm not sure what I should call it. But
for lack of a better word I'll call it "soul." By soul I don't mean anything mystic,
magical, divine, or other worldly. The soul is the essence of who we are. It's who
we are more that either our minds or our bodies.This soul, the true center of one's being,is not easy to circumscribe. It, like the
mind and body, evolves. But its evolution is over all time. Not that the past will be
embodied in one's physical and mental being. But from the beginning of time to the
end of time what we become involves the whole cosmos. We have a birth date and a
death date. But who we become is already, in part, predetermine by the world
around us. The essence of our being -- our soul -- is absorbed over time from the
preexisting world of ideas & actions,of nature and technologies, of awe & wonder,
ans of the beauty & mystery that exists in, and is, the cosmos. It is the universal
cosmic soul. It is similar to the 'noosphere' of Tielard de Chardin, the 'collective
unconscious' of Carl Jung, the 'ideosphere' of others. It is the totality of the
physical, biological, technological, and cultural worlds and more. It is the the
knowledge, the beliefs, the feelings, as well as the written word and the passed on
memories of everyone who has ever lived. It is inherited from our ancestors and
from the evolving physical, biological, mental. technological and social spheres. It
might better be called the cosmic memory.This cosmic soul or memory has been evolving since the Big Bang. Each step in
evolution -- quarks to particles, particles to atoms, atoms to molecules, molecules
to cells, cells to life-forms, life-forms to humans, and humans to cultures-- has
created a new part of the cosmic memory. It includes Mount Fuji, the Johnston
flood, the ice ages, the Crusades, and all other happenings. Each individual at birth
is enmeshed in the cosmic memory/soul of the time.A simple example of this idea of soul is in a flock of birds. The soul of the flock
evolves is a unit. It includes migration patterns, eating resources, nesting places,
and other characteristics. The flock follows certain patterns for centuries. Individual
birds live for but a short time. But the memory esebce or soul of the flock is passed
to new birds as they hatch, join the flock , participate, and learn by doing. The soul
of the flock evolves as it continually finds new opportunities and faces new
challenges. Each bird gains its individual soul and passes its know-how on to other
new birds that join. The soul of the flock is passed from individual souls to
individual souls, as it evolves to meet contingencies of the time.Humans likewise are born into the cosmic memory or cosmic soul. They are
embedded in the essence of all that exists. Who they are to become depends on
what they absorb into themselves from all that is. Each "soul" is immortal. It is part
of the "cosmic memory. "Every thing anyone, makes, writes,says,or does becomes
part of the cosmic memory and is everlasting. Shakespear, Edison, Einstein,
Jesus, Marx, Smith and others are still with us. So is Joe Blow, Anna Finklestein, and
other common people. All have left their marks for eternity.Each act or expressed idea is like dropping a stone in a mill pond. The stone may
sink to the bottom never to be seen again. But its ripples spread out and may join
other ripples to produce an overwhelming wave of social transformation. The
origins of any act of social change may be lost in its myriad of its sources. Once we
recognized that, we are driven to live a positive creative life of value-- to be one of
the sources of what will become. Whether anyone remembers the name of any one
of us, everything we've done, said, or written is part of the evolving cosmic soul.Each person's soul is formed by every experience and every thought they ever have.
It is passed on in the same way. Each "unexpected act of kindness or senseless act
of beauty" makes a ripple like a grain of sand dropped in the cosmic mill pond.
Every kind word one utters forms a pebble's ripple that will be passed on. More
telling in the cosmic soul will be some of the memos, papers and posts that are
written. They are rocks that make a bit bigger splash, or at least have a guaranteed
longer life. Most important are the interactions with among people close one
another -- families, friends, and communities. In a person's children, friends an
colleagues there is a cotinual riling of the waters (particularly of the good stuff). It
is passed into the cosmic memory/soul in that it remains real in the future and
assures the immortality of everyone who ever lives.Recognizing the immortality of our souls suggests a new emphasis on morality.
Every act thought or word we utter should be in the context of its impact on the
cosmic memory. They change the cosmic soul as they happen and they will be
remembered and they will affect cosmic evolution for ages into the future. They
provides us with reason for living. As one colleague stated it, the new moral
imperative is: "Make all decision based on whatever promotes the health,
competence and adaptive flexibility of oneself and of all the larger system of which
one is a part."That's the way I see it.Bill Ellis
Keyword : Soul, spirituality, religion, atheism, Gaia, immortality, our essence, ethics, morality, cosmos,
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