Relating to Each Other - Working Together

 

September 2021
 

Consider for a moment a verdant self-sustaining garden. In such a garden there will be something (for example, a plant, animal, bacterium, fungus or a mold) occupying each niche. The organisms do not all fight for the same niche, or for a few favoured niches. Rather they find their own niches and they support each other. The nutrients in this system are shared, the water is shared and the remnants of dead organisms are shared or recycled. Nothing is wasted. Stout plants protect delicate plants, large plants shelter smaller plants. Plants at all levels (ground level, middle horizons and canopy) provide shelter and food for the diversity of other organisms. The waste products from one organism provide the nutrients for another organism. Embryo plants are dispersed by the animals and the wind and the plants provide homes for embryo animals. 

Now to the interactions that have the most subtle of consequences. Some of the organisms in the garden will consume parts of other organisms or consume other organisms completely. Careful observation will reveal that this consumption of organisms does not eliminate particular species, instead there is a ‘dance’ occurring which ensures that all the species continually evolve. (Each species responds to the other species and to what is happening in the environment - epigenetics). This is a system where each component in the system is being “DRIVEN” by the other components in the system to evolve (so that each organism is continuously become a better version of itself).  This is the ultimate symphony, the ultimate co-operative enterprise, a HARMONIOUS system for producing continuously better versions of every organism. As one organism evolves so then the other organisms follow. In such natural self sustaining systems there is an evolution to ever more complexity and deeper co-operation or HARMONY over time. 

These natural self sustaining systems are NOT systems of elimination or system where “Survival of the Fittest” operates. If they were systems of elimination or systems where “Survival of the Fittest” operated we would see a progression from complexity to simplicity, from diverse plant communities to singular plant species or monocultures of plants and from complex animal communities to only singular species of animals or herds of the same animals. We would see stagnation in the system as there would be nothing driving it to evolve - if you are not the “Fittest” you are doomed. 

The self-sustaining system can be thought of as being complete in that it produces no excess waste, it does not have to bring in resources from outside the system to sustain itself and every niche is occupied.

So it is in the Garden that it becomes clear that “Survival of the Fittest” is an illusory, limiting and even dangerous idea.

Let us ask ourselves what does “Survival of the Fittest” mean? Does it mean the wealthiest survive, does it mean that those with the technology to control others survive, does it mean that those with the horror biological weapons or the stealth genetic weapons survive, does it mean that those with the most malevolent intent survive? Whatever it means it certainly implies COMPETITION and LACK of HARMONY. One consequence of this focus on competition and “Survival of the fittest” is that many human endeavours become competitive and are approached as if they were examples of “survival of the fittest”.  For example, 

• The germ theory of medicine (war on microbes) still drives our medical industry in spite of all the contrary evidence that every living organism on earth larger than a micro-organism is a community of self plus microbes. (This is our survival war against microbes). 

• The war on weeds, insects, rodents and microbes drives our corporate farming and corporate food production industries. (Our survival war against everything that does not provide an obvious and direct benefit to humans).

• And it is the Industrial Military complex that drives the insane malevolent ‘sickness’ which includes production of  biological weapons, research into population control, interference with our DNA, to name a few of the atrocities that we euphemistically call science today. (Our survival war against there being too many humans on the planet or simply our survival war against other humans). Note, this so called science is nearly ALL driven by the massively wealthy global corporations, the massively wealthy individuals who so disproportionately waste the world’s resources, and by politicians, not by scientists, not by people with integrity and not by people who have a strong sense of what is moral or ethical or even acceptable.  

An inevitable consequence of COMPETITION is that we have war and fear. We have FEAR in abundance today, and there are WARS of words occurring wherever you care to look today.

Another inevitable outcome of competition is that eventually you will start running out of resources and when that occurs the “Fittest” will start invoking the law of “Survival of the Fittest”. They will not be compelled to look for alternative solutions to overcome the shortage of a resource because they know about “Survival of the Fittest”.  And the “Fittest” amongst us will not lose any sleep because they know that “Survival of the Fittest” is a natural law - that is just the way it is.

So using REAL NATURAL SYSTEMS, rather than our human pseudo science of competition and “Survival of the Fittest”, for guidance:

• We will endeavour to relate harmoniously - see, hear and feel each other’s reasons / perspectives

• We will relate with an open heart - this does not mean everything is beautiful or that you will see things through rose coloured glasses - it means that we will work, to the best of our ability, at creating the best possible outcome for the other person (we want the other person to succeed, as if the other person was yourself or your own flesh and blood) 

• We will tell our truths and our truths will come from the heart (with deep understanding and empathy, but not sympathy) and not from the mind (not judgmental and not implying or imputing motives)

• We will try and build the other person - take the gems and polish them, and see the excrement for what it is and call it as it is

Always having in mind that an effective group is one where the group out-performs what the sum of the individuals comprising that group can achieve (and if this is NOT the case this is a signal that the group is not an effective group or it is temporarily not effective).

• There is NO FITTEST person or persons in the group for ALL occasions. Instead there will be a FITTEST person or persons for particular situations. Each person brings different skills, insights and strengths and these various gifts will need to be utilised from time to time, so every now and then each person in the group will be the FITTEST  

• There is no hierarchy, but there are temporary leaders and temporary followers; so leaders one minute can be followers the next minute and vice versa.

• This does not mean that we have NO structure - it makes practical sense to have people assigned to certain roles to ensure that there are people to take RESPONSIBILITY and keep the group ‘on-track’ (A group of people who have no responsibilities is a rabble). 

The above proposes that the next human evolution will not happen until we drop the limiting idea that “Survival of the Fittest” is what drives the world. Instead harmony provides the opportunity for co-operation, evolution and abundance that competition, division and war does not provide. 

• So we realise that we will only evolve to the next level of human potential and live our most creative and worthwhile lives if:

  • We learn to live in harmony with each other 

  • We learn to live in harmony with everything else, at least all other life forms, on the planet

  • We assist every person to be her (his) best version or we every person to be better today than yesterday

  • We individually try to be our own best version or we try daily to be better than the day before

Finally this is not a set of rules to be followed because if that is what this turns into it has missed its mark. Instead it is really a call for us ALL to be our most evolved selves when we come together. An invitation to everyone to experience and experiment “pushing” and helping the next person to be greater than s/he believed that s/he could ever be.