Everlasting Blue
Musings of Abiding Earth and Starry Heaven from the Heart of Innocence
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What Exactly is the New Cosmology?
There has been a great deal said here alluding to this concept of a new cosmology with nary a description to what it actually is. It is an elegantly simple concept that will radically change the way we look at our world and could possibly be "the re-enchantment of the world" the Western mind has hungered for ever since Renee Descartes postulated our world to be a cold, dead, lifeless mechanism. Descartes cannot be faulted for this; he like all of us was a product of his culture. We now stand at the edge of a radically new way of looking at our Universe, a view informed by cutting edge science and the dreams of humanity since time immemorial. A perception that gives life back to the Universe and envisions it as an evolving organism or story, a story unfolding through time and space. A place of ceaseless creativity and evolution. A place where life is meaningful and an essential character in the unfolding of the story. A Universe that began as particles and energy and grew in complexity over time to give birth to Intelligence and Consciousness, to organisms as marvelous as ourselves! This new cosmology is essentially the idea that we all emerge form the same universal source, we are all the product of the Universes' ceaseless creativity. We are the culmination of the primeval creation event of the Big Bang occurring 15 billion years ago, and all the subsequent evolution which has occurred since. We are living in a Universe so finely tuned in it's initial conditions (the conditions which gave rise to the Universe) that it was inevitable that life and intelligence would eventually emerge. This is in essence the New Cosmology!
We are Stardust!
As Carl Sagan discovered and taught all throughout his life each and every one of the atoms that make up what we know of our physical body and world came from the fiery hearts of long dead stars. Understanding this helps us to realize that we are all made of the same materials, and we all have a common source. The molecule we know as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is made of this same star stuff. We share this same bio-molecule with every other living thing on this planet and possibly with other life forms yet to be discovered in the expanse of the Universe. This is in essence the New Cosmology it is the idea that we all have the same origin. Due to this same origin all of us is inextricably linked, we literally are all one thing, the Universe is one in its multiplicity and we share in this relationship by virtue of existing.
The New Cosmology in a Nutshell:
In a nutshell, the new cosmology can be summed up as thus: We, are each a product of the Universes’ ever emerging story. We are the products of billions of years of cosmic and biological evolution and as such we are inextricably linked with the entire phenomena in existence. We literally are made of stars, planets, energy, electricity and all the forces, powers and abilities of the Universe. We are held in the dark embrace of dark matter and dark energy (dark is defined as mysterious or unknown, we currently have no workable perception of what this energy and matter are as we can't see them) and all the forces that hold us in integrity. We are part of a very big story, connected to a whole greater than we can conceive . We are each children of the Universe and we have a larger identity than any of our philosophies have ever imagined.
Implications
If we begin to embrace this cosmology than we can no longer continue down the destructive path we have been travelling as a species for the last three centuries. We are now at a turning point in our own history where we decide if we take the path to extinction or we continue the staggering adventure of being conscious creatures in a meaningful Universe precisely fine-tuned for the emergence of beings like us. It means we can no longer wallow in despair, insignificance, or cynicism. It implies we can no longer pretend there is no connection between our actions, perceptions, and cultural activities and the state of the world in which we live. It means we must act, and be courageous to take a higher view. It implies we are literally all one, one being, one planet, one species and that if we really take this into our hearts and minds we will never be able to do the violence we do to each other ever again. No longer will we engage an economics that destroys people and planet. No longer will we engage a politics that cannot see into the deep future or keeps us isolated into our fragmented societies. No longer will we be able to fight religious wars or wars of ideology because this cosmology embraces all of us, every religion, culture, art form, and expression. It means every single one of us is precious, valuable, and an expression of the Universe completely unique in its design and never to be seen again in space-time once they are gone. It is from this basis that we will potentially design systems that will seek to preserve this preciousness, this sacred ground, the ground of our being. It means, we live on a precious planet, the one thing that unites us, our common ground, the pattern that connects us all, this glorious planet perfectly fine-tuned for life to thrive.
I encourage everyone reading these words to investigate the books, links, and articles listed below to learn of the New Cosmology and inspire your imagination. Many Blessings as you walk your path through this blessed gift that is life!
Links:
http://www.brianswimme.org/
http://www.jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/newcosmology.html
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/10-most-hopeful-trends/new-cosmology-a-great-story-our-common-story
http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300165081
http://planetary.org/explore/topics/voyager/pale_blue_dot.html
Books:
"Tomorrow’s God" by Neale Donald Walsch
"The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos" by Brian Swimme
"The New Cosmology and the Human Future: How a Shared Cosmology could Transform the World" by Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel R. Primack
Articles:
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
There has been a great deal said here alluding to this concept of a new cosmology with nary a description to what it actually is. It is an elegantly simple concept that will radically change the way we look at our world and could possibly be "the re-enchantment of the world" the Western mind has hungered for ever since Renee Descartes postulated our world to be a cold, dead, lifeless mechanism. Descartes cannot be faulted for this; he like all of us was a product of his culture. We now stand at the edge of a radically new way of looking at our Universe, a view informed by cutting edge science and the dreams of humanity since time immemorial. A perception that gives life back to the Universe and envisions it as an evolving organism or story, a story unfolding through time and space. A place of ceaseless creativity and evolution. A place where life is meaningful and an essential character in the unfolding of the story. A Universe that began as particles and energy and grew in complexity over time to give birth to Intelligence and Consciousness, to organisms as marvelous as ourselves! This new cosmology is essentially the idea that we all emerge form the same universal source, we are all the product of the Universes' ceaseless creativity. We are the culmination of the primeval creation event of the Big Bang occurring 15 billion years ago, and all the subsequent evolution which has occurred since. We are living in a Universe so finely tuned in it's initial conditions (the conditions which gave rise to the Universe) that it was inevitable that life and intelligence would eventually emerge. This is in essence the New Cosmology!
We are Stardust!
As Carl Sagan discovered and taught all throughout his life each and every one of the atoms that make up what we know of our physical body and world came from the fiery hearts of long dead stars. Understanding this helps us to realize that we are all made of the same materials, and we all have a common source. The molecule we know as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is made of this same star stuff. We share this same bio-molecule with every other living thing on this planet and possibly with other life forms yet to be discovered in the expanse of the Universe. This is in essence the New Cosmology it is the idea that we all have the same origin. Due to this same origin all of us is inextricably linked, we literally are all one thing, the Universe is one in its multiplicity and we share in this relationship by virtue of existing.
The New Cosmology in a Nutshell:
In a nutshell, the new cosmology can be summed up as thus: We, are each a product of the Universes’ ever emerging story. We are the products of billions of years of cosmic and biological evolution and as such we are inextricably linked with the entire phenomena in existence. We literally are made of stars, planets, energy, electricity and all the forces, powers and abilities of the Universe. We are held in the dark embrace of dark matter and dark energy (dark is defined as mysterious or unknown, we currently have no workable perception of what this energy and matter are as we can't see them) and all the forces that hold us in integrity. We are part of a very big story, connected to a whole greater than we can conceive . We are each children of the Universe and we have a larger identity than any of our philosophies have ever imagined.
Implications
If we begin to embrace this cosmology than we can no longer continue down the destructive path we have been travelling as a species for the last three centuries. We are now at a turning point in our own history where we decide if we take the path to extinction or we continue the staggering adventure of being conscious creatures in a meaningful Universe precisely fine-tuned for the emergence of beings like us. It means we can no longer wallow in despair, insignificance, or cynicism. It implies we can no longer pretend there is no connection between our actions, perceptions, and cultural activities and the state of the world in which we live. It means we must act, and be courageous to take a higher view. It implies we are literally all one, one being, one planet, one species and that if we really take this into our hearts and minds we will never be able to do the violence we do to each other ever again. No longer will we engage an economics that destroys people and planet. No longer will we engage a politics that cannot see into the deep future or keeps us isolated into our fragmented societies. No longer will we be able to fight religious wars or wars of ideology because this cosmology embraces all of us, every religion, culture, art form, and expression. It means every single one of us is precious, valuable, and an expression of the Universe completely unique in its design and never to be seen again in space-time once they are gone. It is from this basis that we will potentially design systems that will seek to preserve this preciousness, this sacred ground, the ground of our being. It means, we live on a precious planet, the one thing that unites us, our common ground, the pattern that connects us all, this glorious planet perfectly fine-tuned for life to thrive.
I encourage everyone reading these words to investigate the books, links, and articles listed below to learn of the New Cosmology and inspire your imagination. Many Blessings as you walk your path through this blessed gift that is life!
Links:
http://www.brianswimme.org/
http://www.jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/newcosmology.html
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/10-most-hopeful-trends/new-cosmology-a-great-story-our-common-story
http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300165081
http://planetary.org/explore/topics/voyager/pale_blue_dot.html
Books:
"Tomorrow’s God" by Neale Donald Walsch
"The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos" by Brian Swimme
"The New Cosmology and the Human Future: How a Shared Cosmology could Transform the World" by Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel R. Primack
Articles:
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
