Is the Universe Friendly or Not?

[kokopelle]

A philosophical person asked the following on the shamanism community:

*Is the Universe a friendly one or not?*

My answer was longer than the comment length allowed, so I am posting its entirety here.

The answer is a resounding, "YES!". The heart of the matter is if we can live in harmony with "the universe". Disharmonious living can have terrible affects. Harmonious living can smooth out the rough places. The keys to harmony are location, attitude and choice. These factors are important at both a personal and group level.

The challenge with answering the question is the definition of "universe". If the definition is on the astronomical scale, one can say that terrible things can be imagined. This includes realistic things like killer asteroids and fanciful things like invading aliens. The end-result is the conclusion of life as we know it. Wonderful things can be imagined too. Life can extend away from this planet, with the promise of new vistas and experience. The same aliens that may invade us can also offer us knowledge. The asteroids that threaten to kill us could be colonized or mined. Is the universe friendly or not? What is your working picture of the universe?

Where you physically exist in the universe has an impact on the question’s answer. If you are in a fragile spaceship, far from home and dependent on any number of machines running properly, the universe can be an unfriendly place. A more practical example would be the person at an Arctic research station. Protection against cold is paramount. Climate-wise, the Arctic is a more dangerous place than a chilly spring morning nearer the equator.

Man's perceived place in the universe also helps answer this question. This attitude drives how we react to changes. There are good and bad things all around us. How we are affected, whether these things are friendly or not, can depend on a person's world view. The nature of things are the same. Their outcome of friendly or not is a matter of pre-perception and chosen reaction.

I'll use two very contrasting examples to illustrate that perception and choice are a factor in interacting with the universe. The first example is that of the xenophobic person. By religious bent or nationalist fever, the person sees the world as a threatening place, full of enemies and dangers. This person can refuse life-saving medication and medical treatment, encourage hostility in others by their actions, and just generally be miserable in their life. This type of person, with a rigidly set version of the universe, would not react well to changes. The universe is an unfriendly place to these people. The contrasting example would be the person who sees the universe as a place that in inherently friendly. Risks are there. Caution is called for. This is OK, as we have existed in some degree of harmony with the universe, and can continue to do so with proper respect and awareness. Change has happened in the past, and will continue to happen. Adaptation and remediation is the outcome of large changes. The universe is a friendly place to these people.

I do have to caution that there is a perception that can create an universe that is unintentionally unfriendly. There is a kind of person who fears nothing, living life in an extreme way. If this place of no-fear translates into an attitude of no-respect, the person can believe there are no dangers in life even as they create those dangers. This person is prone to injury with the possibility of death. Their lifestyle opens them up to disease, addiction, and death by multiple means inherent with excessive living. The perception is Pollyanna. The outcome is an unfriendly universe if the measure of unfriendly is the universe being harmful.

A theme in my examples was change and how we react to it. Proper reactions to change create a moderately friendly universe. Change is a necessary part of our lives. A static world would have extinguished what we call life long ago. Change grows crops, prompts our bodies to breathe, heals our bodies of disease, and promotes an ecology that has been friendly enough to allow humans to thrive. Holding the universe to a fixed place is an irrational act. Expecting the universe to stay the same, and call this friendly, is an insane mindset. Change will happen. Our perceptions and reactions will determine the relative state of harmony between us and the universe. There are few things in life that we cannot make friendly, even if the only choice is how to react to unfriendly things that have already occurred.

Is the Universe, with a capital U, friendly or unfriendly? The Universe starts at our doorstep. The Universe starts in front of our faces and that is where we are called to action. While it is valid to consider cosmic rays, asteroids and aliens, the universe is much closer than these concepts. Is the world, as you know it now, friendly or unfriendly? The answer to this will go far in answering if the larger, astronomic universe will be the same.

Comments

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

The great thing about the Universe/Multiverse is that it's big enough to accomodate everyone's POV with plenty of evidence to go around. Granted, this leads to some really crappy manifestations (e.g., bigotry), but it also leaves a lot of potential for exploration (and a lot of amusement when people are arguing about how THEIR way is the right way!).

[greensh.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness.

I've been going through a phase of almost depression thinking people ought to "know better" and "play together nicer". My blogs have been investigating the boundaries of the diverse and divisive mindsets. I don't think it is always appreciated though. I am learning that people do have an incredible integrity in their own views, even while they condemn the integrity of other's views. I suppose I am doing the same by seeing condemnation in people's actions, when they are only seeing discernment. Sometimes you just have to leave people to their own sandboxes. The upside is that they can do the same for you!

[franciscan.livejournal.com]

If you also consider that the Universe is within each of us.....

[greensh.livejournal.com]

LOL... that's the ultimate definition of doorstep. Thanks for the reminder!

[iskender.livejournal.com]

So the universe is friendly if we play by its rules? Sounds like Jehovah to me.

I think the crucial matter is the definition of friendly, not that of universe.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

Do you have a defintion of friendly?

[iskender.livejournal.com]

I think friendliness implies some sort of attentiveness. I don't think the universe is attentive at all.

[starlyn-monster.livejournal.com]

Sorry it took so long for me to respond...

I was thrilled by your answer and response. I also had to answer yes... though sometimes I see myself thinking otherwise when circumstances become hostile. I'm trying to alter my perception of reality to create a 'yes' answer no matter what is happening around or to me. This can be very difficult. In general, I want my actions toward others and toward the Universe to be governed by ethics and not based on reaction to stimuli.

I have a ways to go yet.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

Ethics are wonderful tools that sometimes have messy application. The over emphasis on ethics can lead to very dogmatic places.

My best philosophical advice is to feel with your head and think with your heart. This combination will create a (more) harmonious balance between reaction (stimuli) and action (ethics).

[starlyn-monster.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I will contemplate this further. I never quite understand the word dogma, so that is a bit difficult for me. I associate it with biblical religions but I'm not sure if that is accurate or not.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

It has been my experience that dogma is a human experience. The biblical religions just have their portion. Good luck on understanding the relationship between ethics, morals, emotional prerogatives and dogma. IMO, this is a task for any seeker to tackle.