For 3 billion years the earth was made up of nothing but single celled organisms that functioned as individuals. Then, a billion years ago, gradually the cooperation of some cells created a new kind of life. The world of multi-celled life created new potentialities that allowed human intelligence to form. In the same way, throughout the evolution of humans, each person functioned as an individual. Then gradually the conscious cooperation of different people allowed communities to form. The world of community life created new potentialities, such as language, education, and technology.
If the cells that make up your body were to develop an ego and free will, they may decide not to cooperate with the rest of the body. If your liver became self-conscious it could demand to be better compensated because you wouldn’t survive without it. Luckily your cells and organs have no choice. They are composed and function with perfect cooperation, following a code that instructs their behavior. The human body regulates and heals itself, but your conscious self is not involved in the instruction of cells and organs.
Humans do have free will. An individual may decide to act selfishly, a nation may decide to use force against another, but in reality we are all part of the same world community, and the full potential of human civilization has only dimly been realized. When true cooperation, love, and unity become a reality, the organism of human civilization will throb and produce fruit.
Religions, over the centuries, have been the primary gardeners and advancers of human civilization. In the centuries following, Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, and others, a civilization thrived under their teachings and achieved the highest level of development and unity possible at the time. Baha'u'llah's teachings will bring about the first true world civilization, and create a new organism, as significant as the cooperation of cells that created life on earth.
I remember Mike giving us this analogy (relating the human body to the world body) in our youth group so long ago. This along with the concept of progressive revelation are what made me interested in the Faith to begin with. Thanks for bringing it back.
ReplyDeleteI once wrote an essay for English 100 in which I provided as evidence for a Supreme Intelligent Force from the fact that in our universe's and planet's history the 2nd law of thermodynamics - entropy - has continually been negated and energy has composed itself into higher and higher associations of complexity - protons, to atoms, to amino acids, to proteins, to cells, to plants, to animals, to the complex human brain of our complexity. God's supreme work is now the unifying of the most dynamic creature - through our own free wills - into a global community that works with a common vision to promote the well-being of all - conditions in which all are empowered to develop their myriad spiritual capacities, and thus increasing the unity of the planet, being as one soul and one body. I really the presentation of your above article!
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