Theos-Talk Archives (October 1997 Message tt00027)

Kazimir:

Perfection ?  Chaos ?  Law  ?

Our situation is seemingly a mixture of chaos and law.  Which
predominates?

If chaos, then we could not be here, as all the elements of our
being the minerals, chemical compounds, water, air, etc...  would
be so unorganized that no human body would be possible nor, any
other kind of similar organizations such as crystals, rivers,
lakes, mountains, insects, bacteria, animals, etc...  We are left
with the conclusion that LAW prevails inspite of local chaos.

There is too much evidence of orgnaization in Nature taken as a
whole.

Then, how does Theosophy explain human chaos and lawlessness ?
Let us recognize that this is centered around the peculiar nature
of human consciousness, and especially about our wants and needs
as individuals, and often in contrast to the wants and needs of
others.

It explains the individualism everywhere seen in Nature's forms
and kingdoms, by the basic independence of even the smallest
form, say a "life-atom." Not the physical idea of an atom, or a
molecule, but of a non-physical center of electro-magnetic Force.
It says that every such Center (called by some a Monad) shares in
the vast resources of the Whole Universe, and these are traced to
their source in (to us as an idea) the concept of SPIRIT, as
"ultimate perfection," or "all-knowingness" If we knew everything
we would not be making pain-producing mistakes ! Why should we
hurt ourselves ? If get hurt by accidents or surprises, or
reverses of fortune -- what are the causes? Who shall we "blame
?"

Here on Earth, and in "manifestation," we find the disunity of
all these life-units.

But is it total chaos, or are ther rules and laws tha guide these
? Do we live in a Universe that is 50/50 chaos and 50/50 law?
And, how do we know the difference ? We have 3 clices: Chaos, Law
and 50/50.  What is reasonable ?

Science in experiemnt and examining Nature finds that there are
vast categories of rules and regulations which persist and guide
all forms and classes and categories.  It then puts these forward
in teaching us at school and college as laws and rules concerning
gases, materials, liquids, and biological forms and compounds --
to use very broad categories.  When we get tointelligence, and
consciousness the definitions grow vague because of the
difficulty of pinning down "motive." However in ordinary Law at
the "Courts," the concept which is used is that of ultimate
fairness.  What is fair and just for all is considered right.
When these rules are violated then the chooser is in the wrong.
And when this is proved the attempt made is to reform him/her by
restraint and appropriate education -- and in that kind of
attempt there are many failures because some want revenge or
physical punishment.  so the evil is perpetuated and not
resolved.

It recognizes the individuality of certain units which have drawn
to themselves other less expeirenced (or more primitive)
life-units, and who make up their forms from them.  The human
body is a good example as it is made up of all the elements and
it provides a residence for the intelligence we call "Me," or
"I-am-I." We are like tenants in our highly orgnized bodies and
very few of us know all the ways in which we are served by that
intelligent, but subservient organization.

Theosophy claims that there is a regular progression of
intelligence acquired over aeons of experience by the life-atoms
individually (as they are indestructible and immortal) and that
this eventually flowers into the graded intelligence of mineral,
to plant, to animal, to mankind ) as independent thinkers and
feelers).  Hermes continued the progression and suggested that
the next step is from mankind to godship -- which means the
perfection of "all-knowingness." Theosophy agrees with these
ideas.

It is calimed this is part of the evolutionary scheme under the
great law that propells experience through evolution and gives an
equal opportunity to all such Units to progress towards knowledge
and wisdom.

Mankind in its units represents such a developed unit which now
feels deeply using instinct (learned from plants and animals),
thinks (a faculty that it is now developing ) and that includes
reasoning, logic, memory, ratiociantion, and anticipation.
Wisdom, the next faculty is a perfect memory of all experiences
and a positive cooperation with all being in and around us.  We
do not submerge our individuality, but we make a gift to the
less-progressed of our knowledge and experience.

The technical word used in theosophy for a "life-atom" is the
Monad.  It serves as an observer of the efforts of the developing
unitary intelligence what is part of the memory of every
"life-atom."

When the mankind stage is rached this Monad provides the dawning
feeling-mind with a basis for comparing situations or
circumstances with ideals.  it does this because it is able to
ddraw of the experience ( as Universal Memory) of the whole
ofevolution, right from its very start, and therefore it can see
the results of past choices as either success or failures --
which are painful -- and it therefore serves each human as a
warning voice (called sometimes The Voice of Conscience) when a
dangerous or wrong decision is about to be chosen.  We have all
had this kind of experience when we hesitate and debate within
ourselves as to the advantages or disadvantages of an action.

If we could make this voice permanent, then perhaps we would not
make so many painful mistakes.

This is the ideea that Theosophy presents.  It (really all of us)
are in a great School, and we are learning all the time.  If we
pay close attention we not only have the fun of living, but we
become wiser.

Those who are idle, or who want to play instead of doing useful
and helpul work delay themselves and others also.  The effect of
that is they impress other "life-atoms" around them with their
wrong decisions.  These being attached to them, and forming their
living bodies, are forced to present to the host that distorted
view, already imposed on them by the host, of Nature and living,
and as a result, when enough of these are created by our wrong
kind of choices we fall under their combined influence and begin
to slip and fall, or circumstances and accidents come to us which
hurt.

The hurting is not to punish so much as to make us think about
the causes of those problems, wake up, and eventually to go
through the process outlined above of re-examining the Universe
and its functions, and the part that we play in it.  this is how
we grow wise.  Err, pick one's self up, and go on...!

This is a very abreviated answer, as a full answer would drag in
many more aspects of life.  But if anything is not clear then
more questions will bring some answers from Theosophy on those if
asked.

The most valuable gift we can make to anyone is to learn how to
deal with themselves.  Once that key is grasped, anyone can make
his own goals, and the more universal those are, the mor
impartial they are, the more generous and compassionate they are,
the better that human becomes.

It does take effort, because in many cases we have to undo the
errors of past choosing, and when that is done slowly and
persistently, we come eventually to a "smooth" portion of life.
Once there, we cannot abandon effort, but simply continue to help
others and do as much "good" as we can in the best practical way
we know.

The most important thing to remember is that we cannot do
another's work for them.  Everyone learns by self-effort and the
joy of self-achievement.  Even if that is a slow process.  DTB