Emergence: Part IV – Humanity’s Emergence

The Instinct of Coming Home

“If the curtain is indeed about to drop on Sapiens history, we members of one of its final generations should devote some time to answering one last question: what do we want to become?”

– Yuval Noah Harari from Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind

For me, approaching this question is just impossible. First of all, I can’t fathom anything like a final curtain for myself, let alone for our entire species.

This morning I was reading Rilke’s Duino Elegies and realized once again that his concepts work in me like dynamite, suddenly exploding and unearthing hidden things. His “Subrisio Saltat” (Smile of the Acrobat) in the “Fifth Elegy” is woven into the fabric of his ongoing wrestling match with death. These few lines focus on a little boy, who falling again and again, looks to his mother with tears in his eyes and manages a smile. Rilke's writing can sometimes seem harsh, and yet his way of touching the sublime encourages us on. It also may be a hint for us to peer into the dark and find there a golden thread or maybe several that can be woven into a sustainable way forward.

A foundational concept that I circle back on time and again in facing my own future and our future as humans – is my, is our relationship to Earth. What do we want that to be? We choose. The choosing may be a golden thread.

In his book, The Great Work, Thomas Berry speaks of this relationship as “with” rather than “to.” This small shift in perspective allows us to step into an understanding of relationship itself. He says, “ Intimacy with the planet in its wonder and beauty and the full depths of its meaning is what enables an integral human relationship with the planet to function.” If we enter into intimacy, already in possession of a “with” skill, then perhaps this oversized question about what we want to become can be whittled down to a truth we can embrace. Maybe becoming an Earth Lover is a dream I can fathom and take to myself. Perhaps then an Earth Loving Species is not out of reach.

In a now famous letter to his brother and sister John Keats lays out the concept of Soul-making. He contrasts the common perspective of the world as a “vale of tears” with his perspective of the world as “The vale of Soul-making.” To Keats we are not merely redeemed from the world, but rather we find meaning through our individual identity and its transformation into full potential in response to the world in which we live.

Who I am, what my original blueprint contains is key in answering the question, “What do I want to become?” Without a doubt I want to grow into the essence of who I am, of who I’m meant to be. I want to discover the nuances of what that means and be able to steward that authenticity well.

At the same time I recognize, at least intellectually, that I am connected joint to joint with everything like a great web of being. My blueprint, my essence is, at its core, linked together with other “instruments” in a great orchestra poised to sound out a magnificent musical arrangement into the Universe. This is a golden thread waiting to be woven into the tapestry. Who do I want to become with you and the rest of humanity? How can we discover and express this together?

How does humanity emerge and becomes part of the greater emergence that is taking place in the Universe. Individuals do experience Emergence, yes, but what about humanity as a species. How do we as a species decide what we will become?

We have an opportunity to decide well. The key is getting the context right, grasping who, what and where we are and more importantly who, what and where we are in relationship to everything else. The power of the collective is in the intentionality of deciding about things like love, sustainability, legacy, honor, respect and more. The intentionality of our agreement to be our best collective self will determine the outcomes ahead.

When we collectively “come home to ourselves,” when we begin to live our best blueprint for humanity, it will affect everything, more than we can imagine. The story of the wolves being reintroduced into their natural habitat in Yellowstone National Park is a parable for us. It’s a story about bringing restoration to everything around us, restoring things to their original intention.

What is your Soul's Blueprint?

Writing Prompt for the Week: Humanity's Best Self