LAUGHING WITH THE SEVENTH MIRACLE

Everything in the Universe, it seems to me, is elegantly balanced with its opposite, in one way or another. Nowadays as hot, dry winds scorch and parch the Yucatan, brown tree leaves tumble to the ground and herbs wither leaving behind nothing but seeds awaiting rain. In a certain way, all that roughness and rawness is balanced by the contemplative environment this heat and dryness produces for old fellows at their little huts. The defoliating forest admits more light for seeing, cooling winds swirl through mostly naked trees like good-natured music, and heavy heat enforces a repose perfect for just thinking about things.

This week, philosophizing with a friend, a point was raised for which I felt that mentioning the Six Miracles of Nature was appropriate. Over the years this Newsletter often has touched on that concept. The Six Miracles are:

That something arose from nothing; that what arose evolved; that life arose; that life evolved; that living things developed complex instinctual behavior based on genetic programming, and; that from instinctual behavior arose the ability among some of us to refuse the dictates of our genes and do what we think and feel might be better.

The concept's usefulness mostly lies in noticing that each Miracle except for the first arises from a preceding one, like footsteps along a path. The resulting path indicates a direction taken by the evolving Universe. By meditating on that path and its direction, we get a feeling for how we can harmonize our lives with it, which seems to be a good idea. For example, the Universe's evolution appears to be toward ever greater diversity and ever more interdependence among the parts, so shouldn't these features be regarded as "sacred."

Whenever I outline the Six Miracles to someone new, as was the case this week, often instead of talking more about the Six Miracles, instead the question immediately arises, "And might not there be a Seventh Miracle?" I have to admit that thinking about that Seventh one is interesting, and fun.

If I had to guess, I'd say that surely there will be a Seventh Miracle, and that maybe it already has happened elsewhere in the Universe where mentality has been evolving longer than here on Earth. Moreover, I suspect that the Seventh may consist of matured mentality and feeling merging with the One Thing, which I visualize as pure mentality and feeling.

"Laughing... " The word "laughing" is used in the above title, so why?

Taking the Six Miracles to heart, toying with the idea of a Seventh, and thinking a lot about the concept's implications, has meant for me a near total loss of any sense I ever had of my own importance in the general scheme of things. I serve as one of a near-infinite number of nerve endings for the One Thing, which is a worthy condition to be in, but it's not influential in a way most people aspire to. I've even come to suspect that my own sense of self is little more than an illusion.

However, this humbling experience has been balanced by a peace of mind and freedom of spirit that's all important to what "I" think of as "me."

So, you get slapped down about as hard as a proud, lusty fellow full of hopes and plans can be slapped down, and then you're pronounced at peace with all about you, and free.

That's not the script I read as a child, but I'm OK with it.

Besides, just what is one to do other than laugh about the whole thing?