At Odds with Nature

Correct diagnosis of an illness is half its cure. Hence, to resolve humanity’s problems, we first need to understand their causes. The safest place to start is by understanding human nature and the nature of the world. If we understand our own nature and the laws affecting us, we will know where we are erring and what we must do to end the predicament we’re in.

The inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels of Nature are all driven by inherent instincts. Their actions are not considered good or bad; they simply follow the rules imbued within them, in harmony and reciprocity with Nature and with each other.

However, if we observe man’s nature, we will find that it is essentially different from the rest of Nature. Man is the only creature that can take pleasure in exploiting others and in seeking sovereignty over another. Only man receives pleasure from being unique, apart from, and superior to others. Thus, man’s egoism is at odds with Nature, breaching Nature’s balance.
But eons of egoistic evolution have not brought us sustainable happiness, or even a minimal guarantee of a good future. We are bewildered, and this bewilderment is at the basis of the crises and the challenges that plague us.

Moreover, the human predilection to seek self-centered pleasures at the expense of others has intensified over time. Today, people are trying to build their successes on the ruin of others. Intolerance, alienation, and hatred have reached new and terrifying heights, jeopardizing the very existence of the human species.

But when we observe Nature, we see that all living creatures are built to follow the principle of altruism—caring for others. Cells in organisms unite by reciprocal giving for the sake of sustaining the whole body. Each cell receives what it needs for its sustenance, and spends the rest of its energy tending to the rest of the organism. At every level of Nature, the individual works to benefit the whole of which it is part, and in that finds its wholeness. Without altruistic activities, a body cannot persist. In fact, life itself cannot persist.

Today, after researching many different fields, science is arriving at the conclusion that humanity, too, is actually one whole body. The problem is that we, humans, are still unaware of it. We must understand that our current problems are not coincidental; they cannot be resolved by any means we know from the past. They will continue to grow until we begin to function in accord with the comprehensive law of Nature—the law of altruism.