As Above so Below, Musings on Balance

As Above so Below, it's a phrase that has analogues in Christian theology, ancient mysticism and modern science. Whether it's Matthew 16:19, the Tree of Life in the Qabbalah, Chakras, or Supervenience and Systems Theory. There is definitely a common theme that has spread not only throughout history but has cut across various religions and creeds.

I believe strongly that fundamental truths are self evident, and when similar concepts are arrived at by civilizations or cultures (separated by ideology, time, and/or geography) one should pay close attention.

Christian Theology & Jewish Mysticism

Matthew 16:19 tells us "I will give you the keys of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

In the Qaballah there are 10 purported Sephira or numeric emanations (aspects) of God. The first being Kether - The Crown and the 10th being Malkuth the Kingdom. The origin and continued existence of both man and universe (existence itself) is explained as a transmission of energy or light from the first to the tenth Sephiroth and through all the others in between (for brevity's sake I've left out the others).

The Chakras

The concept of the Sephira and the Qaballah Tree of Life have a close analogue in the Chakras of Dharmic and Hindu ideology. The Chakras are seven points on the body where specific energy vortices reside. The first chakra, the root chakra, is associated with money, physical security, and many of the physical drives associated with our survival essentially it is our connection to the earth. The seventh and last Chakra, the Crown Chakra, completes the system and represents our perceptions of unity / separation, our connection to God (the "Godsource") and the Universal. The crown chakra also concerns intelligence, patterns and context. The Chief function of this chakra is the understanding of how the individual fits within their universe.

Supervenience and Systems Theory

Supervenience is a concept I first learned in Cognitive Science. In general the concept pertains to the explanation of bi-conditional (mutual) causation emerging within systems. In Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Mind particularly, supervenience holds that mental properties overlay rather than replace physical ones. In essence this explains that a change in one substrate I.e. Neural is followed by a corresponding change within another I.e. Consciousness (Mental). Supervenience is a hallmark of the emergent property theory which seeks to explain the rise of complex phenomena through smaller processes, (I.e. The mind from the body, or culture from a nation state etc.) Similarly in systems theory dynamic systems are described as being composed of both sub and supersystems, with concomitant thresholds and feedback loops operating at and determining the fate of the system as a whole at each level.

Personal Reflection

I've been thinking a lot about balance lately in light of these preceding systems of explanation. My brother used to joke (and still does) that I am scholarly minded but of no earthly good. Admittedly my years away at University has put me into an "ivory tower" of sorts, and I've often amused my family by being able to conduct abstract thought and theorization while being completely oblivious to more particular and common sense aspects of life. (This is still an ongoing challenge for me...I blame the overtime hours I've spent in philosophy class) My father when visiting me during one of my post-grad residencies put a sugar coated spin on this. He told me I've spent so much time in heavy study that the "little things" were now beneath my notice. I was flattered and loved that he put it that way, but I recognize that the little and big things, go hand in hand, both are important in light of the other.

Depression and Anxiety can also be viewed as a harbinger of an unbalanced system in this respect. From two tours of duty I've spent on the battlefield of depression I've learned first hand how tightly bound the mental and physical is. In a sense changes in the physical and mental aspects of our lives directly supervene on the other. I recall being locked into certain thought patterns, such as over rumination, and catastrophic (and global) negative thought which cemented over time and had an indelible impact on my sleeping patterns, and reaction to stress and regular stimuli. The solution (one of many) lies in recognizing these habits for what they are, and slowly debunking them. Interrupting negative feedback loops as it were. Anxiety for example, can be subdued by not focusing on large inundating every day challenges that have become catastrophized, but focusing rather on the smaller (easier to swallow) sub goals of which they are apart.

Returning back to the idea of chakras, it's important to balance our intellectual needs (Crown) with our physical / survival needs (Root). This is reflected in the much needed ability for people to have both book smarts and street smarts. In some research I have done in the past few weeks I've learned that its possible for anyone of the seven chakras to become unbalanced, with adverse effects occurring pertaining to the domains they represent. How many times have we suffered under the tutelage of teacher that could not teach for the life of them? (albeit brilliant). How many brilliant plans have we concocted with out being able to bring them to fruition? There's the plan, and there's the implementation of it. There's knowledge, and there's the transmission of that knowledge. There is context and there is content. Neither of these elements have much force or relevance without the other. Even in our learning it is important that we test and continually update our precepts. As Nietzsche once said "One repays a teacher poorly if they remain a student."

Whether it's Supervenience, the Qabbalah or Chakras the underlying message is clear. Balance is an indispensable ingredient for structured, harmonious and flaw-free living. It isn't always easy to achieve but the continued quest for it may very well be our defining moments, I know they have been for me personally. Balance not only is required in the personal realm but extends to the interpersonal national, the environmental and even the international sphere.*

*More of this to come on my upcoming Essay on International Law.

Too Much Information? Musings on Unity, Information, Knowledge and Connection.

So I've been in some in an impromptu "pit stop" mode of sorts lately, taking a break from everything , trying to put together what is next on the agenda. I've been reading a lot, and thinking about things I have been studying. I had a strange dream last year that I had an old friend interpret for me not too long ago. For brevity's sake I'll spare the details of the dream, but her verdict of the meaning of the dream was that I was "in-between space". My dear friend was an art/paradigm and psychology major during her undergraduate years of study so I trust her judgement. As I mentioned in an earlier post I am quite the ambivalent person, however I have often used this trait to my advantage by actively searching for variegated points of view. I did this during my undergraduate years committing myself to both the study of Psychology and Philosophy. It was an interesting ride, rough but interesting.

 
 

I am reading two books right now that both follow in the same theme of finding common ground amongst the inundating sea of information/disciplines that are seemingly contradictory or mutually inimical. Consilience by Edward Wilson attempts to find underlying laws/ connections between the sciences arts and the humanities. Wikinomics by Don Tapscott explores how collaborative tools such as Wikipedia, Youtube and the like are changing society and business. A common theme found in both works is the that of Epigenesis. This is a developmental concept that emphasises how one's environment provides critical options or base tools from which the individual may build themselves from, essentially this evinces a kind of mutual dependence between nature and environment. From a macroscopic perspective we can see this in how man both creates and is created by his culture.

 
 

In our current information laden age it is easy to see first hand how overwhelming information has become. From the blogosphere, to twitter, to Facebook, internet memes, e-mail, text messages etc etc ad infinitum, we are awash in a sea of facts, tidbits, or data ranging from the inane to the profound. Based on ones perspective this can be either a blessing or a bane. We could see this with a sense of futility and assume there's nothing to be gained, or learned, subscribing to nihilistic mindset. There is no underlying truth, it's all subjective, or at worst all ultimately pointless. Alternatively we could see all this information as an untapped resource. In an elective course on information communication's technology I learned a profound insight, stating that information is the raw resource that is distilled into knowledge. Almost anything can be found within a relevant context and qualified as knowledge. Looking at the personal network, Facebook could be seen vehicle of boredom and futility, (do I really need to now that Johnny Public is watching Grey's Anatomy in 2hrs?) or as a springboard to enrich old or new friendships and find common ground, partnerships, ideas for joint ventures etc. (This has obvious repercussions for networking in the professional aspect) Ultimately we will get what we put in, with respect to the tools we have at our disposal.

 
 

Personally I prefer the view that information resources however fast and inundating can be shaped and employed to meet our needs and values (professional and recreational). Academia is no exception, I found myself most inspired at school when finding connections and parallels amongst seemingly unrelated disciplines of study, in fact I think it's safe to say it was only during those moments when learning was activity I valued as an end in itself instead of a hoop I was jumping through for some other reason.

 
 

I can imagine how easier life in general would be if we consistently committed ourselves to the childlike curiosity of the new. Instead of demonizing those who don't share our religious credes and instead finding and emphasising our common humanity, how long would religiously inflamed conflict and war persist? How much longer would international politics hamper national securities if they ceased to be framed ethnocentrically? In a world of confusion and misunderstanding I believe strongly that synergy and continual crossing of perspectives is our sole saving grace.