Third in a series of reflections on the questions posed in The Web of Meaning by Jeremy Lent, Prairiewoods’ Spirituality in the 21st Century facilitator, April 28–29, 2023
Yesterday the beautiful day took us on a drive along the Old River Road in search of eagles who winter by the roller dam. There were not many to be seen, maybe because the river has opened and there are many more places to fish. We were fortunate to spot one awesome bird high in a tree overlooking the river—an eagle being an eagle. This is what eagles are in the life of the river ecosystem.
Pondering the question, “What Am I,” I am realizing this is not about the roles I play in my life—this seems to be more about how I fit into the big picture of the planet ecosystem and in the Universe. What is a human?
After reading Jeremy’s understandings, here’s what I think …
I am an organism composed of millions of cells all doing their thing—doing what they are called to do—to live. They have their purpose and they don’t need to know what is beyond their reason for being—they do their thing. There are some guiding principles that research suggests keeps them functioning in their part of the body. There is something in the cells that keeps all lung cells functioning as individuals together making up my lungs, which are fulfilling their purpose—to keep oxygen moving in and out of my body. We recognize patterns within each cell that keep the cells fulfilling their purpose to live and fit into the larger systems. There is no need to control other parts of the body—there is only the need to do one’s part to make the larger whole live.
They do their part—they belong—they contribute to the whole in this system of a human body.
The whole system called an eagle—made up of millions of cells—does his/her eagle part in the ecosystem. The eagle fits, belongs, in the ecosystem. There are relationships that exist in which eagles play a part in making this ecosystem live.
Let’s step this up a bit. As the universe has evolved, we recognize the ever-increasing movement toward complexity. Life has evolved from single cells to multimillion-cell organisms. Technology has evolved to where we can experience sounds made billions of years ago and build robots that can duplicate human tasks. These constantly evolving “miracles” pose deep questions about how I, as a human, fit and function in this constantly evolving ecosystem/universe. Lent suggests several guiding principles taken from research and a fractal understanding of how complex systems work. Redundancy allows systems to use more than one path as they work to fulfill their purpose. If something obstructs one path, the system is willing to use another path. Systems practice conservatism—if something is working, don’t change it. Systems exhibit modularity—the ability to do their thing without being hampered or distracted by what’s going on around them. Innovation allows growth—as cells self-organize to arrive at new ways, the rest of the organism maintains stability. Systems coordinate with each other, and they have the ability to continually adapt.
Knowing there are inherent principles that have been identified in the many fractal levels of self-organizing systems offers a sense of belonging. My body is a system that has its part to play in the broader ecosystem of this planet. I am not a separate entity; I am dependent on my environment. And I am part of what others need to live. I am intricately bound to and integrated with other living systems on this planet. My body, my cells, carry out their innate purpose, knowing their life is part of the larger ecosystem.
What Am I? “As part of life, I am an integrated, dynamic flow of negative entropy, following the same general principles as the rest of the natural world.”
All this being said, the next question that arises opens a greater consciousness. My integrated human system has the capacity for understanding how I affect the other parts of the systems I am part of as well as the animate and conceptual consciousness to make choices that may or may not be on the path of life. More to explore.
—Ellen Bruckner
eagle image from Unsplash
Jeremy Lent is Prairiewoods’ Spirituality in the 21st Century presenter April 28–29, 2023. His book The Web of Meaning is broken down into six parts: Who Am I?, Where Am I?, What Am I?, How Should I Live?, Why Am I? and Where Are We Going? Ellen Bruckner’s blog series focuses on these six topics. To join us for Spirituality in the 21st Century, visit www.Prairiewoods.org/spirituality-in-the-21st-century.