For some time I've been reading and hearing people in new age and modern spirituality circles talking about an evolution of consciousness as some great spiritual moment to come. I think the evolution of consciousness is verifiably ongoing, not something remarkable. The fact that we have progressed from primitive magical-mythical interpretations of the world around us to science that can explain certain process by which the universe came into being is evidence of that. However, we have not remained well-integrated through that evolutionary process. At times we have demonstrated a higher level of spiritual development. At present we are showing a remarkable level of scientific-empirical development but our political and social structures are unstable, inequitable and inherently violent. I am looking towards a revolution of consciousness in which we find perspectives and methods that satisfy the rigor that rational development has taught us while making room for the spiritual experience that current methods cannot explain and supporting true change in the world through institution of effective and compassionate structures.
What is Manifest Revolution?
"Manifest Revolution" is multiple things. It is the manifest revolution, the revolution immanent, the revolution arising, which consists of acquiring ever-expanding perspectives and living life according to the truth unfolding. That truth unfolding is the subject of this blog.
It is also to manifest revolution, to express the revolution of consciousness, to bring about the revolution of consciousness. To communicate all that I experience in order to inspire or help others experience their own revolution is the purpose of this blog. But not just to talk; the imperative to act will shape the future direction of this site, which I hope to expand beyond blogging to materially advance the individual and collective revolution of consciousness.
Finally, it is a counterpoint to the 19th century American concept of "manifest destiny," questioning the idea of benevolent imperialism as a philosophically unsound concept and an untenable principle. After all of the failed attempts to change the world by force from the outside, I am proposing that we can only truly change the world from the inside. Our manifest revolution is to expand the human trajectory through development and responsibility that results in a greater collective. Our manifest revolution is to bring about true and lasting positive change in the world.
My original blog post, Welcome to the Revolution gives some of my early thoughts on the topic as well. But nothing in this blog is dogma. Every word I write is as true as it can be the moment I write it, but thought, experience and spirit are always expanding. I hope to share my ongoing observations and ideas in order to stimulate higher thinking and higher expectations.
Why "live truth?"
I have always been troubled by the idea of accepting life at face value without seeking to understand it on a continually deeper level. People seem obsessed with "knowing" the truth, which really means saying you know the truth. In the immortal words of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!"
Yeah, I'm on an onion-peeling quest to understand as much as I can about the nature of ourselves and our existence. But that quest is not to find and define truth; truth exists before thought and before speech, so all attempts to articulate it only tell a story about the experience. My goal is to live the truth that is unfolding in each moment.
Who is writing this?
I'm a thirty-something who is normal in all respects except that I have never been able to identify with any aspect of my outward self. It took me a long time to understand this, and I'm not sure why it is. Maybe I broke something as a child; I remember sitting in the church my family attended when I was eight or nine, bored out of my mind. There was a lot of talk of "eternity," which seemed like a neat concept, so I started contemplating what it really meant. Somehow I tripped something in my head -- I remember thinking it was like running down a hill when your body is moving faster than your legs -- and for a moment or for an hour I understood the nature of endlessness, of infinitude, and felt its fullness. It wasn't enlightenment, it wasn't the truth of all things; it was one taste. I have had similar experiences in the intervening years, and I think everybody has these glimpses. Most people don't know what to do with them and eventually they fade into the background. For me these experiences are a call to understanding, to caring, to action.
This perspective is the source of my questioning and my spiritual practice. I have tried to find my way through life -- as everyone has to -- trying to reconcile my own particular idiosyncrasies against the collective expectations of society. But I was perpetually and deeply miserable as a result. At the age of 32 I finally broke down and decided I wasn't going to fight it anymore. This my nature, whatever it is; so I seek to surrender to truth unfolding. I can't say exactly what that means except that my perspective is constantly changing to account for new experiences and new ways of thinking about the world, and those changes in perspective alter how I live my life. I'm a moving target for Zen archers.
My life practice includes Ashtanga Yoga, meditation, self-inquiry, and leaving no stone unturned, whether in books, nature, music, art or conversation.
You can contact me at revolutionary@manifestrevolution.com.
