Faith Physics And Psychology

For at least the past two hundred years, the champions of Western culture have consistently held out the promise that the rapid spread of "civilization" (typically meaning Western civilization) would resolve humanity's problems in a straightforward manner through scientific, technologic, and economic breakthroughs. Such optimistic claims, however, are now incongruous with the rising tide of physical, psychological, and spiritual suffering that is occurring throughout the world. We live in perilous times: we are facing an overall failing paradigm. Many, if not all, of the following problems are now occurring in the United States, Europe, and in many other countries throughout the world: environmental degradation, increasing violence and terrorism, widening extremes of wealth and poverty, racial and ethnic animosity, malnutrition and hunger, gender inequality, rising mental health problems, escalating addictions, skyrocketing medical care costs, massive government budget deficits, ballooning consumer debt and bankruptcies, unemployment and underemployment, disintegrating families, alienated youth, abandoned elders, moral and ethical degeneration, political and business corruption, energy depletion, and socioeconomic injustice of all kinds.

In the past century, corporate advertisers have painted a picture of "the good life" that is based on the acquisition of material wealth and possessions. The functioning of the U.S. economy is based on the multiplication and instant gratification of wants and desires as evidenced by government officials who tell Americans to go out and spend in order to help the economy. Sadly, in spite of material prosperity, "the good life," with its promise of happiness and fulfillment, has eluded many Americans. Commenting on the current state of affairs, a textbook titled Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life says,

  On every side we see anxious, unhappy people who miss the realization of their 
  potential because they cannot find adequate solutions or answers to problems that 
  seem beyond them. The hassles of modern life are reflected in the massive amounts 
  of tranquilizing chemicals - alcohol or otherwise, prescription and nonprescription -
  we as a society consume... Mental impairments of one sort or another now afflict 
  more people than all physical health problems combined... Prospects for an 
  increasing rate of adaptational failure, particularly in the psychological domain, 
  seem compelling as we move toward the twenty-first century. How shall we cope?'

Similarly, in The Progress Paradox. How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse, author Gregg Easterbrook cites studies suggesting that most Americans and Europeans do not feel any happier today than they did fifty years ago, even though the vast majority of these Western peoples are presently enjoying many more material comforts than ever before. Easterbrook states that in the United States and the European Union, "The incidence of clinical melancholy is rising in eerie synchronization with rising prosperity: Adjusting for population growth, 'unipolar' depression... is today 10 times as prevalent as it was half a century ago."[2]

During the past five hundred years, the globe has seen the rise to world power of Western civilization due to the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the Age of Enlightenment, colonialism, capitalism, and socialism - all of which emanated from Europe and the United States. Unlike any other culture in the world, Western civilization has had the military, economic, and technological power to assert itself and to spread all over the globe. Furthermore, there are a host of relatively recent developments that have also contributed considerably to the rapid dissemination of various Western ideas and practices: the rise of Western-dominated globalized capitalism, the ascendancy of powerful Western-based multinational corporations, the ease of global transportation, the advent of instantaneous global communication, the popularity of U.S. mass culture (such as rock music and Hollywood movies) in foreign nations, Western-style economic development schemes in the Third World, Western military and humanitarian aid, foreign elites educated in the West, immigration into Western nations and the resulting flow of ideas and values from Western family members to non-Western family members. Due to both historical and recent forces, Western culture now serves as a powerful, influential, and appealing subculture within many cultures throughout the world, including some that claim to be non-Western. The rapid dissemination of Western ideas and practices has inspired some people to attempt to build a world order based on Western economic development models and on the Western secular worldview. In some cases, in reaction to the powerful ascendancy of American and European influences, militant forces have arisen to challenge the "decadent influence" of the West.

Ironically, the United States, the beacon of the West, is experiencing a most disconcerting loss of human potential among young people through suicide, homicide, addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted teen pregnancies, obesity, drug abuse, anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental illness and violent behaviors.[3] A few of the alarming statistics include the data that every ninety-eight minutes, one American youth is shot dead, and on any given school day, over 135,000 students bring knives or guns to school. Among White American adolescents, homicide is the second leading cause of death. For African-American males between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, homicide is now the number one cause of death.[4]

Suicides are the third leading cause of American adolescent deaths after car accidents and homicides. The suicide rate among teenagers in the United States quadrupled between 1950 and 1983. This same thirty-three-year period witnessed an increase in the number of American youth who were placed in mental institutions; consequently, by the mid-1980s, more than half the patients in U.S. mental wards were under the age of twenty-one. Between 1985 and 2000, suicides increased by another 25 percent, producing one of the highest teenage suicide rates in the world. Currently, the number of adolescents diagnosed with clinical depression is also skyrocketing.[5]

Psychologists are reporting what seems to be an epidemic of rage among American adolescents, with millions of youth taking part in violent acts such as bullying, assaults, and self-mutilation.[6] Indeed, a youth is arrested for a violent crime every four minutes. On July 13, 2006, USA Toaay reported that police "in cities across the USA are linking the recent jump in the nation's violent-crime rate to an increasing number of juveniles involved in armed robberies, assaults, and other incidents." Police are also reporting "a surge in violence involving gangs and weapons." Psychologist Michael Gurian, author of The Good Son, states that "More of our children per capita get arrested for crimes than in any other country... In the U.S., more boys and young men are incarcerated in juvenile detention, prison, and psychiatric hospitals than in any other nation on earth."[7]

In addition to violence, irresponsible sexual behavior is also a threat. The rate of increase of sexually transmitted diseases among American teenagers is reaching epidemic proportions. Currently, about one in four teenagers becomes infected with a sexually transmitted disease every year. Margaret Meeker, the author of the book Epidemic: How Teen Sex Is Killing Our Kids, cites medical studies as well as her own experience as a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine for over twenty years to contend that increasing levels of adolescent sexual promiscuity are directly contributing to the rising tide of depression and suicide among youth.[8]

To make matters worse, American family life is practically disintegrating, and indeed, it has been unraveling for some time. The crushing financial pressures and hectic pace of modern life have undoubtedly contributed to the exceedingly high American divorce rate. It is likely that many families with both parents working are stretched to the breaking point, and it is clear that youth are at the losing end of all of this. Many parents either have no time or make no time for their children.[9] Ultimately, American families are in a weak position to deal effectively with even the normal developmental and emotional struggles of young children and teenagers, much less the staggering problems mentioned here.

The existence of such tragic statistics about young people living in the most prosperous nation in history should be enough to make all of us question the philosophical underpinnings of American culture and of Western civilization in general. Sadly, today's American youth can be likened to the canary birds that were once used to monitor air quality in coal mines. Coal miners carried the canaries with them into the mines, and if a canary died, it was a signal to evacuate the mine immediately because of deadly air quality. The distressed condition of America's youth is quite possibly a portent of an approaching widespread catastrophe that will occur unless we reassess and alter our prevailing Western culture. The important point here is that the youth crisis and many other crises facing our society and the world need to be seen as symptoms of a still larger problem - a faulty underlying cultural worldview. "World-view" is the set of values, beliefs, ideas, and assumptions through which one perceives reality.

In recent years the predominant Western worldview has been referred to as the Cartesian-Newtonian worldview, named after the famous European scientists Rene' Descartes and Isaac Newton. Unfortunately, this classical science worldview is based on a mechanistic view of human beings and the universe that alienates human beings from their spiritual, moral, and emotional faculties. It has divided the world into mutually exclusive opposing forces: the dichotomies of science versus religion, reason versus faith, logic versus intuition, natural versus supernatural, material versus spiritual, and secular versus sacred. The result is a materialistic worldview that emphasizes the truth of science, reason, logic, the natural, the material, and the secular while ignoring or even denigrating the truth of religion, faith, intuition, the supernatural, the spiritual, and the sacred.

A major thesis of this book is that Western civilization has become disordered, unbalanced, and detrimental to the psychological and spiritual development of human beings due to its destructive underlying Cartesian-Newtonian worldview. This does not mean that other cultures in other parts of the world are necessarily healthier or better than Western culture. To the contrary, no culture currently exists that can serve as a healthy alternative to Western culture. In actuality, our only hope lies in the creation of an entirely new cultural paradigm. Along these lines, Fritjof Capra, a distinguished physicist and author of The Turning Point, states,

  I have come to believe that today our society as a whole finds itself in a... crisis... 
  We have an energy crisis, a crisis in health care,... environmental disasters, a 
  rising wave of violence and crime... These are all different facets of one and the 
  same crisis,... this crisis is essentially a crisis in perception... it derives from 
  the fact that we are trying to apply the concepts of an outdated worldview - the 
  mechanistic worldview of Cartesian-Newtonian science - to a reality that can no 
  longer be understood in terms of these concepts... What we need, then, is a new 
  "paradigm" - a new vision of reality; a fundamental change in our thoughts, 
  perceptions, and values. The beginnings... of the shift from the mechanistic to 
  the holistic conception of reality, are already visible in all fields.[10]

As Capra suggests, the Cartesian-Newtoman worldview is being seriously challenged by a variety of people who subscribe to what Capra calls "the holistic conception of reality" - the holistic worldview. According to advocates of the holistic worldview, the Cartesian-Newtonian dichotomies are man-made, false separations that do not exist in the real world - in other words, reality is not split into such mutually exclusive dichotomies. Thus, in order to get an accurate picture of reality, it is necessary to integrate scientific truths with religious truths. Furthermore, it is necessary to marry reason and faith and to apply both logic and intuition to perceive the real world - a deeper reality in which there are no actual separations between the secular/natural/material realm on the one hand and the sacred/supernatural/spiritual realm on the other.

As we will later discuss in significant detail, recent developments in the field of quantum physics seem to validate the holistic worldview while debunking the Cartesian-Newtonian worldview. Practically all of the signs within the realm of quantum research are pointing toward nonphysical (which some would call spiritual) reality as the foundation of all physical reality. This research points to increasing evidence that what we call physical reality is just a manifestation of a hidden, deeper reality.

Many of the early physicists who first probed into the mysterious world of atoms assumed that these so-called "fundamental building blocks" of all matter, would be solid, simple, inert, and essentially "dead." However, over the span of many decades, as physicists have delved deeper into the atomic and subatomic quantum realm, they have discovered increasing magnitudes of complexity, sophistication, organization, and even intelligence. Many physicists, bolstered by massive volumes of experimental data, now support the view that quantum entities such as atoms, electrons, protons, and other subatomic particles do not even exist in physical reality until someone tries to observe them. In fact, many physicists now support the view that quantum entities do not even have independent existing objective properties until someone observes them. Since all matter is composed of atoms and other mysterious quantum particles, this means that all objects, including human beings, are made up of "not-so-real" quantum entities. In a nutshell, physical matter can no longer be considered the fundamental reality. Thus the primary discoveries of quantum physics have finally brought science back in line with what mystics have been telling us for thousands of years-namely, that this physical universe is just a manifestation of a deeper and more true spiritual reality. Along these lines, physicist Fritjof Capra states, 'An increasing number of scientists are aware that mystical thought provides a consistent and relevant philosophical background to the theories of contemporary science, a conception of the world in which the scientific discoveries of men and women can be in perfect harmony with their spiritual and religious beliefs."[11]

As will be shown in detail in this book, solving the intractable and escalating worldwide problems that face us will require the conscious adoption of a new worldview and a movement away from prevailing Cartesian-Newtonian attitudes, perceptions, assumptions, beliefs, and values. This book explores the fresh and inspiring perspectives provided by three different yet complementary movements:

the Bahá'í Faith, an independent world religion; the self-actualization movement, which is based on the comprehensive theoretical work of the late psychologist Abraham Maslow; and the holistic movement, which is based on theories and research from various disciplines such as quantum physics, philosophy, psychology, neurophysiology, economics, education, medicine, ecology, and cosmology. All three of these movements are based on worldviews that differ radically from the prevailing Cartesian-Newtonian worldview. The following few paragraphs provide a brief description of each movement.

The Bahá'í Faith is an emerging independent world religion based on the teachings of its Prophet and Founder, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-92). The Bahá'í Faith is not a sect, nor is it a denomination of some other religion. From its beginnings in Persia (now Iran) in 1844, the religion has spread to virtually every part of the world and has grown to a membership of more than 5 million, including believers from virtually every racial, cultural, religious, and social background. The pivotal concept of the Bahá'í Faith is the oneness of humankind-the spiritual unification of humanity into one global family and the emergence of a divinely inspired global civilization. The unity advocated by the Faith not only includes the elimination of all human prejudices, but also extends to every aspect of human learning-significantly, the principles that science and religion must agree and that the diverse religions of mankind are in fact a single, unfolding Religion of God. The teachings of the Faith, many of which will be dealt with in the course of this book, offer guidance on transforming social; political, economic, and cultural institutions of the entire world, emphasizing the spiritualization of human endeavors and bringing a unique vision to the course of human history.

The self-actualization movement, or the personal transformation movement (as it is also known) was largely initiated through the books, articles, and lectures of renowned psychologist and author Abraham Maslow (1908-70), who articulated a refreshing, inspiring, and optimistic vision of human nature. Maslow laid a theoretical foundation for a psychology of health and is best known for his theory of self-actualization. He is considered one of the preeminent founders of humanistic psychology, an alternative school of psychology that was highly critical of the mechanistic views and methods of the two main schools of psychology - Freudian psychoanalysis and behaviorism. Before the development of humanistic psychology, the field of psychology was heavily influenced by the fact that Sigmund Freud had based much of his psychology on his observations of neurotic or psychologically ill people. Thus Maslow wanted to base his psychology on the study of contemporary and historical figures whom he considered to be psychologically healthy: "If we want to know the possibilities for spiritual growth, value growth, or moral development in human beings, then I maintain that we can learn most by studying our most moral, ethical, or saintly people."[12] Maslow's scientific findings, comprehensive theoretical work, and educational recommendations continue to advance the work of researchers as they slowly develop new social, economic, political, and educational models.

The holistic movement is an emerging movement based on diverse theories and research from various fields of knowledge. The statements of physicist Fritjof Capra that were quoted earlier are examples of holistic thinking. Advocates of this way of thinking assert that we need to move toward a new, comprehensive, holistic worldview that promotes the unity of science and religion and fosters the integration of mind, body, and spirit. According to holistic advocates, a complete shift away from the current Cartesian-Newtonian worldview will liberate humanity from the despiritualized, dehumanized processes and institutions that are so prevalent today. Such advocates make it clear that the movement toward a holistic worldview in all fields of human endeavor is already slowly happening through an evolution of human spiritual consciousness - in other words, the process is not coerced but rather evolutionary in nature. Regarding this process of evolution, holistic educator Ron Miller states, Holism holds that human beings are essentially spiritual beings, individual expressions of a transcendent creative source that we do not fully comprehend. Our long, sorry history of violence, greed, and oppression reflects ignorance of our spiritual nature and its suppression, not an innate drive toward evil. Humanity's development is not finished and may never be; we are still evolving morally, culturally, and spiritually. The holistic approach strives to develop our latent capacity for cooperation and community, and asserts that there need not be 'losers' in a just and caring society."[13] This modern holistic perspective is strikingly consistent with the traditional American Indian worldview, and indeed, the original inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere can be regarded as some of the world's first holistic advocates. This is why present-day proponents of holism often turn to indigenous spiritual teachings as a source of timeless wisdom. In similar fashion, chapter 6 of this book is dedicated to examining the history, culture, and inspiring holistic perspective of the American Indians.

The overarching theme that connects the Bahá'í, self-actualization, and holistic movements constitutes another major thesis of this book: humanity stands in desperate need of a new, enlightened global civilization based on a worldview that is capable of honoring and furthering the psychological, physical, and spiritual development of all human beings.

The emergence of the three movements corresponds with an increasing feeling among growing numbers of Westerners that they have become technologically and materially rich but spiritually and psychologically poor. Each movement represents a distinct, extensive body of knowledge that developed independently, yet the three are surprisingly similar in terms of their worldviews. The fact that they developed independently yet share so many striking similarities supports the credibility, consistency, and validity of each movement. It is important to emphasize that self-actualization philosophy as well as the broad-based holistic philosophy are both primarily founded on the work of secular, science-based scholars, whereas the Bahá'í Faith is a religion and is believed by its followers to be the result of divine revelation. This book seeks, through inquiry and investigation, to correlate and connect related bodies of knowledge irrespective of their origins. It is my hope that it will demonstrate that it is possible to integrate secularly based sources and religiously based sources in a manner that is credible and internally consistent, while honoring both reason and faith.

It is highly likely that in the near future many independently derived bodies of knowledge - both those that are scientifically derived and those that are spiritually or religiously derived - will increasingly coalesce into one unified, sound, comprehensive body of wisdom. It is also likely that in the near future people will no longer divide themselves into "secular scholars" and "religious scholars," but rather regard themselves as scholars who are seeking truth, wherever it may be found. Such developments will have dramatic implications for all areas of human endeavor.

In particular, the Bahá'í sacred writings contain an admonition and a far-reaching prophecy related to the discussion above. The following passage is from a talk given in 1911, before the advent of self-actualization theory and before the formulation of quantum physics and the modern holistic philosophy:

  If religion were in harmony with science and they walked together, much of the 
  hatred and bitterness now bringing misery to the human race would be at an end... 
  God made religion and science to be the measure, as it were, of our understanding. 
  Take heed that you neglect not such a wonderful power. Weigh all things in this 
  balance... Put all your beliefs into harmony with science; there can be no 
  opposition, for truth is one. When religion, shorn of its superstitions, traditions, 
  and unintelligent dogmas, shows its conformity with science, then will there be a 
  great unifying, cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars, 
  disagreements, discords and struggles - and then will mankind be united in the 
  power of the Love of God.[14]

A movement toward truth requires a willingness to remain open to new ideas and a willingness to discard time-worn ideas that no longer serve their intended purpose. Very significantly, all three of the movements that are examined in this book encourage a radical renewal of ideas. The following passage, also taken from the Bahá'í writings, eloquendy enunciates this concept of renewal:

  The call of Bahá'u'lláh is primarily directed against all forms of provincialism, 
  all insularities and prejudices. If long-cherished ideals and time-honored 
  institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased 
  to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister 
  to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and 
  relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, 
  in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the 
  deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution? For legal standards, 
  political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of 
  humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of 
  the integrity of any particular law or doctrine.[15]

With these ideas in mind, this book takes an in-depth look at the increasingly destructive Cartesian-Newtonian social, economic, political, scientific, religious, and educational institutions of the West. The chapters that follow examine the values, beliefs, assumptions, and ideas underlying these Western institutions in an effort to determine which aspects "have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind" and "no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity" and should, therefore, "be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines." We will review historical and contemporary events such as the European colonization of the "New World" and the recent establishment of global economics to understand how Cartesian-Newtonian forces have contributed to the poisoned race and class relationships that characterize the modern world.

Ultimately, we are in need of a new, inspiring vision of reality that can touch our hearts and minds and spiritually reengage the deepest aspects of who we truly are - our souls. It is my sincere wish that this book will add to the hope, and perhaps the faith, of the many who continue to struggle courageously to bring an end to human suffering. It is imperative that we now scan the horizon of knowledge to see if we can catch a glimpse of any new religious, scientific, psychological, educational, and economic paradigms that can assist us in building a new global civilization worthy of educating and uplifting human souls. This book represents, in a limited scope, an attempt to do this.

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