Do you feel at home in this evolving universe? Or do you wake up somedays, totally bewildered that you are on a planet careening around a star in one of the billions of galaxies that populate a dark and cold universe? Do you sometimes feel adrift, lonely, unsure, and a little afraid?
Or, do you feel enthusiasm, excitement, fearless purpose? Does contemplating our 14 billion year trajectory fill you with exuberant joy and confidence? Do you feel part of something incomprehensibly vast and exciting?
It is my hope that when you appreciate this magnificent evolving universe, that you can find your place in it. Knowing your place in the evolving cosmos, you can discover your purpose. With clarity of purpose, you can create more joy and prosperity for yourself, for others and for your community.
CHALLENGES OF TODAY
For many people, the Epic of Evolution causes fear. Because we know that dinosaurs and most species that have ever lived are now extinct, we fear that we humans may also go extinct. We fear that nuclear weapons can destroy all human and most mammalian life. Infectious diseases can wipe out entire species. We know that planet Earth has not always had a climate suitable for sentient life and we fear that humans are now changing the climate. From experiments in test tubes, we know that overgrowth of a population will kill the entire population.
Another big challenge in celebrating evolution is overcoming destructive philosophies promoted in the name of evolution. For over 150 years, unscrupulous people have used a perverse understanding of evolution to justify eugenics, ruthless greed and war. Slogans like “greed is good” “survival of the most ruthless,” “life is merely random and meaningless”, and “descent from slime gives license to behave like slime.” These perverse ideas fail to offer a comprehensive or accurate view of evolution. These limited and inaccurate portrayals of evolution offer little to celebrate. These limited understandings lead to various forms of existential angst, which in turn leaves people vulnerable to helplessness, depression, and anxiety.
Given these challenges, some might suggest that we should just make the best of today because there is no hope for the future.
There is a better way! There is hope! And it is beyond amazing!
Celebrate Evolution
With all this fear around evolution, how is it possible to celebrate? We need to learn a better story. When we learn of evolution’s arrow and the direction of the universe, we can celebrate. When we realize that we are part of this amazing universe, we can celebrate. Many recent discoveries offer a more accurate view of reality so that we may live more in harmony with this reality. And this is a reason to celebrate!
“The more you know, the better you do.”
The Epic of Evolution is like a map that helps us navigate the future, avoiding pitfalls.
Celebrate the Friendly Universe
“The arc of the Universe is long and it bends toward justice.”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King
Because of human’s inherent tendency to focus on threats, we focus on the unfriendliness of the universe. But is this the whole story? Find out more.
Celebrating Creativity
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Celebrating Dialog
Celebrating science and religion
“Religion shows the way to go to heaven and
science shows the way the heavens go.”
~ Gallileo
If you listen to the “news” you might believe that all religions are at odds with science. Like other “fake news” this is not a reflection of reality. The reality is that religions, like everything else in the universe, are evolving, and more and more religious people are embracing and celebrating the Epic of Evolution (see Evolution Weekend). Science and religion are two complementary projects helping people become the fullest expressions of themselves.
To paraphrase Galileo, “science tells us how the heavens go and religions tell us how to go to heaven.”
To help you make sense of the relationship between science and religion, this site provides a clearinghouse of links to websites that foster dialog between evolution and religion. Furthermore, the evolutionary world view is so essential to many people, that they are exploring and discussing spirituality in the light of evolution.
“The goal of the Epic of Evolution is to
“inspire grateful service to the enduring promise of life on the planet.”
~ Loyal Rue
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that
a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.”
~ William James
“We are the Earth become conscious.”
~ Julian Huxley