The Will to Live or the Will to Die
by Julian Rose
The existential and internal crisis which has engulfed mankind is not a piecemeal affair, it is a crisis reaching into the most central fibers of human existence.
At this nucleus point of all our lives lies the will to live or the will to die. Some might object to the notion ‘the will to die’, but what it means is ‘the failure of the will to live’.
There is no middle ground between these two extremes. That which is not moving forward is moving backwards. Moving backwards constitutes surrender to the forces of torpor; a steady decline in energy that leads to stagnation and decay.
All material elements of life move through this birth/death cycle. But human life has another dimension to that of purely material and physical existence.
We are endowed with the power to transform torpor into its opposite – an expansion of the life force. Something which transcends material existence and produces the dynamic flow which is the true expression of Life.
The trick is to maintain this dynamic; to keep it alight as the prime motivational force of one’s life.
To do that one needs an inspirational point of focus. A goal to always be reaching for. Something which demands daily attention, discipline and the inner desire to ‘become more than one is’ at any particular moment of time.
This is the spiritual path.
Once one recognises that ‘what one wants to become more of’ is an internal state of expansion – an awakening of the soul – then there is no longer any confusion about the place of the material and that of the spiritual.
Spirit is light, alive and in movement. The material, while sharing the same original source point as spirit, is associated with solidity, weight and a general lack of movement. However, they are entirely complementary counterparts. One cannot express itself without the close proximity of the other.
So the development of one’s spirituality takes shape within a physical shelter that supports its nurturing.
In society as a whole this position is reversed. The material is the goal – the main target of ambition.
Spirit, if it is acknowledged at all, fills a secondary role and fails to make an impression on deeper aspirations during a lifetime.
Needless to say, this is the wrong way round. An inorganic imposed state, not one’s natural course of exitsence.
For the state of existence on planet earth to change for the better, the spiritual must lead and the material follow.
This will produce a complete metamorphosis of all living entities, as the consequent higher human vibrational change will resonate through all living entities – plants, insects, animals and even inanimate matter, acting as a form of tonic for their fuller expression and onward evolution.
But mankind must set the higher vibrational tone.
Daily life will look very different once spiritual aspiration is prioritised over material aspiration.
No longer will there be a predominant desire ‘to have’; to desire ever more possessions, excessive material comforts and the self importance that comes with fulfilling the demands of an untamed ego.
Instead will come an aspiration to live simply, lightly and with minimum harm caused to the outside world. Spirit growth makes one conscious of one’s oneness with nature and all life forms; exercising one’s discretion sympathetically concerning all that surrounds one.
It is no longer possible to treat outside as separate from inside. They are, after all, two parts of one whole. The need is to embrace a holistic understanding of the way the universe functions, because all parts depend on each other – and none is more important than any other – regardless of how large or small.
To grow in such understanding requires the adoption of a methodology based on tried and tested practices, some thousands of years old.
The ‘true’ teaching will always emphasise the dual nature of the path. Firstly, the going out into the world to combat repression and injustice and to fight for the expression of truth and a humanitarian state of existence.
This is called ‘service to humanity’ and is our first port of call on the spiritual journey.
Then, sensing the need to become inwardly stronger in order to be more effective – one starts looking inward so as to concentrate on the purification which is necessary for self development.
These inward and outward movements are two inseparable parts of one whole.
We cannot progress without following the call of both the outward activism, whose goal is to protect this great creation – and a focused inner contemplation on the Supreme Consciousness, the source of all life, both animate and inanimate.
I strongly encourage the adoption of this pathway to personal liberation and to the ultimate emancipation of humankind.
Julian Rose is an early pioneer of UK organic farming, a writer, international activist and broadcaster. See website www.julianrose.info for information about Julian’s acclaimed book
Overcoming the Robotic Mind and other works. Books can be purchased by contacting Julian direct: see ‘contact author’ under ‘reviews’.
