Divide and Conquer

This has forever been the fundamental aim of war – to break cohesion in order to overpower one’s enemy. It happens on the international stage as exemplified in recent events in the Crimea and it happens in every home where two year olds learn to exploit differences between their parents in order to get their way. It is part of our human nature. We have long known that ‘The house divided against itself will fall’ but we seldom consider the complementary truth that we are stronger together. There is a ‘Yin and Yang’ co-existence in these concepts. Indeed it is often necessary for one arrangement to disintegrate in order for another to form. We sometimes cling to the past far beyond its usefulness so that it becomes a genuine inhibitor to growth. Conversely we are occasionally able to sweep away tried and tested principle in the name of progress but in fact take a giant leap backward in our behaviour. Our world is constantly changing, from the creeping enormity of the tectonic plates to the fleeting presence of a human life and whether in the terrifying devastation of a lava flow or the pangs of childbirth, even the most painful of change leads to new life. Our challenge is to embrace change, to navigate its rapids and work with it so that we leave the world a richer place for our being here. Inevitably the journey brings much learning and its fair share of pain but without the troughs we cannot know the peaks in life. The story of life on earth is one of ever greater integration and interdependence. Bruce Lipton explores these interrelationships in his book ‘Biology of Belief’. Beginning with the simplest of cells, right through to the animal kingdom and man himself, we have grown in ever increasing complexity reflecting the fundamental reality that we’re stronger together. As the most successful species man has developed extraordinary capacities for reasoning and for harnessing the energies of the planet in his service. Unfortunately it is our individuality that so often undermines our pursuit of the common good. We have trained ourselves to exploit one another as individuals, as organisations and as nations. Instead of seeking ever closer interdependence and collaboration we routinely sow division in the belief we can gain some short term advantage. The greatest legacy of humanity to creation needs to be in memes rather than attempting to modify genes that have evolved over millions of years and to which our human physiology has optimally adapted. By dabbling with genetic modification we risk upsetting the very fabric of life on earth. With unprecedented scientific power and matching arrogance we are on the brink of bringing about our own extinction yet we call it progress. We justify our corporate greed with notions that we must interfere with nature in order to feed the world. Yes we have an obligation to use our abilities to understand nature and to work with it to create a better world but we don’t need to ravage and poison the planet to do so nor can we secure our future as a species by acting as unwitting lab rats in the most dangerous experiment ever conducted, - an experiment driven not by humanitarian interest but by corporate greed. Let us take action to bring sustainable health and wellbeing to all people, starting with ourselves. Let our concern for future generations be as strong as for our own so that our primary drive is protection of and harmony with, nature. - We’re definitely stronger together.