SCOTT EMERSON, MD

Last month I discussed diversity & inter-connectedness as two of the wisdom teachings of the life force (see Guest op-ed, The Mining Journal, Sept 19). Two additional principles from the Tree of Life, symbiosis and homeostasis, deserve special attention from all of us now as well.

Symbiosis is a deep truth concerning the way life works, that cooperation and reciprocity of benefits is dominant and more powerful than competition for surviving and thriving.

How long does anyone think they would survive if the heart didn’t cooperate and reciprocate with the lungs, or the left hand was competing with the right hand, or the energy factory within the cell kept all the energy it made for itself ?

While Darwin was correct about the concept of natural selection and evolution, he was incorrect in stating that “survival of the fittest” was the dominant mechanism for natural selection. This plays a minor role. Observation of how life works reveals that it’s “survival of those that fit in best” with all of life in their environment that have greater stability and therefore the selection advantage.

Unfortunately “survival of the fittest” gave societies a green light to adopt more competition over cooperation in their affairs. This fostered more separation, amplified a win or lose mentality, fostered imbalance, and made arms races, wars, and environmental degradation more likely.

To be in phase with this essential cornerstone of life, the most stable, and happiest societies place greater trust in the inclusive energy of cooperation over competition to provide balance, strength and resilience to their decision-making. Adhering to this fundamental insures the greatest benefit for all of life.

Homeostasis is how life seeks order and rails against chaos and entropy. It is perhaps the most fundamental property of the life force, and represents a major branch of the Tree of Life. It is defined as an automatic, dynamic, self -regulating process by which a living organism can maintain stability, and survive while adjusting to external challenges.

Homeostasis is vast in its scale with the middle level mechanisms the most studied and understood (the science of medical physiology). Both accelerating (positive feedback) and breaking (negative feedback) processes have been well described as working together to maintain a constant balance within all individual life forms as well as the collective biosphere on Earth. In addition, bidirectional causation systems influence this middle level of homeostasis from both larger as well as smaller perspectives (Torday, J : Biology, 2015). Downward causation is a cascading relationship of homeostatic influences from a larger scale into a smaller level of living systems. Examples of this would be mental and emotional states of the individual life form exerting effects like thirst or fear downward into the body, the mind to body connection.

Upward causation is a cascading relationship of homeostatic influences from a lower scale into a higher level of living systems. Examples of this would be quantum biological and bio-field coherences exerting effects upward into the atomic and molecular level in the body, the energy to body connection ( Menas, C: Glob Adv Health Med; 2015).

The health and vitality of any life form depends on the end result of homeostatic regulation. All disease results from disruption of homeostatic, balancing and refining mechanisms. Treatments and healing are most effective when directed toward reestablishing homeostasis and its natural balance in the body.

Just as the disruption of checks and regulatory balances leads to disease in the body, inequality of power leads to tyranny in society. When the life force principle of homeostasis is violated at the societal scale, no free and independent life is possible. Without the concept of the vital nature of the commons like clean water and air, libertarian philosophies and governments lacking regulation, checks and balances, far from being “free”, will create unstable oscillatory behavior, and ultimately breakdown within the complex interconnected structure of the life force.

Diversity, inter-connectedness, symbiosis, and homeostasis represent deep and powerful truths from life itself about the way things just are, the way they work best, and the way they want to be, regardless of what humans may think otherwise.

For us to realize this, and be in phase with, and not fight against the direction and power of these major wisdom teachings, will make each of our lives, easier, happier, and more healthy.

It will also lead to a more peaceful, global human society in harmony with all the rest of life on a new Earth.

Editor’s note: Scott Emerson, MD, is a retired physician and medical toxicologist who resides in Chocolay Township.