"Evolutionary Rigor"
The word “evolution” means different things to different people. When I use it in the context of the “Agents of Evolution” title, it refers to: our ability to inhabit the truth of who we are.
Notice I’m not saying it refers to my ability to inhabit the truth of who I am. That is more the domain of spiritual realization. Evolution, however, is collective. It does not happen in a vacuum. It happens amidst all of life, pulling life along with it. Each of us affects our collective evolution. We have a lot more power in this than we think we do.
“Our evolution” is not just the evolution of homo sapiens. Our evolution involves all life. We and the earth and all her inhabitants are evolving simultaneously.
The interesting feature of this highly interdependent phenomenon is that we are each called to play a very specific, unique part in the grand symphony. If the bassist tries to play the oboe player’s part, the symphony has a problem. Right now on earth, there are a lot of very well-intentioned people playing parts that are not their true parts. This can happen innocently, when the people around you can’t see you for who you actually are, and you give in to the pressures of conforming to other peoples’ expectations. It’s not that the world is full of bullies wanting us all to be someone we’re not. It’s more that we have a lot of social learning to do in celebrating our differences, and why this is good for us all as a whole.
You have to be tremendously rigorous about being yourself.
Many trusted voices and powerful, social forces and compelling ideas will try to persuade you to go with this flow, go with that flow, play along with that agenda. It takes outrageous amounts of discernment, self-love, and ferocity to stay with the truth of who you are. Let’s call it evolutionary rigor. There’s a kind of rigor involved with knowing who you are and sticking with that, staying in fidelity to that, that will eventually clue people in to who you are and what your part to play is. You may not be rewarded for it. You may not be understood. It may cost you. But you will benefit our evolution. And in time you will feel the sweet satisfaction of your own brightly shining essence.
Here’s the last of the pre-sale copies of Agents of Evolution just before I took them to the post office yesterday. Over 300 books have gone out so far. The guys at my post office just take the container from me as they confirm, “media mail again?” It’s a fun exchange, each time.