The spiral of evolution
In a recent article in EL Pais, a leading Spanish language journal, one of the world’s experts in evolution of bipedalism answered a few questions on his favourite subject. It was particularly fascinating to learn that very early upright walking hominids had life-saving help from their kind. The proof of it was a fossil record with significant fractures of the lower limb that were healed. In the words of Jeremy da Silva, the expert in question, “empathy and compassion compensated for the physical disadvantages of bipedalism”.
From a physical development perspective, it is thought that bipedalism was the first step that triggered a host of other changes including the enlargement of our brain. But obviously a slow moving early walking hominid would stand little chance on the ground against formidable predators were it not for collective bonds that allowed for, amongst other things, the expression of empathy and compassion. This is a big message: empathy and compassion are what really allowed us to exist as humans and they are our primal survival technique. It also follows that if abandon empathy and compassion we would not only stray drastically from the very base of human nature but we will endanger our very survival.
Luckily we stuck with it, progressing in the right direction, and we know what happened: supported by 2 free hands after perfecting bipedalism, humans were very successful and became a global species. And then the evolution of our awareness continued from that foundation of empathy and compassion. The beauty of Creation was noticed, admired and reproduced in art from tens of thousands of years ago. It was also analyzed and studied and patterns noticed and then given abstract form in mathematics, physics and so on.
In a different plane the yearning for meaning, balance and peace became stronger and stronger until the modern times that Shri Mataji called “blossom time”. That is because the tree of our awareness has matured over centuries and is ready to welcome the Self Realization, that now can be shared en-masse. once the Kundalini awakens our enlightened chakras will decorate the subtle system like beautiful spring flowers. This is how the spiral movement of evolution from the left - love and compassion - to the right - creative action, outward development - and eventually to the centre - balance, peace and detachment - is always aiming upward. And with a little courage, commitment and discipline all of us can experience the transformation and the feel the joy of being in tune with our deepest nature.