What happens when the “parts” of a single reality relate.

• If it is true that all aspects of reality come to be as “separate things” and shift and change into “other things” only through relationship with all related aspects of reality, then this also applies to the “organism” aspects including the “human” ones, since we are aspects of reality.

There is no satisfying line of separation between the organism self and the rest of reality, only zones of relatedness.

For example, it is not so much the “self” of the tree which allows it to be a tree, rather it is this zone within the relating processes of reality as a whole, embodied as the maximal and continuous relationship and exchange between that which is a ‘tree” and that which is “not a tree” (via it’s roots and leaves) which allow it to be a tree.

Animals are identical in this regard, only this intimate connectedness is concealed within the body as lungs and gastrointestinal system.

This is as true for nutrient exchange as it is for environmental, economic, social, or knowledge exchange within the “human” context.

In addition to this moment to moment maintenance, the manner of manifestation and de-manifestation of the “body” also only occurs as a “relatedness zone” within the process of the relatedness of reality as a whole (like everything else).

This includes the processes of reproduction and evolution.

Evolution is the description of that aspect of “the flow of reality” which is “us”.

The manner in which the evolution of “self” accommodates to the fluctuations of “everything else” is an expression of this relating of one reality and their interface is therefor also relational and of absolute precision.

The “separation” between “self” and everything else can represent a discontinuity in the nature of the organization of the aspects of reality. There is however no discontinuity whatever within the communicating medium of reality through which cause and effect is transmitted between “inside” and “outside” of “self”.

Transmissions of cause and effect through the “communicating medium” of reality create “environmental fluctuation” for the “self”. This can be directly transmitted into that aspect of the medium which is the physical body in the form of “natural selection”.

Where this occurs, this particular arrangement of the aspects of reality does not continue as an arrangement.

Alternatively the organism can transmit it’s own cause and effect through the communicating medium of reality as “strategy” which can meet and modify or alter it’s relatedness to this “environmental” transmission thereby avoiding the selection event.

The nature of this interface is as follows: Any transmission through reality is simultaneously or equivalently environmental fluctuation from the point of view of a “self” interacting with it, stimulating adaptive response.

Such response generally manifests as transmission outward from the self (including any emergent (new) adaptation expressed by an organism). Such “movement of self” is simultaneously or equivalently “environmental fluctuation” from the point of view of the rest of reality, including other “selves”. (This forms the basis for a feedback loop which will be discussed shortly.)

• The “fight for survival” is one interpretation of evolution which emphasizes a perception of separation between “self” and “everything else”. This is an inevitable interpretation since:

Our attempts to understand the totality of the flow of reality are affected by the fact that we are one small subset of these aspects of reality, manifesting as one expression of this flow. We are a subset that is very specifically arranged as a “physical body” with a specific set of “strategies”.

At the heart of all strategy is the informational content (DNA) expressing it.

Evolution does not protect any of the elements of reality in particular in the sense that these elements pass through the “self” over the course of it’s life. It is only the information code by which they are directed which is protected.

All strategy is directed towards protecting this informational content as an aspect of reality, consequently their collective effect – the incessant intensive activity, attention and perception of the organism, all acting in the same direction, results in and includes a perception of this collection of strategy as a “separate unified whole” within reality.

Since there is nothing special or unique about the physical ingredients of the body relative to everything else which could warrant this identity, the “self” identity must ultimately relate to the informational content of the self.

(The “informational content” of reality as discussed here refers to it’s DNA content. Another aspect of the informational content of reality is knowledge developed and shared by minds. When this second aspect is being discussed, it will be explicitly stated.)

This strong sense of separation was adaptive for early organisms since, as a proportionately small component of reality and therefor producer of environmental fluctuation, their ability to be creators of adverse environmental fluctuation was relatively low.

So too therefor was adaptive pressure to perceive the “self” and it’s activities as “connected” to the reality with which it clearly was connected. This adaptive pressure is growing extremely rapidly.

One of the results of such perception is that the fluid transmigration of reality from one form into another with time is interpreted as a fearful process, especially when it inevitably happens to our physical selves. This provides motivation for the accommodating adaptive responses.

As a result the flow of reality becomes solidified within perception, and the concepts of “separateness”, “permanence”, and “unified selfness” become idealized but unattainable goals.

All subsequent effort and strategy is directed at avoiding the inevitability of “death”. Death however is really just the continuation of the interaction of reality with itself.

• Perceptions regarding this “unified selfness” of the organism and it’s associated mind, along with it’s separateness or connectedness to everything else are mediated by the senses.

Although highly developed, senses and our perceptions of them could only develop as a response to the application of adaptive pressure.

Sense mediated perceptions of relationship (connection or separation) with reality will therefor only perceive and emphasize specific areas of relatedness within reality which impact upon their continuation or non continuation as particular arrangements of aspects of reality.

Emotional experiences of separation and connection as they do occur tend to have correlation with  the forms of “self” “environment” relationships the organism identifies as “non beneficial” and “beneficial” to it’s continuation (the human organism at least).

Symbiotic relationships for example tend to have a perception of at least a degree of connectedness associated with them, while a “victim’s” perception of a parasitic relationship tends to be the opposite.

The “fight for survival” interpretation of evolution therefor progresses naturally from from this standpoint within reality.

Yet in a very real sense, this terrifying world of separation is nothing more than patterning within a single unbroken system of flow.

Cause and effect transmissions through the communicating medium of reality have been utilized for the generation of “hierarchy”, and the division of reality into the “powerful” and the “powerless”, and yet:

The precise division-less manner by which cause and it’s effects are transmitted through the communicating medium of reality actually have characteristics such as “agreement” and “absolute faithfulness”. It is these characteristics which permit the self to be organized into a self, and to interact with everything else.

Mind may perceive conflict within reality, however it is not possible to disconnect “ourselves”, or our actions, from the accommodating cause – effect patterns by which the whole reality of which we are an aspect functions, since from the perspective of “others” our actions must be experienced as environmental fluctuation requiring response.

Evolved strategy therefor can as easily be interpreted as a simple utilization of, and integration with the general process by which all aspects of reality accommodate to the movements and manifestations of the rest of the one reality:

A utilization of and accommodation to the manner in which cause and effect are transmitted faithfully and with absolute precision through the communicating medium of reality.

This is a connective interpretation.

To put it simply, “You” and “I”, are two aspects of one reality.

The evolution of the “self” including it’s competitive characteristics represents the “separative functioning” of one reality.

2013 Peter Sillifant