The founding thirteen colonies of the United States didn’t work out as England had planned. At least not in the long term that is. The goal of King James I was that the colonies would be a means for amassing more wealth for England while alleviating population burdens on the country. In addition, it was an opportunity for England to expand its empire further. Other countries such as France, Spain, Denmark, and Switzerland also established colonies within the original thirteen. Things went well for about one hundred seventy years until the American Revolution.
I use this example because the colonization of Mars is due to happen this century. I see a future where this exact scenario plays out. United States among other world powers with the resources to do so will send people and supplies to Mars to establish colonies. The founding generations will still identify as pioneers and heralds from the planet earth, but there will come a time when offspring will no longer share in that identification. They will consider themselves Martians. At some point, Martians will strive to claim their independence from Earth. There will be war because that’s how humans have always resolved conflict.
History repeats itself. This saying originates from a first century Roman historian, Quintus Curtius Rufus. The statement is widespread because it has been documented and witnessed throughout human history time and again. That said, no amount of studying history would have prevented the separation of the colonies nor will it change the outcome of the Martian Revolution. Humans are very slow to learn and apply what has been learned. I am speaking on a collective level rather than individual.
So, why don’t we learn from our mistakes? The answer is because humans perceive and make decisions from within their personal framework or perspective of the world. They think that circumstances are different and that they could never fall prey to or make the same mistakes as the next person. In other words, humans typically don’t think from a holistic perspective. That is the nature of the ego. It looks out from its narrow point of view and omits all others. The problem with studying history is that its too easy to get mired in locations, dates, and names. While that may be important to some, its really of no consequence on the grand existential level, which is of course what I am concerned with. If one looks at history holistically as a way of studying human motivation, reason, and perspective then learning can result.
Another reason students of history may not see the larger patterns and cycles play out is because western science operates from a materialist paradigm. This means that scientists see the universe in terms of matter reduced to the smallest of building blocks or parts. This view attempts to break down or dissect the universe. The materialist perspective sees only individuation thus failing to see unity.
Cycles are happening everywhere. The reason behind this is that everything, the earth, humans, the Milky Way, the universe, all of it, is one thing. God, consciousness, the Divine, Allah, Shiva, tat tvam asi. There are many names, but they all refer to the same thing. Its all one and as such, there are patterns and cycles that repeat themselves throughout. It is the nature of this reality to be that way.
A wonderful example of the cyclical nature of life on earth can be found in the way in which we get our oxygen. Many people, myself included until I was educated on this process, think that the Amazon rainforest is responsible for our oxygen supply. The fact is that all of the oxygen generated by the trees and plants in the rainforest is consumed by the living organisms residing there. However, the rainforest is a necessary component of the process. When trees pull water through their roots, it travels up the trunk and towards the branches where the leaves are. After the nutrients are absorbed the water then dissipates from the leaves and creates water vapor that forms above the forest in the form of clouds. These clouds then move westward to meet the Andes Mountains. There they generate rainfall and wash mineral and nutrient-rich sediment into the ocean. These nutrients supply hundreds of millions if not billions of diatoms (microscopic algae) with the food they need to carry on the process of photosynthesis. A byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen. Diatoms are found all over the earth’s oceans and waterways and supply over 20% of earth’s oxygen. When they die, their microscopic shell remains in tact and it settles on the ocean floor. In some places, it is estimated that the ocean floor sediment is made up of one half mile of diatom carcasses. The Sahara desert was once a great body of water. In its present desert state, there are sandstorms so large they can be seen from space. Within the sand residue are millions of tons of diatom shells. These sandstorms carry debris over the Atlantic Ocean and deposit it into the Amazon rainforest where the minerals and diatom shells fertilize the plants and trees.
This one example illustrates how many components contribute to one process. This is the case all over the globe and even with all of reality. Existence could not be the way it is without everything that exists presently. Removing just one thing would result in a different reality. I know it seems radical, but you too can come to this realization for yourself. What we label as good as well as bad, are all necessary to the life process happening everywhere. This is why I say everything is perfect just as it is. It cannot be otherwise.