The Undertone
 

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THE UNDERTONE

About life, evolution, perspective, our task, and the completion

C.A. Sander


INTRODUCTION

We live in troubled times. Thousands of people are being slaughtered; everywhere  war is being waged, even if only on a small scale, and in different parts of the world fighting  takes  place with alarming frequency. The great powers do not trust each other, causing nationalism and militarism, resulting again in a sense of danger. In such a situation it becomes difficult to look forward to the future with trust.

This document has been written so that, in spite of the worries brought on by the current situation and the bad events which we may still have to experience, we will  hold  on to faith in life or regain it. If we consider closely the facts at our disposal, we will see that we are certainly participants in a great cosmic project with the task of acting as involved partners. In the following text this vision will be strengthened   and explained. It will then become clear that life should not be seen as a cosmic aberration resulting from a series of random happenings, but is part of a great cosmic plan.

It will then become clear that our task is to work on this project with as much verve and inspiration as possible. There was a time when politics was primarily responsible for the care of social improvements, the fight against inhuman trends and warding off social dangers. This task of the political system has not disappeared but has decreased in potential and relevance. If we as citizens leave politics to deal with everything, much will go wrong; it is absolutely necessary that we start to roll up our sleeves. Therefore, in the future more work will have to be done by individuals, institutions, casual groups, societies, corporations and in some circumstances, governments of those countries which are ruled by sensible and wise people.


WHY WE HAVE TO KEEP ENCOURAGING OUR FAITH IN LIFE

We have lived for thousands of years from one generation to the next with repeated questions:

Why all this? What are we doing here? Where is all this going? The answers of gods, prophets and high priests have sometimes been believed and have reassured us, but not for long.

And now that we have arrived in the twenty-first century we finally want to hear  the right answer. Is there one? The answer is: it is certainly possible.

Let us look at the research into this vision.

  1. The four basic forces of nature, i.e. electromagnetism, gravitation, the strong and weak forces are unbelievably precisely determined; so precise that it is almost impossible to assume that they have not been  devised by a cosmic intelligence. In Addendum 1, the precision with which  the four basic forces are determined will be explained and clarified.
It is good to realise that, because of the precise determination of the four basic forces, certain events become possible. Examples: the existence of atoms as well as molecules; the same applies to stars with a long life of several billion years and the heavier supernovas (stars with a short life of about 100 million years), which when exploded are the cause of formation of all the higher elements (such as oxygen, carbon, phosphorus and the metals chlorine and silicon) and those free elements are captured by stars and eventually form the planets of the stars. Moreover, it results in the creation of Earth, the one planet which fulfils the conditions of life, which eventually produces Man.

  1. What is the purpose of making the four basic forces of nature so unbelievably precise? There is actually only one fitting answer it seems: there must be an intention behind the point of big bang and the determination of the four basic forces.
  1. It would be difficult for there to be another intention (as provisionally seen) than the following: the completion of evolution culminating in the creation of Earth (with its very particular properties) and consequently in the biological evolution resulting in Mankind.
  1. Earth is an extremely exceptional celestial body (see Addendum 2 where the particular properties of Earth as a life supporting celestial body are explained); the properties are so unusual that it is almost certainly possible, if not probable that all the other 1022 celestial bodies in the universe are necessary for the creation of that one highly exceptional body, thus forming together a kind of by-product of the creation of Earth.

  1. Life has taken approximately four billion years to produce a thinking creature in the form of Man, the most complex result of evolution. In the light of reason it seems that Man has now come to the high point of celestial evolution.

  1. Within Mankind some important developments have already taken place, even if only partially: the Democratic Constitutional State, Compassion (also towards animals), a sense of responsibility, and human love; science and technology can also be included in this respect. Without science and technology it would for instance not be possible for this writing to be composed and disseminated. The intentional process of which we talk has to eventually result in something. As life on Earth after the end of the Sun also has to disappear, the culmination point must be reached before the end of Earth and possibly long before then. In view of the acceleration which we notice in evolution (which also includes the civilisation process), this point lies possibly in the near future.

  1. It is quite possible that Mankind will reach a state of perfection and that the evolutionary process is constantly pushing in that direction in such a way that this state is becoming inevitable. By that time evolution has, so it appears, achieved its task, even at the price of much suffering and sorrow. As to how the completion will look we had better not speculate. It is possible that this lies beyond space and time and we can but hope that this gigantic investment in evolution and life will pay off. Perhaps it is also significant to realise that evolution has most probably completed more than 99.99% of its journey.
  1. What about the suffering that billions of people and animals have had to endure through time? That is possibly the unavoidable price that has to be paid.


The question is now: What are we to do? The world, it seems, is constantly being pushed through evolution in the right direction. In this process the immature human tendencies constantly cause disturbances, as seen by their wars, their unshakable but wrong convictions, their intolerance, their materialism, their hardheartedness and their lack of courage. The answer to this question is probably in the first instance the encouragement of character building as discussed in Addendum 3, which deals with a number of tasks which we could and should tackle.


CONCLUSION

We hope that this argument is not only based on sound insight, but will also be acknowledged as such. It will then leave its mark on philosophy, sociology and possibly on theology, but above all, on conduct (of authorities, individuals and organisations). Let us also understand that the basic thoughts of the great religions are not in conflict with these insights, although not everyone will agree with that.

This argument will, it is hoped, give people a certain sense of direction in their lives, in spite of a number of disturbing, if not frightening developments. Probably, all the worries, scares and suffering will come to an end, however difficult it is to accept this insight. And for ‘now’ may this pamphlet inspire us and urge us on to work on our tasks.



ADDENDUM 1.
ABOUT THE PARTICULAR WAY IN WHICH THE FOUR BASIC FORCES OF NATURE ARE DETERMINED

The four basic forces of nature are electromagnetism, gravity, the strong and the weak forces are extremely accurately determined. If, for instance, the electromagnetic force were to be fractionally stronger, the electrons would be tied to the atomic nucleus; the formation of molecules would then be impossible; naturally there would then be no water and hence no life. If the electromagnetic force were to be fractionally weaker, the atomic nucleus would not be able to control the electrons; again, no molecules could exist and neither could water and life.

The electromagnetic force is 1040 stronger than gravity. If it were 1041 stronger, gravity would not be strong enough for the formation of stars. If, on the contrary, it were 1039 stronger than gravity, the stars would shortly burn out. The Sun would then not burn long enough for the development of a biological evolution.

The strong force ties the protons to the neutrons in the atomic nucleus. Would it be slightly weaker, the only element possible would be hydrogen, and if slightly stronger, only the heavier elements would be in existence. In both cases  water could not exist and thus no life.

The weak force is similarly precisely determined to enable the conversion process of hydrogen to helium in the stars and in the Sun to take place gradually(!). Moreover, this force is exactly right to enable the heavier elements to form in the supernovas. Note that all elements in the Universe and also on Earth are derived from supernovas.


ADDENDUM 2.
ABOUT THE LIFE-FRIENDLY PROPERTIES OF PLANET EARTH

What is it that makes Earth into the celestial body capable of sustaining life.

  1. The presence of the right temperature of about -20 to +40 C (with a few variations up or down), a rare quality.
  1. The right mass; any heavier would swiftly result in an excess of hydrogen in the atmosphere; much lighter would mean that no atmosphere could be retained.
  1. The Sun has a life of about 10 billion years, enough time to produce a biological evolution. Stars that form supernova have a much shorter life of about 100 million years; they have a mass more than 30 times that of the Sun.
  1. The orbit of Earth around the Sun is almost circular; if it were elliptical, which is more usual, temperature variations would be more extreme and soon result in difficulties for life.
  1. The distance to the Sun is, according to Prof. David Block, exactly right; 5% further or 1% nearer would, he says, result in impossible climatic conditions.
  1. The rotation of Earth in 24 hours is certainly good; Venus, for instance, has a rotation of 243 Earthly days, resulting in extreme temperatures and a day and night rhythm not conducive to life.
  1. The atmosphere of Earth consists mainly of oxygen, necessary for life. Moreover, this gas also has the potential of producing ozone in the higher reaches of the atmosphere, protecting life against the deadly UV radiation.
  1. The ratio of land and sea of about 2:5 is right for producing enough rainfall for the existence of land life.
  1. The rather eccentric position of Earth in the Milky Way is favourable; any closer  to the centre would cause a disturbance of the planets around the Sun because of the greater concentration of masses. Any closer to the centre would result in not all the elements being formed.
  1. The presence of a magnetic field around the Earth is necessary; without that the atmosphere would have been blown away by solar storms long ago.

In the future probably more life-enhancing or necessary characteristics will be discovered.


ADDENDUM 3.
ABOUT TASKS TO IMPROVE THE WORLD WHICH COULD BE AND SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE BY INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS BUT ALSO BY THE AUTHORITIES.

  1. Work towards shaping people.
Shaping people is directed towards building character and personality (it differs in this respect from education which focuses on knowledge and skills). Lessons of Krishnamurti could possibly play a part in this. The insights and possibilities on this subject depend on time and culture, but should  eventually come closer together. Family culture and school education are of course the basis of character building. And without doubt, friends, clubs and workplace contacts also play a part. But we realise that this is insufficient. Too many people are fixated on grudge and anger, plan evil deeds, think selfishly, chase after money, to name but a few undesirable traits.
  1. Ending the ‘war on drugs’.

There is an urgent and unavoidable need to end the war on drugs. This war has already been lost long ago because the illegal products are easily available. It is inconceivable that this war will continue for another hundred or thousand years. The disadvantages of this approach are considerable: for instance, sickness and deaths resulting from bad drugs, the involvement of criminals with large sums of money in their hands, resulting possibly in bribery of law-enforcement officers and the intimidation of police and courts. The advantages  of ending this approach exceed by far the disadvantages; there is no reason to expect a big increase in drug use. The end of the war on drugs will certainly be felt with great relief. Drugs would then be supplied by authorities, certainly ensuring better purity. Murder rates would decrease; half the prison population would be released; pressure on courts and police would ease in many countries. Politicians would need courage and skills, as no national government could implement this on its own. Politicians in a number of countries need to ensure simultaneous action. Other countries will soon follow. And all responsible people will need to remind them constantly of this task. In addition, it is naturally desirable that one would be warned about the result of drug abuse, not for forty plus people but for teenagers and those in their twenties with a history of drug abuse. And if one does use drugs, it should be made clear what one should definitely avoid and what one should definitely do.

  1. Research into the connection between phenomena.

It looks as if all phenomena in the world are connected in a mysterious way; causality is but one aspect of this. It is important to thoroughly research this matter. Once that connection has been examined we may expect many events can be predicted and revealed. That will benefit many aspects of policy. Undesirable developments can then  be tackled at an early stage. Actual events can then be predicted, preventing undesirable activities and criminal deeds to be carried out in secret. If this vision is correct, the world will begin to look quite different.

  1. Prevention of war and calamities.

As long as there are countries that have armies and big and small weapons  of destruction, there will be the danger of war. The more countries that have weapons of mass-destruction, the more threatening this danger becomes. A second danger exists in that fanatics may acquire weapons of mass-destruction. There is only one way to prevent big calamities with some certainty, and that is to have global control over big and small weapons of destruction, combined with a strict regime of supervision. Countries with strong nationalism and a tendency to militarism will not easily sign up to this. However, it must be constantly made clear to those in power that continued resistance to this plan will certainly result in wars/catastrophies with all its terrible consequences. It does not mean that the whole plan would then be scrapped, but what thinking person would accept the misery and sorrows that such happenings would cause?  The central control should be placed in the hands of smaller countries which have had a had a democratic constitutional state for some time. Such countries are by nature not warlike.
  1. There are of course many more negative situations and developments which need to be tackled or dealt with more intensively. Without pretending to be complete or assuming that they are the most important problems, here follows a list of problems (not in order of urgency):

Birth control in developing countries. Reducing  disproportionate salaries. Promoting big organisations that serve people in the first place and not capital. Cleaning the oceans of masses of plastic disposables. Helping unemployed people; that can only be achieved by creating jobs and incomes. Tackling the problem that some people in some countries feel like second-class citizens. Looking after animals neglected by people and acting against cruelty to animals. Resisting the destruction of nature and regaining of lost nature (very urgent). Fighting poverty and the usual resulting hunger. Naturally, there are many problems already being dealt with, but in no case adequately.

Just a remark about a global fault: we know that shared responsibility means no responsibility. That applies to nations as well. A single example (but there are other examples): imagine that the world consists of one country. The plastic islands in the oceans would then  already have been cleared long ago ( now the world expects a 22 year old student to clear it up).

For the time being  we shall have to manage it with a great many countries, some with incompetent and corrupt leaders.

About action, it starts as follows:  usual with a handful of gifted and concerned people. It is important that targets are set and results are measured and made public. It is also of great importance that the mass of people should feel involved in the world development process.