Until recently, the concept of oneness depended upon faith because there was no scientific proof. But since the development of quantum theory, various experiments have shown that this not just a spiritual concept but, from a scientific perspective, a provable reality. One such experiment is the 'quantum entanglement' experiment in which two electrons are put together until they vibrate in unison and are then separated by distances up to 100 km. But, despite this distance between them, when one electron is modified the other is too - instantly. This appears to show that, once two things have been joined together, they are always connected after that, even if they are no longer connected physically. According to quantum physicists, the electrons could be on opposite sides of the planet and the same results would be observed. This is reflected in research discussed by Gregg Braden in his book, The Divine Matrix, conducted by the US army whereby skin cells were taken from a volunteer's mouth and taken to another room where they were measured electrically. At the same time, the volunteer was shown video images to provoke strong emotions. As the volunteer was experiencing these emotions and having them electrically measured, so his cells and DNA reacted powerfully at the exact same moment as though his cells were still a part of his body. Another experiment is the study of the location of memories in the brain. Psychologist, Karl Lashley, trained rats to run a maze and then, in order to discover where the memory of how to run the maze was located in the brain, began removing areas of brain tissue. What he discovered was that regardless of where he removed the tissue, the rats still remembered how to run the maze. The conclusion then was that memory is not held in any one part but all over the brain.
A possible explanation for these three seemingly unrelated experiments could be the theory, originally posited by the quantum physicist David Bohm, that the universe is holographic. Holographic means that every part is a reflection of the whole, so that if you separate one small fragment it will contain an entire, although less detailed, image of the whole. For example, when the hologram of a rose is made, if the hologram is broken into two, both parts will have the image of the rose. If you break it again into quarters, all four parts will each contain an image of the rose and so on. In the case of a holographic universe, any change you make to the whole will be reflected in the part. In turn, any change you make to a part, being a part of the whole, will change it also.
It is generally accepted by mainstream scientists that our universe formed 13.7 billion years ago in an event known as the "big bang". All the matter and energy that make up the universe today were concentrated into a single point no bigger than the head of a pin. For reasons unknown this point suddenly blew apart in a colossal explosion and all the matter and energy flew outwards propelled by extreme heat and expanded to form the universe in which we live today. Despite having come from one single point, scholars have chosen to see our world as composed of parts that must be separated from the whole and studied independently. This belief in the separateness of the all the elements that make up our world has, in the view of David Bohm, brought about the crises in which humanity finds itself today. In his book, Wholeness and Implicate Order, he wrote,
"The notion that all these fragments are separately existent is evidently an illusion, and this illusion cannot do other than lead to endless conflict and confusion. Indeed, the attempt to live according to the notion that the fragments are really separate is, in essence, what has led to the growing series of extremely urgent crises that is confronting us today. Thus, as is now well known, this way of life has brought about pollution, destruction of the balance of nature, over-population, world-wide economic and political disorder and the creation of an overall environment that is neither physically nor mentally healthy for most of the people who live in it. Individually there has developed a widespread feeling of helplessness and despair, in the face of what seems to be an overwhelming mass of disparate social forces, going beyond the control and even the comprehension of the human beings who are caught up in it."So if we accept that we are one instead of separate, how does that change anything? With a belief in the oneness of humanity, perhaps we would no longer have a need for nationalism, blind patriotism and wars fought because we believe those others are wrong or a dangerous threat to our way of life. If our separateness is an illusion then, as many wise spiritual leaders have said, what we do to another we do to ourselves because there is no you and me. There's only one and so, as it says in the bible, do unto others as you would have others do unto you. And if we believed that we were one with the planet on which we live, wouldn't we realise that what we did to it, we were doing to ourselves? Would it not be better to appreciate the diversity of the people who live on our planet, enjoy the fact that we look different, speak differently and do things differently? After all, it would be very boring if we were all the same. But of course, these things are superficial because in the important ways, we're the same regardless of where we come from or what we look like. We all love our families and our friends. We desire the best for them, for ourselves, and for the wider local and global communities. We want to care for the planet, to which we are also connected, and to grow and prosper in whatever way brings us joy. Fundamentally, we all want to live peacefully in a world without fear.
If we change our belief system from separation to unity consciousness perhaps we can change paths from one leading towards disaster to one that leads us towards a world that we have only dreamed about. The universe is a sea of energy of which we are all a part. Everything we think and do affects the whole, so if we want to change the world we need to start with ourselves. By making changes within ourselves we can affect the whole and be a part of creating the world we desire.
Bibliography:
Wholeness and the Implicate Order, David Bohm,1980
The Divine Matrix, Gregg Braden, 2007
