Homo Sentiens: Honoring Creativity
Ushering in cultures of kindness, equity, and collaboration.
Posted 4/16/12 | Updated 7/6/20
No Ordinary Time: The Rise of Spiritual Intelligence and Evolutionary Creativity
In the region of nature, which is the region of diversity, we grow by acquisition; in the spiritual world, which is the region of unity, we grow by losing ourselves, by uniting. —Rabindranath Tagore
Someone asked me what I thought was dying to be born. Homo sapiens, I said. Homo sapiens (Latin: "wise man" or "knowing man") is dying to be born into the next iteration — the homo sentiens, perhaps. Homo sapiens knows, but look where that's got us. Brains without a heart. Homo sentiens (Latin: "feeling human") will bridge the brain-heart gap and compassion — "feeling with" — will be their modus operandi.
Homo sentiens will usher in cultures of kindness, economies of equity, politics of collaboration. They will rise up from the ashes of fallen institutions and imploded religions, bringing with them new myths and stories that heal and guide. They will honor creativity and see that every day is a canvas for every living being. They will be notorious for displays of adoration and awe, famous for crying at the drop of a hat — male and female both — and they will declare war obsolete once and for all.
Homo sentiens will revere the young and the aged. They will create communities where extraordinary education is common, where people learn many languages, where food and care are everywhere to be found. They will have transcended religions and committed themselves to the common good with the greatest of faith. Children will be encouraged to make music, make art, and make culture. They will know their value from an early age as they will see this value reflected in every community's choices.
Homo sentiens will be aware of their oneness with the creatures and they will not distinguish between sacred and secular. All things will be holy in the eyes of these beings who are our descendants. Perhaps we will return one day in a homo sentiens body and will cry for joy. Alleluia! We see the light!
What does it matter
the myths of old
if they don't feed the soul
when we take them in?What does it matter
if God exists
or Jesus rose or
Eve ate an apple
if in our time we allow a Hitler,
ten million starving babies,
a hundred thousand homeless?What do I care about faith
when it is love that matters?
Do not let me lie comfortably in this bed
pondering the Almighty
when I am enfleshed with that One
for a brief flash in time
to become love, to enact love,
to ignite, inspire and impart Its essence.I am here to live out the meaning of God,
not to argue about what God means.
Don't make me laugh
with all that silly pompous talk.Get up on your feet and
do something.
Show me what it looks like
to be a believer.
The American Astronomical Society informs us that the composition of the cosmos consists of 4% atoms and 96% dark matter or energy (which cannot be measured with current instruments.) Nothing outweighs everything by a huge margin. Physicist Michio Kaku explains the beginning of things: Nothing became unstable and particles of Something began to form.
Our Father, Holy Mother,
Creator of the Cosmos, Source of Life,
You are in my mind, in my garden,
in my cup of wine and loaf of bread.
Blessed be your names:
Mother, Allah, Goddess, Beloved, Father,
Radiant One, Yahweh, HaShem, Sophia
Your presence has come, your will is done
on earth as it is in the cosmos.May we give each other strength, mercy,
tenderness, and joy
and forgive each other's failures,
silence, pettiness, and forgetfulness
as we ask to be forgiven
by those we've hurt.Lead us home
to ourselves, to You,
to clarity, to oneness
and deliver us from the darkness
of our ignorance and fear.So we pray and so we receive. Amen.
©2012 Jan Phillips. All rights reserved.
Jan Phillips is a visionary thought leader, award-winning author and dynamic speaker. more
Creativity and the New Cosmology
Homo Sentiens: Honoring Creativity