June 16, 2011: Nic's Story !

      On this date it was Nic P's turn to present. He was in the editorial side of publishing for many years for Greendale Publishing which publishes Birds and Blooms among other items. However Nic likes to write. We have been moved before in this group by one of his readings of his own writings. Today was no different! I asked Nic to carefully consider whether to post his writing on this blog. He is going to see if it can be published anywhere else first. Our SpiritMindBodyGroup was extremely moved by this story.

     Nic tells about his volunteer day at Schlitz Audobon when he takes one of the raptors, a red tailed hawk for a walk on leash. The majesty of this bird and its wildness leads Nic into some deep thoughts about this majestic bird's origins, as well as our own. He ponders the why of evolution in prose that is very moving and beautifully written. If Nic is unfortunate enough to have no one accept his piece in magazines, then we will be fortunate enough to have it published here. Time will tell.
 
     Everyone in the group was greatly moved by this story. It prompted quite a discussion. One person commented  -- when you write you unpack the emotional experience. That is what happened here. Otherwise the experience is ineffable. The possibilities moved the author at that moment.
Gary commented that this is like a field called epigenetics.This is the situation in biology, or really in genetics, where the DNA does not change but the expression of the DNA code does in order to fill a niche in the biology or in an ecosystem. Gary takes this one step further and says, "There is a potential in evolution where the mutations fill a niche. the universe, the consciousness, interacts with the DNA to fill a niche.
Sky asked: "Has anyone tried to go beyond the mechanics of just evolution. Nic tried to include intelligent design a little in his story. Gary commented that a peacock fills a niche, but first there was the niche to be filled.
Another theme that circled the room: Everyone wants to know why. We are the only creature who asks. But we are not going to know the answers to many of the questions that we ask. Maybe we must just embrace the unknowing. There is a feeling if we do enough science we will unravel the answers. Some thought that this idea is an illusion. On the other hand the impetus to find answers has moved us forward. At least we think the direction has been forward. Buddha said: There are all the leaves in the forest. But Buddha picked up a handful and said, "I give these to you. These are all that you need." He meant that sometimes the seeking gets in the way of the the inner journey.
We concluded that there is a tension -- we need both acceptance and asking. Two words express this: Wow! Why!
To put it another way: If we just accept and not ask why, we may be better off. But if we all turn inward, we won't ask why and we will get fewer answers. It is a balancing act of physics and metaphysics.
As someone once said: I was educated once and it's taken years for me to get over it.
 
Nic, thank you so much for this writing. We were so moved by it.