A Cause for Hope

Emanuel Kuntzelman: I guess the big question is do you think the universe has a purpose, and can that purpose be comprehended by the human mind?

Ervin Laszlo: I think we are here for a purpose, and I think we can try to understand that purpose. So my answer is affirmative to both of those questions. One can speculate, of course, and one can trust in intuition, but I think there are also empirical methods. There is such a thing as irreversible, progressive change in the universe in space and time. We call it evolution. It has a certain direction, and that direction gives the purpose for which evolution takes place. When you see something heading in a given direction, then it can be concluded that direction is the purpose of the process. I would say yes, we are heading in a specific purposeful direction.

EK: What can we do to be in better alignment with this purpose?

EL: Do not believe that you can do it by ignoring others. Try not to think that all you need to do is compete with others and win the competition and never mind what happens to the other. Try to change your interaction into the mode of cooperation instead of just competition. Try to think that what you do to others, and also what you do to yourself, affects others. We are not separate; we are basically one, and this oneness is reflected in our consciousness. It is there in every cell of our body. We need to become consciously one with the world around us, not just inherently and instinctively one. So that is the big task. I know that this is easier said than done, but we can start with that. We can start with the realization that we are part of each other.

EK: Despite the difficulties in the world today, I think there is good cause for optimism that each of us can find coherence, work together, and bring this to others. Are you feeling that same kind of hope in the midst of the confusion out there?

EL: It may seem paradoxical, but the confusion is a cause for hope because we need to change. We need to break out of the old mold that says we are separate beings just pursuing our own narrow destiny. This is a major transformation of our thinking and being– it will not come about until the old system is breaking open. You have to somehow decohere the old system before you can build a new one.

EK: Do you care to share your thoughts about why we are here?

EL: Maybe the entire universe– spacetime– is a vehicle for the realization, for the actualization, of consciousness in the world. It is an answer that has been given in different symbolic languages for thousands of years. I think it is still the simplest, most logical answer we can give when you look at the findings of the latest sciences.

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