THE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY WORLDVIEW

THE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY WORLDVIEW

How do we know when something unexpected and momentous has happened in our lives, something that will change our thinking, our belief system, our understanding of the essential nature of things? Such things do not usually come with a flashing sign that says: This is it! Pay attention! But, sometimes, rare times, that is exactly the way it happens, and if we are truly paying attention, it is as if a door opens and we plunge through that door, and our lives are transformed.

For me, one of those rare times happened one day when I was thirty years old in a small library in the town where I was then living and working as a substitute teacher. I have always loved libraries. They are magical places to me, capable of taking me anywhere. The smell of them coming from shelf upon shelf of books has always been almost intoxicating. The thrill of running my eyes along the titles on the spines of those books was the same thrill I felt gazing up at the stars and wondering. The flash in my mind when pulling a book from the shelf and upon opening it to a random page finding myself stunned by words on that page that call forth thoughts, questions, feelings of such intensity that I know beyond all doubt that I must read the book I am holding in my hands. Sometimes the feeling has been so strong that I would collapse into a nearby reading chair and begin to imbibe the book sip by sip: First, the tile page; second, the table of contents; third, the dedication (if present); fourth, the epigraph (if present, and always hoping there would be); fifth, the introduction or preface. At that point, with my appetite whetted, I would tremulously turn to the first page of the text and begin reading. What happened next would always depend upon the book itself. If it enchanted, intrigued, promised new vistas, then, I would know I would check it out of the library and take it home to read.

There I stood on that day in that small town library when my eyes fell upon an intriguing title which was The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism (1975). I knew very little about physics or the Tao. But, that mind-spark had happened, and I knew enough to pay attention. I pulled the book from the shelf and did my usual survey of title page, dedication, table of contents, epigraph, becoming increasingly intrigued. Then, I started reading the preface and intuited I was possibly on the brink of some sort of transformative experience. I continued reading. Fritjof wrote:

“This book is intended for the general reader with an interest in Eastern mysticism who need not necessarily know anything about physics.” (Capra, 1975, p. xvi) With a jolt, I realized he was describing me. I immediately rose, walked to the checkout desk and checked the book out, hurried home and devoured it, only stopping once to fix myself something to eat and make coffee. I stayed up most of the night. When I finished the book, many big thoughts and questions were swirling in my mind, and I knew I wanted to own a copy. I returned the library book and spent the next couple of weeks haunting 2^nd hand book shops and garage sales until I found a used copy in good condition that I could afford to buy. The year was 1976. I still have it, forty-five years later.

Recently, and many life experiences later, I find myself avidly rereading it and thinking about the transformation of my worldview since my first reading and the ways that transformation developed and manifested over all that time between then and now.

My first reading of The Tao of Physics when I was thirty planted many seeds. I had begun meditating a couple of years earlier, but was very much a novice. Reading Capra’s words about meditation as part of the Eastern mystics “tool kit” affirmed a deeper commitment within me to persevere with the practice, and I have done so right up to the present. Meditation became a life-long tool to use to probe and understand the connections of body, mind, and spirit in order to navigate daily life with all its ups and downs. Now, I cannot imagine living my life without the practice of meditation. I continue because it makes me feel calm, centered, and gifts me with unexplainable flashes of knowingness by developing within me the intuitive way of knowing.

Capra makes the point that the essence of the worldview of Eastern mystics is the concept that all things and events are interrelated as part of one unified whole. This same concept is also one of the basic elements emerging from quantum physics (p.89). In my personal belief system, the concept of the unified whole has played out in efforts to ignore efforts to fragment and divide people as debilitating for the common good. Thus, I have tried to make decisions in my life that lead to harmony rather than disharmony. For instance, I strive to learn to listen to those who have grievances born of fragmentation and respond in such a way that does not feed those grievances. I also have learned that for me it is important to understand where and when to put attention on my thoughts, words, and actions because I realize that from both an Eastern mystic and quantum physics perspective, placement of one’s attention can actually aid or destroy manifestation of whatever it is upon which one is focused. Thus, intentional attention placement is a skill worth developing.

Reading The Tao of Physics also lit a fire in me to know a lot more about Eastern mysticism and quantum physics. Over the years, I have steadily added more and more books on both topics to my personal library to read and ponder, to learn and grow in my understanding. I’ve inculcated the understandings I’ve gained into my personal belief system which has supported me in both good times and bad on my life journey. Continued study has brought deeper understandings of the writings of Eastern mystics and quantum physicists. I have become able to ride the waves of change so inevitable in life because the boundaries of my worldview have been expanded and are expanding still.