Such statements inspire me to keep teaching and reveal the heart of the matter.  People are more fulfilled when they find purposeful living.  Purposeful living, as discussed in my book Spiritual Evolution, is not just a cliché, it describes the ability to not only be able to recognize your calling in life when you find it, but also to have the courage and resourcefulness to pursue it.  If I were to ask you, ‘what would you be doing right now if anything was possible and you had the resources to do it?’  I guarantee that most of us would think back to our childmind answers and want to be something exciting like a pilot, astronaut or neurosurgeon.  Young children don’t see the world from a limited viewpoint; that is drilled into them by their parents, culture and people who directly influence their thinking.

Purposeful living is finding your strengths and focusing them toward something worthwhile.  A recent story I just read in the latest issue of Popular Science is an article on Taylor Wilson, a boy of 14 who was the youngest person to ever create a nuclear fusion reactor.  He could have turned this aptitude toward a destructive purpose, but upon the death of his grandmother from lung cancer, he chose another path.  He became aware of the shortage of available medical isotopes, such as Technium-99m, used to diagnose many types of cancer and set off to create a reactor that would be portable so that isotopes could be readily made at a hospital rather than have to be flown in, overnight from some remote source such as Canada or Poland.

Taylor, now 17, attends The Davidson Academy in Reno, NV my home town.  In order for students to get into Davidson Academy, they have to score in the 99.9% range on a battery of tests from the SAT I to the ACT.  Taylor is a star among stars in academic standards.  He recently won several international science fair contests for his project (and Patent) on an Anti-terrorism dirty bomb detector.  Taylor is only able to accomplish such things with the help and support of his understanding parents, empowering teachers and his tenacious ability to entrain professors, grad students and others to support his growth.

If we change our ideas of education from being taught at a “standardized” level for all minds to ones of engaged, purposeful, empowered learning, think of how many new ‘Taylor Wilsons’ would emerge.  If we adults reconsider that our own lives need not be “standardized”, but instead be extraordinary, purposeful and engaging, think of how we can change the world.

Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof. -Ashley Montague (1905-1999; world-renowned anthropologist)

One of the fundamental tenements of many religious traditions, although not all, is to believe what is written in a “holy” text, often times literally, without question.  This precept directly conflicts with the way human exploration, curiosity and more specifically the scientific method operate.  It is no wonder that science and religion clash in this limited context, because it is not a debate about truth.  It is a fight over who is “right”.  This leads to needless bickering over static ideas versus embracing the very innovative and evolutionary existence of our nature.

The eminent physicist, Richard Feynman, once said in the 1999 guest lecture to Washington University, “If there is an exception to any rule, and if it can be proved by observation, that rule is wrong.”  He was speaking specifically about the process of science and how new knowledge is tested and vetted.  All fields of study undergo this process of testing, continuous refinement and improvement.  He did not suggest that we give up our previous knowledge as a whole, since that base set of knowledge was the stepping stone that we used to see over the next horizon.  It is this meaning behind the phrase, ‘standing on the shoulders of giants.’  Without memory of where we came from and passing down information from one generation to the next, we would need to rediscover everything all over again.

Religions can learn something from this and transform themselves from institutionalized traditionalism to institutions of spiritual growth.  The difficulty is often that, as it is in science and engineering, growth and progress is a messy process.  It is riddled with difficulties and challenges, but the rewards are far greater.  Pure spirituality does not suffer from this limitation of immobility, since true spiritualism comes from within and is not dependent upon the permission of an institution, figure head or tradition.

Spiritual evolution, as I define it in my book, is the process of incorporating the scientific discipline to your own spiritual growth.  In this way you become the the scientist within your own spiritual development.  Test out your belief system and worldview; see how it stands.  If you notice that there are some major holes or inconsistencies, research some information.  Review research that supports or denies a particular idea.  Meditate on the concept.  Discuss it with people in associated fields of study.  If the idea is reinforced from these activities, hold on to it for now.  If the idea no longer fits within your current paradigm of existence, let it go and move on.

For people to feel comfortable with the notion of a dynamic spirituality instead of a constant faith, a few road blocks have to be overcome.  On the surface a particularly powerful road block is fear.  However, when fear’s underpinnings and sources are exposed, it becomes impotent in its hold over you.  Each and every one of us needs to identify the sources of our fear, disable it and transcend it if we are to progress spiritually as a species.  This process is covered in more detail in the book.  In order to do this, you’ll need to understand one fundamental insight: No one on Earth has control over your spiritual self, soul or spirit other than you.  Anyone who is telling you different is selling you a story.

Many religious traditions would like you to believe that the destiny of your life, and more importantly your “afterlife”, are going to require very specific rituals, sacrifices and/or donations to reach salvation.  In modern spiritualism, such a requirement is absurd and completely nonessential.  Spiritual growth is more like learning to play the violin or a sport.  To progress it does require effort, attention and practice to improve, but once you choose this path, the path almost chooses you.  After a while, spiritual testing, researching and practice will become as essential as breathing.  You will look back and wonder why you were ever in conflict before.  This does not mean that you will not have challenges and breakdowns from time to time, for that is part of the human experience, but you will reveal your own “Core Path.”

This limit is used by main stream materialists to make the following assumptions: nothing travel beyond the speed of light, including information, since everything is caused by local interactions, it is impossible to have non-local interactions and effects.  This conclusion leads to further arguments that the mind is an emergent “side effect” of the brain and hence no existence outside of the brain is possible.  All of these have evidence to confirm their assumptions, but if in order for these assumptions to be completely valid, they would have to be valid for all cases, irrespective of the testing environment.  If someone were to find repeatable evidence that challenges these assumptions, even one exception, then the entire model and associated assumptions would have to be reevaluated and new theories and models created to account for the exceptions.

As it turns out such studies exist and furthermore, have been repeated by scientists in various disciplines.  Recently measurements by the CERN and OPERA facilities suggesting that Neutrinos may travel faster than the speed of light are being hotly debated in the physics community.  In addition many physicists have replicated the instant entanglement of photons and other small particles coined by Einstein as “Spooky action at a distance.”  In fact, entanglement has been replicated with a variety of particles, atoms and even macromolecules.  This would suggest that we can transfer information between two objects that could be separated by vast distances instantly.  The difficulty is in the verification which is still limited to slower than the speed of light.

To make things even more interesting, it appears that “entangled minds” can transfer information without using classical mechanisms as well.  Studies at several labs around the world have replicated, using several different measurement methods, that two people that have been interacting can unconsciously transfer information from one mind to another.  In Spiritual Evolution: How Science Redefines Our Existence I describe these studies in detail.  To summarize here, the standard experiments allow the subjects to interact or meditate together for ~20 minutes.  Each subject is then placed in separate chambers that are acoustically and electromagnetically isolated to prevent any typical types of communication.  A measurement method is used to monitor both subjects’ brains (EEG, fMRI, etc.).  One subject’s mind is excited with an evoked stimulus such as a flash of light in one eye while, simultaneously, the second subject is monitored.  The amazing thing is that not only did the 1^st subject’s temporal and spatial brain measurements verify the stimulus, but so did the 2^nd subject’s in the isolated chamber with no stimulus.  These results have been replicated using several different methods by various investigators.  Furthermore, the results show the 2^nd subject’s brain reacting a fraction of a second BEFORE the 1^st subject’s brain.

What are we to make of these results?  First off, it directly challenges the assumption that our mind is confined to the area of our brain since evidence suggests that brains and perhaps minds can transfer information with one another across space AND time without direct physical interactions.  This opens up the possibility that the mind being more than an emergent property of the brain.  It also suggests that the human mind is acquiring and sharing information in non-classical ways.  The exact mechanisms are yet unknown, but some have suggested entanglement as a possibility others feel we have yet to discover the exact mechanism.  Regardless of how the information is transferring the fact it occurs requires us to reexamine what we think we know of the universe and our existence in it.

In quantum physics the most studied, yet still poorly understood is entanglement.  Repeated studies reveal that entities as small as photons on up to macromolecules can be “entangled”.  What this means is that when you interact with one of the entangled partners, the other partner will react in an equal and opposite manner, instantly.  In fact, repeated studies have shown the speed of this connection to be superluminal, or faster than the speed of light, what Albert Einstein called “Spooky action at a distance.”  This is known as non-local interactions.  Furthermore, psychology research has shown similar results of possible “entanglement” between minds of interacting people, particularly couples or partners that are routinely around one another.

A typical experiment is to place a pair of subjects in rooms that are sound proof and electromagnetically isolated so that classical physical phenomena, such as sound and electromagnetic waves cannot be sent back and forth.  Next, both subjects’ brain waves are monitored using separate electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment.  Then we stimulate one subject with light pulses to a single eye to evoke a potential in their visual cortex.  As we would expect, the patient with the direct stimulus has a measurable response.  What completely confounds researchers is the fact that the partner, in the isolated room, also has a response in the same area of the visual cortex, albeit unconscious.  Even more amazing is the isolated partner shows a response a fraction of a second BEFORE the actual stimulus has taken place.

Stepping back from all of these areas of science we can logically conclude that all matter and perhaps ‘minds’ as well, are interconnected.  The nature of these connections varies across the board from global events down to the quantum level.  This insight suggests that not only do your actions have consequences in the world around you, but also perhaps your thoughts and intentions.  The next time you get angry over a car cutting you off on the highway, your spouse, child or best friend may unconsciously pick up on part of your emotions, and may react negatively in their environment causing another to get upset and so on.  Now imagine that same car was on the way to the emergency room because a mother-to-be was being hurried to the emergency room.  Changing your thoughts, to ones of compassion and empathy for her and the unborn child to make it to the hospital safely, transmits to your partner, who inexplicably feels inclined to help an elderly individual find their way to their doctors office.  The elderly person treats their nurse beater and so on.  The power of our thoughts, intentions and actions in everyday life are just now beginning to be understood in this cutting edge science.  It places ultimate responsibility of our thoughts and actions with ourselves and also reveals that logic can be used to screen our emotions to prevent “knee jerk” reactions.

If we are aware that emotions can be picked up from our local and non-local surroundings, we can always check our emotions before we respond to a sensitive situation.  For example, if you have angry feelings, that do not have any local source, you can choose to not react to these emotions, and instead choose to act differently.  This idea has been known for centuries under many names such as being ‘centered’, ‘balanced’, etc.  In my book Spiritual Evolution, I call it the Core Path.  The basic idea is to keep your internal world balanced so that you can consciously choose how to interact with the world around you rather than be constantly reacting to situations.

In short, when we expand our worldview to the reality that we are globally connected we begin to transform our behavior.  We do affect the local and non-local environments around us with our thoughts, intentions and actions and thus contribute to this interconnected universe.   Begin to ask the questions, ‘What do I wish to accomplish in this world?’  ‘How do I want to contribute?’  ‘Am I going to continually take from the world or give something back?’  Recognize that your worldview either closes you off or opens you up to the possibilities, wonders and universal interconnectedness that we all share, whether we believe in it or not.

From experience and scientific studies, this hypothesis untrue.  The overwhelming objective evidence for this is displayed in the global community.  How else can one explain such a variety of cultures, religions and societies being able to come together peaceably most of the time, with strikingly similar value systems?

In Spiritual Evolution: How Science Redefines Our Existence, we discuss how scientific evidence suggests that personal spiritual practices (meditation, reflection, prayer, etc.) can lead to a more compassionate and thus more empathetic mindset.  This effect has been shown to be not related to any specific culture, religion or belief system.  This powerful discovery directly invalidates the views of religious fanatics who promote divine favoritism for a “chosen few.” In fact, if everyone could harness a bit more compassion in their day to day decision making, the world as a whole would become a better place though global human behavioral changes.

This movement of changing from within to change the world is embraced by increasing numbers of global consciousness groups.  The Institute for Noetic Sciences (IONS) scientifically studies and tests interconnectedness, mind-matter interactions and healing effects.  The Shift Network promotes unity ideals and global consciousness evolution.  The Global Consciousness Project, based at Princeton University, studies the effects of global human attention and intention on measurable random generators across the world.  These groups and a multitude of other researchers at universities across the globe are contributing to a mountain of evidence that suggests the following pivotal insights.

1. We are all interconnected in ways we do not fully understand.
2. Our thoughts and intensions affect the world around us.
3. We have a moral responsibility to the entire planet.

If all people were guided by these insights regardless of what government they are part of, what religious practice they observe and what corporation they work for humanity could avoid many of the self-destructive and self-serving decisions made by such entities.  Tenzin Gyatso, 14^th Dalai Lama summarized this point well when he said, “Love and Compassion are necessities, not luxuries.  Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

Fast forward to adulthood, the same fears that controlled our thinking when we were young prevent us from growing and evolving our spiritual belief system.  Many institutions readily shun the questioning of their belief systems.  For some moderate Christian, Islamic and Jewish institutions, the act of questioning may simply lead to non-acceptance.  For more extreme groups, questioning leads to excommunication, terrorism or even death.

As a society, how it would be if no one felt the need to impose their belief system on another?  What if the idea of religious learning was treated similar to academic learning where open and honest discourse was the norm across the world instead of fighting, conflict and war over the religious “right.”  Imagine people free to question without fear of retribution.  Even in America, where we have freedom of religion by law, some religious zealots would rather quench scientific inquiry into these questions rather than learn from them and adapt.

In my book, Spiritual Evolution: How Science Redefines Our Existence, we explore some of these examples and also look at how to go beyond our fears and release the anchors that prevent us from taking the leap toward a new spiritual paradigm, a paradigm in which we can freely and openly ask questions of existence and study the answers to come up with your own model for existence.  My hope is that you will find a more fulfilling and enlightening form of spirituality that lifts you up rather than weighs you down.

By the time I was in college, I was writing, researching and taking courses in science, philosophy, ancient world literature, engineering and astronomy, essentially anything that may shed some light on age old questions.  Why are we here?  Is God real or a collective figment of our imagination? If God is real, how does it exist in the framework of physics?  Is God knowable?

From that point, I always knew that at some time I would begin writing, however, I never quite felt that I knew enough.  It was not until I worked on a start-up company and later became a full time faculty member that I realized, that nobody ever knows “enough.”  We keep learning throughout our lives and there is no better time than the present to begin.  The final catalysts are related to global and local issues spanning from poor environmental and fiscal policy to undertones of a fanatical movement in this country.  Many extremely conservative zealots would rather throw away thousands of years of human progress for the sake of misguided belief systems.  Their inflexible stance on tradition over learning, adapting and growing is severely limiting human expansion and globally threatens our very existence as a species.

Interestingly, groups like the Institute for Noetic Sciences (IONS) have compiled decades of scientific evidence suggesting that the “interconnectedness” that we often experience is more than a figment of our imagination; it is validated by study after study in a wide variety of disciplines from psychology to quantum physics.

Fast forward to adulthood, the same fears that controlled our thinking when we were young prevent us from growing and evolving our spiritual belief system.  Many institutions readily shun the questioning of their belief systems.  For some moderate Christian, Islamic and Jewish institutions, the act of questioning may simply lead to non-acceptance.  For more extreme groups, questioning leads to excommunication or even death.

In my book, we explore some of these examples and also look at how to go beyond our fears and release the anchors that prevent us from taking the leap toward a new spiritual paradigm, a paradigm in which we can freely and openly ask questions of existence and study the answers to come up with your own model for existence.  My hope is that you will find a more fulfilling and enlightening form of spirituality that lifts you up rather than weighs you down.

Great scientists, spiritual teachers and philosophers were not great because they agreed with everyone prior to them.  They became great by challenging the status quo, asking the hard questions and pushing the envelope.  They shook the tree of knowledge to see what new ideas would fall out.

Part I of my upcoming book, Spiritual Evolution: How Science Redefines Our Existence challenges the status quo for both traditional religion and science.  Shake your tree of knowledge and see what falls!  Research something new, from a vantage point counter to your own and see where it leads.  Try the opposite.  Learn a new form of meditative practice.  Read a “holy” script that is not one you grew up with.  Seek to understand a different culture. You may find yourself in uncomfortable territory, but that is the first sign of growth.  Please share the experience of your journey with others here.  Enjoy!