Can Human Beings Participate in the Change of Human Nature?

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Many people are skeptical about
the possibility of humanity

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participating consciously in the
transformation and change of

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human nature.
They believe that our nature is

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fixed and every attempt to
change it has shown the futility

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of the effort.
If we observe carefully, or even

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quite casually, we can see that
this skepticism is not well

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founded and in fact is refuted
by the facts.

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We can observe the role that
humanity is playing in changing

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the physical evolution and in
the development and

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manifestation of both an
optimized human capacity and the

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start of a transformational
effort that is intended to

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exceed the current limits of
human evolutionary capacity.

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We can categorize this human
intervention and evolution in

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three primary ways.
They're the changes to the

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nature itself, the process that
leads to genetic changes,

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whether through conscious
intervention or through

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unintended consequences of
actions of the mind to try to

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manage the world environment,
the material foundation of

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existence and the operation and
development of life in plants

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and animals.
The developments in the use of

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stem cells to grow custom
tailored human organs are making

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it possible to envision
replacement parts tailored to an

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individual, thereby further
extending life expectancy.

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Then there are the changes that
occur through what we may call

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nurture, education, training,
increased understanding that

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leads to more precise
application of diet, exercise,

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lifestyle focus, biofeedback
mechanism, all act to help

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optimize and take human capacity
to its limits and once the

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limits are reached, going beyond
them.

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Then there is the societal
intervention that has led to

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increased health and Wellness
opportunities, expanded life

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expectancy, increased average
height, and brought about a new

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foundation of Wellness that aids
in the utilization of our human

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capacities.
For example, we see an emerging

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science of genetic manipulation,
whether through scientific

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intervention or through societal
manipulation of genetic pairing

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of individuals through
development of educational and

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class stratification, provision
of enhanced opportunity for

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certain groups of people to form
families and create children of

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that pairing who bring forward
qualities desired by the

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society.
We now see even the possibility

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of gene editing using what is
called CRISPR technology to

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remove certain genetic mutations
or abnormalities prior to birth,

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as well as research being done
to turn on or off certain genes

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to either enhance certain
abilities such as regrowing

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teeth or limbs, or for
preventing certain potential

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disease conditions.
The search at the scientific and

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technological level for the
perfection of mankind has, of

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course, inherent risks, either
through unintended or intended

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consequences, but it
nevertheless illustrates the

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power of human intervention into
the future development and

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transformation that can occur as
humanity continues to explore.

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Along these lines, they're also
the consequences that lead to

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mutations through application of
a very limited understanding by

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human intelligence, for instance
through pollution, climate

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change, poisoning of the air,
water and soil, destruction of

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habitats and breaking of the
chain of life and the food chain

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in all its complexity.
These things also are results of

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human conscious intervention in
the action of nature that lead

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to changes in the very genetic
structure of humanity itself.

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Evidence of this can be found in
the decrease of sperm counts and

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motility that appear to be
linked to chemical pollutants we

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spew into our environment, and
the resultant changes in

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fertility and in the sexual
characteristics of the

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population at large.
We can observe the development

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of training routines, dietary
regimens that enhance human

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performance.
Virtually all the first rank

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athletes in the world undergo
training and discipline to hone

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their skills and take them to
the edge of human performance

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capacity.
We continually see world records

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being broken and standards being
reset to account for enhanced

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performance in the sports
competitions.

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This is just one example of what
is actually a widespread

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phenomenon across all fields of
human development.

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Societal intervention on a
general level also has enhanced

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and developed human capacities
far beyond levels of the past.

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The development of sanitation,
disinfection protocols and the

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use of vaccines, understanding
of hygiene and the use of

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surgery and antibiotics, all of
increased general Wellness, life

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expectancy and allowed innate
potential of the human

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instrument to appear.
If we look back only 150 or 200

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years, we can see the
differences in human life and

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development of the human
instrument that have occurred as

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a result of this type of applied
understanding.

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But the question goes beyond
that of understanding human

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capabilities and optimizing for
them.

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It goes beyond our ability to
intervene in nature and control

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and change matter and life
through use of our mental

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capacities.
We see an increasing focus on

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the development of powers of
consciousness that are latent

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but not active generally, and
the transcendence of our mental

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limitations through development
of what we call spiritual

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consciousness.
Technology relies on fixed

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mechanism and specific
applications through tools we

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create.
We see, however, a movement in

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the world away from reliance on
generating apparatus wires and

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cumbersome mechanisms pointing
towards a wireless world.

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Some are experimenting with
implanting microchips to provide

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instant access to a wider data
set and ability to respond to

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increasingly technical demands
of society.

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Others have taken up meditation,
spiritual practices of various

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sorts, the focus on development
of powers of intuition,

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inspiration, clairvoyance,
clairaudience, distance, vision,

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out of body travel, and even
development of new forms of

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knowledge that do not rely on
mental process, but on what

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Shrioro Bindo calls a knowledge
by identity.

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This represents the cutting edge
of human conscious intervention

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to tap into powers and
capacities that far exceed our

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current human limitations, and
which can act without needing

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all the external tools that we
have developed heretofore.

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While many still expressed doubt
about the reality of these

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phenomena, enough study and
scientific review has taken

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place by now to put the
possibility far outside the

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realm of doubt.
The phenomena are documented and

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real, even if they are not
currently within reach of most

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of humanity, by virtue of either
lack of focus or interest or

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lack of readiness to utilize
them or even appreciate them.

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Sri Urubindu observes.
Quote In the previous stages of

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the evolution, nature's first
care and effort had to be

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directed towards a change in the
physical organization, for only

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so could there be a change of
consciousness.

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This was a necessity imposed by
the insufficiency of the force

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of consciousness already in
formation to effect a change in

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the body.
But in man a reversal is

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possible, indeed inevitable, for
it is through his consciousness,

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through its transmutation, and
no longer through a new bodily

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Organism as a first
instrumentation, that the

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evolution can and must be
affected.

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In the inner reality of things.
A change of consciousness was

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always the major fact.
The evolution has always had a

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spiritual significance, and the
physical change was only

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instrumental.
But this relation was concealed

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by the 1st abnormal balance of
the two factors, the body of the

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external in conscience
outweighing and obscuring in

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importance the spiritual
element, the conscious being.

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But once the balance has been
righted, it is no longer the

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change of body that must precede
the change of consciousness.

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The consciousness itself by its
mutation will necessitate and

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operate whatever mutation is
needed for the body.

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It has to be noted that the
human mind has already shown a

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capacity to aid nature in the
evolution of new types of plant

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and animal.
It has created new forms of its

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environment, developed by
knowledge and disciplined

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considerable changes in its own
mentality.

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It is not an impossibility that
man should aid nature

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consciously also in his own
spiritual and physical evolution

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and transformation.
The urge to it is already there

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and partly effective, though
still incompletely understood

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and accepted by the surface
mentality.

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But one day it may understand,
go deeper within itself and

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discover the means, the secret
energy, the intended operation

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of the consciousness force
within which is the hidden

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reality of what we call nature.
End Quote Reference Sri

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Aurobindo and the Mother, the
psychic being soul, its nature,

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mission and evolution.
Section 3.

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Growth and Development of the
Psychic, pages 75 to 76.