Towards
a Definition
The Universal Constructive
Attitude (UCA) is a fundamental view on cosmos, existence and life, which
develops spontaneously in people who, by study and/or intuition, become
conscious of the deepest features of universal existence. It is a view
that expresses itself in a particular way of thinking, feeling and acting,
with the most fundamental characteristic that it enables the development,
within the individual and her/his environment, of latent "qualities" and
potential "positive" realizations. (The quoted terms are explained immediately).
This definition explicitly
avoids concrete characteristics. It is a "definition by outcome". Consequently,
every kind of attitude that comes up to this expectation, this purpose
("enabling development... " etc.) matches this definition. So it is always
possible that divergent concrete aspects are at the same time good translations
of the same eternal principles.
Some
characteristics of the Universal Constructive Attitude
Any of the following
characteristics can and will probably ever be reformulated, extended, refined,
and perhaps replaced. This is inevitable when human mind develops. This
is not at all a form of relativism. It is the consciousness that, even
if the unexpressible kernel of an idea is plausible and eternal, its concrete
form is expected to evolve, as cosmos refines itself.
At the actual stage,
some characteristics can be catched into words. Several can't (yet), but
aren't therefore less important. It is even very probable that the most
important aspects of the UCA can only be referred to by metaphors.
Terms as "positive", "constructive", "good", "quality" are not arbitrary, philosophical, time-bound
and time-limited attributes or hypes. In fact, they are not even philosophical
in their nature. They are apparently fundamental properties of natural
evolution. But only a thorough, multidisciplinary study of this evolution
can reveal them, not philosophical speculation.
People can not be
persuaded of the UCA. It's a kind of vulnerable mental sediment, that gently
precipitates and softly accumulates in people who reflect on the fundamental
aspects of existence, layer after layer in natural evolution. It spontaneously
emerges, supported by a long list of conscious and inconscious experiences
and intuitions. It seems to be to date the best description not only of
a successful, strong and agreeable mental attitude, but perhaps the best
assessment of the most universal characteristics of existence and evolution
in general. It is a human view that is in harmony with the fundamental
processes of cosmic evolution, on condition that their interpretation isn't
based on a too narrow observation. So, people with the UCA tend to find
each other, and their number does neither increase by persuasion nor convincing.
The most fundamental
trait or "law" of universe, and existence in general, is its tendency to
constantly develop more complex and more conscious structures. Layer after
layer, from strings and quarks to molecules to humans and beyond towards
a socialization, we observe the emergence of systems and beings with an
increasing degree of complexity, enabling and at the same time needing
more elaborated forms of consciousness. Many authors have depicted this
phenomenon, but no one better than Pierre Teilhard
de Chardin.
This fundamental
law can, mentally speeking, be translated into attitudes as self-confidence
and optimism. Those notions are not arbitrary personal choices amongst
other, equally acceptable attitudes, but appear to reflect the deepest
"nature" of nature. The universe never stopped developing more complex
and more conscious systems and beings, and did so at an accelerating speed
(see the singularity
concept of Kurzweil).
Self-confidence can
be described, in cosmological rather than in psychological terms, as an
attitude that expresses an indefatigable belief in one's potential: after
each failure another trial restarts, sometimes better prepared, but often
apparently just trusting that the big number of attempts will do it, as
the waves of the sea.
The same way optimism
is the undeletable conviction that evidently successes will be met. And
effectively, during the past billions of years each higher level of complexity
was easily reached at exactly the expected moment: each stage of complexification
took 0.618 times less time than the former. So optimism in man is just
the simple conviction that an evolution, that already succeeded eight times
in the past, will also succeed a ninth time. Many pessimists are convinced
that their attitude is the most "reasonable" one, confronted with what
they call the errors and mistakes of human kind. Predicting an eventual
self-destruction of our planet seems to be an expression of the highest
perspicacity and wisdom, contrasting with the naiveté of the inexperienced
optimists. However, an optimist just continues thinking what the whole
universe seems to have been convinced of since time immemorial. But the
pessimist shows the temerity to defy the essential roots of reality: he
states, without shame, that what succeeded eight times in blind and adverse
circumstances, nevertheless will fail the ninth time, now that nearly all
intelligences on the planet try hard to realize it.
Another fundamental
attitude is the constructivity. This expresses the conviction that just
fighting the symptoms never eradicates the problem, and that beauty doesn't
emerge by destroying the ugly. All history, human and pre-human, illustrates
the fact that beauty does only arise in favourable conditions and with
hard labour.
Growing, the human
equivalent of evolution, is an essential quality of living. Growing is
not the same thing as changing. Growing presupposes that one continues
developing in ones typical direction, whereas changing suggests that a
kind of identity is lost. Growing means that one becomes "better", but
it means also that, in the meanwhile, one makes errors. And who tries to
grow faster, makes more errors. There is only one way to avoid errors:
stop trying to grow, to reach higher levels of capacity.
Another element of
the UCA is a constructive interpretation of blunders and mistakes, and
pain and passion in general. They are inevitable for growing people, and
evolution is his most valuable quality! This attitude not only refrains
from indicting people, i.e. supposing they nurse a bad intention. They
only try to become a little bit happier--just as we do. Avoiding this paranoid
attitude doesn't mean that we accept or approve primitive behaviour, but
that our approach to resolve the problem should not start with rejecting
the others as "bad".
The same constructive
interpretation sould be used when we analyse our own mistakes. Unless we
suffer from culpability complexes, we probably will not describe our attitude
as expressing a bad intention. But always the danger looms that we consider
our mistakes as evidence for our incapacity, or as a proof of the unattainability
of our purpose. To appease our necessity to continue growing, we accept
those restrictions. The UCA rather sees errors as evidence for the fact
we are growing, and also as an occasion to find out more details that we
tended to overlook.
Another important
aspect of the UCA, linked to the former notions, is the concept of "maximal
responsibility". Our mission in life is not only what we are instructed
to, but also--and especially--what we see and what we can do. We don't
have a limited responsibility--the kind Kain and Pilatus had hoped for--,
but in fact are maximally responsible to do the things that are within
our reach. Furthermore, we are responsible to learn to see those things,
and train ourselves to do those when we can't fluently do them. Of course,
there will always be people around and above us, who are more pleased with
the secondary aspects of their position--their feeling of importance--than
with their primary charge--enhance the structures and processes they oversee.
One doesn't have to be a Socrates or a Jesus to face one day the masked
jealousy and resistance to the perceived threat.
People with a UCA
don't need a club to meet each other. Of course it helps to be introduced
to like-minded people. In this respect Internet offers nearly unlimited
possibilities.
People with a UCA
don't need to drape this attitude into an "ism". Because each great philosophy
and religion features some or many of the characteristics of the UCA. And
perhaps the Stoics--who were probably less stoical than we suppose-- and
the Zen Buddhists come very close to the UCA. But the "istic" approach
of an "ism" has the disadvantage to suggest that it is the expression of
some philosophical or theological ideology, while the UCA is simply the
harmonious continuation of the "nature of nature", unveiled to us by a
thorough study of its evolution.
A person with a UCA
is better convinced of his limitations and imperfections than whoever.
A person, who knows that existence is practically synonymous with evolution
(and growing), is very conscious, not only of his capacity to grow, but
also of his painful need to do so...
