Statisticians estimate that the odds of life happening by random chance is 1:1x10 to the 40,000 power. This astronomically small number is based on what we currently understand what would be needed to produce, transcribe, and translate DNA into proteins that are required to form a single cell. As we get more information, the odds go down. This is also based on the existence of a "primordial soup" that contains all the raw materials needed to form a cell, and that these elements have no intelligence themselves. Thus it's all random (except for the existence of the "primordial soup").
This philosophy makes us think that life is generally accidental. Our birth is a random event of millions of sperm trying to get into an egg -- the one that gets in first wins, also known as "survival of the fittest." Talents are doled-out randomly by genetic sorting, making some more intelligent, more beautiful, or healthier. Wealth comes by luck to those who "win the lottery" by being born that way, making it in business, or knowing the right people. Thus, we are told that not only life, but all that we want or need is built on random chance.
Reality is so much easier to swallow! Nothing is random. Everything is planned. All things are known, down to the position of every subatomic particle (Heisenberg's principle only applies to observers in the same dimension). Chaos is only ignorance of the variables. Events only seem to be random to an observer who lacks understanding. In reality, everything is easy when we know how it works. Knowledge is the key ingredient needed to dispel the "random" myth.
The happy benefits of understanding everything is that it takes away the anxiety of randomness, and at the same time it gives power. If we have the capability of knowing how everything works, then we can control all events. We can control birth, genetics, wealth, health, and even talents if we know the principles behind them. Knowledge has to have a Source, there must be One who knows, and can dispense that knowledge to us. This is God, our Creator, our Father. Nothing is random to Him because He knows all the principles behind every action and reaction. This is real power.
Traditionally, man's understanding of God has been very limited, and those who believed in God found evidence in miraculous events. For example, any average person today could go back in time only a couple of centuries and convince the people of that time that he was a god because of their ignorance. For this reason, many believe that God only exists in the gaps in our knowledge, that if we can understand and control all of these things, then we will dispel the need for God. After all, God is the supernatural entity, and when nothing is supernatural, then God will cease to exist. But nothing could be further from the truth.
If I were from another place and time, and walked into a house and turned on a faucet and fresh, clean hot or cold water came out I might think that was miraculous. I might think a plumber was a worker of miracles. However, as I learned about reservoirs, pipes, pumps, and faucets, I would no longer see the water as a miracle. It's just a plumber using the principles of fluid dynamics to direct the flow of water to, and through, the house. This knowledge, though, does not make the plumber cease to exist. Even if I could do all the plumbing myself, the plumber still exists, and has other work to do.
God is like the plumber, but with the knowledge of everything. Everything is based on principles. All improvement requires a plan, along with the energy and materials to carry-out the plan. If we don't know the principles on which an effect happens, we have no way of making a plan, or improving. We are dependent on God. Where farmers are ignorant of the principles of irrigation, they are dependent on God for rain to grow anything. However, when we know how things work, and all the possibilities, we become independent, being able to make plans and carry them through. Knowing the principles of any subject gives power to change, to create, to nurture life, and to grow.
Of course, this changes the nature of our relationship with God from dependent to peer. When we have God's knowledge, we have His power as well. Children go through the same process with their parents. My brothers and I thought my dad was superman, and my mom was Einstein. However, as we began to understand the principles, and grow up a little, we have become peers with them. They are still strong and smart, but we no longer need them for knowledge and power. In the same way, ultimately, when we possess all knowledge God does not cease to exist, instead, we become as He is. He is always our Father, but He is teaching us to grow up and become like Him by giving us knowledge of the principles upon which life, and happiness, are based.
Some examples of principles of happiness that I have learned include:
- Freedom comes from organization
- Wealth comes from monitoring finances
- Growth comes from planning, and following a plan
- Health comes from proper food and activity, avoiding toxins, and loving others
- Love is intentionally helping others to grow
- Mindful living is essential to joy
You can't have growth in ignorance. It isn't random. It isn't an accident. Randomness does not exist; whatever seems random is just a lack of understanding of all the variables, or a failure to plan. Being subject to time, we cannot even see all of the possibilities because we only know part of what is now before us. We cannot go back, nor can we see forward in time. Our limitations are what make us dependent on God. However, as He teaches us, and we come to understand the principles that govern any part of our existence, then we can take control of our own growth and development. Control is the issue. Power is the need. Knowledge is essential. Happiness can only come as we seek it, learn the principles, and live them.
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