The One And The Many

I have noticed something really profound about all life on earth. There is a simple pattern that underlies everything that every living thing does. It runs at least as deep as the idea of yin and yang or anything like that. I will refer to it simply as "the one and the many" and it describes everything about us.

The one and the many is a form of peak that I described in postings on this blog "The Patterns Of Life" and "The Definition Of Life". The one is the summit of the peak and the many are it's base.

Whenever we define or specify anything, we are dealing with the one and the many. When we use question words such as "what" or "where" or "who", we are seeking the one and all other possible answers except the one we are looking for is the many. Whenever we assign a word to something, use of that word indicates that thing as the one and everything else that is described by a different word as the many.

If we are at or specify a place, that place is the one and every other place is the many. Giving or using a person's name designates that person as the one and every other person as the many. The same applies to a number used as an address.

When we use question words like "why"or "how" or some pronouns such as "because", we are requesting an explanation of how the present reality came to be. The present permutation of reality is the one, the factors that led to it, as well as all other possible permutations of reality that do not presently exist, are the many.

In any type of hierarchy, the top is the one and the ones below are the many. When the status quo changes in any way, the result is the one and all other possible results that did not come to be are the many. If we take some kind of chance or risk with odds of say, six to one, the one is the one and the six are the many. This applies to any action involving chance, probability or, coincidence.

When we make a decision or choice, the one we make is the one and the ones that we did not make are the many. Whenever anyone makes some type of effort, the effort made is the one and the efforts not made are the many. If a goal or target is set, that is the one and the non-goals and non-targets are the many.

In matters of predator and prey, or seeking and evasion, the prey must be successful in evading the predator every time, but the predator must be successful in catching the prey only once. This is the one and the many again.

When we deal with adversity such as accidents and illness, the time when an accident happens is the one. All of the times that we go about our daily routines without an accident are the many.

But illness is the opposite of accidents, a whole healthy body is the one and all possible changes from that ideal condition, defined as illness, is the many.

Think about it, this pattern of the one and the many is ingrained in everything you can possibly do, all of your life. I am convinced that thoroughly grasping this pattern that underlies so much that we are and that we do will enable us to better develop strategies to reach all manner of goals and to minimize mistakes.