We can think of the universe as fundamentally whole, in the sense that everything and everyone is inextricably connected to it and through it. We can also think of the universe as fundamentally good, in the sense that that connection offers an impossibly vast wellspring of nourishment for all.
This goodness is the antihero’s core motivation and most vital resource. They combat burnout and bring peace into their lives and the world by resisting the impulse to greatness, and tapping into and cultivating goodness instead.
But this is not the full picture.
The universe is not just interconnected and nourishing. The universe also seems to be in a constant state of unfolding and emergence: new forms of complexity continually arise.
On the broadest scale of the cosmos, we see this in a sequence that begins with the Big Bang giving rise to particles, which eventually form nuclei, then atoms, then stars and galaxies, all woven into a vast cosmic web.
Here on Earth, we can see it in the emergence of life from non-living chemistry: single-celled organisms, then multicellular life such as plants and animals, and, eventually, humanity.
In human culture, we can see it in the shift in many places from small bands to villages to city-states to nations to global institutions, as well as in culture, art, and the ever-evolving motivations and values by which we live our lives.
At least from our single vantage point here on Earth, this seems to be another defining characteristic of our universe: The universe is fundamentally creative. Novel forms continuously emerge from it. Not everywhere all the time. But reliably enough that it is more than mere coincidence. It is part of how this universe operates at a fundamental level.
The universe is goodness. It is wholeness. And it is genius.
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book The Antihero’s Journey: From Burnout to Real Contribution in Polycrisis Times. To read other excerpts, go here.
