Timothy Wilken, MD
Trusting is not a new behavior for humanity. It was invented long ago when the world was dominated by the adversary way. Trusting meant that I could rely on you not to hurt me. Trusting meant it was safe to assume that you were not my enemy.
Synergic trusting means means more. It means that while I can rely on you not to hurt me, I can further rely on you to help me. It is not only safe to assume that you are not my enemy, but I can count on you as a friend.
Synergic trusting is a behavior that is required for a time-binding class of life.
What is meant by Time-binding?
The most unique fact about humans, from a scientific perspective, is our ability to understand and to transfer our understanding to each other. This unique ability is what distinguishes us from all other forms of life. Alfred Korzybski coined the term Time-Binding as the human ability to understand and to transfer that understanding to other humans.
Time-binding is that unique human ability to pass that ‘knowing’ from one generation to the next generation. Both animal and human offspring begin their lives in nearly total ignorance. The differences that exist between them are small, but what advantage in knowing that does exist belongs clearly to the animal.
While the animal seems to begin life with a greater store of inherited knowing, it possesses little ability to learn from its parents. The animal is condemned to rediscover over and over, every generation must discover anew the knowings of its parents. The wise old owl may know a great deal, but he has no way to pass what he knows to his offspring and they have no way to receive it.
We humans are very different in that respect. We can and do pass our knowing from one generation to the next. As Alfred Korzybski explained:
“Human beings possess a most remarkable capacity which is entirely peculiar to them—I mean the capacity to summarise, digest and appropriate the labors and experiences of the past; I mean the capacity to use the fruits of past labors and experiences as intellectual or spiritual capital for developments in the present; I mean the capacity to employ as instruments of increasing power the accumulated achievements of the all-precious lives of the past generations spent in trial and error, trial and success; I mean the capacity of human beings to conduct their lives in the ever increasing light of inherited wisdom; I mean the capacity in virtue of which man is at once the inheritor of the bygone ages and the trustee of posterity. And because humanity is just this magnificent natural agency by which the past lives in the present and the present for the future, I define humanity, in the universal tongue of mathematics and mechanics, to be the Time-binding class of life.” [ http://www.esgs.org/uk/art/manhood.htm ]
What do I mean by a Synergic Trust?
The collective term we humans use to describe what we value is “wealth”. I define Synergic Trust as wealth that comes to us as a gift. Synergic Trust can be divided into three categories.
1) The Life Trust –which is life itself, and the plants and animals which are gifts from God, and Nature. And, our human bodies which are a gift from God, Nature, and our Parents.
2) The Earth Trust–the sunshine, air, water, land, minerals, the earth itself all of which come to us freely. This wealth is provided to us by God and Nature.
And, 3) The Time-binding Trust—the accumulated “knowing” from the time-binding of all the humans who have ever lived and died. Our inherited Wisdom, Knowledge, and Information including Architecture, Art, Literature, Music, Science, and Technology. It is the Time- binding Trust that forms the basis of all human progress.
We humans are beneficiaries then of three major trusts–the Life Trust, the Earth Trust and the Time-binding Trust.
Trusts are not Property
We, humans can not and do not own these trusts. They are not derived from our lives. They are not the product of our mind or labor. We have not paid for them. There is no moral or rational basis for us to claim ownership. They are not property.
Therefore, if we wish the privilege to use and control these trusts, we must act as trustees, and act responsibly for the benefit of all humanity. As responsible trustees, we must preserve and protect these trusts. We must act as conservationists.
“Conservation is the sustainable use of natural resources–soils, water, plants, animals, and minerals. The natural resources of any area constitute its basic capital, and wasteful use of those resources constitutes an economic loss. From the aesthetic viewpoint, conservation also includes the maintenance of national parks, wilderness areas, historic sites, and wildlife.
“Natural resources are of two main types, renewable and nonrenewable. Renewable resources include wildlife and natural vegetation of all kinds. The soil itself can be considered a renewable resource, although severe damage is difficult to repair because of the slow rate of soil-forming processes. The natural drainage of waters from the watershed of a region can be maintained indefinitely by careful management of vegetation and soils, and the quality of water can be controlled through pollution control.
“Nonrenewable resources are those that cannot be replaced or that can be replaced only over extremely long periods of time. Such resources include the fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) and the metallic and other ores.” [ Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation, 1963-96 ]
The Life and Earth Trusts are perishable. They must be protected for our children, and for all future children.
The Time-binding Trust is less susceptible to damage by the user. Using knowledge or technology designs does not diminish their future value, but they must be used responsibly. We must not hurt others with any trusts that we control.In fact, we should help others to whatever the extent we are capable.
All humans are trustees. We are of course the Life Trustees of our own bodies. We should take good care of ourselves. Take care with our health and nutrition. We are also the Time-binding Trustees of all the knowledge and skills that we personally have mastered from our study of the past. We must strive not to hurt others with this knowledge and skill. We should try and help others to whatever extent we are capable. For while Time-binding grants us humans the power to understand, it does not insure that we will use our understanding wisely.
Much of our knowledge is embedded in our tools. Human knowledge grows continuously and without limit. As we incorporate evermore powerful knowledge into artifacts, we create evermore powerful tools.
When we use tools to hurt others, they are called weapons.
If we incorporate evermore powerful knowledge into the tools we use to hurt others, we will create evermore powerful weapons. This pathway leads inevitably to the destruction of all humanity.
We humans have a choice. We can choose humility with our gift of Time- binding. We can choose responsibility as the moral requirement for using our power of understanding. We can choose to join together and protect our Synergic Trusts. Only this pathway will guarantee us a future.
The Give Help to Get Help Wheel was developed after an original concept of Daniel Quinn’s first presented in his book My Ishmael.