Nobody knows how life was first breathed into the first atom, molecule, or cell; all biologists can do is to suggest the most reasonable possibilities by analysing the oldest DNA available. Scientists postulate that life emerged from non-life via natural processes about 3.7 billion years ago. It then evolved (and continues to evolve) to higher levels of complexity based on mutation, natural selection, and time. In other words, scientists believe that life is purely a physical phenomenon. There are logical arguments, based on scientific concepts, suggesting that dark energy is a non-physical force that influences life and is the source of reason, intelligence, compassion, and love. If we acknowledge and nurture this non-physical (dark energy) aspect of our beings, it will bring balance to our minds and move us from selfishness to love, care, and compassion. Is this the path to freedom from selfishness, corruption, abuse of power, and greed; and consequently from poverty, starvation, conflict and war? Dark Energy and Human Consciousness Humanity's Path to Freedom By Tom Cahalan Balboa Press Copyright © 2014 Tom Cahalan All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4525-1594-6 Contents Preface, xi, 1. The Present Reality, 1, 2. The Universe, 12, 3. The Origin and Evolution of Life, 30, 4. Reality, 43, 5. Religion, 47, 6. The Evolution of Human Consciousness, 58, 7. Summary, 97, Bibliography, 105, Index, 109, CHAPTER 1 The Present Reality Preamble When we look at our world, should we be pleased with what we see, or should we be disappointed or even outraged with the world we have created? There is no doubt that the standard of living, particularly in the western world, has substantially improved in the last three centuries. This improved standard of living has been driven primarily by science and technology, starting with the Industrial Revolution in the mid-eighteenth century and moving on to electrification in the mid-nineteenth century, the internal combustion engine in the late nineteenth century, air travel in the early twentieth century, space travel in the mid-twentieth century, and the IT revolution in the late twentieth century, to name but a few moves forward. However, in spite of all this progress, has the quality of life for the general public improved over this time? Quality of life should not be confused with standard of living, which is based primarily on income. The term `quality of life' refers to the general well-being of individuals and societies; it relates not just to wealth and employment but also to the physical infrastructure, physical and mental health, education, recreation, leisure time, social belonging, freedom, human rights, personal security, social justice, equality for all, and so on. In general, a good quality of life is a prerequisite for the achievement of happiness. Happiness is subjective and difficult to measure, but it is certain that it does not necessarily increase in proportion to increasing income. As a result, one's standard of living should be taken as only one of the many components that influence happiness. However, a certain level of wealth is necessary in order to achieve a good quality of life. To quote a line from a speech former US President Bill Clinton made during one of his visits to Ireland, `Money is not everything, but it's up there with oxygen.' Mr. Clinton's one-liner rightly suggests that we need money to survive. However, the similarities between money and oxygen end there. In the case of oxygen, there is an adequate supply available to all people, and nobody can hoard it or build up a supply in case he or she might need it in the future. Sadly, that is exactly what is happening with money; the few with the power control the money supply, leaving the vast majority with an inadequate amount on which to survive. Distribution of Wealth The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society or country and should not be confused with the distribution of income. Wealth consists of those items of economic value that an individual owns, while income is an inflow of items of economic value. A detailed analysis of these topics would fill many books and would only confuse the central points I wish to convey in this book, so my intention here is merely to explain that the distribution of wealth in the world is not very equitable. In the US, 5 per cent of the population owns almost 62 per cent of the wealth, while the bottom 40 per cent owns only 0.2 per cent – not a very equitable distribution. This problem is even more lopsided if we look at the global situation, where 0.111 per cent of the population owns 81 per cent of the wealth, while the bottom 99.889 per cent owns only 19 per cent. This inequitable distribution of wealth creates a global society where a very small percentage of people live in luxury; a large working class struggles to pay its mortgages and taxes, educate its child