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**Understanding and Applying the Theosophy of Octavia Butler’s Earthseed Toward Achieving Geoethical Nanotechnology**

Allison M. Ward

Page 3 of 4

The greatest partnership is in teaching and learning for the benefit of the world. Teaching and learning about technology and the systems to control it can greatly benefit the world and those who inhabit it. Scenarios and consequences need to be examined and consistently challenged, questioned, and re-questioned. The key to accomplishing this is constant education for everyone; the sharing of ideas, debating our purpose, and how to make it come into existence. Who shall teach what we need to know?

"Your teachers
Are all around you.
All that you perceive,
All that you experience,
All that is given to you
Or taken from you,
All that you love or hate,
Need or fear
Will Teach you—
If you will learn.
God is your first
and your last teacher.
God is your harshest teacher:
subtle,
demanding
Learn or die." [1]

This asserts that we do not solely rely on school to learn, we need not go anywhere in particular to learn; we continually learn by observation and experience. Fortunately, with the inception the World Wide Web, you can acquire an amazing education in the comfort of your own home, or anywhere there is a computer. You can take control of your destiny.

3. Unity for Purpose

The world today is divided by borders, laws, beliefs, cultures, religions, etc, and is almost impossible to make work in a collectively united effort. Even with smaller divisions such as race, class, and intelligence, we are lacking the power of numbers. If we can escape this segregated way of thinking, we can join as one, for the common good of all.

This segues into the following parable:

“Partnership is giving, taking, learning,
teaching, offering, the greatest
possible benefit while doing the
least possible harm. Partnership is
mutualistic symbiosis.

Partnership is life.

Any entity, and process that
cannot or should not be resisted or
avoided must somehow be partnered.
Partner on another. Partner
diverse communities. Partner life.
Partner any world that is your
home. Partner God. Only in partnership
can we thrive, grow,
Change. Only in partnership can
we live." [2]

This profoundly deep parable is one of the most direct and demanding. It tells you to overcome yourself and not to view life only through your eyes, but consider those around you. Partner with those you never conceived of partnering with before simply because someone told you to hate them. Giving, taking, learning, and offering the greatest benefit while doing the least harm, is to truly be human. Partner with your community, and they will partner with you. In partners, we gain strength. Only together can we change the world for the better.

“Purpose
Unifies us:
It focuses our dreams,
Guides our plans,
Strengthens our efforts.
Purpose
Defines us,
Shapes us,
And offers us
Greatness.” [3]

As we begin to shape our purpose, we must consider others and the greater good of humanity as a whole. The saying, “united we stand, divided we fall” is similar to what this parable offers. If we don’t unify our efforts with the common goal of improving life for all, life will be a continuous game of ‘tug-a-war’. As war gains power with each technological advance, the fighting must stop and agreements must be reached. This begs the question: How do we accomplish unity?

Footnotes

1. Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower. Page 278. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1993.

2. Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Talents. Page 7. New York: Seven Stories Press, 1998.

3. Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Talents. Page 127. New York: Seven Stories Press, 1998.

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Educate the public on the practicality and necessity of greatly extending human life, consistent with diversity and unity, via geoethical nanotechnology and personal cyberconsciousness, concentrating in particular on facilitating revivals from biostasis.

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