Life Is the Path of Human Becoming, But How Does It Happen?
Perhaps you have come across the phrase human becoming so far. But what does it mean? What are we supposed to become, and how will this process of human becoming occur? The word “becoming” is defined as development or transformation. But what are we supposed to transform into and why is this going to happen?
The path of life is a path towards achieving the purpose of our creation. Whether we are aware of it and prepare ourselves for this process, or we do not know or want it, we are all moving towards fulfilling this purpose. It means that all of us, because of the mathematical structure of the universe, are in the process of transforming into the thing for which we have come to this world.
As we stated before, this world is not our home, we have come from another realm; it is called the realm of Malakut (Celestial Kingdom), and it is the origin of our existence. Besides, we noted that we are all returning to our home, a home which we call the realm of the “hereafter.” That realm is where we will reap what sow in the world, and the quality of our lives there will show how we live here.[1] Returning to the Malakut is the beginning of our eternal life according to the living conditions in there, and the degree of our similarity to and compatibility with these conditions determines how happy and peaceful this eternal life will be.
Now, if we had been in the realm of the hereafter before , what made us descend to this world? Why did we leave our home unwillingly, and why do we have to make this eventful journey?
The Journey to Actualize Potential Abilities
Similarity with the living conditions of the hereafter actually means becoming similar to the Source of our existence. As we mentioned, this similarity means actualizing the potentials of the eternal part of our existence and acquiring the names and attributes of the Source of our being or our Infinite Beloved, i.e., God. So our happiness, peace, and well-being in the eternal life ahead of us lie in becoming similar, or in short, “human becoming,” which is a term used in philosophical texts.
Imagine a small apple seed, is it wrong to say that this seed contains within itself a whole apple tree or even a big forest of apple trees? Becoming a forest of apple trees is the ultimate perfection that every small seed can manifest. The hidden ability within the seed is called potentiality. But the most important thing for the apple seed to fulfill its potential is to be placed in a suitable environment. This process is also referred to as acquiring higher perfections, transforming into a being with more abilities, or in the language of philosophy, actualizing this potential. The suitable environment for a seed is the soil. A seed that is planted in the soil is completely hidden from the world, the sky, the sun, and everything on earth. But to achieve its perfection, it has no other choice but to endure the cold and heavy environment of the soil until the day when a small sprout cracks open the seed shell, and after pushing aside the soil, the seed returns in a new form to the earth. Now our small tree is on its way to achieve perfection, and soon it will be able to produce thousands of apples, each containing seeds to be planted.
It is only after living in the soil environment that the small seed turns into a huge tree. Unlike the seed, the tree is ready to use all the resources available on earth such as water, sunlight, and air. It has leaves, branches, and flowers, and it can absorb light, water, and air through photosynthesis. It can live and even bear fruits, using these resources.
Human Becoming in the Limited Environment of the World
The eternal part of our existence, like that seed, is pure potentiality. We are a collection of unlimited potential abilities that require a specific environment to be actualized. The material environment of the world is the best place for the human dimension of our existence to grow within the shell of the physical body, actualize its inherent qualities and potentials, grow, and prepare to return to its true home which is the hereafter, in other words, it must go through the process of human becoming.
Our true home is the realm where all the unlimited qualities of the human part of our existence can manifest themselves. This world, like the soil for apple seeds, is just an environment that can prepare us to actualize our potentials. Just like our Infinite Beloved, God, the human dimension of our existence is infinite. We possess unlimited kindness, forgiveness, beauty, and all the inherent qualities that exist on an infinite scale. However, in order to realize these potentials, we need to go through the process of human becoming by enduring the pressures in this limited world.
The limitations of the world, like the pressure of the soil on the seed, provide the environment for our growth so that we can acquire the unlimited perfections that we need in the other world. Like the branches and leaves of a tree, these perfections give us the ability to live in the unlimited conditions of the other realm. In the course of this journey, and after leaving behind this limited world, our soul is no longer the same as before. This time, in the process of human becoming, our soul either completely actualizes its potentials and achieves a multitude of God-like perfections, or it does not acquire the perfections necessary for that life, and like a tree that grows in a swamp, it does not acquire the ability to match with the living conditions of the hereafter and dries up.
All Deeds Are at the Service of Becoming
One who is aware of the whys and hows of the process of human becoming only cares about one thing in all his deeds; every deed should end in becoming. Achieving such a result requires that we care about ourselves and make plans for our becoming. Just as all the actions of an athlete, such as eating, downtime, or participating in training camps, are aimed at achieving the goal he has set for himself, the person who wants to become like God, must also align all his deeds with human becoming.[2]
All aspects of life, including personal, family, social, political, scientific, artistic, etc., even praying and religious practices, are the means of and preludes to our becoming. Our path of life is a training club for practice. What enables our deeds and acts of worship to turn our potentials into actual perfections is to believe that every human deed in the training club of existence must be aimed at human becoming.
In this article, we reviewed the meaning of human becoming and explained that the purpose of our adventurous journey in this life is transformation. We have come here to actualize all the inherent potentials that God has given us. We have come here to live in this material world and endure its limitations, pressures, and finding the right way in order to become what we ought to be. We are here to unite God’s trust (amanah) in us, i.e., the eternal part of our being or soul, with the attributes of God in order to reach the Source of light. In this way, we will become worthy of living in our true home, which is called the Malakut or the embrace of God.
[1]. For more information, see “Spatial Proportion, Position of the World in Proportion to Hereafter”
[2]. Prophet Muhammad: “The signs of a righteous person are four: He purifies his heart, he rectifies his actions, he improves his livelihood, and he mends all his affairs.” [Ibn Shu’ba al-Harrani, Tuhaf al-Uqoul, 20]