Chapter 2 – The Nature and Value of Order

 Without any question we live in a Universe governed, at least by and large, by a natural order. What I mean by this is that there is also the appearance of randomness which operates within the framework of natural laws. Yet even with this qualifier, we can observe and study order all around us. The motion of particles, at least those large enough to see, chemical reactions, the growth and decay of living systems, the weather (believe it or not!), the response of mass to gravity are all governed by natural laws which we can define, measure and, largely, understand. Even the subatomic particles which are the purview of quantum mechanics follow, as far as we can tell, definable rules, even though those rules differ wildly from those that govern the more observable Universe, which follows the more intuitive Newtonian physics. Life as we know it could only be possible where cause predictably, if not perfectly, leads to effect.

A striking example of this order can be seen in the extreme predictability of the motion of the stars and planets. This dynamic works as well peering into the past as into the future. It has been determined, for example, that in year AD 33, a partial lunar eclipse occurred during or just after the Jewish feast of Passover. [1]  Many Christian apologists have seen this as confirmation of the dating of the Crucifixion of Christ and the fulfillment of a certain Old Testament prophecy. Without expressing any opinions about religious doctrine, I cite the generally accepted fact of the eclipse as verification that the Moon and the Earth move with such perfect precision that such an event can be dated out two thousand years with strong scientific confidence! Our telescopes have identified literally billions of galaxies configured similarly enough to our own to suggest that the rules of gravity and momentum apply wherever you go in our Universe.

Coming back from stars and planets we can see the orderly balance of life as it has existed on our own world for more than three billion years. What began back then as perhaps a single self-replicating microbe has evolved over time to incorporate an estimated 8.7 million different species evolving while maintaining a sustained balance over all this time. [2] In all the centuries that zoologists and botanists have been travelling the world studying, we have only identified about 1.2 million of them.

Life itself, at even what we would consider a very simple level, is still staggering in its order and complexity. According to online search bot Bing, a single cell contains, on average, about 100 trillion atoms. All of these atoms, with a few possible rogue exceptions, work together in a structured fashion to enable the cell to perform its functions, to move, ingest, expel waste and eventually reproduce. Without an amazingly high degree of order, the cell would die prematurely. To put it in human terms, we have in excess of 50,000 genes that define us as humans. An error in only one of these can cause disease![3]

Single cells vary widely in terms of their design and function, so it is impossible to describe a “generic cell.” As an example, however, I will call your attention to a single-cell organism rather than a cell inside a larger plant or animal. Since plant and animal cells are specialized and rely upon other cells to survive, I don’t believe they would make the best illustrations. I have chosen to describe below a euglena, since I believe it may represent organisms very early in our evolutionary past, aside from the fact that I simply like the sound of its name. The fact that it is a single-cell organism may tempt us to think of it as simple, but after reading the following paragraph, we see that it is not so.

Euglena are characterized by an elongated cell (15–500 micrometres [1 micrometre = 10^?6 metre], or 0.0006–0.02 inch) with one nucleus, numerous chloroplasts (cell organelles that contain chlorophyll and are the site of photosynthesis), a contractile vacuole (organelle that regulates the cytoplasm), an eyespot, and one or two flagella. Certain species (e.g., E. rubra) appear red in sunlight because they contain a large amount of carotenoid pigments. Unlike plant cells, Euglena lack a rigid cellulose wall and have a flexible pellicle (envelope) that allows them to change shape. Though they are photosynthetic, most species can also feed heterotrophically (on other organisms) and absorb food directly through the cell surface via phagocytosis (in which the cell membrane entraps food particles in a vacuole for digestion). Food is often stored as a specialized complex carbohydrate known as paramylon, which enables the organisms to survive in low-light conditions. Euglena reproduce asexually by means of longitudinal cell division, in which they divide down their length, and several species produce dormant cysts that can withstand drying.[4]

My hat’s off to you if you can even understand the preceding description! Hopefully you get a sense of how, at the “simplest” cellular level, life is staggeringly complex. I think we can both be grateful I did not quote a paragraph describing the diverse chemical interactions within the cell. Now reflect on this for a moment and visualize the millions of unique and varied species that have spread over the globe today. Imagine also the millions of species that have gone before us and are now extinct. Even better, go outside, sit on the deck, take a walk and let yourself be immersed in the awe and the Presence of such life and such Order all around you. Observe the beauty of the trees and the sky. Listen to the birds and other natural sounds. Feel the life within and without. Before you return, recognize that you yourself are an intimate part of it all.

In our own lives, we see such order so consistently that we rely reflexively upon it. We plan our lives around the constancy of day and night, four seasons if we live in temperate zones, the stability of the ground beneath us, the force of gravity below us and the immutability of the progression of time. At the other end of the spectrum lies the order we impose upon our own lives. We have the power to structure our lives or else leave them disordered. There are exceptions perhaps for those in the military or monastery but the general rule remains. Some go through life reacting to crises as a matter of habit, mostly putting out fires. Many of the crises they encounter could have been prevented if they had planned carefully in advance. At the other end of the extreme are those who plan compulsively. They won’t agree to any suggestion of an activity unless it had been scheduled months ahead. They have limited time for friends and loved ones because their schedules are already booked. They may have very successful careers even if they often end up divorced. This is not the lifestyle I am advocating.

Let me give you an example of this. It is highly likely that at least once in your life you have watched the Walt Disney musical Mary Poppins. If so, you are may well remember the character of George Banks, wonderfully portrayed by actor David Tomlinson. Banks was a stereotypical order mage. His house was immaculate, his activities were planned so precisely that one could set a watch to them, he was a model employee, and his wife, kids and servants all had the rules of the house memorized. The problem was, in his quest for perfection he had completely left his heart behind. This is not to say that he was a bad guy. He worked hard every day to support his family, but that was as far as his feelings would ever go. If Mary Poppins had not arrived on the scene, he would have worked, almost contentedly, until the day he died and would have been given a perfectly executed, if tearless, funeral. Fortunately for him and for his family, he learned his lesson, and welcomed a degree of spontaneity, warmth and fun into his life thereafter.

As a counterpoint, I am proposing a middle ground where a moderate amount of goal-setting and activity planning is the rule. This moderation, by the way, is echoed in Nature. The weather, for example, is generally in flux in most parts of the world. There is order to the change of seasons, but not controlled precision. Also, evolution would not be possible without a little chaotic thing called mutation. In science class they called mutations “mistakes.” The reproductive planning of an organism is to create more of the same. If mutations never happened, the first organism on the planet would have gone on generation after generation without any new species ever appearing. In the same way, our lives would be unbearably boring if order controlled every event from birth to death. A modest degree of attention to order in life can lead to stability, both financial and emotional, with a greater capacity to share with others at need, without undue anxiety. People who achieve this balance in life tend to become the best employees, lovers, friends and parents. They tend to live longer and stay healthier.

The practical benefits of a lifestyle devoted to order are many. A better financial status, health, satisfaction, reduced stress, better relationships with others, the capacity to be more generous when desired and a better night’s sleep are all likely results of orderly living. Allow me to unpack what I said with tangible examples. My first claim was that an orderly life leads to financial stability. It plays out like this. One who takes time to build order into personal finances will incorporate the virtue of moderation into routine spending. In addition, orderly managers of finances will create a budget for themselves, becoming aware of what they can and cannot afford. In this way the risk of overspending and unnecessary debt is avoided. This can result in greater peace of mind, less daily stress, and greater calm when unexpected costs arise. Arguments over financial decisions, for example, have been cited by mental health professionals as a major reason for marital strife. [5] As we know, marital strife often goes on to produce child abuse or neglect, divorce and subsequent behavioral and emotional problems as kids grow up. I’m not picking on divorced couples here; I myself was divorced although my ex and I worked hard together to support our kids closely during that event and ever since.  

I went on to mention emotional stability. Proper planning of one’s normal activities can lead to fewer tasks forgotten, fewer deadlines missed, fewer late arrivals at work and social events. The preceding problems lead to stress, bad feelings, strained relationships and a poor self-image. This of course leads naturally to the element of physical health. Well-ordered individuals take good care of their body: eating well balanced meals, getting daily exercise, drinking enough water, maintaining good oral hygiene and avoiding needless risks. The benefits of good health include better performance at work or in school, fewer sick days and a bonus reduction in emotional stress.

I had to learn the hard way that being productive was only possible if I remained healthy. Most of my career has been spent doing accounting, and most of that at a computer. In addition, I did not mind putting in overtime for my employers; I usually found it satisfying. After a few years, however, my wrists, shoulders, back and neck began to complain. Over the counter pain relievers did little beyond masking symptoms, and soon I had to take breaks during work and occasionally call out sick due to the abuse I was giving my body. I did not gain a healthy equilibrium until I took up swimming. The regular upper body exercise managed to offset the wear and tear of computer work and I was back in business.

I had to stay healthy in other ways as well. I often skipped lunch simply because I was not hungry, and it took my wife to badger me to take better care of myself. She flipped a Bible verse on its head and told me, “he who does not eat, shall not work.” I chuckled, but realized that she was right and amended my ways. The need for health to maintain productivity has farther-reaching ramifications.  I contracted cancer in my forties and required extensive treatment. That was my “year from Hell,” and I can safely say that a probable cause for my cancer was the poor ways I handled stress and anxiety in my younger years, in addition to a poor diet. Believe me, I learned my lesson!

Another part of the equation is emotional health. Balanced living applies to relationships as well. Maintaining a healthy balance emotionally among friends, relatives, coworkers and romantic partner is a key factor in sustaining emotional health.[6] This can be a peculiar challenge in this era. With more persons working from home and getting out less often, isolation or retreating into co-dependent relationships is increasingly common. If you don’t have at least three or four persons to whom you can reach out when you need support or simply to talk, maybe it’s time to broaden out a bit!

Being healthy makes an orderly life less difficult, but tangible organizational tools are needed as well. In my case, the first steps toward an orderly life happened when I started using a daily planner. It makes no difference, surely, whether one uses a cell phone app, a computer program or an old-fashioned paper planner. Sit down on a Sunday afternoon, look at the week ahead, and write down all the tasks you want to remember and do during the week. Consult your planner at the beginning of each day and you’ll find that you are getting more done with less effort and stress than before. Not only that, but you will no doubt discover that proper planning results in getting more done in less time, keeping you free to plan regularly. Once you see this, please use some of your free time for leisure activities. I do not suggest workaholism as a healthy, orderly lifestyle!

Now let’s move from personal to societal order. Best-selling author and journalist Frank Herbert once wrote, “Human beings live best when each has his own place, when each knows where he belongs in the scheme of things.” [7] Although Herbert was not a professional sociologist, his remark makes an incisive and intuitive commentary about each of us. It accords with what we can generally observe from human behavior: the need to belong within an organized social order. To speak of the benefits of an orderly society is a rather delicate task, because in a community of individuals, order is a relative term. Wherever people are living in proximity with one another, there will always be surprises and the occasional troublemaker. Add children and adolescents to the mix and, well…you get the picture. However, within these boundaries, and allowing for legitimate individual freedoms, the benefits of a structured society accrue to all. An obvious example is our system of roads and vehicles. I believe that we can all agree that traffic lights, information and direction signs and traffic law enforcement are necessary to prevent numerous accidents, traffic jams and save lives. In the U.S., Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians all generally obey the rules of the road to a similar degree. While we have fierce disagreements over the boundaries of free speech, fair taxation, gun control (or not) and business regulation, it seems that we all want roads that are safe to drive on, and sidewalks safe to walk on. Also, whenever we have to wait in line at a supermarket, a car wash, the Department of Motor Vehicles or a bank, we all seem to expect the rule of “first come, first served” to be respected by our fellows. Thus it seems to me that while everyone recognizes the value of order in society, the question remains as to how much order is ideal. I am not asking my readers to agree with my own response to the question. For those who seek to live and uphold the order of the Universe as expressed in individual and corporate lives, the ideal balance is always a subjective goal. Even if I could establish a monastery to the Divine Order, I would urge my followers to allow their hearts and intuition to guide their expressions of devotion and fidelity.

Due to the fact that neither Political Science nor Sociology were part of my academic focuses, I began to search online for authoritative writings about the ideal social and political institutions. As you might expect, I ran into theories and disagreements from the outset. Much of the thinking in these fields is agenda-driven, so finding references that would be universally meaningful seemed doomed to failure. Therefore, I propose to approach this sphere of order based on the following logic. I intend to refer to well-established historical authority to identify major failures in societal order and work my way backward to sensible parameters within which a healthy and thriving social order may operate.

I will begin by stating my own research bias here. Since I am more familiar with European and United States history, I will spend most of my energy looking at these nations and their experiences. As my primary source of historical information, I have chosen the online Encyclopedia Britannica (Britannica.com). I can hardly imagine a more widely accepted authority on such a subject.

Beginning with ancient history, I find that the most obvious question within European experience is this: why did the Roman Empire fall? It was the largest one of ancient times based in Europe, it had lasted for centuries and is the most famous in western history. The below referenced article may perhaps be best summarized as primarily citing political instability and wars with neighboring enemies.[8] These occurred over decades and slowly eroded the unity and defensive capacity needed to maintain the peace.

The American Revolution is the next major political transformation we will look at. It is not perhaps an ideal example as it did not involve the downfall of an established society but it contains elements that are worth looking into. The key line from Britannica I will cite is this: “The war followed more than a decade of growing estrangement between the British crown and a large and influential segment of its North American colonies that was caused by British attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs after having long adhered to a policy of salutary neglect.” [9] Here, we are reminded that even though humans do not naturally want chaos, we will rebel when authority exerts too much control.

The French Revolution is perhaps the best example which we will look at, as it represents the repudiation by a populace in general against a long-standing political order. According to Britannica, the causes of this were clearly more complex than our previous two examples. In their words,

Although scholarly debate continues about the exact causes of the Revolution, the following reasons are commonly adduced: (1) the bourgeoisie resented its exclusion from political power and positions of honour; (2) the peasants were acutely aware of their situation and were less and less willing to support the anachronistic and burdensome feudal system; (3) the philosophes had been read more widely in France than anywhere else; (4) French participation in the American Revolution had driven the government to the brink of bankruptcy; (5) France was the most populous country in Europe, and crop failures in much of the country in 1788, coming on top of a long period of economic difficulties, compounded existing restlessness; and (6) the French monarchy, no longer seen as divinely ordained, was unable to adapt to the political and societal pressures that were being exerted on it.[10]

So, what can we infer from these examples? Clearly the case of Rome demonstrates the obvious requirement for a government to be able to protect its citizenry from hostile armies. In addition, the Roman Emperors had the authority to alter the structure of the government at will. Diocletian reorganized the Empire into a tetrarchy, an action which was reversed when his son, Constantine, eliminated his enemies and became sole emperor again. Constantine went on to remove the capital to Byzantium, now Istanbul. It seems that when an emperor has such power, his subjects, especially the powerful ones, suffer insecurity, never knowing what may happen next. This naturally can lead to political maneuvering and intrigue to the extreme. Contrast this with the current structure of the United States. President Donald Trump expressed a desire to make the Presidential election a lifetime position, and President Biden considered expanding the number of Justices of the Supreme Court. Due to the restraints caused by our Constitution, neither president had the authority to unilaterally effect such changes. I argue that the stability in government afforded by such a constitution is a great benefit to the stability, i.e., the orderliness, of our society.

The example of the French Revolution teaches us to avoid the opposite extreme. Whereas instability of governmental structure can cause tension and conflict between other power brokers, too much inflexibility can doom a government. France spent centuries under the philosophical direction of the Catholic Church, and her monarchy was upheld as divinely ordained. As the Enlightenment took hold and the beliefs of the growing middle class shifted, the government needed to be able to adapt accordingly.  Again, we in the United States can be grateful that a government which is established, “of the people, by the people and for the people,”[11] is, by definition, one that can adapt over time as the populace changes. With governments, as with individuals, we see that the orderly principle of balance must be maintained, in this case a balance between tradition and adaptation.

In addition, we can see that economic troubles and food supply shortages lead quickly to civil unrest. Although modern governments are not generally expected to distribute food directly to the people, they will still be blamed if they allow citizens to starve. Certainly, government action is commonly trusted to regulate the farming and distribution industries. We all expect that when we go to the market to buy food, we have the right to obtain fresh and untainted food for our tables. Surely it is not excessive to expect government oversight to ensure this. In addition, if a blight were to strike the domestic agricultural industry, it is reasonable to call upon government action to increase food imports for the duration. As regards economic stability in general, government action to regulate banks and the interest rates, as well as tariffs and trade regulation are considered to be the norm when economic problems arise.

The causes of the American Revolution show striking similarities to that of the French, which is natural since they occurred almost contemporaneously. In America, both the ideological shift in governmental theory, as well as an unfavorable change in government policies toward the colonies, fueled the fire. Here again, change in the peoples’ mindsets, as well as change in the degree of control and taxation, stirred conflict that an inflexible government was unwilling to adapt to. The order that citizens expect from their government must be balanced, beneficent and stable.

In practical terms, it all comes down to this question. Do you live in a balanced, orderly society which you can support as would an order mage/citizen? Does your government provide enough structure to give you reasonable safety and health, while leaving you free to pursue the life you wish to live without undue regulation? If the answer is yes, then I encourage you to embrace your power and your role in upholding the goodly social structure of which you are a member. If not, are you willing to take some just actions in the future to prod your nation in the right direction? Let it be known that while I cite bloody revolutions as examples of reactions to bad government, I am not endorsing their methods. A true order mage activist would have more in common with Mahatma Ghandi than with Timothy McVey.

While there are many benefits to the individual for living an orderly life, as well as greater benefits to society as a whole, it is also of great value to consider an even grander scale. What I will propose is almost religious, but there is no doctrine nor rules to be imposed by an institution here. Plan to take some time for yourself. Go outside. Watch the sunset. See the stars. Travel to the mountains or the shore. Gaze upon the ocean. Walk the forest trails. Pray. Meditate. Commune. When you do, you will sense the presence of Order. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi, I ask you to “reach out with your feelings.” It is apparent in these places, and you have the intuitive gift to sense this. The Universe, as practically infinite in size and age as it is, is grounded and sustained by Order. You need not undergo any baptism to be part of this Order: you always have been and always will be. You have the right to touch and uphold and maintain this order in your own sphere of influence. You need no ordination nor magical initiation. It is in your hands. It is your heritage.

Living in harmony with the order of our world and our Universe may involve various steps for you to pick and choose from. Benjamin Franklin recommended, “early to bed, early to rise,” but a devotee of order need not take that as a commandment. A night shift worker may provide their service to the community with a perfectly natural, balanced lifestyle adapted to their employment. My own choices include stepping outside on clear nights to watch the stars, waking up early in the Summer and letting myself sleep in a bit during the Winter and marking the changes of seasons with times for reflection.

This is part of what it means to be a mage: to see the “magical” in the ordinary, and to recognize your own participation in the power that upholds the world and beyond it. It is all around you if you have eyes to see it. Not only in Nature per se, but the presence of Order is ubiquitous in the hard sciences, in mathematics, in the instinctive knowledge of the members of the animal kingdom, in churches, mosques and other spiritual centers. Embrace the magic; embrace the mage.