"I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing -- a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process -- an integral function of Universe." -- R. Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller's famous quote "I seem to be a verb," reflects his broad perspective and vision as well as a view that each of us needs to consider or acquire. Bucky was a very active person, especially during the 88 years he occupied a physical body on the planet he named Spaceship Earth. He accomplished more in one lifetime than most people could imagine completing, and he did it all with a genuine desire to be of help to as many people as possible.
His mission was stated in the simple quote he often shared with audiences: "How do we make the world work for 100 percent of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?"
This is a question we would all do well to consider once we realize that we are, in fact, verbs and not nouns, processes of activity and not things, unlimited cosmic beings and not physical bodies. We are operating in limited physical bodies on a tiny fragile planet, but we are also something well beyond that definition. As Bucky asserted, we are much more than what we see when we look in the mirror, and we have come here at this critical juncture in human evolution and history on a unique mission in which each of us plays a critical role.
There are still, however, many people who believe themselves to be "nouns" (things), and limit themselves to their physical bodies and the reality that they can experience with their physical senses. The physical you or me can see, smell, taste, touch and hear, but it can't experience emotions, take action or come up with new ideas. Our physical selves are very constrained to functioning in a tiny portion of what scientists are now discovering is a vast, invisible Universe.
Metaphysical practitioners such as Tibetan Buddhists and other indigenous cultures have known this was true and explored that infinite reality for centuries. Bucky helps us to translate that vision and wisdom into something people raised in "developed" industrial cultures can understand and use in our everyday lives as well as our global decisions at this critical moment in the evolution of human history.
The inactive noun perspective of life misses all the pleasure, pain and activity that make up a rich human experience. From a noun perspective, we are very limited and do not even consider the vast array of reality that we can't experience with our physical senses. Upon deeper examination, many scientists now say that that unperceived reality makes up approximately 99 percent of Universe, but limited humans have no perspective to even imagine this possibility.
If we employ Bucky Fuller's insight and wisdom, we come to realize that all people are verbs, and today most people are -- like Bucky -- very active verbs. We're doing a lot, and we're continuing to be more than our ancestors imagined possible. Most of us are in the process of continually evolving and doing our best to make ourselves better in many diverse aspects of our lives.
We do, however, need to remember that we are each here for a purpose that supports all life and the evolution of our species and our tiny Spaceship Earth. We've come to Earth at this moment because somewhere deep inside we know that we have reached a point in our evolution that Bucky predicted.
We're at time when Bucky said that there would be ample resources to support all life at a higher standard of living than anyone has ever known. All we need to do is shift our focus and resources from weaponry to "livingry" as Bucky championed for most of his life.
May all active verbs on Earth come to quickly realize the sustainable Heaven on Earth that is our birthright right now.