The Relational view at human, life and reality actually is a very matter-of-fact view wherein only the visible facts count. And when we then look at these facts, then we see that reality consists of an enormous multitude of different shaped things, dead things and living creatures.
The forms of all these things however, never are accidental but always very specific forms which make them fit to other forms in the surroundings. The eye for example clearly is formed as a kind of camera fitting to light, like the flower has a form, of a satellite dish actually, by which it can receive and reflect light in a focus where the fruit then is growing. And in the form of the fur of a polar-bear, you can see that it is meant to protect against the coldness. And a bird clearly is formed as a flying-machine, a fish as a submarine et cetera.
In the forms of things, you also see the purpose or meaning of these things. And that purpose always is a fitting to other forms, the forms of earthly conditions in this case.
In the same way, the forms of all human articles of use, like shoes, trousers, chairs, glasses, hammers, bicycles et cetera, show you that they are made to fit to the form of the human body. Also here, the forms show you the purpose of the shoe, the chair, the bicycle et cetera. And that purpose always is a fitting to other forms, the human bodyform in this case.
So summarised: Reality consists of things with forms, and fitting of forms to each other. And that fitting always is playing in the emptiness, is immaterial. And with that everything is said about reality, in an abstract way of course.
The natural forces too, like the electro-magnetic force, play as a fitting of forms to each other. Like the nut fits around the bolt, the negative charged electron fits around the positive charged proton. And in about the same way male fits to female, as a fitting of forms. So the trinities proton-Electra-electron, male-Eros-female, bolt-screwing-nut resemble each other, resemble many other trinities as well.
With that, Electra, Eros, the force of life and other natural forces are not fully understood of course. But they anyhow play as fitting of forms. And very often you then see an enclosing and a being enclosed as fitting of forms.
The advantage of this description of reality in terms of fitting forms, is that vague concepts like spirit, idea, quality, reason, ratio, consciousness, understanding, mind and the like now become understandable. Because whatever you understand, it always is a fitting of forms you understand. When we say that we understand the shoe or the bolt and nut or the bicycle or the flower, then we mean that we see that the foot fits in the shoe, the nut on the bolt, the human on the bicycle and the light in the flower. That fitting to an other form, is the spirit of the shoe or bolt and nut or bicycle or flower, the idea behind it, the whole idea.
And do the forms fit perfectly, the perfect fitting shoe or pair of trousers for example, then we call it good, beautiful as well, nice too often. So then we speak of quality. So the concept quality now also becomes understandable and sometimes even touchable. Do the forms fit perfectly, also when it concerns sound-, smell- and taste-forms, then we call it beautiful, good, healthy, nice et cetera, so high quality.
This text too consists of things with a form, letter-forms (or sound-forms when pronounced) and fitting of these forms to each other. In that fitting of sound-forms to each other, language is playing, and music as well.
Forms and fitting of forms, that is all there is in the Relational view. And when we speak of spirit or idea, then we always mean fitting of forms to each other. Life too, the vital spirit, is a fitting of forms to each other, the air fits in lungs, food in stomach and intestines, blood in veins with the heart as pump et cetera.
This does not mean that we understand life completely now, but it anyhow plays as fitting of forms. And Eros and Electra too are not yet fully understood, but do play as fitting of forms. The forms of bolt and nut can be seen and even be felt by us, and that is why we understand this fitting of forms very well. The forms of semen and egg or proton and electron however, can not be seen so easily, and that is why we do not yet understand these phenomena completely. But we do know that they play as fitting of forms. What forms then? Maybe in the end we only meet space-time forms?
In Western philosophy, spirit or idea never before is described in such a concrete way, as a simple and visible and sometimes almost touchable fitting of forms. In the Western view, spirit is some vague thing, often something with a super-natural character. While in the Relational view, spirit is a very natural thing.
In the Relational view, it also becomes clear what this mind of us is, this power of comprehension we have and by which we differ from the ape. The ape sees the forms of things, just like we do. But the ape does not, or in a much lesser extent, see the fitting of forms to each other. We also see this fitting. We not only see the tree-trunk and the hill or the tree and the water, but we also see the rolling and the floating of the tree. And that is how we discovered the wheel and the boat.
We see the workings of reality and every working plays as a fitting of forms to each other. We see the camera in an eye, the airplane in a bird, the satellite dish in a flower, the coat in a fur, the plank in a tree, the house in planks, chemistry and electronics in Electra et cetera. We then also see the physical and mathematical laws. We always see fitting of forms then. And do the forms fit perfectly, then we speak of quality.
We then of course also see our own form fitting to other forms, and then we speak of consciousness or awareness. And when our own form fits perfectly to these surrounding forms, then we feel happy.
So the Relational view is a very matter-of-fact view, based on only looking at the facts, so that vague concepts like spirit, idea, quality and the like become understandable and even almost touchable. So that the human mind also becomes understandable, as just a form of seeing, that forms fit to other forms.
And if you then see that spirit always plays as fitting of forms, then you also see the fundamental importance of spirit, so of that fitting of forms, the immaterial relations. Because that is where it always turns on, on the workings. For the screwing, that is why we have bolt and nut. That idea of the screw-thread is the root, the essence. That idea of the screw-thread also defines the forms of bolt and nut, like the need to fit to the foot defines the form of the shoe. And the forms of plants and animals are defined by the necessity to fit to the forms of the earthly conditions. So these immaterial relations define everything.
So in the Relational view, spirit is the essence where everything turns on and by which the forms also are like they are. The Relational view therefore is a spiritual view. Spirit, the immaterial relating, is the root. Spirit also defines the forms of the things, and actually there is nothing more than form (for more physics, see elsewhere on this website).
And if you see that spirit, so the relations and the connexion, is the essence where everything turns on, then you automatically starts to pay more attention to this connexion, in society as well. This connexion now is a bit lost, I think.
On the Relational view, valuable relational politics also can be based, politics with a better eye for the purpose of all our institutions and other products, the purpose of society and being human in general as well. Because that purpose you only see when you have an eye for the relations; that purpose always is a fitting to other forms.
That purpose, the purpose of economics in general for example, now is a bit forgotten, I think. See more about that elsewhere on this website.
Does not there exist a higher knowledge then, a kind of divine insight? Just try to understand the essence of life then! It anyhow is a fitting of forms. But what kind of forms?
So far this short summary. Does this view appeal to you, then there still is lots of other subject-matter for you on this website. And do you have remarks or new ideas, please let me know. If it is a useful idea, I will mention it on this website, mention your name then as well. Because the Relational view still is new, and therefore needs to be better developed and completed, and you can help with that.
Jan Helderman
7-7-2
