The Violence of Comfort: On Natural Law, Social Division, and the Cost of Inherited Power
How Humanity’s Detour from Nature Fuels Division and Protects the Few
Author’s Note
The essay you are about to read explores a difficult paradox: how the pursuit of comfort can, over time, harden into systems of indifferent exclusion and inherited advantage. Drawing from reflections on Natural Law, human history, sociology, and the fractures of our present moment, The Violence of Comfort asks us to look directly at the costs of what many consider stability or “normalcy.”
This is not an abstract exercise. When social arrangements contradict deeper universal principles, they perpetuate division and quietly pass harm across generations. The challenge before us during our current zeitgeist is not only to name these contradictions, but to summon the courage to step beyond them.
I offer this piece as an invitation to readers who sense that our current structures are neither inevitable nor permanent. There is another way to live—rooted in alignment with Natural Law, in solidarity rather than separation.
There is a deep, often undisturbed tension at the heart of human civilization—a tension between what is natural and what has been constructed. One need only observe the widening divisions between peoples, the hardening of ideological lines, and the quiet, persistent normalization of marginalization to see that something is unquestionably amiss. While we, as a species, are governed by the same universal principles that guide stars and seasons, many of the systems we have built to make sense of and navigate our Human-Derived world seem to operate in open defiance of these laws.
To live in comfort is not a crime. But to live in inherited comfort—without examination, gratitude, or accountability—is to live at the expense of others. It is to sit upon a throne of illusions, indifferent to the reality that such comfort was built on foundations extracted, exploited, or outright stolen. For those secure in this inheritance, the notion that society should shift—that structures of privilege should be dismantled—often feels not like justice, but like loss. This is the root of cognitive dissonance when such individuals confront calls for change on behalf of the collective good. And so they resist. At times, that resistance has turned violent, as in the aftermath of the 14th Amendment, ratified on 9 July 1868, when the extension of citizenship and equal protection to Black Americans was met with fierce backlash from many white Americans. This resistance did not arise because they were inherently evil, but because they were conditioned—conditioned to see equity not as the fulfilment of order, but as its undoing.
The Inheritance of Distance
Those who benefit most from the current arrangement of society often claim to have no part in its maintenance. They speak of history as if it were ancient, irrelevant. But marginalization is not history—it is structure. It is a built environment, designed and reinforced not only by legislation and policy, but by silence, inertia, and the comforting illusion of meritocracy. The 14th Amendment sought to extend recognition and protection to those long excluded—citizens who were neither white nor male landowners. For many, however, that recognition was a bridge too far. Even to this day, the persistent belief in personal loss shadows every advance toward collective equity.
The deeper question becomes: What does one lose in the long run by clinging to an advantage that disconnects them from the rest of the human family? The answer, I suspect, is integrity of self. When one builds a life on exclusion—whether inherited or maintained—there is a silent spiritual erosion. The longer one holds fast to comfort at the expense of others, the more fragile becomes one’s grasp on truth, on solidarity, and on the evolutionary thrust toward unity. And in many cases, this erosion manifests physically, emerging as symptoms that cannot be ignored for long.
And still, many refuse to see. Because to see would require change. And change, especially change that threatens one’s worldview or privilege, feels like annihilation. But this resistance is not merely fear—it is an act of violence. A violence of disengagement. A violence of entitlement. A violence of refusal to reconcile the self with the shared fabric of reality—Oneness.
The Call to Reconnection
This is not a hopeless indictment. If you know me—or have followed my reflections and videos for some time now—you already understand it is quite the opposite. It is a call, an invitation to remember that behind all social constructions lies Natural Law: an order not imposed, but both present and emergent. Natural Law does not recognize race, gender, or class as determinants of worth. It does not sanctify borders or celebrate dominion. It speaks, instead, in the language of coherence, reciprocity, and balance.
From all I have learned and experienced over the last three decades, I have come to wholeheartedly believe that to live in alignment with Natural Law is to reject systems that divide and exploit. It is to embrace a different measure of success—not wealth, but well-being; not dominance, but dignity. It is to dismantle the inner scaffolding of supremacy and rebuild on foundations of shared humanity and mutual reverence.
This is where the Seven Layers of Manifestation provide both a compass and a map—a sequence of recognitions and actions that move us from the violence of inherited comfort toward the harmony of Natural Law. As I have previously shared, this framework surfaced during a meditation following my dissertation defense in the fall of 2023. It became so present and persistent in my awareness that I was compelled to craft its first depiction and later deliver a talk on it at Masonic Con in 2024. The questions and conversations that followed confirmed what I sensed: the framework resonated, deeply.
Layer One – Pure Consciousness
At the foundation of all experience lies Pure Consciousness: the silent, unchanging field from which all life emerges. In this field, equality is not an aspiration but an inherent reality—indivisible, beyond distortion. A society grounded here would honour direct experience over inherited dogma, cultivating awareness as the starting point for civic and personal life. Meditation, contemplation, and silence would be treated as technologies of insight, fostering humility over performance. From this layer, the illusion that some are inherently worth more than others dissolves; every structure, policy, and relationship would be measured against this irreducible truth.
Layer Two – Universal and Natural Laws
Flowing from Pure Consciousness are immutable principles—harmony, balance, reciprocity, cause-and-effect—that govern both the seen and unseen. Just as gravity does not require belief, Natural Law operates regardless of our awareness of either its presence or functioning. In a society aligned with this layer, ecological and ethical considerations would shape governance. Climate action would be a duty, not a debate. Justice would be guided by equity and sustainability, not special interest. On the personal level, this means recognising when inherited comfort violates these laws and accepting the responsibility to restore balance.
Layer Three – The Phenomenal World
This is the manifest world of land, oceans, ecosystems, and all living beings—the shared home in which human life unfolds. In a sober-minded culture, the phenomenal world is read as a reflection of Natural Law, not as a resource to be dominated. Scientific inquiry and the arts would be celebrated as twin interpreters of truth. Here, privilege is confronted by the undeniable interdependence of life; inherited advantage is revealed as fragile when separated from ecological and communal health.
Layer Four – Human Consciousness
Here resides belief, perception, memory, and meaning—the interface between the personal and the collective. Consciousness literacy in this layer means recognizing inherited narratives, interrogating bias, and dismantling mental scaffolding that upholds systems of exclusion. Emotional intelligence becomes a civic virtue. Social media and public discourse would privilege depth over spectacle, and empathy would be understood as a strength that unites rather than a sentiment that divides.
Layer Five – The Human-Derived World
At this layer we encounter the systems we have built—governments, markets, schools, economies, and infrastructures of justice. In alignment with Natural Law, these would be constructed not from fear or dominance, but from presence, coherence, and an understanding of well-being as the measure of progress. For those in inherited comfort, this layer demands an active choice: to transform institutions from tools of preservation into instruments of repair and mutual uplift.
Layer Six – Constructed Realities
Here live the inherited scripts we mistake for truth—race, gender norms, nationalism, economic value systems, etc. In a conscious society, these would be studied, challenged, and, where deemed harmful, revised or discarded. Rather than clinging to constructs that protect privilege, individuals and societies would closely examine their origins, acknowledging the harm they perpetuate. History would be taught from multiple vantage points, theology and science would converse, and myths once used for division would become tools for refinement.
Layer Seven – Outcomes (Non-Local Influence)
This final layer reflects the outcomes of collective imagination, intention, and influence—rippling both locally and beyond the visible. In alignment with Natural Law, these outcomes shape conditions for a Consciousness-Based Society: one not governed by scarcity or fear, but animated by unity, reciprocity, and shared stewardship. The shift from inherited comfort to conscious alignment here becomes more than personal—it becomes a contribution to the evolutionary arc of humanity itself.
To deliberately walk these layers is to engage in an act of reclamation—not of status or possession, but of self. It is to remember that comfort without connection is an illusion, and that security purchased at the cost of another’s dignity is, in the end, insecurity by another name but insecurity all the same.
This is the journey ahead—not for some, but for all. And the cost of refusing the call is not just continued division. It is the forfeiture of the evolutionary opportunity of our time: the realisation of a Consciousness-Based Society. A world not governed by fear or scarcity, but by the innate intelligence of Unity. It is within. It is our birthright. And bringing it to fruition is, dare I say, our responsibility.
So, let’s get to work!
Suggested Practice: Reconnecting with Natural Law
Silent Observation (5 minutes)
Sit quietly and observe your breath. Let your awareness expand beyond your body to include the natural order around you—the rhythm of your breath, the beating of your heart, the sounds of life outside your window.Reflective Writing (10 minutes)
Journal on the question: Where in my life have I built comfort at the expense of connection? Consider whether this comfort has distanced you from others, or from deeper alignment with Natural Law.Reframing Success (5 minutes)
Write down three measures of success not tied to wealth, status, or dominance. Examples: well-being, dignity, mutual reverence, coherence, balance. Keep this list visible as a daily reminder.
Guiding Thought:
To live in alignment with Natural Law is to choose connection over division, dignity over dominance, and reciprocity over entitlement.
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Dr. Baruti KMT-Sisouvong is a consciousness scholar, executive coach, and Certified Teacher of Transcendental Meditation® based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His work—spanning the Model for Perpetual Growth and Progress and the Seven Layers of Manifestation framework—explores how Pure Consciousness, neuroscience, and social systems transformation intersect in the evolution of both the individual and society. Alongside his wife, Mina, he co-directs the Cambridge and Metropolitan Boston TM Program, where they have taught thousands the art and science of meditation.
An author of several forthcoming works on the future of consciousness in an age shaped by technology, he writes and teaches from the conviction that the most important race is not between nations or machines, but between the conditioned mind and the awakening soul. They are the proud parents of four children. To learn more about him, visit: https://www.barutikmtsisouvong.com/.