Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Got it!

We are the stupidest beings of the Universe; every amoeba, every atom, every star knows its purpose and its future. We do not. All things in the Universe, except us, do everything as though they knew what they are doing. We, on the other hand, live in a constant ecstasy, from discovery to discovery, like foreigners arriving to a strange place and impressed by things which are considered ordinary by the natives. Is there any doubt for a lion chasing its prey? Is there any doubt for a star emitting energy to space? Is there any doubt for an atom blowing itself up, blowing other atoms in chain reaction and, soon, an entire city? Does it have conscience crisis? Does it ponder why is it doing what it is doing? Is it amazed by something beautiful? Unlikely.

It is no surprise we conjure up gods and myths: to explain why we are so ignorant while the rest of the Universe is not. We are special, that is a fact; but religions always thought we were superior because of it. We are not. We are the only ones with things yet to discover and so we are the only ones who ignore parts of reality. Everything else is omniscient. Everything else follows the rules of the Universe, because they are known. We do not know our laws, we do not know how or why do we function. The only law we know is that we are going to die someday; in practice, however, we live as if we did not know that law, as if it did not exist. And we try to deny it at all costs.

We believe that we are creators, that we invent things which did not exist before. Perhaps that is true; but our creativity is pale in comparison with that of the Universe; perhaps we only copy it. We are nothing more than a shell believing itself to be an ocean because of the feeble imitation of sea sound.

Someone would say the fact that we are special in our ignorance is reason enough for praise. No, it is not. The Universe, in its infinite ability to create, designed even the human mind, this vacuum of cosmic conscience.
 
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