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.

3 comments:

Laoziano said...

"YOU are the stupidest being of the universe and all the universes beyond imagination". Before you get pissed of (or start to disgustedly puke your fast-tuna breakfast on your 100% cotton made pink-promotional t-shirt), an essential explanation is needed: according to the tao philosophy, not even that minimal conclusion about your mental habilities could ever be true: every single being on the face of the Great Mother Earth has it's appropriated and magical purpose. It's not necessary TO KNOW it. It knows itself, streaming great knowledges through the invisibles straits of Life. The only thing you have to do is to watch your ass moving, in the free manner of wine... (?) Reasoning is out of question here. "Cause is so hard to see, Egg'brain'man Walrus?".

William Walrus said...

Everything is special and purposeful? Sure, I won't even try to reason against that; there's no way to reason with aesthetic (un)truths.

Purpose is a human need derived from the awareness of death, as well as from poor, Matrix-led comprehension of oriental philosophy (I'm not accusing YOU of that, but the West as a whole). To assume that the Universe has a purpose is to assume it thinks and dies like a lowly human.

Our purpose may be that of making beauty even more beautiful with our ugliness; to make the truth even truer with our lies; the light even brighter against the shadows we cast. Maybe we are special in our way too, yes, like the grim ferryman who connects Earth and Beyond.

William Attenborough said...

Surely thine comments are nothing but a jest, perfidious man of the eggs? Doth the Universe contain beings it doth not wish to contain?

The wheels of prophecy e'er turn. A noble friend of mine once asked whether 'twas nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles. My answer was that one should follow the strings woven by the Gods and try not to move astray.

I pray thee: do not try and reinvent the wheel of time. Such heights are not becoming of lowly walruses.

 
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