Essay 5 - Libertas – Davy
Jones
This might seem a
strange essay to include in an autobiographical collection; however, autobiographies
are not just about the physical business of living. Awareness of the way a person thinks,
reasons, and perhaps arrives at decisions completes any character
assessment. The following essay is, if
you like, an exercise in weeding out distractions to arrive at an answer. A process I usually employ is a
straight-forward - problem-solving
approach: problem-solving consists of using common, or informal methods, in
an methodical way, for finding answers to problems. Some of the problem-solving systems developed
and used in a number of disciplines are related to mental problem-solving procedures
studied in psychology. Who can use such
an approach? Are any special skills
employed? The answers are – Anyone – and
- Not Really. These days we are very
lucky; if someone is determined enough to ‘get
to the bottom’ of an ambiguity –
there’s no reason why they shouldn’t.
First, reduce the problem to its simplest components, and work forward from that simplest point. The following essay may serve as an example – prove informative – and reveal a little more about my thought and research processes…
That is on one
level. On another level entirely, the
need for the human race to grasp at straws presents an opportunity for the smart mind to control the gullible mind. With the emergence of self-awareness and the
greater thinking power of a complex human brain – physical strength alone was
no longer enough to make a leader.
It is suggested that one in ten people demonstrate leadership capabilities. Whilst all cannot be leaders – many can be ‘leaders in their field’. Opportunists abound throughout all cultures. Often the most successful survivors are the best opportunists. Those who see an opening then use it ruthlessly to further and improve their own life-style, and perhaps the life-style and chances for their own families for many generations.
* c. 2000 BC: Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel.
* c. 1200 BC: Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the Exodus.
* c. 1100 - 500 BC: Hindus compile their holy texts, the Vedas.
* c. 563 - 483 BC: Time of Buddha, founder of Buddhism.
* c. 551 - 479 BC: Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism.
* c. 200 BC: The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, is written.
* c. 2 to 4 BC - 32 AD: Time of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and founder of Christianity.
* c. 32 AD: The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
* c. 40 - 90 AD: The New Testament is written by the followers of Jesus Christ.
* c. 570 - 632 AD: Time of Muhammad, who records the Qur'an as the basis of Islam.
The origin of religion can generally be traced to the ancient Near East and classified in three basic categories: polytheistic, pantheistic and monotheistic. Atheism is really a modern belief, or perhaps more correctly, a non-religious belief system, that resulted from the logical and scientific empirical thinking of the "Enlightenment" period of the 18th century. http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-religion.htm
First, reduce the problem to its simplest components, and work forward from that simplest point. The following essay may serve as an example – prove informative – and reveal a little more about my thought and research processes…
I
strongly suspect both my parents died not knowing nor
understanding why they had been part
of this world. I also suspect this sad
prospect may be applied to the majority of the seven-billion people who inhabit
this world today. Most of us though, at some stage surely must, ‘wonder what it’s all about’, but,
rightly or wrongly, never quite formulate an answer. Questions and answers alluding to the, meaning of life, have emerged throughout
history. Many of those well thought-out
responses have been recorded worldwide in religious, philosophical and
scientific disciplines. Today, we live
at a time when both education, and an embarrassment of information is more readily
available. Thus, should we choose, anyone
might construct a reasonably informed and logical judgment on such a question.
Official responses to
the queries about – ‘the meaning of life’ or ‘why are we here’ - range from profoundly
thought out, philosophical responses, both ancient and modern, to a glut of
glib answers - mere dogma - trotted out by any number of religious or cult
organisations. The human race has
grasped at these, mostly false straws, in the hope of finding some inner peace, or some logical reason for simply ‘being’.
Anything at all, to make the related pain and joy that accompanies us
from cradle to grave, more comprehensible.
In a paper entitled -
Heavenbound A scientific
exploration – Henig, makes the following observation…‘Lost in the hullabaloo over the neo-atheists is a quieter and
potentially more illuminating debate. It
is taking place not between science and religion but within science
itself, specifically among the scientists studying the evolution of religion.
These scholars tend to agree on one point: that religious belief is an
outgrowth of brain architecture that evolved during early human history. What they disagree about is why a tendency to ‘believe’
evolved, whether it was because belief itself was adaptive or because it was
just an evolutionary by-product, a mere consequence of some other adaptation in
the evolution of the human brain.’ HENIG, 2007
The gods, or spirit
representatives, could also be seen as providing a ‘third-party’ – a ‘big brother’
– who ensured submissive compliance was rewarded, and arrogant non-compliance
was ruthlessly punished. This ‘third-party’ could also be blamed or beseeched in troubled times.
Gods were, and still are, mankind’s security blanket in troubled times! Likewise, the old remedy of basic reward and punishment – heaven and hell - are still applied in the common religions of today.
Shamanic practices held sway, and from our understanding, a philosophy similar to the Aboriginal Dream Time was adhered to, and strictly governed day-to-day living. Religion could better be described as ideology in the sense that – as with modern-day Islam – religion was the law and dictated every aspect of daily life.
Gods were, and still are, mankind’s security blanket in troubled times! Likewise, the old remedy of basic reward and punishment – heaven and hell - are still applied in the common religions of today.
Shamanic practices held sway, and from our understanding, a philosophy similar to the Aboriginal Dream Time was adhered to, and strictly governed day-to-day living. Religion could better be described as ideology in the sense that – as with modern-day Islam – religion was the law and dictated every aspect of daily life.
Prehistoric
Medicine
Medicine predating written records, evolved with the emergence of modern hominids over two-million years ago. The study of prehistoric medicines is mainly dependent on sources such as skeletons, artifacts, and cave paintings. It draws heavily on anthropological studies of indigenous cultures in Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Americas. Prehistoric people relied on a combination of religious beliefs and practical treatments, made from local materials to treat their ailments. Their anatomical knowledge appeared to be very slight, and they believed illnesses were caused by supernatural media, such as the gods or curses. Rational treatment was used only on obvious injuries; otherwise spiritual treatment was carried out by a shaman or medicine man, who received his medical ability through his relationship with the gods.
Medicine predating written records, evolved with the emergence of modern hominids over two-million years ago. The study of prehistoric medicines is mainly dependent on sources such as skeletons, artifacts, and cave paintings. It draws heavily on anthropological studies of indigenous cultures in Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Americas. Prehistoric people relied on a combination of religious beliefs and practical treatments, made from local materials to treat their ailments. Their anatomical knowledge appeared to be very slight, and they believed illnesses were caused by supernatural media, such as the gods or curses. Rational treatment was used only on obvious injuries; otherwise spiritual treatment was carried out by a shaman or medicine man, who received his medical ability through his relationship with the gods.
It is suggested that one in ten people demonstrate leadership capabilities. Whilst all cannot be leaders – many can be ‘leaders in their field’. Opportunists abound throughout all cultures. Often the most successful survivors are the best opportunists. Those who see an opening then use it ruthlessly to further and improve their own life-style, and perhaps the life-style and chances for their own families for many generations.
* c. 2000 BC: Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel.
* c. 1200 BC: Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the Exodus.
* c. 1100 - 500 BC: Hindus compile their holy texts, the Vedas.
* c. 563 - 483 BC: Time of Buddha, founder of Buddhism.
* c. 551 - 479 BC: Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism.
* c. 200 BC: The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, is written.
* c. 2 to 4 BC - 32 AD: Time of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and founder of Christianity.
* c. 32 AD: The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
* c. 40 - 90 AD: The New Testament is written by the followers of Jesus Christ.
* c. 570 - 632 AD: Time of Muhammad, who records the Qur'an as the basis of Islam.
The origin of religion can generally be traced to the ancient Near East and classified in three basic categories: polytheistic, pantheistic and monotheistic. Atheism is really a modern belief, or perhaps more correctly, a non-religious belief system, that resulted from the logical and scientific empirical thinking of the "Enlightenment" period of the 18th century. http://www.allaboutreligion.org/origin-of-religion.htm
Throughout history,
the human race has had a fascination with the ‘spiritual world’; this fascination today often borders on rabid fanaticism. This fantasy spiritual world has been created
entirely in the human psyche. It is a nebulous
world inhabited by demons, spirits, evil monsters, hobgoblins and gods
of everything; a vibrant imaginary
world, apparently holding all the answers to seemingly unanswerable questions. This world is an illusionary world, where
mankind’s incredulity can be quickly and easily satisfied and impossible
questions answered in one fell swoop.
But it certainly isn’t real! Furthermore,
such a world provides only parody, not empirical
reality.
The human race has
sometimes been described as being ‘hard-wired’ in the spiritual sense. Since the earliest times - before recorded
history – ancient peoples followed rituals, rites and ceremonies which shaped
their daily lives, and gave added meaning to their very meagre existence. Primitive mankind followed nature’s rules, performing rituals that apparently
guaranteed control of their uncontrollable environment. If their feeble efforts failed, then the
fault lay somehow within them.
The god’s were seen to be punishing mankind
for some lack of observance or failure to obey obscure – but futile, manmade
rules – invented by a shaman or similar person.
Naturally, this special person was, or in some cases still is, regarded
as being in touch with the spirit
world.
Could this be linked
to something as basic as the need for self-regulation of a mind which has the
capacity for self-awareness, and has the capacity to extrapolate beyond mere
self, into the minds of those with whom he or she shares their daily life? Certainly,
control and power, play a large part in the conundrum, even if its basis is illusionary.
Whilst prehistoric
peoples may not have employed psychologists per se, they almost certainly
employed psychology on a fundamental level.
The power of the human mind to justify itself as an individual persona, and
to promote its own selfish traits and personal welfare, over others, has in all
probability been with us before we descended from the trees. As the human
race has evolved, so too has its ability to manipulate in fact – or in fiction – the world, and those with
whom daily lives are shared. Summed up
in a few words – this amounts to little more than self-survival at any cost. Hardly an
altruistic attitude – much more to do with ensuring personal and or
familial advancement.
Understanding the
minds of the ancients is difficult from where we in the modern world sit –
perched amongst our air-conditioned branches, with full bellies and nothing but
idle thoughts, TV, or a surfeit of modern day propaganda to fill our otherwise
empty minds. Trying to inhabit the world
of prehistoric cultures from this distance is very difficult, if not impossible. The prehistoric world is inconceivable to
modern man; on a day-to-day basis it is difficult to know where to begin in
describing its workings. Discussing early
records, S. H. Preston, suggests that life expectancy from prehistoric times
until 1400 or so was in the range of 20 – 30 years - Ch. 2 Samuel H. Preston pp. 30. He goes on to say …’the most satisfactory
collection of skeletal remains is drawn from the Maghreb peninsula (North
Africa, between Egypt and the Atlantic) during the Neolithic period. This population evidently had a life
expectancy at birth of about 21 years. Its age patterns of mortality were remarkably
similar to that of modern populations at similar levels of mortality.
Whilst life
expectancy was short, the likelihood of losing a child was equally gloomy with
an average death rate before the age of five averaging around five hundred in
every thousand.
In an essay entitled,
‘The Decline of Childhood Mortality’
– (Kenneth Hill Ch. 3 pp.38). Hill, admits the difficulties involved in
retrieving accurate information from fossilized remains. However, he goes on
to discuss a more reliable method using the Theoretical
Constraints of Population Dynamics method…‘Over the long haul of pre-recorded history, the human population
survived but grew very slowly, with an average annual growth (allowing for
periodic ups and downs) of less than one per thousand. Births and deaths had to have been in very
close balance, and the net reproduction rate (number of females surviving in
the next generation to replace the mothers of one generation) must have
averaged only very slightly over 1.0.
For this to have occurred, the requirements of population dynamics
indicate that, over the long haul of prehistory, the probability of dying
before the age of five for females was probably not lower than four hundred and
forty per thousand live births and not higher than six hundred. Risks to males would have been similar or
higher.’
The environment of nomadic
hunter-gatherers peoples, whose homes were rude shelters in damp, dark
inhospitable places, would be a world of mystery and a terrifying place where
the prospect of often violent death accompanied each passing day. Little wonder such people developed an inner
desire for ‘something better’ – even
if it was in an imaginary, heavenly or spiritual form of afterlife.
In a sense, we here
in Australia are fortunate to have a first-hand view of one of the few
remaining ‘primitive religions’ to
still exist to this day – namely, the Aboriginal
Dream Time. Robyn Davidson, in a recent Quarterly Essay on nomads, sums
it up beautifully in the following paragraphs:
‘One could say that the Dreaming is a spiritual realm
which saturates the visible world with meaning; that it is the matrix of being;
that it was the time of creation; that it is a parallel universe which may be
contacted via the ritual performance of song, dance and painting; that it is a
network of stories of heroes – the forerunners and creators of contemporary
man.
During the creation period, the ancestral beings made
journeys and performed deeds; they fought, loved, hunted, behaved badly or
well, rather like the Greek gods, and where they camped or hurled spears or
gave birth, tell-tale marks were left in the earth. While creating this topography, they were
morphing constantly from animal to human and back to animal, again rather like
the Greeks. They
made separate countries, but interlaced them (related them) with their story
tracks. They created frameworks for kin
relations.
Many different ancestors created a country, by travelling
across it and meeting each other. In
that way, a particular country is shared by all creatures who live there, their
essences arising from the Dreaming, and returning to it. Some Dreamings crossed many countries,
interacting with local ones as they went, and connecting places far from each
other. Thus the pulse of life spreads,
blood-like, through the body of the continent – node/pathway, node/pathway – as
far as, and sometimes into, the sea. At
the end of that epoch, exhausted by their work, they sank back into the ground
at sacred sites, where their power remains in condensed forms.
It is not quite right, however, to say that the creation
period is in the past, because it is a past that is eternal and therefore also
present. Ancestors sink back into, but
also emerge from and pass through, sites.
In other words, an ancestor's journey, or story, became a
place, and that place holds past, present, and future simultaneously.
For traditionally oriented Aboriginal people, the
historical past lies a couple of generations back and always will. The Dreaming encompasses and
surrounds this time of living memory, which sinks into it. Time sinks into place, into Country. Each sacred site contains a potentially
limitless supply of the particular species left there by an ancestor. But in order to ensure their continued
generation, ceremonial action is required.
If this isn't done, or isn't done properly, that life-form will
eventually disappear [a term Aboriginal people call ‘Looking after Country]’. Children, too, are born from the ancestor's
spirit which arises out of its place to impregnate a woman. Such children belong to and have
responsibility for that place, and will return to it after death, so that its
life potential isn't dissipated. Not
only did the mythical ancestors give the world its shape, they imbued it with
moral and social structures – handing down laws whereby all humans have
intrinsic value and a share of goods. Living
by these laws invigorates the life-force surging and burgeoning through the
land. In fact, to sing a ritual song is
to move that ancestor along through the land.
Earth is sacred, sentient stuff; it is not a counterpoint to heaven. Heaven and earth are embedded together, on
the same plane. A country is saturated
in consciousness. It recognizes and
responds to people. It depends on
people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_%28spirituality%29 NO FIXED ADDRESS: Nomads and the Fate of the Planet
- Robyn Davidson
The questions
themselves – questions such as: why does the sun shine – why do we die – what
is death – why do the seasons change – is there life after death (or why am I
afraid of death) – all stem from a mind that is capable ‘self-awareness’; a
mind capable of communication and exchanging high level thought processes with
other ‘like-minds’.
The philosopher,
Protagoras, 484
- 414
B.C. when asked about the existence of God replied that his faculties were too
limited to take him to a conclusion on that matter and his life too short for
the necessary search. He later said that
God existed for those who believed in God. (de Bono 1993 – pp.20)
In essence, the ‘requirement’
for a spiritual world offers an escape from the harsh world of reality. It also offers a multitude of instant answers
to questions beyond the rational thought of the time. The spiritual world fills many ‘perceived’
inner needs – not least amongst them the need to avoid or ‘survive’ death – or
to have a meaningful spiritual existence
after death. It can be deduced that fear
of death led to the creation of ‘another
world’ – a world inhabited by beings or creatures capable of not only
surviving death but of not even being subjected to the same physical cosmic strictures
as mere flesh and blood.
Science
Daily (Oct. 29, 2004), discussed how the fear of
death affects people’s political choices.
Whilst this study is related to modern day political choices, I suggest
the basic hypothesis applies equally to our prehistoric cousins:
‘This
research is based on the idea that reminders of death increase the need for
psychological security and therefore the appeal of leaders who emphasize the
greatness of the nation and a heroic victory over evil.
To
test this hypothesis, Jeff Greenberg, a professor of psychology at the
University Arizona in Tucson, Sheldon Solomon (Skidmore College) and Tom
Pyszczynski, (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs) and their colleagues
conducted an experiment that is scheduled to appear in the December 2004 issue
of Psychological Science. For
their current research, the scientists asked students to think about their own
death or a control topic and then read campaign statements of three
hypothetical political candidates, each with a different leadership style:
"charismatic" (i.e. those emphasizing greatness of the nation and a
heroic victory over evil, as described above), task-oriented or
relationship-oriented.
Following
a reminder of death, there was almost an eight hundred percent increase in
votes for the charismatic leader, but no increase for the two other candidates.
"At
a theoretical level," the authors wrote, "this study adds to the
large body of empirical evidence attesting to the pervasive influence of
reminders of death on a wide range of human activities.
These
findings fit particularly well with prior studies showing how mortality
salience leads people toward individuals, groups, and actions that can help
enhance their self-esteem. People want to identify with special,
great things, and charismatic leaders typically offer the promise of just
that.’
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041027141726.htm
All organised religions
had a beginning – originating with one man or woman; a person who sat amongst
others – perhaps freezing cold and uncomfortable – a person who sat and studied
others. This was a person who had an
idea and was prepared to offer that idea to others. Maybe in some cases it was simply a thought,
spoken openly, rather than some great design or plan to take over the minds of
others. Perhaps more than one person was
responsible for the further development of a belief. Maybe, as often happens, the belief was
linked to some quirk of nature – ‘we have
done something wrong – it has rained non-stop for a month – the gods must be
angry with us’. This type of
thinking suggests immediately that if ‘we
are good’, then, ‘the gods will stop
being angry with us and the rain will cease’. The sun will reappear and all will be
well. So, if ‘we’ as a group do try to mend our ways – and magically the sun
reappears – we are ‘obviously’ onto
something big! The same concept fits in
with the characteristic humans have towards mass hysteria – and primitive
mindlessness, which is often more obvious amongst our closest primate relatives
– with whom we sadly still share many savage behaviours.
The idea might appear
simplistic, but given that living conditions for many thousands of years, and
indeed in many parts of the world to this day, are basic, to say the least, it
is hardly surprising the thought of being able to control one’s ultimate
destiny holds such great appeal. Life is
a truly hard road for many and at the end of that pain-filled road awaits only
death. No wonder the human race looks
for an improved and more appealing outcome.
Origin of Religion - Important Dates in History:
Origin of Religion -
Ancient Foundations
The very life of the community
depends upon observing the conventions of communication. The function of a
religion is precisely to guarantee the whole system of convention, or the rules
of thought and language, conduct and role. For Judaism and Christianity, the idea of
salvation is inseparable from the idea of belonging to a community of so-called
chosen people or elite, that is, the
Church, considered as a body of members, or an assembly (Latin ecclesia), whether it be Israel or the communion of saints.
© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Religious salvation is
basically the idea of incorporation in a divine community through conformity to
the will of God. In the later phases of the Semitic tradition, salvation began
to include the idea of survival beyond death, first through miraculous
resurrection of the body and later, as a result of Greek influences, by virtue
of the inherent immortality of the soul. Salvation, however, remained subordinate to
and conditional upon membership in the divine community. After death, those who
remain unincorporated are spiritual outcasts consigned, for example, to the
Judaic Gehenna, the Christian Hell, or the Islamic Iblis. On the other hand,
salvation beyond death is conceived of as being a state of the most intimate
union with God, in which, however, the distinct individual personality of each
member is preserved.
© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
So, as demonstrated thus far,
the whole issue is extremely complex.
However, that complexity consists of a miasma of mostly manmade
garbage. Strip away the nonsense and we
are we left with little of anything with real substance! Taking a different view, based more on a
scientific approach, it is easy enough to develop a framework that doesn’t
require gods, or any spiritual exploitation.
However, whilst lengthy, the so-called explanations thus far, allied with ‘the meaning(s) of life,’ or ‘why
are we here,’ show how easy it is to be bamboozled by waffle. Such waffle is created, not by ‘experts’, but
by those with their own agenda(s). If we
now apply our problem solving technique and simplify the notion – and in the
process, define the model at its most basic level – perhaps we will come up
with some sort of logical conclusion.
Whatever that conclusion, it won’t include spirits or gods. Nor will our conclusion elevate the human
race to a comparative god-like condition.
So, back to the original
question: What is the meaning of
life? Straight away, under our
self-imposed simplification process, we find ourselves running into some very
specific requirements. In the first
place, we should be asking ourselves things like: What is life? Whose ‘life’
are we actually talking about – human life or other forms? Once we start to address those questions –
others will arise in a logical order.
Applying some
serious thought to - 'the meaning of life' let us first try
to define what exactly life is. Each of us would possibly come up with a
different answer, but that matters not.
The following sentence is my condensed elucidation…
Life is
primarily a chemical reproductive vehicle, expressly adapted to survive and
thrive within an explicit environment. To
clarify – by ‘life’ – I refer to all living things – from the smallest
microorganism - to the largest known
life-form.
For those not
fully conversant with the history of life on this planet, perhaps we should
first recap on what is known about ‘life’
on Earth.
The Hadean Era
takes us back some 4000 million years, when Earth was, as the name suggests,
like Hades. The actual period,
designated the Hadean, started with Earth’s formation 4.5 billion years ago,
until 3.8 billion years ago. Still
semi-molten and nothing resembling the planet or atmosphere we know today; the
Earth could hardly have been considered conducive to supporting life at all. Nevertheless, geologists studying ancient
sediments in Greenland found traces of possible organic carbon, which might be
evidence enough to suggest the possibility of a form of photosynthetic life
already emerging - even in that hostile
environment. We today associate
photosynthesis with plant life and green leaves, however, if some early form of
photosynthetic life had emerged in the Hadean Era, it would almost certainly
have been anoxygenic (non-oxygen developing). From this snippet of information start to
consider ‘life’ as a form of CHEMICAL REACTION linked to the conversion of
energy.
Moving only a
short jump forward to three-and-a-half billion years ago – just into the Achaean
Era, circa 3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago – the oldest beautifully formed fossils from
this period were recently found by scientists working in the Western Australian
Pilbara region. These fossils take the
form of tiny weblike patterns, which date back 3.49 billion years. Essentially fossilized bacterial remains, the
weblike forms existed at a time when Earth’s atmosphere was practically oxygen
free. Such life forms may well have been
the original contributors to the life-giving gas – oxygen – we breathe
today. Whilst an important point in
itself – it should also be realised here that such primitive life – IS WITHOUT
DOUBT OUR UNIVERSAL COMMON
ANCESTOR! Everything considered to be a
– living thing – descended from one such basic primitive life form.
Point ONE then is
– all life originated as some form of self-replicating, bacteriological,
molecule! For those wishing to do their
own research – perhaps begin with something like: Molecular paleontology and
complexity in the last eukaryotic common ancestor - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23895660
Geological ‘time’
is only really outdone by cosmological time.
These expanses of time are truly far beyond human imagination. Modern humans, you might recall, have only
been around for an estimated two-hundred thousand (200,000) years. That is the blink of an eye compared to the
billions of years under discussion.
The period of
Earth's history named, the Proterozoic ("Early Life") Era, began 2.5
billion years ago and ended 542 million years ago. Whilst these geological periods are
sub-divided into shorter periods, for the purpose of this essay, the major eras
will serve as a guide. Life during the
Proterozoic was thought only to exist in the oceans and it is likely that about
1.7 billion years ago, from this still microbial life, the first single-celled creatures
with a real nucleus appeared. Some 30
million years before the end of the Proterozoic Era, however, the first
multi-celled creatures started to emerge.
Up until then – life was still microscopic, but, in the process of
living, such life also produced the gas – oxygen – which, ironically, as a gas,
would have been toxic to such life.
Also, during this geological period, the climate went through vast
extremes of heat and cold.
In addition, plate
tectonics ensured even the shape of the land mass itself changed beyond
recognition; whilst difficult to
envisage, Earth itself has undergone reversals in magnetic polarity over these enormous
geological periods. I add these few
facts simply to impress upon the reader – we are not talking in terms of normal
human comprehension.
Having created an
outline of the existence of chemical life
in its most basic form, it is now time to move on to creating a hypothesis of
how such basic life became as complex as it is today. I’ll admit, I have the luxury of saying what
I like, without too much consideration to the known facts. However, being well-read and not without
imagination, allows some poetic license which may well be nearer to the truth
than not! For the reader, I am assuming
some prior knowledge of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, and hopefully some
additional contemporary information which confirms the, so-called, theory.
Life, having got
started in whatever god forsaken corner of the Hadean environment, faced many
challenges. Initially, the environment
which allowed for life’s replication
processes to begin was obviously extremely limited. REPLICATION
and REPLICATOR are two words that are
important in this whole process.
Note: Also see
- crystal replication and others.
As planet Earth
evolved and stabilized, so too did its atmosphere and overall environment. Although again, I would remind the reader,
Earth’s environment and atmosphere has changed many, many times, and during
those times has suited some ‘life forms’
more than others. This fact alone is
central to my hypothesis, for I maintain that we today have the wrong mind-set
when we think about ‘life’!
That microbial
replication process which began so long ago – is exactly the same process in
action to this day! The only variable
that has changed IS the environment! It is these massive changes in environment
that has produced the wide variety of sentient life forms on Earth today. It is worth bearing in mind however, that 99%
of all species ever to exist are in fact now extinct. It is thought that anywhere between one and
four billion species of life form may have existed over geological time. Today, whilst many life forms admittedly remain
uncatalogued, the number of viable life forms is estimated to be only 8.7
million!
My hypothesis then
is simply this – LIFE per se – is a replicating chemical system that requires a
very specific environment. What we today
call ‘a body’ or a ‘tree’ or any other ‘living thing’ – is in fact a closed
environment in which ‘life’ can exist – and continue to safely replicate.
As ‘life’ moved
out from those rare Hadean environments where it first existed – it very slowly
developed its own closed system (body) that allowed it to ‘feed’ – from its
surrounding environment. These mutations
continued in an adaptive sense over millennia – becoming ever more complex as
the availability and variety of sustenance also increased.
Nature doesn't
care what receptacle carries life. Its ‘vehicle’ can have no legs, two legs,
three - four - six or eight. It may be capable
of surviving in the depths of the oceans or on the tops of mountains. It may even survive in the deepest rock or
the darkest cavern. Provided the
receptacle can draw enough nourishment from its environment to maintain and
regenerate itself, the vehicle will remain a practical entity. Life
itself isn't too fussy either, it has no special preference for location -
other than being in a sustainable locality that both protects and nourishes it. Life
is incapable of intelligent thought; life
see no beauty nor feels fear. 'Life' or the concept of life, is just a word created by humans. The
word simply describes a ‘chemical aberration’,
which is in fact parasitic and reliant on a favourable environment for survival.
So – Point TWO – Life in general doesn’t have any intellectual
meaning! And that, unfortunately for
those who think it should, includes human life – that is, as far as nature is
concerned!
The only ‘reason’ we humans are here is because WE have adapted to the current
environment and successfully carry life
forward in time.
Again we have
reached a crucial juncture in our discussion.
The original questions needs refining perhaps to: What is the meaning of human life? What is its purpose? These are question that relate more to human
intellectual abilities and their associated cultural outcomes. What do humans
achieve in their lifetime – is a very
different question and opens up an entirely different area of discussion. As far as mother nature is concerned, once we
have ‘regenerated’ – had a family AND
REPLICATED – we have fulfilled our purpose, and are surplus to
requirements. Once our physical bodies
become inefficient at converting energy – or incapable even of that task – we
die. Whilst our bodies remain able to CARRY LIFE and have the remotest chance
of enhancing LIFE’S continuance, in nature’s eyes, we are useful. Other than that – as they say in the cartoons
–
THAT’S ALL
FOLKS…
In concluding, just
a few thoughts to consider. Humans like
stories with 'safe endings'. Whether it
be a book, a film or an oral rendition, the ending must always be 'warm and
fuzzy'. Tales that end in a bad way
leave feelings of great unease - of sadness, frustration and
disappointment. No matter how good the
story was, a 'bad ending' will 'spoil the story'.
Here then lies one
often overlooked reason for the human proclivity to hanker after the spiritual
and religious explanations - the offer of an end, not in the irrevocability of
death - but in a new beginning. The
average human mind, it seems, is not good at coping with the less pleasant
realities of life. After all, who in
their right mind would dream of dying in a car crash, or being blown apart by a
terrorist's bomb. Who indeed considers
laying for months – or longer, often in severe pain, awaiting the
unavoidable. Who considers a life which
will end in some form of senile dementia; a state in which one forgets all
those family and loved ones, and indeed their own ‘self’. Such a vegetative state is ever more common
as physical life is extended, but science fails to keep pace with the
consequences of extended aging. Every
day - without fail - this is the very real fate suffered by many around the
world.
In physics we are
led to believe all matter is energy –
everything in the universe is or was energy in one form or another. All matter must at some point return to being
energy in its purest form – this stands to reason. Atoms are forever…