The search for meaning in one’s life is one of the most complex and scariest questions that an able-minded human can approach. It is a humbling quest for self-examination and introspection at a level that only mature minds can handle. It is, however, a responsibility that consciousness has bestowed upon us.
Apathy has struck Western civilization’s quest to fulfill this responsibility. We see it in our bodies. We see it in our minds. We see it in our love. Individuals have no inherent responsibility towards their world, because they do not understand their own place within it. This is due in part to our individual duties as humans being disregarded for things like materialism and other empty quests that can never be truly fulfilled. We have stopped looking for who we are and should be, because we are too busy thinking about who we would like to be.
As a species, we have the biological responsibility to reproduce and continue the circle of life. No other species on Earth has ever had the cognitive ability to realize this fact, apart from a base instinct hidden within them over billions of years. Consciousness is one of the greatest gifts of evolution. It has allowed us not only become the reigning species on our beautiful planet, but more importantly to realize that we are actually at the helm.
To compare, let’s imagine being a dinosaur on top of the food chain. Apart from the instinct to eat and to reproduce, life for a dinosaur was most likely an empty pursuit for the next day. They lacked the “je ne sais quoi” that allowed consciousness to wake up within our minds, a uniquely human attribute that elevates us within cosmic kingdom.
Coincidentally, we are the only species to have developed a belief in a higher power. This was an important gap-filler as we did not (and still don’t really) understand how that consciousness awoke. Even today, many individuals get highly defensive when this evolutionary blanket is called out for exactly what it is.
That, in and of itself, is not worthy of scorn. The great Space Priests like Carl Sagan understood that scorning this was not the way to improve our species. The key is through education and exploration of our own consciousness.
Unfortunately, although we are in a time of great technological advancement, our spiritual endeavours have been blockaded by the apathy that has struck the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This is but a bump in the great development of one of the most beautiful stories in the universe. The story of humans. Our story. Your story.
We face many challenges today, from the obvious physical problems related to obesity due to a number of environmental factors for which humans were not ready, to hate and violence by a number of extremists around the world who are not comfortable with where the global consciousness is going.
Being human means to accept that we live within this reality. Our minds are a product of biology, also within this reality, and ultimately the entire story of how we ended up here will be mapped. It is the responsibility of today’s philosophers to help people understand why we are special in the universe. Religion gives humans a special place within the cosmos, and it is true. We are special. However, it should be our quest to find out why we are special.
To accept stories that are millennia of years old contain the ultimate answers to life, the universe and everything, is disingenuous to the work of every human that has helped us arrive where we are today. It is our responsibility, as humans, to continue the search for our tiny place within the never-ending cosmos that surrounds us.
That is what it means to be human. The search for meaning in our own lives, and the lives of everyone who surrounds us is the most important spiritual endeavour that humans must undertake to achieve self-actualization. Petty fights and shiny things are a product of our imperfections.
Humans are not perfect creatures. This is the root of the quest for meaning, as it gives us direction for how to improve. Of course, the top of the perfection pyramid is something we will never reach. However, it is possible to aim as high as the best human you can imagine.
The twenty first century is seeing a revival of the spiritual awakening that slowed down during the era of two massive world wars. Again, these were the product of our imperfections and a chain of unfortunate events. But this randomness, although it can lead to terrible evil, has led to where we are today. The amazing heights that humanity increases daily are also a product of this wonderful randomness in our universe.
Even though we don’t quite know yet how come our minds woke up, or how abiogenesis happened, it is part of our responsibility as a product of this randomness to find out. Historical texts like the Bible are important parts of the story of humanity. However, we must continue to write our story and cannot allow the apathy that has crawled all around us to stop us in our tracks.
We are writing this story now. Everyone is part of it. What role do you want to play?
Apathy has struck Western civilization’s quest to fulfill this responsibility. We see it in our bodies. We see it in our minds. We see it in our love. Individuals have no inherent responsibility towards their world, because they do not understand their own place within it. This is due in part to our individual duties as humans being disregarded for things like materialism and other empty quests that can never be truly fulfilled. We have stopped looking for who we are and should be, because we are too busy thinking about who we would like to be.
As a species, we have the biological responsibility to reproduce and continue the circle of life. No other species on Earth has ever had the cognitive ability to realize this fact, apart from a base instinct hidden within them over billions of years. Consciousness is one of the greatest gifts of evolution. It has allowed us not only become the reigning species on our beautiful planet, but more importantly to realize that we are actually at the helm.
To compare, let’s imagine being a dinosaur on top of the food chain. Apart from the instinct to eat and to reproduce, life for a dinosaur was most likely an empty pursuit for the next day. They lacked the “je ne sais quoi” that allowed consciousness to wake up within our minds, a uniquely human attribute that elevates us within cosmic kingdom.
Coincidentally, we are the only species to have developed a belief in a higher power. This was an important gap-filler as we did not (and still don’t really) understand how that consciousness awoke. Even today, many individuals get highly defensive when this evolutionary blanket is called out for exactly what it is.
That, in and of itself, is not worthy of scorn. The great Space Priests like Carl Sagan understood that scorning this was not the way to improve our species. The key is through education and exploration of our own consciousness.
Unfortunately, although we are in a time of great technological advancement, our spiritual endeavours have been blockaded by the apathy that has struck the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This is but a bump in the great development of one of the most beautiful stories in the universe. The story of humans. Our story. Your story.
We face many challenges today, from the obvious physical problems related to obesity due to a number of environmental factors for which humans were not ready, to hate and violence by a number of extremists around the world who are not comfortable with where the global consciousness is going.
Being human means to accept that we live within this reality. Our minds are a product of biology, also within this reality, and ultimately the entire story of how we ended up here will be mapped. It is the responsibility of today’s philosophers to help people understand why we are special in the universe. Religion gives humans a special place within the cosmos, and it is true. We are special. However, it should be our quest to find out why we are special.
To accept stories that are millennia of years old contain the ultimate answers to life, the universe and everything, is disingenuous to the work of every human that has helped us arrive where we are today. It is our responsibility, as humans, to continue the search for our tiny place within the never-ending cosmos that surrounds us.
That is what it means to be human. The search for meaning in our own lives, and the lives of everyone who surrounds us is the most important spiritual endeavour that humans must undertake to achieve self-actualization. Petty fights and shiny things are a product of our imperfections.
Humans are not perfect creatures. This is the root of the quest for meaning, as it gives us direction for how to improve. Of course, the top of the perfection pyramid is something we will never reach. However, it is possible to aim as high as the best human you can imagine.
The twenty first century is seeing a revival of the spiritual awakening that slowed down during the era of two massive world wars. Again, these were the product of our imperfections and a chain of unfortunate events. But this randomness, although it can lead to terrible evil, has led to where we are today. The amazing heights that humanity increases daily are also a product of this wonderful randomness in our universe.
Even though we don’t quite know yet how come our minds woke up, or how abiogenesis happened, it is part of our responsibility as a product of this randomness to find out. Historical texts like the Bible are important parts of the story of humanity. However, we must continue to write our story and cannot allow the apathy that has crawled all around us to stop us in our tracks.
We are writing this story now. Everyone is part of it. What role do you want to play?
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