Thursday, May 05, 2005

Just how important are people anyway?

It seems to me that the greatest problems facing most people today are feelings of impending doom caused by insecurity and confusion about their life's cosmic puspose.

As we humans are nothing more than a species of animal, like many others on this planet, its intriguing that we generally consider ourselves so superior to the rest. Mankind has often drawn conclusions about mans importance to some divine being but rarely seems to extend that same logical value to other species of animal.

The fact remains that although we are mentally superior to any other known living creature there is no actual proof of higher divinity. Accordingly our perception of the importance of humanity based on religious or moral grounds lacks support. Just because we are the best killers on Earth it does not logically follow that some mythical divine being favours us.

Being successful killers of all other forms of life doesn't make us the greatest survivors either. We can still be vanquished by all manner of 'lesser' beings. If we were visited by alien life with vastly superior intellect to ours would we suddenly alter how much we value human life? Would it suddenly be as worthless as that of domestic animals, to be quashed at a whim?

So how important is humanity in the grand cosmic scheme of things? Probably not very! Humanity is just the most colourful fungus growing on this big rock. The moment we look more than a couple of kilometers from the surface of the Earth there is virtually no evidence of humanity other than the pollution we surround ourselves with.

I think that it logically follows that if human life is incapable of affecting virtually anything not on the surface of the Earth, then our level of evolution is still primitive. To my mind this means that there is no specific cosmic purpose to anyones life other than to try and evolve to a higher level of existence. Humans only affect life on this planet and can leave no lasting or important effect on anything else.

This is great news! It means that you cannot do anything wrong (or right!) and that no matter what happens in life, fault is irrelevant. The success of our species does not depend on any single individuals actions.

So, confused about life's cosmic purpose? - There isn't one. You have as much cosmic purpose as an amoeba. Have feelings of impending doom caused by insecurity? - Firstly, doom is inevitable and won't be staved off by insecurity. Secondly, it is only our mortal cravings and the competition we face from others to satisfy those cravings which lead to insecurity.

You are responsible for your own actions. Everything changes constantly. Nothing will matter to you the day after you die.

Don't let insecurity and confusion detract from your life.