Perspective

To put things into perspective, it’s best to start with listing out some (currently) known and accepted facts and premises.

1. We think the universe began with The Big Bang. We don’t really know what was before it, or if the universe we are experiencing and living in right now has a defined termination point, but we’re pretty sure it all started with the Big Bang.
2. From there, the basic principle has been of matter organising itself in more and more complex ways: sub-particles such as super strings, quarks and other such types forming into protons, neutrons, photons and electrons. The latter into atoms. Atoms into molecules, molecules into macro molecules, such as proteins. Then finally into one of the most complex compound we know — DNA and RNA, which are at the base of all known life on Earth. A highly organised and structured compound — molecules stuck together in a very ordered fashion. Compounds then gave rise to single cell organisms… You know the rest.
3. Humanity, possessing the largest brain on Earth has organised itself into the most complex structure that we call civilisation — always striving for more. More population, technology, automation, energy, money, material possessions, land ownership and so on. As well as the drive to understanding of the world around us. The drive is intrinsic to human nature and manifests itself in different ways.
4. Humans, all life and all non living things are still made of matter — molecules, atoms and electrons. Organised in different levels of complexity.
5. The universe is infinite to the point where humanity is unable to grasp the scale of such a concept. There is an infinite number of stars and planets out there.

There have been arguments, works and scientific papers, which say that civilisation is simply matter organising itself in an even more complex way.

The biggest core principle we still completely fail to explain is what drives all this matter to organise itself into increasingly complex structures.

We also cannot explain what drives us to keep asking questions, what drives our curiosity.

Materialistic needs, needs to amass wealth, land, possessions are easy to explain and all stem from our basic survival and procreation programming from the caveman days. But why were we or any other creatures programmed this way? These basic instincts are all observed in all organic life — humanity being technologically aided and organised into very complex and specialised roles and functions still has to satisfy those instincts. Without much education focussing on mindfulness, introspective, self-analysis and thought-out — vs reactive and instinctive — behaviour, many act out still driven by the same underlying instinct, but within the framework of civilisation and society.

With all this in mind, the point of the fact is that we are all still just matter. Matter, organised in a complex way, striving to keep organising itself further. Humanity might survive long enough to spread to other planets and solar systems, perhaps galaxies. It might give raise to another “species” — intelligent machines.

Since matter organises itself — I struggle with the distinction between “normal” and “artificial” intelligence.

The general pattern being, that there is nothing special about humanity or other life, or Earth, for that matter on one hand.

Humanity are neither freaks abusing and perverting life on Earth, nor does it have any special moral responsibility to preserve other life. Humanity will either make itself extinct through its actions or it will not. Earth will either have a dip in its abundance and recover in a few million years or become a desolate desert like Mars.

Ail this — does not matter either way because it is all still just atoms clumped together and they will clump or “unclump” — driven by forces we don’t understand.

What does matter is our relationship with the world and how we interact wth it, how we relate to it, how it and our actions towards it make us feel.

We can either choose to act so that we’re stressed, unhappy and sad, or we can choose actions, which make us happy and content. I don’t mean short term gratification, such as eating cakes and chocolate, having sex all the time, watching too much TV or playing computer games, or amassing material possessions such as super cars, clothes and so on. This sort of behaviour still leaves us empty, hollow, unhappy deep down and with a constant feeling of something missing.

I am talking about finding a life, which most of the time allows us to be content, fulfilled and feeling like life has some meaning and purpose — and feeling stressed, oppressed, trapped — as little as possible. Could be art, could be volunteering, could be teaching, sports, preservation an conservation work — you get the idea.

I personally prefer the latter. It’s harder, requires discipline, focus on the long term reward and delayed gratification mindset and very often fighting instinct — but in the long run it’s worth it. I’ve tried both, and the gratification approach just does not work. It runs out and you end up in a dark hole.

The choice is slightly paradoxical, because — by some people’s argument — if we’re all atoms, what does it matter what we do? Might as well just do nothing.

I think the point is that “you might as well go with the flow”. I mean universe-based “go with the flow”, not social. Water does not get upset that it flows this or that way. A mountain does not fight it’s formation or shape or where it stands. Humans have a brain capable of complex thought, well beyond initial survival, and it’s arrogant and silly to fight this — silly to think we should go back to simple ways to save the earth or some other drastic u-turn.

For some people, due to their upbringing and cultural background, saving the planet feels good. To some — building a huge corporate empire (though I might argue how deeply satisfied they really are) feels kind of good.

The key is to understand what makes us happy, content and fulfilled — and stay true to this — to fight for it then going with the social flow of autopilot 9 to 5, consumerism and hedonism.