Survival: The Ultimate Mission. Robert M.D. Skaf

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СКАЧАТЬ spirit never dies, particularly if we were able to touch the lives of many others whose children will ensure the survival of the species. Yes, life on this planet can be an eternity of some sort. Yet even if this was not to be the case, some billions of years from now, who is to say that eternity can exist without some type of origin - be it on this planet or somewhere else. And in this case it does not do us any good to worry about an afterlife that is not going to be there if we can’t preserve its origin. The afterlife itself implies the need for a life before for such a new form of life to materialize. No matter how one cuts it, we have a lot to gain from taking good care of each other and helping each individual lead a happy, fulfilling and peaceful life on this planet or any place else we may exist. For in the least, our advantage as humans over all other species lies in the way our thoughts can stay alive when imparted to others - in many cases this may be more important than genes, especially if one believes in a universe of thoughts and knowledge that coexists along our material world. Perhaps thoughts are immortal and in their own way do exist in their own unique world which we are yet to discover. The convergence of ideas and concepts where several researchers, inventors and thinkers arrive to the same conclusions is indicative of an intellectual invisible universe connected to us. Furthermore, who is to stay that recorded data of all types, visual or otherwise, are not able to spawn other creations of their own? The curious thing is that, regardless of how different this world is from all others, they all share one common thing, they all must change, recreate and reinvent themselves in one form or another. This is the only way to prove their existence. There are so many different types of particles that make our universe, yet scientists can only account for 1% to 4 % of all that does exist, the identity of the remaining 99% remains a mystery - for the time being at least. Having so many particles and substances floating around is a proof that the matter is not dormant; to the contrary it is always active trying to recreate and reinvent itself. Even the invisible universe is no different. In fact one may argue that our own thoughts and voices are energy which can be transferable. The transformation from matter to energy and vice versa is something that scientists have proved long time ago. Whether our thoughts and voices get to be recorded or stay afloat hovering around the physical universe is the real mystery. In so far, engineers have been able to record voices, images, light, and photon and perhaps one day they may be able to register thoughts as well, in which case, and one may be compelled to look at the invisible universe from a different perspective. There is no doubt that the intellectual universe exists. Every one of us leads a physical existence and an intellectual one. Indeed, duality is part of our daily life. Perhaps, artists and scientists are better connected to the intellectual universe than others, but no living person is completely detached from the intellectual universe. Personally, I am more alive in the intellectual universe than in the physical universe. What I find most fascinating about the whole process is how this Continuous Creation does not allow anything to be eliminated. Even the tiniest of atoms never disappears - not only that, but it also seems to have a place and a role to play in this infinite wonder called existence. Moreover, no matter how this atom is recreated or reinvented and no matter to what powerful or forceful phenomenon it is subjected to, it always manages to make a comeback of some sort. It is never obliterated or put to an end for there is no end and nor is there a void. If this is the condition of a tiny little particle, why should the fate of non-particle or our own life be any different? We may die but depending on how we view death, we may be in fact going through a phase of a new living experience. This is true particularly when we consider the Continuous Creation we are part of to be in a way the anti-void. We may not like what is happening, we may not appreciate how life tends to perplex us, yet we have no choice but to accept our fate.

      In the same sense, every species can be immortal in flesh and blood. The individual being may die and become forgotten, however, in theory the species itself and to a greater extend life, can go on forever - at least in theory. May be this can explain why it seems so natural for us as a species to aim for immortality. Other species may also be destined for immortality. It could very well be that ours only happened to be equipped differently to go about it. For many reasons it appears to me that over the years, the methods we have developed to survive were by far more advanced than those of any life forms known to us.

      Despite all the follies committed in the past we have still managed to attain remarkable levels of technology and acquire impressive wealth of knowledge to the point where we appear to be the only species on earth that is able to populate other planets - theoretically at least. It seems to me that somehow we can intuitively tell that this planet could turn hostile and inhospitable one day or even disintegrate with the rest of the solar system in the distant future. Planning ahead to survive against such an eventuality is taking place right now, even though we are not aware of it. But this is not so unusual about us or about any other species for that matter. We don’t know what is happening to us until our brain is completely developed, yet that does not stop us from evolving from tiny little eggs into intelligent beings. Our interest in the cosmos does not really make much sense unless it’s somewhat related to the species quest for immortality. Right now we are in no position to understand the significance of inter- space discoveries but our subconscious - which functions in a similar fashion to the memories stored in a microchip - knows what lies ahead. This microchip of ours is embedded in our subconscious mind - unlike anything else that helps us survive on a daily basis - it only directs our energy toward surviving beyond the confine of one planet or one solar system or even one universe. We all want to live longer for a reason. On earth it does not mean much to extend our longevity to one hundred years, but when it comes to space traveling, being able to live a few extra years or better yet a few extra decades can be translated into billions of extra trekked miles. These figures could even increase many folds if life expectancy were to reach two hundred years - as some scientists have been predicting. Aside from gaining time, there are other advantages. Growing old means growing wiser and more knowledgeable. Unlike other species, our survival does not depend solely on physical strength. In most cases, it is our brain power that saves the day. We should not feel embarrassed to use every mean available to us to extend our longevity. Physically, we can count on medical science to discover cures for the diseases that bring us premature death. However, to maintain a high interest in a long life, we also need the psychological components which include, among others, the spiritual uplift and the emotional satisfaction. This is where again arts and entertainment kick in to keep us happy and therefore longing to stay alive -the reason for my earlier comments about given arts the same credit given to science and technology in increasing our longevity. Arts, sports and entertainment are among the activities that help us stave off depression and thus maintain our desire to stay alive. The bottom line is that if we want to live longer, we should make ourselves aware of this reality and take advantage of it as much as we can.

      You may or may not agree with any of the foregoing explanations and you may not get impressed with any of the forthcoming ones. However, this should not undermine the main point of our discussion which is to say that only by understanding who we are would we be able to improve our chances of survival - if not turn our human experience into a wonderful celebration of life. The first thing to realize is that in principle we have been programmed to ensure the survival of the species - a trait we share with all living things. From there, every species decides on its own how to best achieve this goal. On our planet, which happened to be a small dot in a huge universe, one can easily count millions of different types of life form. Each has developed its own strategy to survive, each is completely distinguished from all others and each is remarkably ingenious in its own way. What sets us apart is our ability to think beyond the obvious. In that we are always a step ahead of any species known to us. For instance ants, bees, and some rodents are very adept at gathering and storing food, yet rather than being satisfied with this ingenious arrangement, we went ahead and learned how to grow our own food and started the exploitation of other animals. How many species care for other species, tend to them, keep them healthy and then consume them. How much more ingenious than that can it get? Moreover, our constant quest for more knowledge has been very instrumental in helping us improve our methods of farming, enhance efficiency and increase productivity. Although our way of life is not always friendly to the ecology, one day it will be. It’s all part of the learning process we are accustomed to go through before doing the right things. Although destroying the environment does not help our image as a superior intelligent species, it could be a testimony for our great flexibility СКАЧАТЬ