I was explaining to my wife earlier on today that I had been trying to articulate an important thought that had led me to talking to myself. Now I know that the humorist might note that talking to yourself is a sign of being a bit mad…but, come on now, who amongst us does not talk to themselves at some time or other? If you are honest you are most likely to have done it at some time - although for many folks this may not necessarily have been out loud - perhaps just talking with an inner voice?
But I digress.
I recently read that we (Homosapiens) host something in the order of at least 200 different species of bacteria in, on and around our bodies. These are just the typical bacteria that live happy in or on us wthout causing any particular problem, and in some cases actually being quite positive - that is to say providing some sort of benefit.
This seems quite amazing - I think. We can also be host to a variety of other less attractive micro-organisms and also numerous parasites - some of which can potentially lead to ill health…and even death…but let’s not go too deeply into this just now!
Indeed with the Human genome apparently exhibiting 100,000 pieces of genetic information it is interesting to note that each species of bacteria have genomes that have about 2000 genetic markers. This means that a typical ‘human host’ whilst having 100,000 genetic elements of their own species also hosts some 400,000 pieces of bacteria genetic information - four times as much bacteria genetic data!
It seems reasonable to suggest that “IF Man can survive” (as Zager and Evans query in the pop-oddity “2525″) then this means that it is 200 times more likely that some form of bacteria will survive…
But bacteria are not so stupid as to put all their “eggs in one basket” - or perhaps “genes in one egg”, so to speak - because there are many millions of bacteria in all sorts of other environments. Indeed many bacteria don’t even need oxygen to survive - so even if ‘we’ (humans) manage to screw up the atmosphere big style - then many types of bacteria will not care one jot!
Way back in pre-historic times…in fact in pre-pre-historic times - close (in respect of a billion years or so) to when the globe of materials that became known as the Earth formed - oxygen was a truly rare commodity, being barely a fraction of 1% of the total atmosphere. In these many thousands of years the “dominant” life forms (whose actual appearance is still somewhat of a mystery…although there are some fairly good indicators now identified) where anaerobic bacteria - that is non-oxygen using bacteria.
Over the period of maybe 1.5 billion years certain types of bacteria began to flourish in the roiling, liquid masses that covered the face of te Earth in the millennia through which it was cooling. These bacterial life forms from the broad family called Cyano-bacteria actually thrived by processing sunlight into energy - a by-product of which is oxygen. The process now known as photosynthesis is well known now as the method by which plants survive and grow.
Indeed Cyano-bacteria ultimately seemed to have contributed the bulk of oxygen that now forms in excess of 20% - more than one fifth - of our atmosphere and allows Mankind to survive. The whole story about oxygenation of the atmosphere is more complex and interesting still…but will have to wait until another post.
The point that I wanted to make in this item was to note that bacteria dominated the Earth for many millennia. The processes of development of life and life forms that occurred amongst the three main ‘Domains’ of life - bacteria, eukaryotes and archaea - has actually been shown to be one of success evolution through the exploitation of cooperation…
Sometimes we can be fooled into thinking success in life is about ‘competition’ - but indeed life has evolved successfully through cooperation and there is key lesson to be drawn from this. It is the cooperative (consciously or not) nature of life supporting other lifeforms - such as 200 bacteria species that make every individual human their home (indeed world - if not universe) that ensures the greater likelihood of their continued existence.
This ‘metaphor’ of cooperation is just one more clue, laid our for us, about how we should be living our lives in order to reach a higher level of fulfilment.
But, of course, I have strayed from the discussion about the ‘conversation’ I had with myself…
The context I wanted to convey is that Mankind - as you will likely know - has perhaps been around in a recognizable form for maybe a quarter-of-a-million years. We are arguably the most intelligent, most gifted, most ‘potentially’ successful species ever to have evolved - and some would argue we are the ‘pinnacle of evolution’.
But our tenure in this Earthy domain has been very short in real-time. Most people well-know that the supposed evolutionary failures - the Dinosaurs - were around for maybe 150 to 180 million years! At the current rate it will be a true miracle if Man survives as a species so long (Ok - I acknowledge that dinosaurs encompassed many species and there were of course 3 separate identified pre-historic periods in which quite different species thrived - and became extinct, each in its turn…) - but at the current rate of progress it seems as a if it will be a a challenge for Homo sapiens to make it to a full ONE million years of existence!
The point is, perhaps, that as one surveys the marvellous process of evolution, it is apparent that the patterns become more complex, and that intelligence increases. As a species Man is at the apex (so far) and has the ability to know himself - to be self-aware…But what do we do with this knowledge? We spend most of our time trying to distract ourselves from having to confront it, it seems!
WE are creatures that are conscious of a dimensional parameter called time…no other animal is truly aware of this ‘measure’ of their length of existence. In fact times does not ‘matter’ to ANY species save for Man. We recognize how short time is, how little time we have, yet we also manage to waste time - every day - with deliberation and with little thought or consideration.
God, on the other hand, evidently exists (and for those agnostics and atheists amongst you, should you stumble on this and read so far, I ask you to bear with my insistence that a greater Entity exits) OUTWITH (as the Scots have it) TIME. Time is nothing to God. Time cannot be a dimensional parameter for the Unknowable, the Omnipresent and Omnipotent. For me at least God’s Plan - of which we are a part - is unfolding in its ‘fractal’ pattern just as is should - or at least as it may.
As individuals we may at some point in our lives be savagely reminded of our mortality, our bare few years on this miraculous globe. The reminder might be death of loved ones, illness, accident or simply ‘old age’ - as we call it when our God Given ‘mortal form’ begin to submit to the wear and tear we thoughtlessly put it through.
When we become aware of our ‘limited’ time, this can be for some the inspiration to ‘do something useful’ with their lives…The sad question is why does it have to take imminent demise to inspire such motivation?
In fact - we are part of a cycle of activity - it may be a relatively small cycle, say just a few billion years - or it may be a large cycle - something akin to what we, as a species, have determined to can ‘infinity’ because it is too large for us to comprehend (yet again would seem as nothing to a Timeless God)….The endurance of the cycle in which we happen to exist will be determined by things such as our tendency towards recognizing the ‘key lessons’ that God has laid before us. If we FAIL to recognize what we must do - we will simply become an evolutionary -hiccup- or ‘dead end’ - a part of the pattern that finishes…If we begin to DO what is right - then our continuity as a species will be come a natural part of the next fold in the fractal pattern of the Divine Plan…
The point is that if we happen to fail…no matter how badly we screw it all up - whilst Mankind as it appears today may cease to exist - there will always be the small building blocks left - the anaerobic and/or aerobic bacteria, the eukaryotic cells, (and even those strange and solitary archaea, that seem to eschew symbiotic modes of development in favour of - in one form or another - simply being able to tolerate any conceivable extreme of environment, a tendency that may YET prove to be the saviour of the life-force on this planet)…and one way or another - no matter how badly ‘Man’ performs, and how poorly Man ’sees’ what must or should be done - there will be the foundational organisms to start the pattern of life’s evolution all over again. And in a few billion years time ‘another’ Mankind will emerge and PERHAPS they will ‘get it right’. But if not then another cycle of billions of years will be instigated,,,for as long as the Sun has power enough to warm the Earth sufficiently for the cycle to repeat itself…in the ‘hopes’ that we, or some species that may (or may not) have a passing resemblance, but will certainly have an advanced intellect, will get it right - and at that time the inheritors of the Earth (most likely perhaps they will be meek!) will transcend to the next level of existence…and so it will be…Amen.
In summary - in case it is still unclear - for me at least - the foregoing encapsulates the answer to the age-old queston: What is the meaning - or purpose- or life? - and/or Why are we here?
It is neither shocking, nor surprising…nor is it difficult to understand - yet as a species at this moment we are tending to prove that it is, indeed, difficult to ‘fulfil’…
We are part of an amazing unfolding pattern of life that beconmes an ever more sophisticated proof of the need for cooperation and - in human terms - the importance and central role of ‘love’ in the further development and evolutionary transition of Mankind…
The amazing thing is that right now - we are already a species that can undersatnd this and could act on it - and transform the Earth into a Paradise and the lives of all Men into experiences of happiness and joy…We have the ability to learn, know and understand what we must do…and DO it - to create Heaven on Earth…BUT we also have the potential to ignore the abundance of metaphorical teachings that God has provided a;ll around us, to ‘refute’ the obvious, to continue to remain distracted, directionless, unfulfilled…slowly sickening as individuals and dying as a species, whilst dragging down with us many other less intellectually blessed, and blameless creatures…
Yet in his timeless Wisdom, and endless Patience - God, the All Seeing, the All Knowing, the Ineffable - simply continues to wait until the ‘penny drops’ and this incarnation of Man, or the next, or the next - or the hundreth, or the billionth version of this inellectually and philosphically blessed ’species’, FINALLY recognizes and accepts, and ACTUALLY DOES what it must do - to ‘make the next step forward’ in terms of Spiritual evolution…
The most amazing thing is that we COULD do it now!…Or we can continue to be part of a non-contributing, failing, version of this species!