Can Mother Nature Destroy Herself?

One problem the non-religious have with the religious, is that the latter see humanity as "unique," and a "higher form of being" than other life on earth.

This sticks in the craw of the non-religious because to them it is obvious that humanity is far from "special," and is in actual fact a scourge upon the earth. Whereas other animals live in general harmony with the earth's ecological system, it is humans which pollute and abuse the planet's resources. Humans are definitely not a "higher form of being," but by all intents and purposes, a "lower form of being," destroying the earth for it's selfish purposes.

It is from such a perspective that these words (which I have often heard) are uttered,  "Mother nature is going to wipe humanity out, because we are destroying the earth."

I find this perspective very intriguing, because the non-religious do not realize that by making that statement they are in actual fact admitting that humanity is "unique" and "different from other species." This is because the statement implies that humans are in some way different from mother nature. But this is not the case. Humans are mother nature. We are not separate from mother nature. We came from the bowels of the earth just like every other creature. So if we are polluting and abusing the earth, it is mother nature herself who is abusing and polluting herself. Surely we can see the connection here?

So it is quite accurate to say that, currently, mother nature is in the process of destroying herself. At first we may have said, No, that is not possible. But how else can we truly understand what is happening? Either we admit that humans are different than other species, and in effect, different than mother nature, or we admit that it is within reason that mother nature could actually destroy herself.

She has created a nuclear bomb that could seriously destroy the earth and set her back millions of years. With the press of a nuclear rocket button, she could, in effect, commit suicide (of course, life would eventually crop up again, but it would nevertheless be a devastating reality.) The question is, will she do it? Will mother nature (humanity) continue to plunder and destroy her own natural resources? Will she pull the trigger and let loose the nuclear bomb? Will we destroy the human species along with a good portion of the biosphere? All this remains to be seen...

We need to stop looking at mother nature in terms of "other," for we are mother nature, and so the responsibility for the safe-keeping of the planet lies in our hands. We have a tremendous responsibility for the earth. In us, mother nature can choose selfishness and pride, and in so doing cause destructiveness and death. Yet, in us, she can also live in harmony with herself, and with all creatures and the earth.

We need to grow up, and recognize the great responsibility we have to safeguard the future of the earth.

From Cyberspace to Outerspace

At a time when everyone is concerned about over-population, we should take comfort in the fact that humanity is in the process of "creating space." For many this may seem too fantastic to be true, but there can no longer be any doubt about it; in creating cyberspace, humanity has created space itself. Cyberspace is real space.

Whole physical objects are being transferred into cyberspace: books, documents, leases, laws etc. There is no longer any real need for libraries, halls, filing cabinets and warehouses which used to store these paper documents. Nearly every major corporation and firm has completed the process of moving their paper documents to cyberspace. Sure, some of these companies still keep hard-copies, but it does not change the fact that - in reality - these hard-copies are not really needed.

Other physical objects that are moving to cyberspace include all sorts of art forms: music, pictures and even drawings and paintings. We no longer need (except for reasons of nostalgia) DVD's, CD's, photo albums, portfolios etc. to take up space in stores and homes. I have already begun the process of uploading every hard copy picture I own to the internet. I take comfort knowing that if these pictures are ever lost or destroyed, they will still be available on the internet.

Money is also moving to cyberspace. During the last 15 years we have seen a huge transition from cash to "paper money" in the financial world. Money is no longer needed to exist in a vault, or even in your wallet, if it exists on your account in cyberspace. All you really need is your debit card. Okay, cash is still the most liquid, but our debit cards are becoming even more so. Do you see how fast they swipe those things at Starbucks? And who can say if in another 15 years we will even need debit cards anymore? Perhaps a simple chip implanted into one of our fingers will suffice...

Okay, you may think that I am exaggerating this issue, and you probably doubt that other physical objects will one day be transferred into cyberspace. I mean, seriously, can houses, trees, and people be transferred into cyberspace? I personally do not doubt it. We are still at the very beginning of the cyberspace phenomenon: it is barely 15 years old. Cyberspace is as old as a 15 year old kid! There can be no doubt that major advancements in cyberspace will arrive. Maybe the movie "The Matrix" is more prophetic than we realize? Humans existing in cyberspace may seem incredulous to you, but I think it is a natural prolongation. People are already meeting, and falling in love, in cyberspace...

I believe this move to cyberspace could also have major implications for outerspace travel. You often hear people say, "Before the sun explodes, humanity will have moved on to other planets." I cannot help but feel that this is short-sighted. Humans will not need to move "externally" to some other planet, when it can move "internally" to space that is opening up within us. Inside the very bosom of the globalizing human race, space is opening up. We are penetrating into the very fabric of space-time.

Perhaps it is more plausible that intelligent life will not be found by reaching out to the stars, but by reaching inwardly, into cyberspace.  By punching into cyberspace we can perhaps link to a network bed by which we can communicate with other intelligent life who have managed to do the same. In such a scenario the vast distances of outerspace (which is a crippling handicap to outerspace travel) will no longer pose a problem. If this is indeed possible, then perhaps the reason we have not yet heard from other intelligent life is because we have not yet acquired the capability to receive their communication? Perhaps they wait for us. The greatest thing humanity has, is a penetrating mind, and that will be our greatest similarity with other intelligent life.

People with religious faith should trust in the phenomenon of cyberspace, because it is consistent with their religious belief. Remember, "the kingdom of God is within you." God will not come from the literal stars and sky, but from the bosom of the earth and the collaboration of humanity. The earth contains all we need to liberate ourselves.

"Most people think great God will come from the sky, take away everything, and make everybody feel high. But if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth." - Bob Marley

So now you see the light?

What is Spirit?

When most people think of “spirit” one of the first things that come to mind is a wandering ghost in paranormal realms. Such a spirit is usually bodiless, and hard to see, like a fleeting light or shadow. I would like to dispel this idea of spirit, because I believe it is seriously flawed. The universe shows us that spirit exists only in relation with matter: specifically, complex matter. Without matter, spirit cannot exist. That is one point I would like to make in this article. The second point is that there are attributes of spirit that is plain for everybody to see, and the higher the degree of spirit, the more obvious do these attributes become. And lastly, I will touch on the spirituality of technology.

Spirit is usually synonymous with “mind,” and so attributes of the mind are attributes of spirit. So we can say that anything that is conscious, holds information, and can communicate, is spiritual. In addition to that, good and evil are also both attributes of spirit. Let us examine these characteristics of spirit as they appear in the natural hierarchy of the universe. As we proceed upwards from inanimate matter to living creatures, we see the degree of spirit rise: consciousness, information and communication all grow, and coincidently, so do good and evil.

Firstly, inanimate matter, or for simplicity’s sake: rocks. Are rocks spiritual? At first sight, we may say No, because rocks are not alive. Rocks are made up of atoms and minerals, and are not very complex materially, and so their spirit is not easily identifiable. Yet, many people talk about the healing power of rocks, and even Jesus said that if the crowds did not praise him, the stones would (Luke 19:40). Yes, spirit is found in rocks, although it must be said that consciousness, information and communication are barely perceptible in them, if at all. Good and evil is also barely perceptible in rocks, but we could at least say that for a rock to exist is good, and when a rock decomposes, that is evil. (This will make more sense as we carry on.)

Secondly, plant-life. Plant-life is undoubtedly spiritual. Plants live, nourish themselves, produce offspring, and some even respond to human stimuli. Because plants are more materially complex than stones (plants are made up of millions of cells) they are more spiritual. Plants are conscious in the sense that they partake in life, they carry genetic information that they then communicate by passing along to their offspring. Because plants are a higher degree of spirituality than rocks, the degree of good and evil in them is also greater. A plant not only exists, it lives, it experiences life, and that is good. But the greater evil for the plant is that it dies. This is a higher degree of spirituality than rocks, which neither live nor die.

Thirdly, animals. The animal-kingdom contains a wide range of spirituality. From the lowly insect, to the intelligent dolphin, we see wide ranges of consciousness, information and communication. The more complex materially an animal is (animals are made of millions of complex cellular groupings) the greater is its spirit. This is why larger brains characterize very spiritual animals. An insect is rather simple life, and its consciousness is rather limited. Yet it is alive, and so it is spiritual. A dolphin has a highly complex brain and nervous system, which allows a much higher degree of spirituality. Because animal-life is a higher degree of spirituality than plant-life, the degree of good and evil in them is also greater. Animals are mobile, spontaneous, and experience many pleasures of life, which is good. On the other hand, the great evil for animals is that they can suffer. Anybody can see the anguish of animals as they suffer. It is a very real and poignant evil. Yet, this is a sign of how spiritual the animal is, for the higher the degree of spirituality, the higher the potential for evil. (It is worth noting that we sympathize more with greater spiritual creatures than less spiritual creatures. This is why we are more concerned when dolphins are captured and dogs are mistreated, but not too bothered about tuna or insects.)

And last, of course, is the human realm. Nothing on earth is more materially complex than the human brain, containing billions upon billions of neurons! And of course, nothing is more spiritual. We are not only conscious, we are self-conscious, and our brains hold almost limitless amounts of information. In addition to that, our ability to communicate is unparalleled by any other creature. Not only do we use highly sophisticated spoken and written languages, but the subjects that we communicate about are also unparalleled: art, science, love, sports etc…Humans can do extraordinary good things; we can take pleasure in truth, bask in love, and admire justice. We can be stewards for all animals and the planet itself. But on the other hand, our capacity for evil is just as outstanding. In the human realm there is not only death and suffering; there is sin. Only in the human realm do the evils of pride, envy and murder exist. Sin does not exist at any other level of spirituality, except at the high level of human spirituality.

So from what we have seen, spirit is everywhere in the universe. It is all around us, existing in different degrees. Moreover, we see that spirit is always accompanied by matter, by complexly arranged matter. Despite what we see in the movies, and hear about in ghost stories, spirit cannot exist “on its own:” it needs some sort of material body. The idea of a ghost without a body is a pseudo-reality. Even when one feels the “spirit” of a city like New York, or Paris, the “spirit” is a product of the complex social structure of that city. We have also seen that there are different degrees of spirit in the universe, and the greater the degree of spirit, the greater its consciousness, communication, and the greater the degree of good and evil (coincidently, this is why the greatest angel, Lucifer, could become the greatest devil.)

I would also like to point out the spirituality of technology. Most people do not think of technology as spiritual. But in actual fact, radios, cell phones, and the Internet are all highly conscious, informational and communicative inventions. Our cell phones are some of the most spiritual objects that humankind has created. They can provide us with any information we need, as well as instant communication with anybody on the globe, all in the palm of our hands. And this is just the surface of what a cell-phone can do! And as every spiritual object, cell-phones have a complex material body. Any engineer can tell you that the material of a cell-phone is extremely sophisticated and complexly arranged. It is a modern day marvel. Of course, people who distrust technology usual do so because of the evils inherent in them: anti-social behavior, loss of privacy, and the ability to manipulate others, to name just a few. But as we have already shown, these evils do not mean technology is not spiritual; just the contrary!

In conclusion, I would like to point out that based on what we know about spirit, the Abrahamic religions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) have the most logical version of Heaven (the highest degree of spirituality). These modern day religions have always maintained that matter must of necessity be present in Heaven: the doctrine of the “resurrection of the flesh.” In Buddhism and Hinduism, the general feeling is that enlightenment is achieved without the human body, or that it is easier achieved by freeing the mind from bodily restrictions. Whereas it might not be 100% accurate to say that matter is left out of the heavenly picture in these Eastern religions, it certainly is not explicitly included. Spirit is always connected with matter, and without matter, spirit cannot exist. So despite the popular conception of Heaven as a community of bodiless souls floating around and communicating with each other “through their minds,” it is instead a real city with real walls, real trees, and real bodies. It is a supra-new City, the New Jerusalem. And of course, like every spiritual reality, evil is also present in the New Jerusalem, although at it’s polar opposite: the doctrine of hell.

Life or Death?

This blog was inspired by the following Bob Marley interview:
 

Bob says, "Death is trying to take life, but life is stronger than death."

As an evolutionist, I could not help but think about this statement in terms of evolution. Bob is right, for 300 million years, death has been trying to eliminate life. It attacks every living thing in order to reduce it to its simplest terms. This, in effect, is what scientists call entropy. Yet despite death's constant attack, life always finds a way to survive. And not only does it survive; it 'super-vives.' In other words, it strengthens itself, and spreads like wildfire into myriads of different, and higher, forms. In humans, life has now created a specie which through genetics, eugenics and general medical research, is proactively attacking death itself.

"Some people think death is stronger than life."
Of course many people believe that what we are doing is in vain. "We will never be able to successfully defeat death and entropy. Some new disease will kill us. The earth will run out of vital resources. The sun will cool and we will die. This is not pessmist, this is realist."


"But we know that life is stronger than death."
Ultimately, the question is, life or death? Who has the last laugh? Does death eventually extinguish all life on earth, or does life figure out a way to defeat death? Your answer to this question probably tells a lot about you. It might reveal whether you are an optimist, or a pessimist, despite your personal belief that you are a realist. Your answer to this question probably reveals whether you are a person of religious faith, or whether you are an agnostic or atheist. It seems to me that a person of religious faith must maintain that life (because 'God is life') ultimately wins.

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).

"Life is the road"
Bob Marley is an evolutionist, an optimist, a man of faith, and a hella musician. Death may have taken him at a very young age (36), but whenever I hear one of his classic tunes on the radio, I cannot help but feel that he lives on...