The Biggest Question Ever Asked on Orble?
October 7th 2006 01:38
You may think this an arrogant title although it's not meant to be.
To begin, can we start with an example: the TV show 'Lost'. The central theme at the shows' core last season was the entering of a very specific number sequence into a computer every 108 minutes. This sequence had been entered by others for years before the castaways appeared on the island. This - in my opinion - is a magnificent metaphor for the state of our species: we find ourselves here on this planet and things have been a certain way for as long as anyone can remember albeit apparently out of our control. Now on the show there are those who are A) self-bound to continue things in the same way i.e.: by continuing to enter the said sequence - for fear of the unknown consequences - as dictated by the information they have and B) those who question the way of things - challenging this very idea and speculating on what might happen if they did things differently.
We are not dissimilar in that some of us arrive on the planet, happy enough to continue things as per the information we're given i.e.: in very broad terms: we're humans; we're at the apex of all creatures on the Earth and the planet belongs to us to govern as we will. There are others who spend their life questioning existence - philosophers, writers or just ponderers et al. The big questions seem to be: 'what is the meaning of life?'How did we get here? What purpose awaits us? This seems like the most logical question of all. But I put to you the scenario of 2 people who awake to find themselves on a desert island. Neither recalls life before and they're in the dark as to the events that saw them stranded. One may spend day and night wondering why he/she is there in the first place. The other could very well pose questions like: what now? What do I do to ensure my survival? How do I see out the optimum potential of this place to ensure my longevity. We're human beings after all with an overwhelming survival instinct. It's what we do.
The big question could very well be amongst the latter: what do we do now? Some could argue: 'whatever it is - we're doing it.' Does what we're doing work though? It seems that all other creatures on the planet live in harmony with their environment. Humans seem to be the only exception to this rule. Does the way we live work? These questions appear blatently obvious though perhaps that's the problem. Have these questions become hackneyed? It all seems to be thrown under the moniker of conservation and/or environmentalism. The 'environment' seems to have become little more than a bumper sticker or a T-shirt and many of us occasionally give money to the cause - myself included - and feel better in that we're contributing and that's that.
The question I put to you is: 'what is your take on existence?'. Not necessarily 'what does it all mean?' What do you think about life, the universe and everything? It seems to me that if we did indeed wake to find ourselves on a desert island this might be the foremost question begging a response. I don't think we'd be too concerned with how we look or whether or not we're getting an even tan though this seems to be high on humanity's list of priorities.
It's not my intention to criticise the human race. I'm human and have been raised in accordance with the human story i.e.: we're here and the planet is ours. Is it ours? I don't know. I don't have the book on right or wrong - I have only what everyone else does: my opinions.
Tell me and others what you think.
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Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
I think people have been arguing over essence vs existance for years and still no common ground. Many people work to a motto of 'eat, shit and die' to get through their lives. Others search for answers that they will never find. 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?'
I remember asking my father if he knew the meaning of life. His reply was 'if you have time to think about it you are obviously not living it'.
Comment by Jas
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