but recently it occurred to me that, regardless of whether or not humanity has a purpose, humanity is acting like it does, and this is why we are where we are today. mankind, in searching for a purpose, gave itself a purpose. now, depending on what you believe that purpose is (and it's different for everyone except those who don't believe there is one) it all boils down to the same sentiment: humans are better than everything around them, so they must conquer it and make it has good as they are. whether by harnessing fire to allow us to see what humans in the natural world may never have seen, or by wiping out an entire ecosystem (one that may have even include humans who don't buy into this sentiment of supereriority), to harvest the natural earth so we can create an unnatural, and in our minds a better, end product. the fact is we live our lives as though we really are gods gift to the earth. even those of us who don't believe in god.
this is the false prophecy of our society. reasonable people of today may not buy into the idea that "humans are better than everything around them and this shit called nature needs to be altered for the better, and i'm just the being to do it!" in such blunt terms, but our society still runs on this notion because it is this notion that has fueled our society since it's conception in the mind of man. we have all been going about our lives on our planet with this notion ingrained into the very heart of us.
so, one might ask, "if this is the very nature of our civilization as we know it, it can't be all bad, right? i mean, sure, there has been evil because of man, but there has also been great good, right? doesn't the good of humanity shine through the veil of evil deeds, so that we may justify ourselves in the continuance of this lifestyle?"
this begs the question: who and what benefits from the lifestyle our current human civilization? with it's geneva convention and it's industry standards and nuclear silos and brand marketing and product wars and stocks and bonds and domesticating pets and exterminating pests and raising livestock for slaughter and ozone depletion and melting ice caps and race wars and religious persecution and the constant study of it all, it seems pretty obvious, so obvious that i want to ask a different question altogether:
does any other being benefit in any way shape or form from the current human civilization? and if not, how many beings are hurt by it, and how much are they hurt? how much are we hurting ourselves without knowing it because we are in love with the idea that we are above the laws of nature, that we do not need it to survive because we are the greatest beings that we have ever known?
so, on a somewhat related note, i've posted a question of the possibility of global morality in harmony with nature on thinkatheist.com, here's the link if anyone cares to read and respond to my ramblings:
www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/ok-so-we-reject-the-idea-of-a
respond either here or on thinkatheist, but IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK, CRITICISM OR COMMENTS OF ANY KIND, i am always in need of other perspectives and if you have anything to say on this topic it would be a tragedy if it was left unsaid.
damn, i have got to stop doing this at five in the fucking morning. anyway, thanks for considering my side of things.
