Life

What is life? More specifically, what is the meaning of life? What is its purpose? Life is merely a particular form that consciousness takes, a particular interaction of matter and energy. Life ranges from the simple one-celled organisms to humanity, thus far the most complex form of life we are aware of. The complexity comes from evolution, which is the incremental refinement and advancement of something over time. Life has evolved from the simple to the complex, the nature of all things is to progress from the simple to the complex, and life is just one of many systems of energy-matter interactions. Given this understanding of life, what is its meaning, what is its purpose?

Consider that energy and matter interactions underlie all that is, and that everything, all consciousness, is a result of these interactions. These consciousnesses evolve over time from the simple to the complex. Evolution, then, is not merely a description of what takes place, but also the purpose of it. From the beginning, when all interactions of matter and energy resulted in one consciousness, to this point in time, that which happens, the evolution of reality has spawned more and more consciousnesses, at an exponential rate. After a period of roughly 10 billion years, life on Earth originated, in its simplest form. Over the next 3.7 billion years, it has evolved into humanity. Whether or not we are alone in our sentient, living consciousness in the universe, we are the most complex interaction of energy and matter we have yet observed. When you consider the preconditions necessary for the development of any life on Earth, and the evolution that has occurred from the one-celled organisms to humanity, we are very complex creatures. We have the ability to manipulate energy and matter interactions to our benefit, as seen through our technology. But what is our purpose?

Our purpose, the purpose of life, is life. The purpose of all things is to contribute to the cosmic interaction of energy and matter to create more and better consciousness. As humans, our purpose is to create more and better humans, which means our purpose is to evolve the species. Evolution does not occur through artificial selection, that is, arbitrary selection, but through natural selection. Those organisms which are most adaptable survive and proliferate. Those which are not, die. It is not a calculated effort on the part of the self-proclaimed superior to eradicate the inferior, but to evolve them. Life does not win by competition, it ultimately loses. This is true of humanity. Competition among people only hinders our advancement. We should seek not to force the world to conform to our image, but allow the world to evolve our image.

That which is above, the macrocosm, is that which is below, the microcosm. This means that every level of reality is the same, on a different scale. All reality is the interaction of energy and matter. As a species, the purpose of life is life; humans exist to proliferate and evolve the species. As individuals, the purpose of life is life. Each person must find their own purpose in life, but whatever that purpose is, it will benefit life. Everyone should be content to lead a good life, be kind and generous to others, embrace the world with love and hope, not hatred and fear.

Be the change you seek, and your world will change accordingly.

Their waste, their poison, our life.

Around 2.7 billion years ago, 90% of life on earth died. The cause? Climate change. And to think, if this change didn't happen... well I wouldn't be here writing this, thats for sure. Either way, around 2.5 - 3 billion years ago, that little sucker to the right was introduced to the earth. Oxygen, our very essence, almost destroyed the earth.

I want to just touch on the depth of 90%. Numbers on a page don't say much, nor do they say much for a time period long, long before us. But lets think of life as we know it on earth. 6.6 Billion people, billions upon billions of more species of flora and fauna. That includes vast regions of unchartered forests around the world (both tropical and deciduous), plus everything underneath the oceans which we know nothing about.

So should we have an "oxygen revolution" of our own, what would happen? What would happen if 90% of life actually died? I'm going to be a little conceited in this example and ask, what if 90% of human population died? Well lets just say half of the people in India would survive. The rest of the world? Gone. Kaput. Sayonara.

Before the Great Oxidation, cells and organisms relied on surrounding cells and chemicals for energy. When the food around the world begun to get scarce, cells started using the sun as a source of power. And that change, that adaptation, set the foundations for life as we know it. And what a concept that is. Death, as an act of creation.

When organisms first began with oxygen, for the most part it was a waste product. And it still is. What cells really want is the carbon dioxide, which through sunlight and photosynthesis, produces oxygen. This basically gave the organisms an unlimited amount of energy. Energy was starting to mix and evolve in better ways with substance.

And now, billions of years later, a better interaction occurred. On the time line of the earth, humans are a blip on the radar screen. Yet, we seem to be the most harmonious with the earth. I know it doesn't make sense, especially when we see all the destruction, damage, and problems that we create for ourselves as well as the earth. But thanks to 90% of the earth dying, we are able to live... and in great numbers.

Plants take in Carbon Dioxide, and as a waste product, produce Oxygen. We take in Oxygen and as a waste product, produce Carbon Dioxide. What could be more simplistic yet ingenious? This harmonious mix of energy and matter has been a major role to why we are so successful as a species. We all want humans to prosper, but embrace the changes of the world, whatever they might be. This post isn't so much for the evolution of the earth and oxygen, but on a more basic level. The continuous growing interaction of matter and energy. Constantly changing, constantly moving, it creates, destroys, changes, and all over again. And it has no end in mind for whatever it might create. It has no mind to have an end in mind. It has simply been, and will continue to be, forever. Infinitely changing, for infinity.