Mankind @ MindSay 
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We must realize
That in the Realm of Mankind
There are no Kings, Queens, or Presidents
No Judges, Officers, Doctors, Preachers, or Teachers
Not even Fathers, Mothers, Daughters, or Sons
There are only Human Beings
Who wear these titles
And no matter what title
A person may wear
From time to time
He or She will make
Some very
Human Mistakes.
And so it is
That now I've learned
It's possible to laugh
With a lump in your throat
And tears can be hidden
If you really try
And the roles we people play
Would earn more Academy Awards
Than the screen ever knew.
Last night, my mother (who is a devout Christian) asked me what I believed.
This is my response.
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In recent years, I have come to some (at times, slightly radical) beliefs based on general observations of human nature.
Some of my conclusions are as follows:
- Every human being shares an identical goal (although, it may be realised in many, many different ways): personal ‘happiness’.
- Everything we do is motivated by nothing more than self-interest. Therefore, it is impossible for a human being to perform an altruistic act.
- As this is the case, we cannot speak of ‘good’ or ‘evil’ people. Furthermore, we have no control over the kind of person we are, as every aspect of our personalities, and therefore everything we do or think, is a result of elements outside of our control.
- Taking it further, even actions and thoughts cannot be said to be ‘good’ or ‘evil’, as they are simply part of a world of cause and effect.
- This, however, has no relevance to the realm of crime and punishment, as laws must exist in a functioning society. Simply, each member of society must still be protected, and therefore, laws must exist to punish offences against the individual. What isn’t covered by the law is usually enforced on a societal level: kindness to others, for example, will assist you in many facets of life; a tendency to commit violent acts will lead others to shun your company, and so forth.
Some might find this view of humanity challenging, or even disturbing. I believe it clashes heavily with the concept of religion, for example, in which those who perform ‘good’ acts are rewarded by ‘karma’, or in the afterlife. Christianity, especially, teaches the doctrine of innate sinfulness – the idea that the human being is automatically evil, and must repent for all his sins (in other words, negative thoughts and actions). This is one of the reasons why I cannot accept religious faith1.
But I digress:
I came to something of a conclusion recently, while thinking about a discussion I had had with my mother at a young age.
A neighbour’s dog had made its way into our backyard and brutally killed our guinea pigs. My reaction, only being a young kid at the time, was that the dog must have been somehow 'evil' to commit such an act. My mother disagreed, stating that the dog was only acting out of instinct and, therefore, could not be held morally accountable for its actions.
What makes a human serial killer any different from this dog? Thinking about this, I came to a conclusion that should have been obvious from the beginning: we, too, are animals. Some dogs are bred to kill other animals, some are bred to be very obedient, some are bred to protect. Are we any different? I contest that we aren’t – and it really seems to make sense.
Biologically, we are part of the animal kingdom, so why should we be anything but animals? Some might argue, pointing out our superiority to the animal world, our ability to communicate, reason, etc. I disagree – however more superior or advanced we are compared to other animals, we cannot place ourselves on a different plane to them.
So, what are the implications of this? I do not hope for a reversal of scientific progress, or a breakdown of societal laws or expectations. I want to be happy, and I realise that the best way of achieving this is within a utilitarian society2. My goal in questioning all this is to understand, to the best of my abilities, the nature of the human being, and in doing so, understand myself. I also hope that these conclusions might help others as well.
So, all these considerations on what, exactly, human beings are, have led me to these conclusions:
There is no God, or afterlife, or at least no reason for them to exist. The purpose of life is simple – being happy. We’re all trying to achieve that, and contempt, hatred and judging others only makes it more difficult for them, and perhaps us as well. We all have things that divide us, but there is so much more that we have in common. None of us is better than the next person - just a bit more, or less, fortunate. And, last but not least: We do ourselves, and everyone else, no harm by loving freely and showing empathy for other people - who, in the end, are really essentially the same as us.
1Ironically, I have considered in the past that organised religion might be necessary for society to function properly – hence its presence in human society throughout the history of mankind. Or have we evolved beyond a need for it? That is a discussion for another time, I suppose.
2A society that encouraged blatantly selfish behaviour (actions that had blatant disregard for the welfare of all but oneself) would be doomed to fail. I think one of the main reasons society actually works is because, generally, we want to be loved, accepted and respected by other people. In a funny way then, one of the best ways to realise our self-interested goals is to not be completely selfish.
There are so many times when man is just so unnecessary, don't you think? I hope I've not repeated anything you've seen before. Enjoy, my friends. Love, Quelly Q
Ps: Written blog coming up soon
All that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon...
There are things in this existence that I will never understand and one of them is the fact that some folks do not wish to mankind to go to space. From where I sit with the knowledge I possess in regards to the lifespan of this solar system, it makes sense to move from the nest and venture forth to the stars - be fruitful and multiply. To remain here is a death sentence though few will admit to that fact...
No matter what we do as a species, this planet will die eventually. And with it so does man. We can postpone the inevitable briefly by moving to Mars when the end is nigh, and a little while longer by hopping to some of the moons of the gas giants. But when the suns gone that's it. And I will wager that every step of the way there will be those who will say that mankind should not contaminate other these other worlds...
And this gives me some insight into the thinking of those who wish us to remain Earth bound; this even applies to regions upon the Earth where man is not to contaminate the surroundings. And this bit of insight that the process of placing it on paper (or a monitor) is that some of these people wish that the race would die off, possibly killed off for mankind is like a virus that destroys the host and must be killed off by whatever means is necessary...
I do not see mankind in such negative terms, I look about me and I see good, I see the potential that every individual is capable of, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel it the responsibility of each and every human to insure that the race survives. This cannot be done on a world whose fate is already preordained. If we are the only intelligent beings in this universe, it should be one of our priorities to bring life to every corner of solar system, galaxy, universe, and beyond...
But maybe we should just sit back and watch wait for the Sun to consume this planet, and when we are gone there would be one less problem in this reality. Of course this is just my sarcastic way for I am not suicidal and I do not wish mankind to take the easy way out of facing the future...
I wrote sometime ago (a couple weeks ago if memory circuits are functioning properly) about how I was told that I was not seeing the big picture at my former employer when if fact I was seeing the big picture and not the little picture of middle management. And this fact holds true again for the picture I see is the future of a specific species of intelligent, self-aware beings. Is the race going to go down swinging or will it just sit back in its rocking chair waiting for the End to come? Is this race a cancer that must be cut from the solar system or does it have a charter to venture forth and bring life to the universe? Will the race do or die?
I see the big picture; I refuse to see the vision of middle management...
This is the Word of the AntiCrust...
Praise be ye who Read the Word for ye are Blessed amongst humans...
Let's press pause for a moment and put a hold on this prolitarian stew that I laughingly refer to as "my life". I have been watching people for a long time. I don't just mean "seeing" them, I mean WATCHING. And here is what I have learned about "mankind" and "people".
Mankind wants world peace.
People want to kill in order to gain world peace.
Mankind wants to grow up, be educated, get a job, and eventually retire.
People want to grow up, party, get paid for doing nothing, and die before they get old, because getting old "sucks".
Mankind wants to provide for the starving people in the world.
People get pissed when a beggar asks them for change.
Mankind wants to keep the air and earth clean and healthy for future generations.
People drive giant SUVs, smoke, and use and make products that are not kind to the environment.
Mankind wants to end littering.
People get pissed when they get fined for throwing trash out of their car window.
Mankind believes that life is a gift and should be good for all.
People force others to work 50 hour work weeks and tell them that it is the only way they will succeed in life.
Mankind wants to be strong and independent.
People blame everyone else for their shortcomings.
Mankind's heart breaks when a child is hurt.
People hurt kids.
Mankind wants to be healthy.
People do things that they know will kill them.
Mankind takes care of each other when times are tough.
People find ways to kick you while you are down.
Mankind wants to find a cure for cancer and AIDs.
People smoke, and have unprotected sex.
Mankind enjoys entertainment.
People are entertained by watching others get hurt.
Mankind loves to laugh.
People laugh at the expense of others.
I could go on forever like this, but I won't. I will finish this with a final thought...or a first one, depending on your view of things...in short...
I LOVE MANKIND; IT'S PEOPLE I CAN'T STAND!!!!
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