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I wrote a poem called “A Pebble on a Beach” (which I’ve posted in the Poetry section here) and had posted it on themestream a long time back, and I got some interesting responses to it, which triggered off a thought process. The following is the result:
For example I got an e-mail from a friend who had this to say:
“If an alien dropped by on earth. Naturally he would notice the automobiles on our roads. Say he never understood the meaning of the machine. Out of curiosity he got into one and drove it. He liked it. Then he went on and on. He found to his occasional frustrations that there were rules to follow. It broke down sometimes. Soon he got used to it. He simply loved it. Then he understood the meaning of the automobile.
The meaning of life is in the verb (live) and not in the noun (life). With all the evidence we have why is it we cannot accept that it is most probably an accident. Why should there be more meaning than there already is. Its fun to be alive. Just alive. What greater meaning can there be? And why should there be?”
And one of my regular readers had this to say in the “talkback” section: “I've learned that the universe doesn't necessarily need to have meaning, that we make meaning by finding beauty in our surroundings, and that said beauty is not objective but subjective -- it is not there to please us, but that shouldn't stop us from finding pleasure in it anyway. The universe exists simply because it CAN.”
While I have no quarrel with their general reasoning – in fact they actually reiterate what my poem says – I believe that their perception is only partly true, so this was my reply:
If an alien does manage to drop by on earth, in all probability he/she/it would be an intelligent being. Therefore he/she/it would already be familiar with machines like the automobile. In fact, in all likelihood, he/she/it would find our machines quite quaint, antediluvian contraptions.
But even if we presume about the alien’s unfamiliarity with the automobile. What then? One of the unfailing signs of intelligence is curiosity. So sooner, rather than later, the alien would start taking this automobile apart. And before long he/she/it would have figured out what it was all about.
Humankind, being intelligent, has always pondered and speculated about the meaning of life. An unending quest of trying to figure out the “why” of existence. Why are we feverishly trying to unravel the mysteries of our genes? Why does man need to go into the depths of the seas, searching for the origins of life in the primitive life forms that cling to the spewing hot vents there. Why does he risk his life wandering into unknown space?
Going back into the dawn of human life – The concept of God, the birth of the myriad religions that we have, the origins of Philosophy, the beginnings of Science . . . All have the same quest at their core – the quest for knowledge. The relentless search for unlocking the secrets of life. The mysteries of existence. The meaning behind it all. The wonder of it all.
And it does not necessarily mean that the quest leads to a lack of appreciation of life for what it is. Have we stopped marveling at our bodies because we now know almost everything about it internally. Does the flower lose its beauty just because we know the intricacies of its structure, and the purpose of its function? Personally, I find flowers even more beautiful because I know the why’s and the what’s of those coloured petals with their beautiful scents. The more we unravel life’s mysteries, the more do we have the capacity to marvel at the wonder of it all.
Learning leads to knowledge. Knowledge leads to understanding. Understanding leads to acceptance. And in the enhancement of the appreciation of the beauty of life. As it is. Without this inherent curiosity of humanity, we would still be living primitive lives in caves. So I reiterate. “Who am I? What am I? Where am I going?” are eternal questions asked by humankind through the ages. Whenever we have looked into the deep indigo of the sky above, the wonder of it all has always gripped our imagination. What is life? Why does it all exist? Is there a meaning to it? Or is it just a freak accident of nature?”
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