The Grandest Vision For Humanity
The universe is complex and beautiful.
When we listen to stories of humanity, life and death, we can’t fathom the complexity of the narratives of all those who have lived before us, of all those who will live after us, the vast unimportance of ourselves in the sequence of the eternal everything. The universe doesn’t and won’t ever really know who we are, merely just one of many dots in this vast space-time spectrum. A vast space-time spectrum that we should protect. But protect for what purpose? How many of us actually daydream about the goal of humanity in the universe? What does it look like?
Sometimes I think about humanity in the same way I regard a painting by Georges Seurat. His use of pointillism, which is the artistic technique of painting thousands of microdots on a canvas, that contrast and compliment each other in a multitude of colours. From up close these dots seem nonsensical, even plain wrong- a blue dot next to a yellow dot, that from further away appears white. From a distant viewpoint these individual dots combine to make an intricate scene. An analogy of all the things in the universe. Each life, idea, love simply a tiny colourful dot, complimenting and contrasting with those neighboring, but from further away these blend to contribute towards a bigger picture, a bigger goal.
How big is this overall picture? Well, it’s huge. The distance of the known universe is 900 billion light years in diameter, where each light year is 5.87 trillion miles. The full scale is unfathomable to us. And it’s old too. 13.75 billion years old. Our human-like ancestors have only inhabited this universe, this planet on which we stand, for around 6 million years, a ridiculously short time-slice compared to the true scale of the context. How lucky we are, right here, right now, to have such an opportunity, to have the agency to shape the planet to a manifestation that represents the human race.
We’ve come a long way, and we can go a long way too. We could quite literally inherit the universe, to make it ours, not for the sake of possession, but for the sake of protection. For the sake of universal flourishing. Every human so far has died a martyr for evolution. What is the end goal for all this creation and loss? We must fight that humanity’s purpose was not just about sustenance and survival.
by Riva Melissa Taz, excerpted from here. Riva is an entrepreneur and founder of a venture fund and an enthusiast of life psychology.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does having a billion-year perspective mean to you? Can you share a personal story of a time you could connect with a truly grand vision for humanity? What helps you remember that humanity's purpose was not just sustenance and survival?
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10 Past Reflections
On Jul 24, 2017 Deepak wrote :
Who am I in this vast unfathomable universe , the extent of which humans have to yet to completely discover . A tiny insignificant dot , It boggles the mind . And yet man's ego is so big that he still tries to discover the source of life and play God by trying to be immortal . It is a humbling experience to dream about the universe and it's origins .
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On Jul 22, 2017 Sunil,Bangalore wrote :
"If you wish to find yourself (God) lose yourself in the service of humanity" said MKGandhi.When you serve with head-heart-hands you get more than what you give.Human life is an opportunity to be full of gratitude,generosity, sympathy & empathy. These are the natural innate attributes of our eternal SOUL.Achievement of this is my Vision,Mission, purpose, story and meaning of life.
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On Jul 18, 2017 Xiaoshan wrote :
"We must fight that humanity’s purpose was not just about sustenance and survival". Let's say all humans and all living things now all agree that sustenance / survival is not even a purpose of them, what change would that bring to us? Who will you be? How would you live your life? How would you be related to your environment, your friends, your family?
Why would you want to fight what is here and now? We are free (maybe) to choose a purpose for our live but we do not need to fight life itself, the very thing that everything else that we know is built on. May all beings be happy, and be peaceful.
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On Jul 18, 2017 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
We are all interconnected: tiny dots together becoming something larger and more beautiful when viewed from a distance. When we take the time to view the beauty through the connection; that is the key for me in our survival. As individual dots we may seem small and insignificant, ah, but together, there is the beauty. <3 And yes to Jeannie. I am only one, but I AM ONE.... <3
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On Jul 18, 2017 Nilesh wrote :
This is the first Awakin post that I disagree with. I *choose* to believe in the line of all great wisdom traditions that the universe knows me, is me, and we are all inextricably connected. But I honor the author’s beliefs.
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On Jul 17, 2017 Soni wrote :
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On Jul 16, 2017 david doane wrote :
1 reply: Somik | Post Your Reply