Why we are here

Human beings are the means by which nature ceases to be indifferent. It does not matter whether or not you take the view that we have been ‘put here’ to do this, we take this noble responsibility upon ourselves anyway - and gladly. It is so important that we act in ways that fulfil this role for in my view there is no finer reason for or purpose to our existence.

Bleak observations of how nature, if left to its own devices, is indifferent to the fate of living creatures led Eugene Marais to conclude: “If nature possesses a universal psyche, it is one far above the common and most impelling feelings of the human psyche. She has certainly never wept in sympathy, nor stretched a hand protectively over even the most beautiful of her creatures.”

But, as I suggest, this assumes that we creatures are outwith ‘nature’ whereas we are very much an integral part of it We are made from elements forged in its stellar furnaces and have become able to influence its course. Nature, the Universe or, as I prefer to call it, the Cosmos, defined by Carl Sagan as “All that is, all that was and all that ever will be” includes ourselves – yourself, myself and all of humanity as well as other sentient beings here and elsewhere now and at all times.

This inclusive view leads us away from what I will call the ‘exclusivist’ perception that: “The universe is not hostile, nor yet is it friendly. It is simply indifferent.” [Holmes]. Rather, the ‘inclusivist’ standpoint leads us towards Tolstoy’s view that: “The highest wisdom has but one science - the science of the whole - the science of explaining the whole creation and man’s place in it.” Rational methods of enquiry generate knowledge but do not often supply the meaning needed by many people. The widespread desire for meaning is a revealing condition. As Jung pointed out, meaning makes a great many things endurable - perhaps everything.

It is true that in the absence of human intervention, the remainder of nature has no regard for individual entities be they people, civilisations, worlds, solar systems, or huge chunks of galaxies. This is not a cause for dismay, resentment or pessimism but it is simply the way it is and necessary for the arising of entities such as ourselves.

The sufferings of innocents, the destruction of planets (including ultimately the earth and the inner solar system), the destruction of entire systems in colossal radiation outbursts and supernovae that take any nearby ancient civilisations and their cultures with them are unavoidable consequences of the way that the elements necessary for the structures for habitable environments and the elements necessary for living systems are formed – we are made of ‘star stuff’. This is the grandeur of it all and these are the inescapable costs of progressive evolution – and the price of freedom.

The same natural indifference applies to people here on earth. Death is an inescapable part of evolution – humanity would not be here were it not for the travails, sufferings and demise of countless individual creatures - innocent and harmless, former species and humanoids that were ‘deselected’ by evolution or random events such as massive meteor strikes or climatic changes.

Nature has imbued human beings with the capacity to be aware and set our own purposes. Nature need not have a ‘reason’ for producing this ability, this most graceful gift, but it is there nonetheless and we are responsible to ourselves, to those who have gone before and to all future generations for how it is used.

So it is that we can choose to find cures for disease, disseminate mercy and compassion, work for justice and the relief of suffering in the face of what can on the grandest scale, sans us, be an otherwise arbitrary nature or on a more humdrum level, a ruthless and indifferent economic system operated for the benefit of those with power but without vision.

The consciousness of human beings, the fruit of hard and unsparing evolution, is the means by which the cosmos becomes aware of itself and gains some ability to shape its own, humanitarian, destiny. What a noble purpose: we humans are the means by which nature ceases to be indifferent to the welfare of its creatures.

We can choose the acquisition of knowledge and, on this secure foundation, the gaining of wisdom. We can choose harmony and the progression of the common good. We can respect and care for each individual and their welfare and freedom. Each one is unique and so may be uniquely placed to gain insight. We can all be ‘star throwers’ in our everyday lives and through these good actions we can ensure current happiness and security for ourselves and positive expectations of the future for our children.

So, after Santayana, we can, after all, take the view that the truth is cruel, but it can be loved - even evolution, which brought us consciousness, the ability to seek and to find, and, putting an end to indifference, the ability to love. You can love your family, the green and pleasant land in which we dwell and the creatures of the world. You can even love yourself, warts and all. The road to freedom is indeed hard, but thus are we made free. Would we want it to be otherwise?