By Aaron the Humanist
Why do we exist? It’s a question that Aaron finds himself pondering often, not only to make sense of where the world is headed but also to assess whether we’re on the right path. For him, it’s also a personal benchmark – a way to ensure he’s walking his own path with the right balance and intention. What are your thoughts on this timeless question?
I have often pondered this question. As a biological species – some might even say "infestation" – on Planet Earth, what do we really achieve by being here? The question can be considered on three levels: species, national, and personal.
Species level
As the dominant species on the planet, we appear to hold an awesome responsibility for the whole world as it moves forward into the future. Some people believe that we are now in a new geological epoch which they call the “Anthropocene” because of the significant impact of human activity on the Earth's geology and ecosystems. We can take this responsibility seriously, growing and developing as a species, or we can flounder and fail. We can be caretakers of the world, perhaps just passing the baton on from one generation to the next, or we can add something to it, improve upon what is, and maybe make life easier for future generations.
Our very survival may now depend on exploring and populating other planets. Currently, all our eggs are very much in one basket on this planet, and any one of a number of catastrophic events including asteroid impact, intense bursts of radiation from the Sun’s surface, environmental collapse and nuclear war could wipe us out. Physicist Stephen Hawking believed that humanity would need to colonise other planets to ensure its long-term survival.
National level
Despite numerous efforts at international co-operation, we do not belong to a joined-up world. We are divided by belief systems, cultures, history and ideology. Some want to race forwards, moving human civilisation to the next level in terms of artificial intelligence, nanotech health interventions, and space exploration, while others believe we should restrain our ambitions and seek to live in greater harmony with the natural environment. We remain dangerously divided on the best way to govern ourselves, whether in terms of unfettered individual freedom or dreams of a socialist utopia. Some work for peace while others wage war on their ethnic rivals. The end of World War I in 1918 marked a significant shift in the global political landscape, with many empires collapsing and new nation-states emerging. Today, nationalism is often reviled as a bad basis for governing ourselves but some worry that forms of transnational or world government may lead to undemocratic totalitarianism. There are no easy solutions.
Personal level
What about the individual? Are we just here to procreate or is more required of us? Evolution is driven by the “selfish gene” seeking to propagate itself through its biological hosts. But the long maturation process of human beings, only coming to completion around our mid-20s, means that we have the brain capacity to do much more than just propagate the species. We have built fantastically complex civilisations. Is this why we exist? But if our complex civilisation in terms of supply chains, financial systems, education, transportation, tools and technology is ultimately designed to enable me to exist, what do I bring to the table? Very few human beings make significant contributions to human progress, so why do most individual humans exist? Not everyone can be a scientist, a rocket engineer, or a microbiologist. Thousands of people devote their lives to teaching, but are teachers mainly just passing on existing knowledge to the next generation of learners? Most of us, at best, are very small cogs in a vast machine, but we can all make an effort to add to human learning and development by testing out new ideas and by improving the way we do things.
Existence failure
I have often questioned my own individual role on this planet as just one of many billions of people. I am sometimes dismayed at not being more than I am. I have not invented anything, not stood out from the crowd, not built anything that will remain standing after I have decomposed. I haven’t even procreated. But all is not lost. As a humanist I try to energise my own thinking, and those around me, by asking questions rather than being someone who just accepts the way things are. I try to challenge the status quo, to help improve what is, what we have, and how we do things. I vote, I participate in democracy, I challenge government ministers with questions, and contribute new ideas if I feel they are worthy. It’s not the highest level of adding to the whole, but it is something and it is meaningful. It helps me to answer the question “Why do I exist?”
I also try to stay fit and healthy to reduce my burden on the state. I reuse, reduce and recycle, so that I don’t waste energy consuming new things when I haven’t fully finished with existing goods. I try to conserve energy, water, food and materials, mainly because I’m on a budget, but if I won the euro millions I hope I would still retain that mindset. If each of us uses only our fair share of resources, that’s probably the best we can do. If we use less, that’s even better. But if we use more, or a lot more, how can that be justified on the basis of humanist ethics?
Legacy
So did we simply come into existence, flourish for a while, and then disappear without a trace? Will an alien spacecraft pass by in ten thousand years, unaware we were ever here, or will we have left a meaningful mark? Did we contribute something positive to the galaxy? Are we still thriving, exploring, forming connections, and helping all kinds of life flourish? The way we live today, our actions, our words on social media, and our interactions – do they matter? I believe they do. Why do YOU exist?
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