We are apes. We are flesh and blood.
When you cut us open, it's hard to spot the stardust we're made of.
We don't glow divinely, we don't shoot light out of our fingertips, and we all inevitably die and grotesquely decompose. You can't see divinity in an autopsy, nor can you point to wisdom as a body part.
You were born into this era, into a universe with an exhaustive list of discoveries and inventions that are part of this day and age—you took no part in their invention or discovery. You just got to experience and use them as tools.
You were born into a rich world with cars, roads, ATMs, iPhones, instant communication, electricity, medical advances, guns, vaccines, birth control, video games, virtual reality, aircraft, spacecraft, CCTV cameras, and so much more... just there for the taking. Again, you had nothing to do with these inventions and discoveries.
These were solutions to questions we asked long ago, dreams that were dreamt. Once, we believed we'd be happy if we had all these things. What if a SINGLE device in your hand could answer any question you can ask? But I don't see anyone smiling, and I don't see anyone thrilled with the world as it presents itself today.
You interacted with these things: You drove cars on roads, drank drinks from glasses, were caught on 1000 cameras on your trip for groceries, took medication, and Googled websites from computers. Maybe you robbed someone at an ATM and stole their car to evade the police while detailing your plans on social media that you were buying digital currency with the money. You made the nine o'clock news. That is a 21st-century crime. No one from the 1800s would understand this paragraph.
You live at the cutting edge of all our technologies combined. You used and abused inventions and discoveries; you ARE a carbon footprint.
You were NOT born into a world with horse-drawn buggies or steam trains, nor were you part of the generations that went to Mars or traveled through wormholes. Nope, you arrived here now to clutter up our sense of advancement or help us move onto Mars. Are you doing your part?
Of course, you are confused. Of course, you don't feel like you belong. Why would you? You're a fresh soul adjusting to a new place and time! You uniquely occupy your space. And hell, you're an ape.
We are exceptional beings who can grasp the world's most challenging problems and often devise multiple solutions. We believe we understand the entire experience of the universe. We are capable of manipulating the world to our needs. The universe is inherently solvable.
There is no need for any higher power, and science has given God an affidavit.
The solutions may not all be solved, but we hold the keys to life. We could invent something like "Life Sciences," where any concept of God or gods falls within our vast domain of experience. So, not even God can elude our hierarchical descriptions, even if he is in the top position, the creator of all positions, and the reason for the hierarchy and descriptions themselves. It is like having an index book of all the books you have. Instead, if there is an encyclopedia book for each letter of the alphabet, A to Z, then the Index would be the 27th book in the series about 26 letters.
You learned that "1+1 is 2" and that "E=mc2". This was all solved long before your time. FOR FURTHER USE IN YOUR LIFE, specifically to INSPIRE further learning. The stupid kids shunned these activities, as predicted.
THAT IS WHY YOU WERE FORCED TO GO TO SCHOOL. It was so you had an intellectual grasp on elementary subjects and prodded you into studies or a lifestyle that best suited you. It was not merely to fail or screw up your grades but to excel in a chosen field. It was to give you a future you could understand and interpret. How dare anyone quit school?
You are standing on the shoulders of giants. No one is an island; no one is an original. You are not immune.
Remember the stupid monkey you were as an infant, and respect the gap that got you to where you are now, wherever you are in life reading this. It has been a costly adventure for you and humanity, who contributed to our history! Racism would grind to a crawl if this were universally understood.
Rabbits can't lie or cheat, cougars can't build houses, horses can't lure people into riding them, eagles can't make clay icons of other eagles, and cows cannot make cave drawings.
These are left wholly for human beings. Sharing this world with creatures with limitations that are available to them shows us our OWN place in the hierarchy of animals. We are at the top. The rest we either eat, keep as pets, or kill as pests or trophies.
Our mind is the most wondrous thing in the universe, and the fact that it is stuck inside a body and can move around is the most incredible thing alive. As time unravels, we experience more and try to survive the moment we're in. Our lungs breathe, our hearts beat, and our bodies move—another breath... another heartbeat... another movement.
Or God, you wouldn't know a God existed until you understood a higher power. You have likely dueled with the idea of a God or gods and possibly rejected "God" based on the evidence you've experienced.
Without concepts, we're back to being little ignorant apes. Since life is so short, you must be apprised of longer-term problems like climate change, the ozone hole, and lead-based painted toys. You wouldn't figure them out on your own. You need to be taught that the world is round; it isn't apparent from observation. All this should humble you.
Without the concept of a car, there would be no cars in your world. Without the concept of religion, you'd just become a material secularist. Without the idea of spiritualism, you may have no idea of any supernatural, ethereal realms. For some reason, that seems sad. We come in all types and kinds, like pagans, republicans, or Pharisees. Each of us IS an interpretation of the world around us.
When you were younger, you hoped to be a happy adult.
Happiness is fleeting. The ecstasy cannot be sustained. Like an orgasm, it hits a peak and is over. Like a video game, the thrill is over. Like winning the lottery, the "wow" factor is gone at some point.
Sex is the leading trending subject for happiness. We fantasize about erotic encounters that will never happen. Why do we do this? Why are images of naked people the greatest sought? What does that say about us as a species? (We should look to Freud for proof.)
Our mind needs somewhere to go for eight hours a day. The work building these civilizations that we're standing on, the immense power men put into building modern society is from diverting their minds from sex (I can point you to Freud for proof).
That is the energy behind developing bridges, nuclear power, and substantial engineering feats. That is why there are great artists who capture a piece of reality that we can touch, see, or listen to. This is the world testosterone built.
Ties That Bind: Circumnavigating the Northern Hemisphere by Rail
The author and his father and brother attempt the world's longest train ride, to see if they can stay together as a family unit in a tight train compartment for nine days. Not only did they survive without assaulting each other, but they also continued on epic train trips, the world's second and third-longest train trips in the world. Then they went into North Korea for a week, then lastly took a series of trains to get from Moscow to London whereupon they circumnavigated the northern hemisphere by train, together, with the same love, respect, and closeness then they started out with. It's an engaging, danger-filled, comedic, and "off the rails" kind of book. You're sure to enjoy it!
