Chances are...

Discussion in 'Philosophy' started by AK Infinity, May 23, 2006.

  1. Chances are...

    <O:p</O:p
    The earth has been around about 4.5 billion years which can be measured in four main ages: the Precambrian Eon, the Paleozoic Era, the Mesozoic Era, and the Cenozoic Era (current). Each of these eras was and is alive with the energy of erosion, evolution, and empire. Imagine the creatures that have walked this world, the kingdoms that have ruled with their cities built on blood and bones. In the shadow of shifting of continents and shaping seas our ancestors roamed across the icy wastes in search of food and vital shelter. Through all that and many wars we've we been stitched into the mosaic of chaotic life. We beat those damn unbeatable odds of oblivion and low sperm counts and stuff to arrive here on blessed earth.

    The equation is pretty straightforward in a manner of speaking cuz every breath we take is a miracle. The elements that went into our creation are staggering and should leave us with some appropriate amount of awe, call it God or a burning desire to understand the intricate workings of the universe. The equation: there are about 6.5 billion people on planet earth and out of the motley bunch your folks met and produced you.


    [​IMG]

    Here's the joyless but driven human male sperm cells.

    When a man ejaculates there are millions of these little buggers in his semen, all eagerly and desperately trying to get to the egg, but remember each of those sperm cells isn't you but a different version of you, smarter or dumber perhaps but a variation none-the-less.


    [​IMG]

    Here's the almighty human female egg.

    When the human female is still in the womb it contains about 7 million eggs in its ovaries, but as time progresses and the fetus is born the number begins to drop drastically from there. At birth the number of eggs has come way down to about 1 to 2 million and by the time the baby reaches adulthood it will only have about 300 or 400 eggs left. The key is timing because men are constantly producing sperm cells while the woman is left with a finite number of eggs, and will only eject one egg per month. If the egg is not fertilized within a day it dies. So...not only do your folks have to meet in a crowd of 6.5 billion and engage in courtship but they've got to have sex at the precise moment a fertile egg is available.


    [​IMG]

    Creation!

    Through big bangs and billions of years all the right circumstances came together to insure our existence. It's truly staggering when you sit back and think about how vast the universe is, but somehow fragile life has endured.

    Life's so beautiful, I hope all of you get a chance to live it to the fullest degree.

    "Birth is the sudden opening of a window, through which you look out upon a stupendous prospect. For what has happened? A miracle. You have exchanged nothing for the possibility of everything.”<O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p

    ~William MacNeile Dixon~<O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p

    Stay green!
     
  2. when my kid asks me where babies come from, i'm taking them here.
     
  3. i am not gonna have kids, but still cool read




    never really think of it as a wonder since all those "accidents" happen
     
  4. Thanks TokinBlue,

    Also I think whether the events that led to us are chance/"accidental" or by design still doesn't negate the amazing way that our brains work and the fact that we can investigate our origins is nothing less than wonderful IMHO. Human beings understand more about life everyday, but something I've come to understand is that the more we know, the more there is to know. What we understand about the universe is so minute that it wouldn't even register as a pimple on the backside of a dust mite.

    People that talk about the elegance and scientific simplicity of the universe are the ones that are the most desperate about it. The current count on the number galaxies in the universe is at about 100 billion, and in a single galaxy there are roughly 200 billion stars. Compared to that, the arrogance of man isn't even a transient puff of smoke.

    Anyway...

    "It is not from space that I must seek my dignity, but from the government of my thought. I shall have no more if I possess worlds. By space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like an atom; by thought I comprehend the world."<O:p</O:p
    <O:p</O:p
    ~Blaise Pascal~<O:p</O:p


    Stay green!
     
  5. Poor little sperm. Those buggers work so hard!
     
  6. I like the way yew talk. :D

    Moreso i like the way you conceptualize the world.

    "The more we know, the more there is to know"
    this is the beauty of perspective. you hit the nail on the head... as ususal. To some, the arrogance of man is what sets us apart from the animals, to others, it will be our ultimate downfall. Of course i label our "uniqueness" as arrogance because everything in this world is unique in some way or another. Perspective anyone?

    +rep AK
     
  7. "A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

    ~Albert Einstein~

    Human beings are unique on this world as far as we know in terms of the way we think but I gotta agree with you about our arrogance. The way people strut around and act like the planet earth is here for their own amusement and exploitation. Everything is connected and has meaning and the sooner that people realize that the sooner we can create a world where all living creatures have a chance at a decent quality of life.

    Ya know what I hate about the scientific method; the fact that the human observers are flawed therefore the data that's accumulated is misused for purposes other than world peace. Ya wanna know what I hate about religion too; the fact that the higher ideals we aim for are subverted on a daily basis because of the pettiness of our hearts and minds. If the altruistic aims of science and religion can be corrupted then... The data's the data and religious beliefs are religious beliefs but I think it would be at the height of foolishness to assume one is better than the other, because mankind predates both. We don't need science or religion in their current forms to survive, in fact, maybe we would have a closer relationship with the planet if we didn't have either.

    People scare the fuck out of me because in spite of the gifts we've been given in abundance "others" don't feel secure unless they have a majority of the resources. All life requires of us is that we breathe and behave.

    EXTINCTION, n. The raw material out of which theology created the future state.”

    ~Ambrose Bierce~

    Stay green!
     
  8. W/o religion where would people fulfill their need to be accepted? Its like a special club for exclusive members that gives people ways to cope with unknowns like death, creation, and also motivate people to have good hearts? Perhaps we would be forced to take responsibility for our own actions, though its easier to be told what to do and how to act.

    I'm not a scientist but i'm pretty sure we need the chemitss making our drugs, the archaeologists sheding light on our past, psychologists telling people they're fucking nuts, doctors making sure that our life expectancy is higher than our parents was, and physicists that design the everyday objects that keep us safe every day.

    Sure people take advantage of the system and exploit these things sometimes, but i think without them we would just come up with something new to replace the empty space in the character of our society that yearns for purpose, meaning, and acceptance.
     
  9. Good points bro so I guess here we go...

    You raise some interesting questions which bear directly on what I was trying to say. My point is that religion and science "in their current forms" do not minister to our deeper needs. Ego is the mantra of this modern age and doubt its Tai Bo. With that said I would characterize myself as something of a Luddite bro in that the more we learn the less we know. (I know, I know, why am I on the fucking computer then?) The mechanical whims of our fancy have descended upon our better selves in a furious flourish. What does that mean? It means we lost out to comfort and no pain. Just because we have the capability of doing something doesn't necessarily mean we have the right.

    But... here we are anyway huh? We've went and built a modern world with all the ridiculous accoutrements like clickity click remote controls and shit.

    The Chemists: Make drugs that cure us and kill us, which is about right because everyday we each have a 50/50 chance at living or dying.
    The Archaeologists: Uncovers the past but none of it's wisdom. It's one thing to be curious about the past and another to truly learn from it. Experience and obvious fact are on my side, we suck at it. Look at the world we allowed to happen, look at what we've done.
    Psychologists/physicists/Doctors: C'mon do I really need to say anything?

    The cure for the empty spaces in our society is ourselves. Without the dull hum of the power plants that fuel the things that keep us apart we might come together and actually get to know each other. Maybe we wouldn't substitute stupid celluloid dreams, slick marketing, and summer blockbusters for real life. Yeah people take advantage of the system but we all contribute to it's downfall by our collective indifference. The holocaust doesn't represent what a few people can do, it represents what "people" can do given the right set of circumstances. The best of us and the worst of us represent degrees of the average, sweet, and beautiful human being. We can lock criminals up until the end of time but we can't change what they are...human. Their ugly deeds are our ugly deeds.

    But here's to hope and everlasting happiness.

    Stay green!
     
  10. I fully agree w/ you. I just dont think that we as a society would ever be able to realize this and accept it. We inflate our ego with ideals of a perfect world, but we dont hold ourselves to the standards we hold everyone else. Its as if the rules dont apply.

    We are the first to voice our concerns, yet we are the last to truly act to make a change.
     
  11. I can live with that.
     

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