“Lifism: A Philosophy for Life”
(A blog written 19\4\2012 in Humberside for Triond and my own blog)
Description: Put aside your religious beliefs. Just look at the known Universe. What do you see? What is the best thing you are aware of? Is there a Purpose to it all? Well, maybe there is...
Think of all the pictures and descriptions you have seen or read about The Universe. Recall all those starry skies you've seen. It really is a wonder. All those galaxies and nebulae: stars growing in clouds of gas, eventually fading or exploding as super novae, to later form new stars. Solar systems forming then dying, generation after generation.
Put aside all your religious beliefs. Just look in child-like awe at that vast expanse of space. It would take one of our current rockets about 80,000 years or so to reach the nearest star to our Sun (Proxima Centauri).
Yet there is one thing that is the crowning glory of this great Universe: Life! Better still, life that is intelligent and sentient. Life that has a brain. Individual beings that are self-aware, empathic, able to think, compose music and who knows what else.
I have often wondered: what is The Purpose of our existence? When I was about eighteen I decided that “Survival” was the first priority. That’s fine as a starter. You have to breathe, drink, eat and be sheltered before you can do anything else. Yet surely we don’t exist just for the sake of existing.
Recently I read that there are some sea creatures which are, biologically speaking, immortal! That’s good, but what do they do with their lives? Something for another blog perhaps.
There has to be a “Higher Purpose” to all this. The best I can say is that Evolution has taken us in a certain direction. In short, Evolution has produced bigger and better brains. Life as we know it is still a work in progress. All we can say is that, collectively, we are aiming for higher intelligence, talent and general mental prowess.
Perhaps in the fullness of time we will produce people who possess telepathy, telekinesis and other mental super-powers. Eventually there may be folk who can make almost anything happen just by thinking things into being.
Who knows what mental powers might evolve in the future? For now, however, all we can do is cherish and encourage all forms of intellect and talent. Our collective “Purpose” is simply to improve things and help people to improve.
Let’s not forget: this also means educating people to be compassionate and loving. A high IQ is little use to someone without good Ethics and Morals. Anyway, IQ is a rather limited measure of intelligence: let’s not restrict ourselves to just that.
Progressive Improvement should be our aim: in the broadest possible spectrum of “human” intellect and emotional development. That is “The Purpose”. I rest my case.
Oh, and before I go: this whole philosophy I call "Lifism". Sort of "Humanitarianism" Plus. Of course, most good religions contain plenty of Lifism. Yet I would like to think the above is the essence of this philosophy, with no strings attached.
Paul Butters
