when you really think about it. how much brain power does it take to contemplate the universe? any animal can gaze into the heavens, the mountain range, the valley, the field, the oceans tumult and in some way, grasp something essential or descriptive about it, which, in time, becomes familiar. and is any one gaze, any more prescient than any other?
almost everything man knows now, is based upon the knowledge of our previous generation of thinkers. If it were not for language, the written form specifically, there would be very little knowledge that could be passed down from generation to generation. In fact, such was the case for the vast majority of the existence of humans on Earth.
So when we think about what it is that makes humans different from other animals, to say, "language" or "written language" or even to say, "technology" is not really, entirely candid nor truthful. In truth, humanity is a single generation away from an inglorious return to an animal understanding of the world and cosmos.
if it were not for technology being recorded, taught, books to be studied, proficiency tests, etc, then, we would be unable to pass on technology. information from the Hubble telescope would be beamed, but not received, not interpreted and unable to be read. In truth, there are very few individuals that truly understand the most cutting edge of technology, and, in this day and age, the specialization of knowledge necessitates that the most complex of knowledge's be broken apart to the point that there are very few individuals that have the cohesive understanding of how all the parts fit together.
and so, a human, left alone, not taught language, and left in the wild, will surely perish, unable to survive or to gather food, or avoid hazards, or shied itself from hazards.
and so, in a sense, we have outlined the intellectual failings of mankind. We have the ability to understand the code of language and to replicate it, but, if not taught this code, we know nothing of it.
when i look at the majestic beasts of the world. instantly knowing what it can and can't eat. how to reproduce, how to survive, how to migrate without a protracted childhood. i must say that the only thing that truly separates humans from the animals is not intelligence.
what separates humans from the other animals is an inability to see and enjoy the fruits of existence.
it's is also the inability to understand the grand plan of living in harmony, in symbiosis and competition with other life forms.
it's an inability to accept the impermanence of life and the de-emphasis of the individual and the emphasis of life itself, the world in which one lives in and the continuation of the species, and if possible the family.
the exaltation of the individual and the needs of the individual at the expense of a vital balance is the root difference for humans.
the desire to dominate and to control
to enrich at the expense of others
to master and exploit
to eliminate or stifle competition
to see the world and it's resources as belonging to the individual.
and the desire to make a language that is spoken and written, sprung forth from the desire to carry on and continue that which was seen as important, which is to say, more important than the individuals who spoke or produced the knowledge. the idea of a "legacy"...
this drive, this desire, this is the driving force, the persistence of humanity which created language, and technology.
this is what separates us from the animals.
whereas other life forms live in acceptance of the earth and the realities of a subtle and essential "green" balance.
man, has sought to persistently create forms of control.
from this "intelligence" sprung forth in these rude and abrasive ways.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
the significance of the christian religion is not that man discovered god, but in that god was brought down from the heavens and made into the form of a specific living man. the final step, in a centuries long process to attempt to violate the truths of creation and seize the most essential alchemy.. that of turning not man into god, but god into man. in this the actual message of the "savior" was raped, twisted and rendered sterile. tossed unto a pile of rubbish, as the final pronouncement was made into law.
it is almost the same story as when Columbus was shipwrecked off of "Hispaniola" and saved by the native inhabitants. Columbus presented the king with a robe in gratitude to the king for dispatching his people to save Columbus and his crew. in exchange, the king presented Columbus with a crown. with this, Columbus, knowing it was but a gift, a token, proclaimed that in this gesture, the king of Hispaniola, was seceding his territory and acknowledging Columbus and the king of Spain as rulers of this land that Columbus and his man damn near drowned in several hours earlier.
it is almost exactly the same.
Europe and the various battles which seethed with the Moors, Germany, Asia, Russia, Britain, The Danes, The Norseman, Greece, the Romans, Persians, Mesopotamia, the Nazi's, Napoleon..... they all based the legitimacy of their various claims on some flimsy interpretation of some long ago, strange, twisted logic. The one element that they all had in common, is that the justification benefitted the one who was making the claim.
I only use Europe as a well documented example. the entire Earth, then and now and into the future, is at different turns a hell and a kingdom for the living and a mass grave, or monument to the dead.
and yet, just as in technology, politics and high finance, there are but few individuals infected with this disease, and the rest of us follow along, for fear of extinction.
there are precious few men and women who desire this type of dominion.
and others that desire dominion of other kinds, be it knowledge, truth, justice, peace..
man, seeks perfection and higher states of being and an ungraspable type of inexpressible communion with Eden.
this is not to say that I harbor any kind of borderline psychological relationship with "man". "Man" means men and women, the vast majority of which are intent upon survival. I believe everything that man has done, has been done according to plan. reality does not mind the destruction of a planet, for a period of time, as a gambit towards the chance at achieving a predestined vision of the embodiment of the full wisdom of existence personified. I believe we are in a transitory stage, which I refer to as the age of enamorment. surely, technology is an important leap, however, the spiritual understanding that for the most part has been a continuous inquisition and philosophical question, also can stand to evolve. I believe this will occur. but, this stage, this age of enamorment must pass.
the point of this exercise is to point out that at times, we dazzle and amaze ourselves, as any contemplative being should be dazzled and amazed. and at times, we fool ourselves by psychological process (rationalization, intellectualizing, projective identification, internalization, etc) and self-justification and question begging. this is the slalom course that all philosophical inquiry must pass through. and so, to look at human intelligence, it must be said, that persistence and a desire to dominate is perhaps more the hallmark of humanity, than intelligence and providence.
animals for the most part only value those traits that can be passed on genetically. man, has found a way to pass on things bypassing genetics and to in part control which genetic factors are dominant. the dangers of this are currently being debated. and so it must be said, that the intelligence of man is in his ability to surpass and bypass the limitations of an entire existence of lifeforms, which previously were locked in and limited by the ability to pass on traits.. so, it must also be said, that the trait that separates man, is his persistence and desire to dominate and his cunningness in creating a written language and external intellectual tradition to achieve these ends.
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