by BB Curtis
As humans, we look around and see what we have invented, what we have built, and what we do each and every day that no other type of earthly creature has ever done nor can do. We are full of our abilities and full of ourselves. We are the mighty, the brilliant, the powerful. Look at the technology we have at our fingertips – we can even control time, well, to some degree. Our TVs will now pause and replay what is happening in real-time, so we’re getting there. We can go to sites where we can map our trips and see actual satellite photos of the terrain through which we will drive as we do so, not a map that was drawn by a person. We see the real thing – mountains, rivers, buildings, even cars and trucks on the road we will be traveling. The list is virtually endless. Each time we conceive of something, another greater accomplishment looms in the very near future. (Oh, but we haven’t cured the Common Cold because think of how much money the pharmaceutical companies would lose every year if they could no longer sell all those multitudes of symptom-treating chemicals . . . or cancer, or diabetes, or AIDS, or – OK, that list is just about endless too.)
Although this is not an essay on religion or spirituality, it seems necessary to mention that, in the Western Culture, these feelings of superiority have been fostered by the religions that hold a grip on the largest numbers of the populace. The first five books of the Christian Bible are also the Torah, or written law, of the Judaic belief system. Islam also shares these books, although they claim that the books have been corrupted by man, they are, nonetheless, the basis of that belief system as well. These three major world religions follow the same god (here left in lower case since the name of the god differs due to language differences) and the same basic beliefs/laws. In the Book of Genesis (Bereishith), the first chapter, twice man is instructed to “ . . . ‘rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (Gen. 1:26 NAS) “And God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Gen. 1:28 NAS). Is it any wonder that our nature, after all these years, has been bent toward this feeling of superiority? As a side note, we see what this philosophy has brought us. Take a look at the air that hangs over our major communities. If memory serves, we’re not supposed to be able to see the air. We are forced in many places to filter our water and the bottled water industry is thriving. I don’t know about you, but after having been raised when you could go to a local swimming hole and not worry about any adverse consequences, I’m now disinclined to swim in anything but a chlorinated pool these days. We have introduced so many chemicals into our food sources that they are no longer safe to eat. I’m not so sure we’ve done so well with that ruling over everything stuff. What do you think?
What intrigues me is that as we move through the years, and our inventions become more and more complex and machines perform more and more of our daily functions, we feel more and more superior. It would seem to me that this is not the case and that the reverse is true. Step into my time machine and see what makes me think so. Let us go back to the early 1600s (barely 400 years ago). With the knowledge you have today and with no help from the other pilgrims, how long do you think you’d survive in the wilderness of Plymouth had you been on the Mayflower? How are you going to eat? How do you know which plants are poisonous or not? How are you going to clothe yourself in order not to die of exposure? The winters are more than just a little cold. How are you going to build shelters? What tools would you have at your disposal? Do you know how to use them, or make them? There is no A&P, no Macy’s, no Ace Hardware. Good luck!
We also seem to think that we have become more intelligent over time. We look back in awe that someone could figure out how to build a pyramid. Some have even tendered the idea that outer space creatures must have come to earth and aided in the building of many of our most magnificent ancient structures. This implies that we assume that, a few thousand years ago, people were not intelligent enough to figure out how to cut rocks and put them strategically on top of each other. Why do we think that stone carving is something that must be done by machine in order for it to be done well?
Personally, I’m in awe of the fact that the ancients lived long enough to procreate. But, instead, they developed language, math, astrology, astronomy, medicine, architecture, science, art, music, textiles, monetary systems, laws, religions, philosophy, business techniques, etc., etc., etc. We have no reason to think that we are more intelligent today than man was several thousand years ago. What we have is more knowledge (in some cases). What we’ve done is to build upon what the last generations left for us. This does not superiority make. Also, we do not control nature. When she sends us a big, fat storm, run! When she sends us a big, fat wave, run! When her winds pick up cars, trucks, and houses, run! How superior are we?
I feel it is an absolute necessity to mention here that there are spiritual belief systems that do not proclaim the superiority of man (humans). They teach that everything is an integrated whole. Nature (the Earth) is believed to be a living, breathing entity and that all upon her are connected. When any of Earth’s beings, including the Earth itself, is harmed, then all upon her are harmed as well. This connectivity disallows any feelings of superiority.
Live well!
© Bobbi Curtis 2015, All Rights Reserved
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