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You, Me, and the Shortbus We Rode In On
Humanity is stupid. We're born useless but cute so that our parents will love us, and our defenses up until we're about 5 or 6 all swing around that fickle thing known roughly as "motherly love." It's all because of the cuteness that there are so many babies wondering this land, the cuteness and maybe one or two reasons that I can't think of because man, kids don't DO anything.
From an evolution standpoint I just don't get it. We don't have claws, or teeth capable of doing much more than tearing and chewing pre-killed foods; the only big amount of hair (for most of us) is on our heads where supposedly it helps keep our heat in but in actuality is little more than a pawn in the mating ritual games we play; our bodies are a joke when looked at compared to other animals, all our parts out there where they're unprotected, easy pickin's.
So here we are, the race that got the short stack when it came to "survivable qualities,"the race that just simply doesn't make sense as a dominant species and what do we do? We breed, take over the place, and rule with an iron fist.
I think we might be back-sliding.
We have this magnificent brain that we're told is the reason we were able to dominate and subjegate the planet around us. we've used it to invent things to make life easier and more fulfilling, we've even used it to go to the moon*! Our brain IS our huge survival factor in this world.
Somehow though, we debate that evolution is just a theory and that Creationism is a science. We destroy one another in war that is obviously very anti-survival behavior. We create wonderous beautiful things, art, music, theoretical sciences, and the things to crush it all beneath an onslaught of destructive sciences, some of which could simply happen accidentally**.
Everything is automated now. People can't do simple math because we have calculators for that; they can't be bothered to spell check because we have machines for that and besides who cares, right? People aren't learning the basics before they jump into the higher levels, they just skip what can be done by computers, trusting little things, big things, and all levels between to the machines that make life simpler for them. Simpler, faster, and more interesting, these are our overriding goals, even as it makes us less knowledgeable on those things that got us there.
We have our big brains making big machines, making up for parts of our brains that we don't want to have to use, like simple math. Eventually our brains degrade to the point where they're not a survival factor any longer because we rely on the computers to help us. The computers deteriorate because we don't remember how to fix the robots that fixed the computers. Everything falls apart and there we are, staring at the wild animals, holding our crude clubs, and freezing in the winter.
But hey, at least our babies look cute, right? That'll keep the species alive when our brains are no longer enough.
*Okay, we used rockets, I admit it..
**We are currently trying to create mini black-holes on Earth. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me, anyone else? Other things that scare me are attemping to reach absolute zero, messing with our ozone layer by using it as a radio transimission enhancer, and putting missles in space, pointing...outward?
From an evolution standpoint I just don't get it. We don't have claws, or teeth capable of doing much more than tearing and chewing pre-killed foods; the only big amount of hair (for most of us) is on our heads where supposedly it helps keep our heat in but in actuality is little more than a pawn in the mating ritual games we play; our bodies are a joke when looked at compared to other animals, all our parts out there where they're unprotected, easy pickin's.
So here we are, the race that got the short stack when it came to "survivable qualities,"the race that just simply doesn't make sense as a dominant species and what do we do? We breed, take over the place, and rule with an iron fist.
I think we might be back-sliding.
We have this magnificent brain that we're told is the reason we were able to dominate and subjegate the planet around us. we've used it to invent things to make life easier and more fulfilling, we've even used it to go to the moon*! Our brain IS our huge survival factor in this world.
Somehow though, we debate that evolution is just a theory and that Creationism is a science. We destroy one another in war that is obviously very anti-survival behavior. We create wonderous beautiful things, art, music, theoretical sciences, and the things to crush it all beneath an onslaught of destructive sciences, some of which could simply happen accidentally**.
Everything is automated now. People can't do simple math because we have calculators for that; they can't be bothered to spell check because we have machines for that and besides who cares, right? People aren't learning the basics before they jump into the higher levels, they just skip what can be done by computers, trusting little things, big things, and all levels between to the machines that make life simpler for them. Simpler, faster, and more interesting, these are our overriding goals, even as it makes us less knowledgeable on those things that got us there.
We have our big brains making big machines, making up for parts of our brains that we don't want to have to use, like simple math. Eventually our brains degrade to the point where they're not a survival factor any longer because we rely on the computers to help us. The computers deteriorate because we don't remember how to fix the robots that fixed the computers. Everything falls apart and there we are, staring at the wild animals, holding our crude clubs, and freezing in the winter.
But hey, at least our babies look cute, right? That'll keep the species alive when our brains are no longer enough.
*Okay, we used rockets, I admit it..
**We are currently trying to create mini black-holes on Earth. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me, anyone else? Other things that scare me are attemping to reach absolute zero, messing with our ozone layer by using it as a radio transimission enhancer, and putting missles in space, pointing...outward?
no subject
We don't grow our own food anymore. We can't render fat to make soap and candles routinely. We don't have a stillroom, or sleep with our animals indoors to protect our source of meat and labor, etc etc. I was raised by a survivalist and I have to tell you he's ill equiped to function in the world he's actually in. the brain can only hold so much knowledge. So we've transferred some of it to our own library of alexandria. I think the total collapse of all thing is less likely than needing good powerpoint skills to pay for the altenative fuels.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2006-09-12 04:27 pm (UTC)(link)2) The Library of Alexandria burned.
3) I want to move to a remote area and raise my own animals and farm. The only problem is I need to find a way to do that and still have Broadband internet access and health insurance...
4) 90% of people who use Powerpoint to make presentations don't actually have any Powerpoint skills. In fact, I'm sick of Powerpoint presentations. For one of my final group presentations, I printed out transparencies. And while other groups spent 10-15 minutes trying to get their laptops to work with the projector while everyone sat around mumbling and waiting, ours was ready to go as soon as we stood up.
-tt
p.s. - I'm older and grumpier than 'miah, and I've always wanted a brain pipe-cleaner so I can clean out all that junk I don't want up there and make room for more stuff I do... :)
p.p.s. - I also believe in the de-evolution of mankind, but for reasons beyond those listed.
no subject
1) Agree.
2) I'm aware of that -
3) That one's all you.
4) I'm aware of that too -
PS, I'm pretty grumpy too, we should have an old-a-thon.
no subject
However, I disbelieve this notion that human beings can only hold so much information - I just think our brain is the least used muscle in most peoples heads and if we learned to exercise it better then we could do so much more with it. I'm not talking ESP (as much as that's a different subject I could talk for days about) but instead just simple recall and rememberance. If we don't Darwin ourselves backwards instead of forwards and we actually start evolving instead of devolving, I think we'll see that the brain is the biggest source of change in what is to come.
Or at least, I hope. I also think that our "evolution" is probably going to involve cyborging ourselves, but I'd like to see nature take its course instead.
no subject
Now that's just crazy talk! You be quiet with your nature ways! I, for one, would welcome cyborging ourselves out. Hell, I want to be one of the first to do so. I'm all about being a brain in a jar inside a fully functioning machine of ultimate destruction. Man, you just can't get more sci-fi than that. Sure, they (whoever does this first) won't allow for a fully optimized robot of destruction, but when you're a frakking cyborg you'll get nothing but respect and utter admiration. Not to mention the ease of downloading subroutines and things-to-do so that you'll never forget. Yeah, sign me up.
no subject
no subject