It begins at the beginning. But it does not end at the end. It has no end. 

We are made of trillions upon trillions of individual units, all mindlessly functioning more or less autonomously. And yet these parts are simultaneously working in an astounding harmony… a unison that results in a living, thinking being. It’s a synergy of cosmic proportions. There is no greater miracle in the entire known universe. There is nothing more complex.

Little wonder that we are all unique. In fact, it is amazing that we are so much the same. Imagine building a life form made of trillions of parts and ending up with an extremely similar being every time.

It’s our uniqueness that brings the unexpected to art, music, writing, science, technology, business and virtually everything we do. It’s what makes a first date or a fifty-year marriage exciting and interesting. 

So why did I say that it begins at the beginning, but does not end at the end? What has that to do with uniqueness? As individuals we all have a beginning and an end. But the human race has… potentially… no end. Our uniqueness, our creative genius, brings to the world new ideas and concepts that will allow the human race to continue, should we choose, virtually forever. 

Should we choose…

We are on a cusp. We stand on a knife edge. Tip one way and utter disaster. Tip the other way and the human race takes the next step in its evolution. The choices we make today and in the near future will determine if the human race survives for millions of years or perhaps, even, forever.  If, in the next one hundred to two hundred years, we avoid an existential disaster where the human race is either wiped out entirely or is set back so critically that it can never recover, then we will have reached an era where we can protect ourselves from any natural risk. At that point, the mere fact that the human race still exists is proof that we have achieved a level of cooperation and wisdom necessary to prevent self-destruction. At that point, there is no reason to think that we would not continue for as long as this universe exists and perhaps beyond.

As individuals, why are we here? Why do we exist? What is our purpose?

We are here to ensure the continuation of the human race.

Time to choose

[Inspired by The PRECIPICE by Toby Ord, Hachette Books.]

All the best,

PG Harding.