Molecules and Existence

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Our human bodies possess molecules that design our very existence along with living cells, neural receptors and transmitters in the brain whose electric and nerve impulses allow us to think and function.  Animals possess similar cell structures and electrical impulses in their bodies and also are capable of growing, reproduction, interaction, and life.  Plants grow and the wonder of nature is essentially all around us.  

After our deaths, our bodies return to the Earth and the molecules take on another form.  They are no longer ourselves but rather, part of a tree or a molecule in the ocean or some other random particle that makes up our universe.  Just as the water we drink, incorporates itself into our bodies, it becomes part of who we are for that instant.  No one can doubt that more than 70% of our bodies is created from water.  But at the same time, within the cycle that we are alive, this water exits our bodies and is discharged a multitude of times.  Therefore, our bodies are constantly changing with old atoms leaving and new atoms entering.  Are we any less a person than we were previously due to the absence of the historical molecules  or atoms that once formed our bodies?  The answer is decidedly no, as our existence continues and our thoughts continue.  

However, this raises the question, at what point is it that we cease to be ourselves?  What percentage of molecules are required to exit our being before we cease to be a whole person.    Death occurs when the body no longer functions, or does the body no longer function when death occurs.  Does human death constitute the removal of the life source within?  Our being, our essence, our form, resides in our thought and in the concept of an "unknown energy" that is untapped and not measurable by science.  The soul (or this "unknown energy" ) is our essence, not the molecules that confine the human body.  A human being that has lost all faculties of thought, reason, still possesses the life force that religiosts call a soul.  

I submit that perhaps the soul carries the body, the body does not carry the soul…..But in that case, where does that leave animals and plants, for they live and die. But their existence varies from humans as they do not possess free will.  All animals perform the same basic instincts as the animals that came before them.  They follow their nature or some preprogram that is recorded in their systems.  There are no lions in the Antarctica, the weather is too cold for them.  They can not choose to go live on top of a mountain when their species originates from the plains.  How do birds know migratory patterns, and how do sea turtles know to return to the very spot they were born?  They follow the instructions or pre-program, and lack free will and free choice.  Animal bodies go through similar changes and functions as human bodies and yet the animals are so decidedly different from human beings.  

Human beings, possess free will, choice, thought, morality (and lack of), and so many other features that separate our species from all others on the planet.  Some are living in the most coldest climates while others live in the deserts.  There is an extremely broad range of differences between human beings in terms of accomplishments, thoughts, activities, and ideologies.  Which leads to the assertion that humans are not the same as animals or plants or any other organism on Earth.  Perhaps we are separated by more than just intelligence.  In nature you will not find this wide range in differences between the animals or plants within a given species.  

Morality - An Innate Human Concept

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

There is something fundamentally  unique about human beings.  We are different from animals, we have choice, free will, we shape our destiny and yet at the same time we have some type of guidance.  All human beings across the lands throughout the world and religions hold very similar principles of morality.  Principles such as: Do not murder, do not lie, kindness is a virtue, generosity is treasured, loyalty is honorable, helping others reveals greatness within yourself, and many other universally “moral” concepts and ideals are commonplace.  

How is it that so many different societies, that in the past never interacted with one another could have such common moral leanings?  Human beings, within themselves possess an innate sense of right and wrong.  This sense guides those to choosing between right and wrong, though obviously people are able to ignore this moral compass or conscience if desired.  

Great corruption and a dangerous situation arises when human beings are dishonest with themselves.  People become truly lost when they make decisions that they know to be wrong and immoral yet use rationality to counterbalance this moral compass trying to justify and rationalize their actions.  For example, Genocide was justified with “moral” causes and twisted ideas of “cleansing” throughout history by various civilizations as people do not like to face their own demons within and admit to the beast that exists within their hearts that is causing them to act in such an unethical and barbaric fashion.  

There is always a rationalization to unethical actions in a majority of cases.  The rationalization will twist someone’s mind and heart (science has found the heart has brain cells in it) into a contorted creature that is human but has ignored the moral compass that leads to “humanity”.  Judgement and vision become clouded eventually leading to further and further misguided decisions.  

We continue to see modern brainwashing “justifying” immorality in our world today.  Four billion people live in poverty today, and yet somehow the financial banking system is still a valid and viable option because “the world can not survive without the money lender’s practices of charging interest and deeming the extremely poor not credit worthy”. How else will things run?  Even the financial collapse of bank giants in 2009, still has not led the majority of people in the world to question the banking system’s fundamental principles.

Wars ravage lands and their is always some “rational” excuse..... 

I truly believe, that human beings are capable of a greatness that has never been achieved.  It is idealistic, though if every person in the world would focus on listening to their own moral compass, and question the rationality that leads them to certain choices, with an open heart, then the world would be a better place.  I am an idealist and believe that these things are possible and the potential for true greatness is there for all of humanity to benefit from.

Choice, Free Will, and Destiny

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

There are a variety of peoples on this Earth, each more different than the fingerprints and DNA that their body holds. We are all the same yet so completely and unimaginably different. There is no predictable life that one can say as soon as an infant is born, that he will grow up to be this or that. Our personalities are shaped and developed and to some degree created from the DNA that we were born with. Society then further changes us based on the opportunities that we get, parenting, wealth (or lack of), education, and experiences, this is how we become who we are.

But then to question all of these factors that have shaped us throughout our lives, and acknowledge that we should not be bound by the past, or the shape that society has labeled us to be, but rather free to make our own choices and choose our own destiny is one that is extremely emancipating from all of the stereotypes that the majority of society labels people to be. Our freedom and individualism as well as the right to make the choice to let go of any constraints is what creates the truly free mind and a person that truly does choose his own path.

I find the majority of people actually do not ponder what life really is, as they are so consumed with the day to day struggles that they do not have any time to step back and observe the living stage that is our daily reality. To actually take the time to notice and understand how choices are always there to make and seizing the day is a matter of choice, not compulsion. In the movie, Gone with the Wind, there is a sign that says “Do not squander time, that is the stuff that life is made of”. And yet daily, you see people in the rat race, that never really use their time to gain happiness or pursue what they enjoy doing. The 9-5 grind is the murderer of creativity, and the corporate cubicles the butcher of any thought or reason. But to be honest, taking a step back and taking a really long hard look into the mirror is not an easy prospect. To really take that journey of self discovery you have to be completely honest with yourself. Until taking that journey, I never really understood the concept of self deception. To believe something about yourself, that you are the victim, that you are stuck in a rut, that you can’t do anything about, is self deprecating and does not give credit or place responsibility with the reality that you are the chooser of your own destiny. Yes, we all have trials and tribulations, that is life, but to rise above those tribulations and take blatant responsibility for the life that you have created for yourself is an epiphany.