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The Universe Contemplating its Existence through us |
Since we are aware of the universe and we were created by the universe and are part of the universe, then the universe is contemplating itself through us. If by some chance we are the only life in the universe that has evolved to the point of contemplating universe then the universe contemplates itself only through us. Through us the universe becomes a Smart Universe as opposed to a Dumb Universe.
The universe itself has no central mind. In the beginning the universe was without life but over time life evolved on this planet. We are reasonably confident that microbial life is common occurrence on planets that have liquid water. As to life that can contemplate the concept of reality, that is a lot more rare. Objectively as of now science has not yet detected any other reality aware life forms in the universe. We make be one of trillions of planets with advanced life. There may be life forms on other planets that are so far advanced that we can not comprehend them. Or - we might be all there is.
Our planet is one of some trillion trillion planets in the universe. This is a really big number, but it is not an infinite number. It might be that highly evolved life is common. Or it might be fairly rare, maybe one planet per galaxy on the average. If, for example, we were the only advanced life form in our galaxy, but there was another planet in Andromeda, some 2.2 million light years from here, then it would take 4.4 million years for the first message to be sent and acknowledged between our two species. So even if there is other advanced life out there we may never come in contact with it.
When we say that the universe contemplates itself through us doesn't mean that the universe has a mind of it's own and it looking down at us like some deity would. (So Atheists - don't freak out!) It is more like the universe is some lower life form and we are sort of the universe's first few brain cells. In fact, we are so primitive that it's been less than 100 years that we were even aware of other galaxies and that the universe had a beginning.
Although we are so insignificant that the concept that the sum total of human consciousness represents the self awareness of reality itself, imagine us evolving for the next billion years at the rate our understanding of the universe has evolved over the last 100 years. With another billion years of positive evolution we might have a highly organized universe teaming with extremely advanced life descended from us. Then the idea of reality contemplating itself through us wouldn't seem as far fetched as it does now.
In fact, that is the vision of the Church of Reality - to continue to evolve forward for the next billion years and beyond. If we don't yet deserve it, we can become reality contemplating itself through humanity. But we can't do that if we cease to exist and become extinct. In order for us to become reality contemplating its own existence through us, we have to survive and evolve. We have to make the right choices to avoid extinction. That is the choice as we see it from the Church of Reality's perspective and we in the Church of Reality choose existence over extinction.
Think about this. What if we are the only life form in the universe who has gotten this far? What if we are unique? Do we not have some grand purpose in continuing to exist? Or - maybe there's other life in the universe like us and if we go extinct they will become the universe becoming self aware. What that would mean is that some other life form embraced reality, stayed in the game, and made the choices we as humans should have made.
So why should we hope there are space aliens out there who will pick up the task if we humans decide to go extinct instead of survive? Why don't we survive and do it ourselves? Maybe in a billion years we'll run into other species out there in the cosmos and exchange information with them. Maybe we'll figure out how to get passed the speed of light limitation and find them in a mere 10,000 years. Or maybe in a billion years one of them will land on our planet and find an extinct civilization that made bad choices and they will just say, "Too bad. They should have taken reality seriously."
That is why we in the Church of Reality choose to stay in the game and pursue the understanding of reality so we can continue to exist and explore this amazing universe that created us. We are the universe becoming self aware. And that is our higher purpose.
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