Читать книгу Survival: The Ultimate Mission - Robert M.D. Skaf - Страница 10

(Of all living forms, perhaps only humans ended up with two subconscious, one to deal with self-preservation and one to ensure the survival of the species. In fact everything we do in life is either connected to survival of self-preservation.)

Most people may argue that money is what motivates all of us, including artists. While this view may hold some truth in our modern environment, it was irrelevant back when humans lived in caves. In those early days of our existence on this planet no one expected to be rewarded for any artistic endeavour. As a matter of fact it was not until the beginning of the modern ages that artists started to make a living by offering their services to the wealthy of society. Even to this day, the majority of artists find it difficult to earn enough income to enjoy a comfortable life. The question is if it is so tough to make a living from vocations such as writing or painting or creating anything artistic, or even inventing anything scientific or technological, why so many of us still engage in any creative activities as such? The answer is simple: we have no choice. As creative individuals, to some of us creating is as compelling as eating and drinking. Think of a vision or a creative idea as a dream. We have no control over our dreams nor do you choose our visions. This theory applies for artists, scientists, athletes, explorers, inventors and many others including political leaders. In fact, creativity not money is the only driving force shared among all the above, creativity is where they all meet. And none of them initially knew anything about money. The first individual who came up with an alphabet was not driven by profit. The first painter who drew pictures on the dark walls of caves did not expect to become rich and famous. The first poet who composed a poem had no audience. The first musician had a primitive instrument and perhaps was a lonely person. Not only that but at the initial stage, scientists, mathematicians, physicians, writers, explorers, inventors … in addition to many other pioneer creative minds earned no income from their work. They did what they did because their work happened to advance the human cause. Deep in their subconscious mind a compelling force prompted each and every one of them not only to create and invent, but also to impart their knowledge to others. Even in our time there are many people who create and invent without expecting any financial rewards. It is a well-known fact that Van Gogh never sold a painting during his life. More recently the inventor of television hardly made any money. Judging by history, many future inventors and artists may end up in this unfortunate situation. Yet, despite the hardship and disappointment they may suffer, they will soldier on in their cause to bring progress and excitement to their fellow humans. It seems as if our brain has two different functions. One which can be classified as a conscious mind that helps us with individual self-preservation, the other one could be described as a subconscious mind that compels us to help the survival of the species as a whole. This subconscious mind is programmed to engage, connect and interact with others. Moreover, it is also predisposed to impart knowledge. And it does that for two reasons. Knowledge is important for our survival and imparting it to others help our cause. The other reason is self-serving. By imparting our ideas, they stand a chance to stay alive and in turn make us immortal. Later on I will explain how through thoughts and dreams, our species managed to become immortal. Indeed, every one of us who ever learned something owes it to someone else. There are many spirits of past that live within our thoughts and dreams. We may not be totally aware of the contribution these individuals make to improve our lives, but we certainly benefit every time a researcher discovers a cure for a killer disease, and we sure enjoy a song that takes our mind away from the total chaos we face on daily basis. Yes many inventors and artists are very wealthy, but does this really matter to us. In my opinion all these individuals should be entitled to some sort of a reward which serves as an incentive for the rest of us to keep creating and inventing. There is no doubt that most people find a deep satisfaction from inventing and creating but there is nothing wrong when we encourage the brilliants among us to carry on with their work by showing some appreciation of their contribution to our well beings.

The task of the subconscious mind is to remind all of us that as individuals, we are all weak fragile and deficient. No matter how strong, powerful, famous or rich; as individuals we amount to nothing. However, one plus one does not equal two in this case. The most striking paradox of life is that the accomplishment of one individual may not amount to much, but our collective achievements, our total creative effort as a species is nothing short of being miraculous for it makes a perfect example of how the whole can be much greater than the sum of its parts.

It is very difficult to explain how this compelling force came to be, however, going back to the time when life was still emerging may provide some answers. Observing how bacteria and fungi behave, one can clearly notice how they happened to team up and stay together in order to survive. Bacteria, algae and fungi have no brains; they are micro-organisms that represent the very early stage of life. Yet, somehow they manage to react as if they share a communication system which is designed to help them stay alive. This system may not be compatible with our subconscious mind but nevertheless, it is still there. As one can see, even at the basic level of life, the signs of a collective mind are present and at work. These signs become more obvious when we deal with insects and birds. For instance, the monarch butterfly has no leader, yet, every year the whole population manage to migrate thousands of kilometer using the same path which has been used for millions of years by their ancestors. Birds seem to have a leader, still, biology alone cannot be the reason they congregate in huge flocks for their annual migration. Again, it is this subconscious mind that helps them go through this process. The greatest story of life only starts with biology, but, the real miracle is how biology can create new forces. It seems that any huge congregation of micro-organism has the will to create some sort of a collective or subconscious mind. Such an arrangement makes perfect sense from an efficiency perspective. If a species is able to have this type of knowledge without placing a heavy burden on every member, there will be no need to a large complex brain that would require too much energy and calories to maintain. Just as we have seen before with massive particles and even non particles. Things are not that different in the biological world. In fact, due to our creative ability, we are more willing to make greater contributions to the common cause of survival. Our brain may help us make intelligent decisions; our vision may be important for our long term survival; but our subconscious is the force that compels us to make some sort of a contribution to the human cause. Recent studies show that great artists and thinkers do some of their discoveries and inventions during their sleep. Mozart, Edison and Einstein are only few who claim to have done so. More amazing than responding to the call of this collective mind is the way humans respond to such contributors. This is where new universes are really created.

Evolution is a form of creativity. We, as humans, are the product of an ever evolving universe. We have no idea how other species may view the universe. In fact, we could be the only species that is able to recognize the existence of a lively universe. Also, we are probably the only species to realize that without an audience of some sort, the whole notion of creating would amount to nothing. In our universe, one can observe a universe that has evolved to a degree where it is able to play the role of creator and spectator. In a way, we have created a universe of our own. If this theory may seem controversial, just observe how anyone of us can have a creative mind, yet still maintain an interest in the creative work of others. Initially, this type of interaction may be perceived as cheating which may breed complacency and mediocrity. However, a more profound look at the issue will lead to a different conclusion. Suffice to say that most creative people in our history readily admit that they had improved their skills by borrowing and learning from others. Perhaps this is what prompted Picasso to declare that good artists imitate while great ones steal. Interestingly, in a lot of cases, more than one person could be working on the same invention and this could be taking place at the same time -the invention of the radar and radio are but two examples and there are many more. (As it so happened, a German and a British invented radar at the same time; although Marconi is credited with inventing radio, a Canadian was able to achieve the same goal. In both cases, there was no communication or exchange of ideas by anyone involved). So, based on this observation, telepathy may not be foreign to us. Perhaps, this could explain why despite all the setbacks, as humans, we have never lost interest in acquiring more knowledge. This longing could only be attributed to our subconscious mind. Our empathy for other fellow humans could also be the work of the subconscious mind. Our consciousness, our yearning to be honest and fair, our tendency to be generous, our hope for better life, our commitment for the survival of humanity, all the above and more, are but an indication of the power of this mystic engine, we call the subconscious mind. When an author creates a novel, he or she is making an attempt to reach out for all humanity. It was stated earlier that our subconscious mind happens to be the driving force behind our interest in exploring space. Also, at the beginning of this chapter, we have talked about the reasons for many artists and scientists to make a lifelong commitment to create, invent or discover something. This devotion, this selfless dedication cannot be attributed to intuition and instinct. In simple terms, intuition and instinct are restricted to the narrow definition of survival if not self-preservation. They both deal with the survival of any species for the short term not the long term. Most mammals have a great sense of their responsibilities toward keeping the species alive. From cheetahs to elephants, the role of adults in preparing the new generation is obvious. All mammals are willing to spend as much time as needed in educating their young the crucial skills of survival. Yet, despite all the care they provide, their concern is mainly restricted to the survival of their immediate family, and in some cases to the immediate clan. They are never shown to have any concern about the survival of the entire species. We do! Our subconscious mind directs us to do so. In fact there is hardly any difference between our subconscious mind and conscience. The only legitimate qualification one might make would be to say that conscience can only be classified as a good subconscious. Of all species, we happen to be the only one that exhibits any type of compassion for the suffering of other human beings. The tragic events caused by the tsunami of 2005, and the outpour of generosity from all over the world, are a reaction unique to our species. Why of all species we happen to be the only one to develop this intellectual phenomenon? Why this driving force had to be so much more powerful than at times it can override our own conscious mind? Many people who are not aware of this force may not appreciate how potent it could be, but, I am sure, anyone who is determined to make a difference in this world knows what I am talking about. It is very easy for anyone to discard many plans and commitments about the issues of daily life, however, this force cannot be ignored by anyone who happens to be in a position to offer the world a new invention or a new idea. It is amazing how this force stays with us from the early days of our lives and never leaves us. It is beyond our control or comprehension how this subconscious force compels most people with inventive and creative minds to become obsessed by an idea, a dream or a concept. The answer to all these questions is simple: early on, it was concluded that vision and emotions were acquired because they were needed and this goes for the subconscious as well. The body grows teeth to survive; the human mind grows its own abstract tools to keep the species going. For, unlike other mammals who evolved on this planet where their physiology automatically knows how to tackle earthly born diseases and challenges, our body alone is not able to fight viral attacks or adapt to its environ as other mammals do. Furthermore, the way of life we have developed is a clear indication that we are unable to survive in tiny numbers, let alone surviving on our own. May be we could have been able to duplicate other mammals had our origin been this planet not a different hostile one. Thanks to a very hospitable environment, mammals were able to evolve in such a way where they hardly need the cooperation of other members or any particular species. This is a luxury we were not provided with. Our planet of origin left us no choice but to work together. Unlike other earthly species, our social evolution gave birth to civilization and made us who we are. Like with the acquisition of vision and emotions, the development of the subconscious mind came to be because it was needed. Remember what was said earlier, we also had to worry about surviving beyond our original planet, earthly species did not- at least until now. Of course, coming to this conclusion would justify adding subconscious as another reason for making the case for believing that the human race must have had evolved on another planet.

Seeking immortality is another reason why we have different perspective on life. And, that alone should be enough reason to convince many skeptics that our origin is not the planet earth.