It's a small small world

This based on this documentary “The inconvenient fact” screen during my tuition today and…

Well, I realized how small we really are in the universe. Whatever we have accomplished, all the technology and stuff are all contained on the minute cavities of earth, a speck of dust literally in the infinity of the universe. Its really time to realize how small we really are. Does everything really matter? Does my very existence as an individual really matter in this huge world? I exist on a miniscule deviation from the infinity on one of the many billions of gigantic celestial bodies, planet earth, less than one percent of the total mass of the huge universe, in an even more random red dot, Singapore, currently in a miserable square metres tiny cell, held erect by 4 fragile structures. That’s me, perhaps that’s you as well, it very well describes many as one of the random organisms sustained today beneath the living atmosphere. I’m random, everyone is, you are, or once were, its up to you since the final verdict that earth’s very random existence determines all. I’m existing today, you are as well cos we might never know what random fates tomorrow might bring.

Yes, we seek to dominate, we seek to command, all verdant nature brings, all universe offers, all but ourselves. We failed to conquer ourselves and never will. How can we guarantee Earth’s existence when minor conflicts like everyday jealousies and selfishness kills our very souls, when the real revolutionizing conflicts like the war on terror threatens the prospect of Iran’s nuclear prospect with people around me showing expressions of the blissfully ignorant? But still, it’s a small world out there when there’s a larger unthinkable infinity. Ask yourself, do these really matter? Does the war concerns the universe? Does hostility really sells? Do you use it to further your own interests which actually matters nothing very much to our universe’s welfare? If the roof collapses on your head this very moment, what difference would it make between those very seconds of existence and non-existence? One more random name on the death register? Meh, you’re just one of the billions and trillions of individuals on our once again random existing planet earth in the universe, which never ruled out the possibility of another larger universe out there…and so on.

Our whole caboodle of delicate card structures, intricately weaved in technologies, painstakingly built and blasted architectures as a result of men’s enemy as men. We destroy ourselves. Think, just think, what matters to you most right now? Then think, what importance has it got to do with the vast world out there? We treasure, we value because we attach and relate to them, however small they might be, however intangible they might be. Yes, fortunately they exist, even after we deny our existences. Earth is a mistake of placing all eggs in a basket but I should think its meant to be in this way. Its nature’s way of putting us to the test. The strongest will succeed, remember? I can’t help thinking of Earth as a biosphere. Once our species vanishes, another group intelligent beings will appear and are once again being put to the test. This trail and error cycle… Nothing is ever ideal, just how close we get to its sacred boundaries.

Forgive, but don’t forget, accept. Once you get the idea of how small your everyday conflicts really are, really mean to our very existences as mere individuals in the infinite and random universe, you really do learn and make peace.

Saddam and an expounding on Armageddon on his quote

Watched Saddam’s execution last night [New Year] on CNN. Caught the blurry video shot by a handphone camera. Well, wasn’t too explicit anyway, it just featured the exchanges between Saddam and his executioners, didn’t catch the part of the execution though, thought it was supposed to be censored and stuff.

But the first day of the Haj holidays? True, Saddam ought to be punished for his inhumane acts but at the same time, you must prove yourself able to show just the minimal amount of respect for the world’s Muslims at large. You can’t just fix your mindset on a singular account and thereby offer differential treatments or bias towards or against the said party or individual.

Nothing is ever right or wrong, it just depends on your perception. In my opinion, our perceptions are formed by our upbringing or the internalization of societal norms and values, our experiences, influences from the external environment and so on, just to rant a few. However, is society a gross generalization of the world as a Whole? First of all, the values and norms internalized in us are very different to start with. You might be a Christian with an extremely liberal upbringing, while I might be an atheist with over-protective parents. You might grow up to be different from me, with differing opinions on societal norms and values, differing mentality and behavior from me. In fact, that is inevitable; everyone is special in their own ways, to phrase it in a nicer way.

But can we condemn any one belief or practice just because it exists in minority and had a dire history? Is past always the present? Is present always the future? Ask yourself this.

Upon watching the video, I caught this, shall we say, funny riddle uttered by Saddam? “And I bear witness that there is no God but God.”

Taken at face value, this sounds like some insane rambling after an overdosage of Alice through the Looking Glass. But it appears to speak more than that, these aphorisms usually do.

Spent my boring evening decoding it. Well, got a couple of political ones but I don’t think you guys want to hear a 2 pg rant on the Bush Administration, do you? Anyway, I might land myself in a lawsuit, which wouldn’t be very ideal, considering tomorrow is the much awaited school reopening! Well, what goes on down there is about Armageddon, the end of the world, literally speaking. If you don’t want a bad case of depression, stop right here.

Well, veering slightly off the tangent on Saddam and his execution, This statement struck a chord with me. Are we humans playing God—the one and only? Cloning and stuff, you name it, we’ve got it. IVF, abortions, we provide you a two way passage to life- arrival and departure, anytime you want. Commercialization? Death as a service? Euthanasia? Think along that line and you’ll start fretting the prospect of the next century.

Hurhur, we’ll get you kids gene-determined, such that there’s no retards left in the world, we’ll get you kids immunized against every possible known disease, such that any unknown entities could exterminate the human population at one shot—that is, if we even live to see that day, considering the multitudes of catastrophes and fatalistic endemics already occurring now. Who knows what’s next. No, we won’t know, nature’s always a step ahead of us, we only learn from the consequences. We only developed a seismograph after a history of devastating quakes, we only took tsunami as a matter of fact not legend after the recent tragedy. Even if we did predict another mass disaster [which I would be very much surprised], we only can forestall it and not prevent it, think global warming. Forgive me, but is God reenacting Noah’s Ark? Are we getting too far?

Our civilization is getting stronger, yet more vulnerable—alike that of an egg. Strong yet fragile. Take for instance, the recent tsunami won’t be half as fatalistic as it would be in the same circumstance in primeval times. Reason being that with all this technology and complex economies and delicate checks and balances in place, a tiny shove could easily bring down this structure in a matter of seconds, leading us to our apocalyptic fate.

Well, think optimistic in a pessimistic outlook. Perhaps Armageddon paves way for another species to hold reign? Nothing lasts forever.