Monday, January 16, 2012

What If We're Wrong?

Starry Sky over Palo Duro Canyon
And now for something really different. This post will not be another fictional tale, even though they have been amazingly good thus far. What I will bring you this time is a strange thought that came to me one night as I looked up at the starry sky. I wondered if there might be something looking back down at me, and what might that something be...

We as humans think of ourselves as the top of the food chain. We are the ultimate animal, the supreme intelligence on our planet. All other animals are in some way inferior to us. All evolution has led to us as the greatest finished product. That's exactly what most of us think. But what if we're wrong?

Have you ever watched an ant? Ants are amazing little creatures. They are much more resourceful than we think an insect would be. Ants can work together in amazing ways. Did you know they actually raise their own version of livestock?

There is a kind of aphid that ants keep in the same way we keep cows. The ants feed and milk the aphids, and they keep careful watch over them. The aphids react to the ants in much the same way a cow would react to a farmer. They know what the ants want them for, and they know the ants take care of them. These two kinds of insects work together as master and servant in a symbiotic way.

There are so many things we may notice while watching a colony of ants. But while you are watching the ants, do you ever wonder if the ants notice you there? Some obviously do. But do they take real notice of you if you aren't threatening them? You as a single being may notice the ants, but are there single ants that look up and think, "Hey, look at that human!"

Maybe we humans are just too big and strange for an individual ant to notice or even understand the concept of our existence. If we stomp an ant hill, do the ants think a human attacked them, or do they consider it to be a natural disaster? Maybe some of them actually have noticed that a human has caused their disaster.

So what do we think when there is a huge natural disaster? Some of us consider it to be a natural occurrence. There are some that claim certain natural disasters to be acts of God or even the devil. So they claim it's the fault of a kind of higher being. Is that different than the possible thoughts of an ant?

Before I go on, I want to say that this isn't about whether God exists or not. Only God is qualified to answer that one. What I'm really asking is, what if there are other creatures that are higher than us? If so, do they see us as we see ants? Maybe most of us never know they are there. Maybe the few of us who have noticed them thought they were seeing God or a devil.

We as humans think we have the answers to everything. We think that one day we will be able to unlock the secrets of the universe. Are those assumptions correct? We may never know. At one time, humans thought that putting leaches on sick people could cure them. Now we know that those assumptions weren't exactly correct. What kinds of things do we assume now that may not be quite right?

Scientists say that the universe is ever expanding. So does that mean it has a definite size? A size means that there would have to be an end. If so, then what is beyond that end? And what is beyond the outside of the universe?

Or maybe the universe goes on forever. That seems like an easy answer. Think about an infinite universe for a moment. It just doesn't seem possible if you really think hard. It has to stop somewhere, doesn't it? Maybe the nature of the universe is just beyond our comprehension. That means we don't know everything, and we may not be capable of knowing everything.

So does all of this mean that there are higher beings than us? No. Is there any evidence of the existence if something higher than us? Maybe. Maybe we see such higher beings quite often but we just don't have the intelligence to understand what we are seeing. So some of the more observant among us try to come up with theories about these beings. Spacemen, ghosts, fairies, gods, demons, giants, or many other strange concepts.

These are all only questions. I don't claim to have any answers, only more questions. Do you have your own opinion on these strange things I've asked here? If so, then share it with me. Maybe you have an insight nobody else has considered. Maybe you have more interesting questions. And let me know if you like this strange post. I know this post wasn't another fiction story, but it might be a perfect fit here on Rat Tales. Where else?

16 comments:

  1. Interesting thoughts Ratty. I think it would be very presumptuous of us to think we are the only intelligent life in the universe, there are too many stars with planets orbiting around them for there not to be life on at least a few.

    Our universe is simply a drop in the huge ocean of space. How can we be alone?

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    1. @SquirrelQueen
      Scientists are now concluding that planets are a very common thing. So maybe there are watchers out there.

      Delete
  2. Well I think it is a great train if thought to adopt Ratty. I have for a long time think that mankind is not as superior as they make out...I think as a race we are doing a lot of things we shouldn't and meddling where we shouldn't be which is why we have so many troubles within our societies. I don't think evolution and with it in turn technology and 'intelligence' are anything to brag about as to be honest I don't see that it's doing us or the planet that has deigned to have us much good. I think we could learn an awful lot form the simplicity of the ants life!!

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    1. @allotments4you
      We are really nothing more than another kind of animal. Many of our behavioral traits and even technology can be found in other animals.

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  3. Sometime back i was watching a TV show, there i heard that the possible existence of aliens could be true. Because ancient Egyptians were more intellectual than anyone in the world and the way they have built the pyramids has some mathematical theory attached to it. There is also a myth that some aliens used to visit Egyptians during those days and thus they have got the plan to build pyramids so wonderfully.

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    1. @Elvirah
      that could very well be a possibility. there are many things we don't know, so some superior intelligence could have visited us in the past.

      Delete
  4. wow,I love your thoughts....sky watching is one of my favorite things...and I too often wonder if someone out there is looking down at us...and somewhere in this heart of mine, I wish there are others out there, friendly and loving just like us...

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    1. @kulasa
      I hope the watchers would be friendly and love us. But what if they think of us the way we think of ants?

      Delete
  5. Your thoughts are almost identical mine. Actually they are identical. I have thought this many times and I absolutely do not think it's possible we are alone in this entire universe. I feel that is a much more impossible thing to believe.

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    1. @Sandi
      The more we explore, the more we find that the possibilities of other life are becoming greater and greater.

      Delete
  6. We are given the ability to reason and so this is what we do. We think, we absorb, we conclude and most of all we believe. Blessings, Catherine

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    1. @Catherine
      You are exactly right. Our minds may be the greatest part of us.

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  7. thoughtful questions
    the more we search study more we understand

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    1. @sm
      I hope that one day we can understand these questions more than we do today, but it's good we are able to begin with the questions.

      Delete
  8. "Good bye and thanks for all the fish" ~ from the dolphins... the true most intelligent creatures according to the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

    Joyce
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com/

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    1. @Joyce Lansky
      You actually make an excellent point. We think we are the Earth's ultimate creature, but who's to say it's not the dolphins or any other creature that may be in fact superior to us.

      Delete

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