In the beginning...

[Prometheus]

At the core of every culture (and many of the religions they have spawned) lies some form of "Creation" story. Ever since our species (and probably others of our genus) achieved consciousness, we have been asking the questions, "Where do we come from and why are we here?"

Was it the work of some deity or just a rare cosmic fluke?

Either answer leads to a plethora of mental health issues that have plagued mankind for millennia whether it be delusional narcissism, massive depression, or anything in between.

Should mankind ever reach the point of strict adherence to either cause, it would surely bring us into conflict with any other intelligent life in the universe should we ever meet them, as they would have gone through some sort of similar evolutionary path and may have reached a different conclusion. Even if they reached the same exact conclusion there is still a chance for conflict each species would naturally want to conclude that their "path to enlightenment" was superior to the other's.

Even if we and some other extraterrestrial species were to reach the same conclusions by different paths and not be in conflict with each other, could both species maintain harmony or would it simply intensify and exacerbate the drive to find other species with whom we could be in conflict with?

I tend towards the latter.

[abbey1227]

Why ask WHY?


How much difference does it make where you came from? As opposed to where you wanna go

[Prometheus]

Jun 15, 2021 3:24:45 GMT abbey1227 said:

Why ask WHY?


How much difference does it make where you came from? As opposed to where you wanna go

I suspect that the religious answer would be: "So that you go in the right direction."

The non-religious answer would probably be:

However, going "where you wanna go," could lead to seen and unforeseen circumstances that would be a detriment to society as a whole.

[abbey1227]

Jun 15, 2021 3:53:06 GMT Prometheus said:

Jun 15, 2021 3:24:45 GMT abbey1227 said:

Why ask WHY?


How much difference does it make where you came from? As opposed to where you wanna go

I suspect that the religious answer would be: "So that you go in the right direction."

The non-religious answer would probably be:

However, going "where you wanna go," could lead to seen and unforeseen circumstances that would be a detriment to society as a whole.

STDs?

[Prometheus]

Jun 15, 2021 3:53:54 GMT abbey1227 said:

Jun 15, 2021 3:53:06 GMT Prometheus said:

I suspect that the religious answer would be: "So that you go in the right direction."

The non-religious answer would probably be:

However, going "where you wanna go," could lead to seen and unforeseen circumstances that would be a detriment to society as a whole.

STDs?

And a whole lot more.

[permutojoe]

Jun 15, 2021 3:24:45 GMT abbey1227 said:

Why ask WHY?


How much difference does it make where you came from? As opposed to where you wanna go

The universe is probably just trolling folks who are too sciency.  You build a stronger microscope that can see inside an atom, we'll spawn some new shit called electrons.  Keep going?  Here have some subatomic particles.

[abbey1227]

Oct 1, 2022 17:05:38 GMT permutojoe said:

Jun 15, 2021 3:24:45 GMT abbey1227 said:

Why ask WHY?


How much difference does it make where you came from? As opposed to where you wanna go

The universe is probably just trolling folks who are too sciency.  You build a stronger microscope that can see inside an atom, we'll spawn some new shit called electrons.  Keep going?  Here have some subatomic particles.

Dark matter and quarks, too 

[gardengirl1953]

Jun 15, 2021 3:20:58 GMT Prometheus said:

At the core of every culture (and many of the religions they have spawned) lies some form of "Creation" story. Ever since our species (and probably others of our genus) achieved consciousness, we have been asking the questions, "Where do we come from and why are we here?"

Was it the work of some deity or just a rare cosmic fluke?

Either answer leads to a plethora of mental health issues that have plagued mankind for millennia whether it be delusional narcissism, massive depression, or anything in between.

Should mankind ever reach the point of strict adherence to either cause, it would surely bring us into conflict with any other intelligent life in the universe should we ever meet them, as they would have gone through some sort of similar evolutionary path and may have reached a different conclusion. Even if they reached the same exact conclusion there is still a chance for conflict each species would naturally want to conclude that their "path to enlightenment" was superior to the other's.

Even if we and some other extraterrestrial species were to reach the same conclusions by different paths and not be in conflict with each other, could both species maintain harmony or would it simply intensify and exacerbate the drive to find other species with whom we could be in conflict with?

I tend towards the latter.

And why does it hurt so much when humans lose another human that they care about?

Is human sentience a good thing or a bad thing?

Would it be a better life if we didn't have this eternal question hanging over us?

One of my good friends lost her best friend of 45 years about two months ago.  I talk to her frequently; she is in so much pain.  I remember how much pain I was in after I lost my husband, and that was a long time ago, yet still I think of him every day, and wish he was still here with me.  We were both agnostic, and there is no comforting belief of an afterlife where we will be together again.  I try to think that as long as I remember him, he is still alive in my head.  But sometimes, the existential angst is hard to bear.

[abbey1227]

Apr 16, 2023 13:35:14 GMT gardengirl1953 said:

<abbr title="Apr 16, 2023 8:35:14 GMT -5" data-timestamp="1681652114000" class="o-timestamp time">Apr 16, 2023 8:35:14 GMT -5</abbr> gardengirl1953 said:
And why does it hurt so much when humans lose another human that they care about?

Is human sentience a good thing or a bad thing?

Would it be a better life if we didn't have this eternal question hanging over us?

One of my good friends lost her best friend of 45 years about two months ago.  I talk to her frequently; she is in so much pain.  I remember how much pain I was in after I lost my husband, and that was a long time ago, yet still I think of him every day, and wish he was still here with me.  We were both agnostic, and there is no comforting belief of an afterlife where we will be together again.  I try to think that as long as I remember him, he is still alive in my head.  But sometimes, the existential angst is hard to bear.

That's part of the reason I have found myself defending religious people online more than I ever guessed that I would.

As long as they're not directly harming someone.......who cares what they believe if it gives them comfort. I see too many people walking around without any means of comforting themselves. And we wonder why there seems to be so much more angst and stress today? When the reality is life is far easier than it used to be for most.