Vastness

"Pastel Reverie" - by emerald-depths @ deviantART

The one thing I enjoy about road trips to Louisiana is being able to better perceive the vastness of the world, and of life. Once we pass the Georgia border, everything becomes flat. You still have lots of trees bordering two-lane asphalt, but at night you see the stars clearly, and during the day you can see the road go on for miles. We drive over rivers and at one point, ocean, as we head into New Orleans. The water goes on and on... and once we actually get to where my relatives live, everything is short and flat, so the whole world seems so vast and open. Here in suburban Georgia, you have a lot of clustered buildings, towering trees, and hills. You feel compacted into small spaces even when standing in your backyard. So I guess that was one thing I was grateful for on this trip: being able to feel the vastness of the world.

But not just the vastness... the connection in all things. Yes, interstate driving isn't all that exciting. Not much "scenery" and all straight driving. Usually, I'll pass the time by doing some sort of activity... writing, doodling, playing my DS, something. This time, however, I merely sat and looked out the window, observing the vastness of the world and thinking those profound thoughts about life. Because things are a lot different beyond our invisible borders. People behave differently. They have different homes and different appearances. One thing I kept thinking about during the trip: where were all these people going? Many of them were probably driving to their families for Thanksgiving, but it was still cool to think about. So many cars on the interstate... and to think this was only a portion of the country - of the world. 

We have around 300 million people here in the States, apparently. When you think about the vastness of the world, it's not a big number. It's hard for me to picture 300 million people on the surface of this continent, though. I don't have a visual reference in my head for 300 million people. 

So why am I talking about population? Because it was one of my profound thoughts on this trip. I keep thinking back to something I read. See, here in Georgia, we have this 30-year-old monument called the Georgia Guidestones, which label ten guidelines/principles for an ideal, global state of living. The first of those guidelines suggests: "Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature." 

Now, this isn't the first time I - or we - have heard of our "overpopulation" issue. Many people seem to think that overpopulation is what's helping to screw us over. We have almost 7 billion people on this planet. 7,000,000,000. When I look at this number, it doesn't seem like a lot. But when you think about it, it's a pretty huge stinkin' number. And imagining this number spread across the planet... yeah, it really puts things into perspective.

Which leads me to something I've been dwelling on for a while: I can't help but predict that something "big" is going to happen to humanity. I feel like there's a reason why my interest was guided toward this certain story-based perspective, and why I was drawn to explore Earth history. I feel like Adonai is giving me a head's up. When I say something "big," I mean something around the equivalent of the meteor from the age of dinosaurs. 

Does that sound crazy? It might, but I honestly don't think so. Because when I consider the Earth story, and the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth, and the evolutionary path... it's not surprising - or crazy - at all. We just think it's crazy because we don't want to believe that humanity can be wiped out to such a degree. We think we're invincible, and that we rule nature.

Perhaps some of the big events of human history could be considered evolutionary catalysts. It might sound inconsiderate, but think about it... all the major events that wiped out large portions of the population - of course, it was mainly war-related, but perhaps for Earth, that's part of human evolution. Perhaps that was the way the story had to go to get where we are now. Because war is (unfortunately) one of those things that bring modern, fear-based humans together. Maybe it was necessary to get people to wake up and take action, and to eliminate old systems to pave way for new ones. 

So yes. I'm expecting something big to wipe out a good portion of humanity. It might be war; it might be rebellion; it might be some kind of natural disaster. But what's interesting is that many old religions and ancient systems had prophecies based on the future Earth and who would inhabit it: only those who were deserving or did the planet good.

Now, I'm not saying that certain people are undeserving of the planet. But for some reason we as humans like to exclude ourselves from the rest of nature. So while it's okay to exterminate millions of animals and plants for our sake, it's not okay to exterminate millions of humans. It reminds me of a video from Ryan Higa I watched last night. He had posted something about loving animals (funny, because I've kind of been seeing this theme on tumblr too), and said that in his opinion, humans are superior to animals, and that he would save a human before saving an animal. That seems logical to us, right? As humans, we see ourselves as "civilized" and superior, holding the "advanced consciousness" that allows us to manipulate our environment and thrive under harsh conditions. 

I personally think this is BS. If anything, we should be learning from animals, because we're animals ourselves. We say this all the time but we never actually take it to heart because of our superiority complex and self-absorbed natures. We have everything to learn from nature.
 
This is why I don't mourn for humanity. We screwed ourselves over, and somehow, we think we have the right to live on because we're human and we're superior. We spend billions of dollars exploring space for life like ours, as though expecting to live outside our own precious world. Why should I be trying to save something that deserves to be eliminated? We as humans try so hard to preserve our species... doing anything possible, even if it includes wiping out the Earth. Even if it comes to eliminating our own kind. And in doing so, we create ultimate chaos.

To be honest, I kind of hope that this "big event" happens. I'm not lacking compassion toward people. I share compassion, but it's really hard for me to try and help others who are only concerned in saving the human race. We are not ultimate, and we are not superior. We don't deserve to live on this planet any more than any other living thing - even the grains of sand on the beach and the roaches we have come to abhor. Perhaps this "big event" will help us realize this. 

And no, I'm not saying that I'm superior to those who are destroying Earth. Unfortunately, because I'm a human existing in the 21st century, I have added on to the destruction in minor ways. Perhaps not as much as logging companies or hunters or automobiles, but the small things do add up. The only difference between "me" and "them" is that I'm in a position that allows me to try and change that. I have the passion to turn things around, and the devotion to empower others to do the same. That is my role, and that is what I will do unless my gut leads me elsewhere.

I do look at all this, though, and wonder if it's just all part of the "Earth story," or it's really based on free will and all that jazz. If I expand my consciousness, and see myself as Adonai in its complete and infinite form... I see all the connections, all the strings and pulleys, and I can't see how anything at all can be pure free will. Because even free will has to come from somewhere. The decisions we make, the thoughts we think... they all have to have a source. We come to a decision because we have certain circumstances that allow us to do so. Where do those circumstances come from? 

I think of dominoes. Dominoes have to be arranged first before you can start knocking them down. You have a buttload of dominoes, and you have to start with one. What is the "original domino" in this case? "Who" puts down that first domino? What kind of path will this person/force make with the remaining dominoes? I suppose you could also scatter the dominoes aimlessly and push one to see what others fall over, but with this, you are still arranging a pre-made course with a variety of fixed outcomes.

Things in the universe are created to affect everything else. This is just how it is. So with that in mind, how can anyone justify that things can be left to chance, free will, and similar concepts (or illusions)? Just like that Earth documentary I watched a while back: with what's-his-face repeating over and over how Earth's creation was chance, chance, chance. Every aspect of nature is fixed. We have cycles and systems all working in accordance with nature, with the universe. Why are we so determined to believe that humankind's existence is any different? 

We're control freaks. But what's funny/ironic is that even those who believe in the more "spiritual"/New Agey stuff - empowerment, free will, creating your own life, etc. - are still promoting a global story that was pre-scripted. Think about all the people who believe in soul connections and past lives and soul lessons. All that stuff screams pre-scripted. And yet we are preaching a contradictory system: that we have free will, and can create our own lives... but at the same time, we are fulfilling whatever it is our "divine plan" wanted us to fulfill. Uh. How is that possible? You either have one or the other, right? As much as I like the idea of balance, I just can't see how you can create your own life AND follow whatever guidelines/blueprints your "higher self" laid out "before incarnation." 

Will elaborate in a separate post because this is one huge wall of text.