I do agree that I am necessary to the extent that the collection of particles and immeasurable pieces, which have yet to be found, collapsed together to form my spatial tangence in the way that achieves what they (the particles) intend. The specific collection of mass and motion that is “me” is here right now -being- | so, yes. “I” am not replaceable. However, I am placed here. And I can be moved from here.
I’m in a system that runs on my position and through positioning me, that is connected to quadrillions upon quadrillions of other positioned placements. My awareness of and subsequent interactivity with this is a phenomenon, as many organisms can’t, at least from our perspective, understand the vastness and acuteness of everything. They just are. I have to reason then that awareness, consciousness, or spirit has a purpose. Is it an elevated response to the inward motion of all things? Is it a separate entity sent from beyond tangibility to inhabit these cardboard shipment containers we deem bodies? Is it randomness? Chaos? Just a chance reaction of chemical interactions that have made a very small part of a massive universe able to observe and actuate itself? The expression of a God who created an evolving version of himself that will come to completion in self-awareness at some inconceivable point in the future?
All fascinating speculations to me, but what really gets me thinking is how my necessity right now in space and time depends little to nothing on my contribution actuated through this state of awareness. Yes, we made societies and cities and art and science. We have religions and ideals and philosophies and social media. We have balance and greed. We have fairness and murder. We have awareness. And my existence -is- because of the current ordering of particles commanding particles we call “humanity.” So awareness begot awareness. But awareness didn’t become aware from nothing. And nothing didn’t form something. It’s a continuous trade off of intentions with tendencies; on a cosmic scale! Galaxies forming constantly from motion throughout the expanse. Entire solar systems and galaxies contracting from space into blackholes where matter is compacted into ultimate density.
The world builds itself without us touching it. If our species died, the world would use the tools of itself to turn us back into it, which is all we’ve been all along — some combination of elements that have assembled into this complex organism allowing us to manipulate the world as we see fit in a much shorter span of time and with more expanded intention than what the universe does to us through tendency... and some small hint of intention.
I can’t get past it. That idea that everything is intentional. There are, however, cosmic forces that move at much more rapid speeds of particle destabilization than what we can enact. Our skills in disassembly, organization and reassembly of elements and particles into new forms measures as nothing compared to the potential force that a small chunk of space debris contains were it to enter our planet’s atmosphere and make impact with the surface. And then there are super novas and the like. And then there is the microwave spectrum. Forces we can’t even see and predict that could end us in a nanosecond. Fascinating.
Yet, here we are. Inside the big bubble of earth’s protective atmosphere, shielding us every moment from unending assaults by the cosmos. Protecting us out of an evolutionary and survival of the fittest interest, perhaps? Or, mayhaps, let us reason that a God set this up in such a way. Definitely plausible. All things point toward a being of infinite power making a system that would work in the way I’ve laid out here. I won’t get into that right now though. This one isn’t about God. Well, unless you’re of the persuasion that everything is through and from and for and about God. Then this whole argument works in your favor. I’m not attempting to talk about God though because it doesn’t matter. Unless you believe it does. Then it matters a ton. Except that it doesn’t.
Agh!! Look what you’ve made me do! I won’t go into that right now. I must resist. This blog post has gone on long enough.
Let me end by saying that I believe there is a struggle between intention and tendency and that struggle is an intersection on which awareness persists unto necessity. There. That should wrap it up nicely.
