Wasn't sure where to post this. I suppose Philosophy and Religion is the best fit. They're just some ideas that have been swimming around in my head. This is for fun.
OK. So, take ants, or any other tiny, insignificant insect. They're insignificant from our perspective. They have, I believe, some of the same senses we do: sight, smell, touch, feel. Do you think they are aware of us? Probably not. Sure, they can sense us, but they have no idea the role we play in their lives, not even when we're systemically exterminating them. No clue. Well, for an organism with a brain as small as ant has, this is understandable.
I was thinking about other organisms, too-- like plants. They have no sight, smell, or hearing, but they can feel it when, say, you cut off one of their stems. They have no idea how the hell it happened, but with the use of their one sense, they are aware that something cut it.
So, what I'm getting at... when these things occur, what are we to those creatures? I understand they're not equipped to ponder these things, so we can look at smarter animals, too.
Dolphins: the smartest animals, after humans. They are very aware of our existence, they share our five senses, but they have no idea the control we have over their lives. They have no idea their lives are in our hands. They don't know about our efforts to protect their species, no matter how extensive. Their existence, without their knowing it, is in the hands of a higher power. The same can be said of panthers, panda bears, and so on and on.
So there are two factors that limit an organism's awareness of a higher power: intelligence and how many senses they have.
Now, imagine you couldn't see. You would be missing out on a world of information. Your awareness of your surroundings would be reduced greatly. Now imagine, on top of the blindness, not being able to hear anything. Wouldn't the world then cease to be anything remotely similar to what it is with these senses?
Now, imagine there were more senses than the ones we've been endowed with-- and I'm not talking about balance, etc.
Wouldn't we potentially be missing out on as much as we would if we couldn't see and hear? Wouldn't we be missing out on things that could be happening right in front of our "eyes?" Imagine, on top of these new senses, that we were all smarter by, like, 100 IQ points. Wouldn't the world then cease to be anything like it was to us before? Wouldn't there be things we are blind to now, that we would readily grasp with these senses and intellect? There are things happening all around us, at every moment in time, that we cannot possibly be aware of due to our limitations.
What if there are supernatural beings that operate on a level that we cannot detect with our senses or our current level of intellect? What if, like the dolphins, panthers, plants, and insects, our lives are in the hands of someone or something else, and we are inherently unable to detect this?
OK. So, take ants, or any other tiny, insignificant insect. They're insignificant from our perspective. They have, I believe, some of the same senses we do: sight, smell, touch, feel. Do you think they are aware of us? Probably not. Sure, they can sense us, but they have no idea the role we play in their lives, not even when we're systemically exterminating them. No clue. Well, for an organism with a brain as small as ant has, this is understandable.
I was thinking about other organisms, too-- like plants. They have no sight, smell, or hearing, but they can feel it when, say, you cut off one of their stems. They have no idea how the hell it happened, but with the use of their one sense, they are aware that something cut it.
So, what I'm getting at... when these things occur, what are we to those creatures? I understand they're not equipped to ponder these things, so we can look at smarter animals, too.
Dolphins: the smartest animals, after humans. They are very aware of our existence, they share our five senses, but they have no idea the control we have over their lives. They have no idea their lives are in our hands. They don't know about our efforts to protect their species, no matter how extensive. Their existence, without their knowing it, is in the hands of a higher power. The same can be said of panthers, panda bears, and so on and on.
So there are two factors that limit an organism's awareness of a higher power: intelligence and how many senses they have.
Now, imagine you couldn't see. You would be missing out on a world of information. Your awareness of your surroundings would be reduced greatly. Now imagine, on top of the blindness, not being able to hear anything. Wouldn't the world then cease to be anything remotely similar to what it is with these senses?
Now, imagine there were more senses than the ones we've been endowed with-- and I'm not talking about balance, etc.
Wouldn't we potentially be missing out on as much as we would if we couldn't see and hear? Wouldn't we be missing out on things that could be happening right in front of our "eyes?" Imagine, on top of these new senses, that we were all smarter by, like, 100 IQ points. Wouldn't the world then cease to be anything like it was to us before? Wouldn't there be things we are blind to now, that we would readily grasp with these senses and intellect? There are things happening all around us, at every moment in time, that we cannot possibly be aware of due to our limitations.
What if there are supernatural beings that operate on a level that we cannot detect with our senses or our current level of intellect? What if, like the dolphins, panthers, plants, and insects, our lives are in the hands of someone or something else, and we are inherently unable to detect this?
