Birth of the Universe

The more I see the products of civilization, the more I see the vomitus perspiration of the Gods, a half-digested meal of fossil fuels ejected onto the landscape in a sudden and uncontrollable manner. The self-organized characteristics of a system are identifiable within the mess, like the distribution systems and cells where most of the metabolic activity and tool building occur, and where the human RNA lay down to rest at night before their mechanical alarm clocks wake them again in the morning. I’m sure that by now we know more about ribozymal activity than was revealed by Taylor’s time and motion studies and all subsequent related investigations. But somehow we cannot diminish our own self-esteem by recognizing the corollaries that exist between our civilization and cellular systematic life. But let’s return to the machinations that have spewed forth the toxic metabolism and infrastructure.

It is clear that an ancestral species of the geneus Homo could have continued to exist in the natural ecosystem without information and tools beyond that occupying the nuclei of their cells. That could have been a long-lasting and sustainable relationship. But through no fault of its own, this ancestral ape was nudged towards tool-use and then description and recording of such tools and the processes needed to produce them. It has been said that Homo erectus used the same primitive axe for nearly five-hundred thousand years. Even though humans have been moving towards technology for at least two-million years, why did it take so long to discover the fossil fuels and begin utilizing them? Is it simply a matter of obtaining a high enough level of net energy that provides the metabolic firepower to do the “extra” things necessary to record the tool related information, so that it may then subsequently evolve? In other words, the use of primitive spear points, axes and scraping tools, utilized against the stock of apex “meat” was still inadequate to provide the energy for scribes and temple builders, let alone skyscrapers full of engineers? If net energy had to be advanced a notch, it probably would have been accomplished by attacking the soil gradient and with the use of fire in a localized place where “investements” , including information, could be handed from one generation to the next. Eventually, if there are sufficient gradients to consume, there arise engineers and scientists whose jobs involve mapping reality and recording it and then examining information in order to produce new tools and structural components that can attack other energy/resource gradients. Is it any wonder that the fall of civilizations has often been attributed to drought which makes the soil gradient useless?

Magura caves, Bulgaria, about 8,000 BP. They already have some nasty tools to use against the other large animals. Lots of meat means lots of little conduits, but farming means even more.

But over the two-million years of human evolution, it seems that the speed and extent of development into systematic status was slow but accelerated rapidly with the discovery of fossil fuels. Suddenly there was enough energy to create specialists of every description, working in all areas of information, creating more capable tools and structures. In the old ecosystem the general rule of the jungle was, “if your not fit to escape, we’re going to eat you”. A rather unfeeling rule but, for the most part, the ecosystem has no feelings. However, humans often do have feelings and sometimes ponder the cruelty of the ecosystem and are themselves often cruel. Once they obtained the energy and tools, what did humans do? They didn’t have “feelings” for the natural world, but rather used their newfound power to escape into their technological cells and from there destroy and enslave their old cruel nemesis while assuring themselves of their chosen status.

So here we are, beings, conduits, formed by the maximum power (entropy) principle, conducting ourselves in a very predictable manner, scouring the face of the planet to consume anything that can be readily digested. Humans have barely enough feeling or empathy to prevent them from killing each other, let alone the entire remainder of the ecosystem which has conveniently been put into the “them” category that humans love to use as an open invitation for butchery.

Even though humans are a social species, their behavior is a two-sided coin alternating between cooperation and competition. No doubt we were increasingly pulled together to pull-off the transformation to technological existence, but this cohesive force has not overcome the natural competition for advancement in the social hierarchy. I’ve never heard of a case of ants from the same colony with clonal DNA cheating on each other or fighting for a greater share of the resources. Individual humans with their unique DNA are expected to struggle with each other for the greatest rewards even as they cooperate in the face of greater adversaries. It would also seem that God loves liars, thieves, philanderers, rapists, warmongers, and the like because the good people that restrain themselves and save assets simply are not getting the job of gradient reduction done fast enough. Of course, with modern societies, smooth functioning requires “peace” so that the human RNA may go about their work of taking down the gradients. But when the gradients are exhausted the individual conduit should be prepared to protect themselves, their mates and children from other dissipative structures that want their energy and powers of reproduction. Also it is so very common in nature for young conduits to be eaten or thrown out of the nest by new mates who take over the resource and energy environment for their own young. It seems we occupy a world of mindless, competitive conduits.

Who’s going to be the winner? Let’s have Donald Trump go against Lloyd Blankfein in the smack down of the billionaires, winner take all. Since they already have the gold, we’ll award the winner Kim Kardashian, something like a booby prize.

The human mind seems to find many ways to justify its greedy, nefarious activities. It seems they won’t stop fighting until there’s nothing to fight over.