Does God Watch Everything We Do?

The fact is, no matter what you believe about God, it is only your opinion. You may believe that prayer works; you may believe that God watches everything we do, and rewards goodness and punishes evil; you may feel your holy book or some events in your life provide proof of your beliefs; but the fact remains, no one really knows what God is or what God wants or even why we exist at all. It is all conjecture.

I think the best we can do is assume there is a God, and thank God for creating this world and our lives, and dedicate ourselves to doing as much good, and as little harm, as possible.

Are You Insane?

It would seem that a rational being, faced with the inevitabilty of death, would do everything possible to preserve his life and the lives of those he cares about.

Therefore, it would seem logical that everyone would fervently support medical research that will prevent aging and death. Yet this is not the case.

While every parent would stop their child from walking into traffic and being killed by a car, and would not allow their child to drink poison, the vast majority of parents seem unconcerned that their child will grow old and die, or is at risk for future horrible diseases like cancer. Why is this?

I don't know.

I believe that soon, aging will be stopped. Perhaps this will even occur duing my lifetime. Or perhaps my generation is the last to age and die. How sad that human progress, with its glorious future, should leave behind my generation, aging, fragile, and dying.

I say that if you do not support medical research to save your life, and do not support politicians who will increase medical research, then you are allowing yourself and everyone you know to die. Which is insane.

Are You Wasting Your Life?

If you feel like you are wasting you life, you probably are! Read my blog, and you will see why. I offer a logic-based explanation for the purpose of life (free from supernatural-religious elements that defy logic and can't be verified). If I'm right, then you may be able to conclude that there is a purpose to your life, and you've "missed the boat." However, it's never too late, and every little bit helps. So, please read my short theory of life's meaning, and let me know if you see any flaws in my logic. I would be happy to discuss them.

1. Why?

At some point, you may ask "Why do I exist?" No religion or philosophy that I am aware of answers this question in a logical fashion, or even states that the starting point for a discussion of the meaning of life should be based on a review of observable phenomenon - facts. If we assume that we live in a rational, purposeful universe (and there is no evidence against this), then a rational being must ask what the purpose of the universe is. The only answer that I choose to accept is one that is in harmony with our increasing but still limited knowledge of science and the principles of the universe.

It seems to me that the answer to life's purpose is quite simple. It is my belief that the universe was created for a specific purpose - to sustain intelligence - specifically, consciousness and self-awareness. It was not created for stars or rocks or minerals, or for plants or fungus or squid. If someone created the universe, it took a lot of energy and intentional design. The only reasonable purpose I can see for creating a universe and establishing space and time is to create a home for intelligent, conscious beings to evolve. Not that the universe was created specifically for humans, but that it was created as an environment for some sort of self-aware, conscious beings to develop. It just happened to be us, through the open-ended process of evolution. It could have been a difference species.

The design of the universe - stars and planets spaced far apart - would seem to support the view that the universe can support various civilizations (not just ours) but that they are sufficiently distant from each other so that they will not interfere in each other's development. If this view is correct, it would explain the paradox of an enormous universe that may be teeming with life, but the lack of any meaningful evidence of contact from other beings. In other words, when a civilization has evolved to the point where it can cover the vast distances between galaxies, it will presumably have developed an understanding of the reasons for not contacting other beings.

If true, then what is the purpose of having a universe that contains conscious beings? Many religions address this, but they rely on supernatural or irrational reasoning - that we exist to receive God's love, or because of reincarnation, heaven, hell, spiritual preparation for a next level, etc. While I can't disprove any of these beliefs, I see no evidence to support any of them. Based on what we know - facts - I can only say that this universe appears to support conscious beings who must do something, other than just exist or blindly follow a set of rules for some future reward or punishment. It seems to me that the human race is learning - slowly, painfully, over centuries - right and wrong, and, eventually, wisdom. We learn this collective knowledge as a species the same way we learn as an individual - through reflection on, and avoidance of, pain and death, and appreciation of pleasure and beauty. Trial and error.

If the trend of human knowledge and evolution continues, then men will (eventually) evolve into wiser beings who will someday be able to approach - even control - the next step in their evolution. I believe that we will soon start to alter our genetic machinery and create man-machine hybrids that we enable us to live much longer lives and learn much more in each lifetime. We will also be increasingly connected, plugged in to each other. Eventually, this will lead at some unknown future point into a state where we fuse - like the early cells that became multi- cellular organisms - into a singular, god-like consciousness. To some extent, we have already started a crude super-organism now, with the Internet and mass media, where we connect and experience the world through rapid connections. Each technological step speeds up the process of evolution, bringing us closer to the ultimate end.

If this fusion is the ultimate destination of human existence, it is not unreasonable to think that this was the design of the universe - to create a breeding ground for the development of super-conscious beings over billions of years. For some unknown reason, it seems that this type of consciousness must be learned "the hard way" - through the experiences of free will and suffering - war, pain, famine, genocide. It is only through the essentially pointless suffering of billions of beings that our species will eventually "get it" and focus its attention on progress, rather than acquiring riches and power (usually at the expense of others) or just pursuing mindless pleasures. Or so I hope.

But apparently time and human suffering are of little relevance to the "creators," whomever they may be, except that they teach us what is bad, what is to be rejected. To what purpose our distant descendants will serve - thousands of years from now - is something we cannot know, until we approach that frontier.

This, then, is the purpose of life. The sooner we dedicate our energies to developing this future, the sooner we will arrive at this destination. Science, technology, genetics, life extension - all of these provide progress to the future world. In your daily life, you may already be supporting the human races' progress, through educating, policing, protecting, researching, healing. However, you may also be hindering human progress. All of our wasteful activities - wars, religion, materialism, mindless pleasures - only slow down human evolution and postpone the inevitable future.

It seems desirable to speed up the process of progress. Just imagine if radios or computers had been invented 100 years earlier, or vaccines, or the internal combustion engine...unfortunately, throughout history there have been forces that have tried to slow human progress. In European history, many of the people trying to move knowledge forward were destroyed - burned as "witches" or "heretics" because they sought the truth.

Anyway, these are my view of things. I have started this "blog" about my views, which I called "Evolutionary Deism." I call it this because I believe in "god" (or some sort of creator or creators) and I believe that evolution is proof of this force, which has produced you and me over a 10 billion year process. I don't want to "convert" anyone or convince anyone to see things my way; I am only interested in discussing these ideas with people who share an openness to this point of view. It seems pretty obvious to me that this is true and supported by what I know about biology, physics, psychology, etc. If you agree, then let me know...

(c) 2007-09 The Meaning of Life Blog

What Should You Do With YOUR Life?

If you are wondering, What should I do with my life? - here is a thought to consider. If you agree with the "thesis" of this blog - that the purpose of life, as evidenced by the universe that God created, is for intelligent species to evolve to achieve some higher, as yet unknown goal - then anything you do to support the goals of God are good.

If you find this reasonable, then the purpose of your life becomes relatively simple. Take steps that support the progress of mankind. This may entail small steps, such as donating to medical research, or writing your congressman to put our limited resources toward scientific progress. Or volunteer to help teach kids to stay in school or stay out of trouble.

Larger steps would be choosing a career that moves humanity forward - becoming a computer engineer, or dedicating your future to design efficient energy or health care systems. Be a psychotherapist, who helps people solve their problems and become aware - conscious - of their own minds. Or start a foundation to postpone or cure the disease of aging...

Someone once said to me, "A million years from now, it won't matter what we do." I think it is quite the opposite - every appropriate step you take, no matter how small, will have profound benefits moving forward that will continue to improve the future. Each improvement in science, medicine, computers, electronics, psychology, and other fields of knowledge make us live longer, think better, and move us closer to an amazing human future. It is like putting $1 in the bank today, and then letting it grow with compounded interest. How much would it be worth in a million years?

The road toward this future is long and hard. There are no quick rewards, as we will only move forward after millions of people spend millions of hours taking each agonizing and increasingly complex step. It is very, very far away and you will see very little of the incredible human potential that is ahead. However, each step brings us closer, while each failure (war, anti-science, wasted energy, etc) pushes us in the wrong direction. I hope that you will consider my point of view, read my entire blog, and then join those of us who support human progress.

Meaning of Life Exclusive: Interview With God.

In an exclusive to this web site, God as agreed to answer some questions about the meaning of life.

Meaning of Life (MoL): First of all, let me say on behalf of all humankind, we are honored to have you speak to our web site. We greatly appreciate your creating the universe, along with human beings. And thanks for stars, gravity, strawberries, honey, sunsets, beauty, love, the Grand Canyon, cats, flowers, Spring time, and all the other wonderful things in the world.

My first question is, why did you agree to speak with Meaning of Life?

God: Well, I don't believe in interference with human progress; but, since few people read your blog, I figured no harm would be done. It would give me a chance to express my plan to a few people. Maybe the human race is ready for some idea of what is really happening in the universe. If so, they will find their way to your web site, and it will help them.

MoL: Thank you. Well, my next question is about faith: which religion is correct?

God: If your question means which religion represents an accurate description of the universe I created and the purpose of living beings in this universe, the answer is none of them. Each was invented by men to provide them with comfort and meaning and order; but none represent a complete understanding of the truth. All religions rely on supernatural elements to explain things, and many are spread by violence or coercion, not logic. I created a universe that is logical. Each atom in my universe behaves according to my laws; to suggest that I allow exceptions to these rules completely misses the point of creation. The point was that a set of rules were needed to evolve in a specific direction. That is why I created time as well as space. Therefore, the supernatural is not part of the plan; and any religion that relies on it is not factual. It suggests that I am illogical.

MoL: What do you think about the world religions? Do you have a favorite?
God: I think they are usually well-meaning, and they help some people, but they are not what is needed to move people forward in terms of my goals of evolution of the species.

MoL: So, you support evolution?

God: Of course I do. I created evolution. Evolution is the whole point of the universe. It is not an accident.

MoL: Toward what purpose?

God: That's what you guys need to figure out.

MoL: With all due respect - and I am not questioning your actions - but why can't you just tell us what we need to do? Why do we need to figure it out for ourselves?

God: That is also what you need to figure out. You will not figure this out unless you evolve further. You will not figure this out being satisfied with mere physical comfort, or power, or religious ecstasy. You will not figure this out following a religion, or taking a drug, or fighting a war, or following a leader. You will only figure this out by doing the hard work, the research, the science, the calculations, the social changes, necessary to figure this out. You are slowly getting there; keep going, and it will be clear.

MoL: Thanks. Well, if we cannot rely on religion to answer the basic issues of life's meaning, then we have to start to understand what you really are all about.

I hope you won't feel I am questioning your actions...but many people wonder why there is pain and suffering in the world. Why do children get cancer? Why is there war? It's not that we are ungrateful, but wouldn't it have been possible to create a world where things were perfect?

God: That is a legitimate question. It is not unreasonable for intelligent beings to want comfort; it would be illogical for them to desire pain, discomfort, death.

So, to answer your question, the reason there is suffering in the world is because I allow it. It is part of the structure of the universe that I created. It is there to teach a lesson. The lesson is that whatever is causing pain is bad, and must be ended or avoided. You know this in your nervous system - which is why your reflexes pull your hand away from a fire. The pain that I allow should teach human beings what is wrong and what they should avoid.

In other words, suffering is caused by human action or inaction. I have given you the tools to solve all human suffering. That is your job, not mine. If someone is suffering, it is because either they or someone else is not doing the right thing. People who reduce suffering are doing the right thing; people who cause suffering are doing the wrong thing.

In this next stage in human evolution, you need to develop social structures to move forward. If those complex social structures are missused, then suffering will continue. If they are used correctly, then suffering will decline.

MoL: How do you feel about people who say, "God says this" or "God says that..."

God: I would prefer that they say, "In my opinion, God wants this" or "It is my belief that God prefers that..." For they do not understand me, or they wouldn't speak this way.

MoL: What should people - the human race - do?

God: It's not that complicated. Evolve. That means stop wasting time and energy with pointless activities that do not support human evolution. Put time and energy into human progress. Support science, medical, and engineering education, develop improved computer technology, increase understanding of genetics, cure diseases, stop aging, stop hunger, develop efficient transportation, communictions, and energy systems. The result will be a human race ready to evolve to the next level. The rest is just waste and blind alleys. I have given you a choice, but I hope you pick the right one. But if the human race fails, other species will evolve. I'm patient.

MoL: Is there other intelligent life in the universe?

God: You mean, including the human race? Yes - but I spaced the stars and planets far apart, so they won't interfere with each other.

[To Be Continued...]

One thing that puzzles me - why people in general (and especially people in power) accept the fact that they and everyone they love will age and die. Why don't the rich and powerful frantically organize a Manhattan project to stop aging?

After all, aging is a genetic disease that we all carry. It is not "natural" - just a left over from an earlier evolutionary period - and not something that can't be fixed. All we need to do is adjust our genetic information to remove the programs that set pointless limits on cell life.

These programs made sense millions of years ago, when each member of the species needed to breed then die off; but they do not make sense now, and the result in a limited life style and the loss of useful members of society (such as physicians and scientists).

Instead, our "elites" in business, government, the military, etc, spend our precious resources on pointless enterprises, while only a tiny fraction of our talent, money, and energy are spent on the most basic quest of all - staying alive. Doesn't make sense to me.