Our lives and the Universe are bizarre!

How often do most people sit back and reflect on how utterly bizarre their situation is?? The fact they find ourselves existing . . . . yet they do not know why they are here, what the world is, why anything exists at all, why the world is as it is, what it's all for, what will eventually happen to them when they die??

OK, I understand many people think their existence is just pure blind happenstance, that the Universe just came into being by pure blind happenstance, that we're just here for the ride. But how do they know?? And irrespective of whether this is true, this does nothing to lessen the bizarre situation we find ourselves in. Not having a clue whether or not there's a purpose to their lives, and if it is what that purpose is.

Jus' had a few bottles of becks.

Star Trek

I absolutely loved the original series of Star Trek. I can remember watching them from around the mid 70's.  I've seen them countless times. When the next generation came out around mid to late 80s I watched around 5 or 6 episodes. But I just didn't like them. I'd just rather watch the original series over and over again. Just not the same without Spock and Kirk.

Nothing to do.

I'm astonished to hear that many people -- if not indeed most people -- would find it profoundly boring not being in a full-time job as an employee. That they would have nothing to do all day. Indeed, many people claim that when they were unemployed they were sleeping 12 hours a day and were just depressed.

I have to say I find this utterly bizarre. So going for walks in the countryside; visiting museums; learning and becoming proficient in some subject and perhaps even becoming an expert; discussions on a variety of subjects on the Internet and elsewhere; reading novels; playing games; exercising; just simply thinking about reality and our place in it and what it all means; laying in a field in the warm bright sunshine in the arms of the one you love. And so on and so on and so on... None of this has any appeal? Peoples' only aim in life is to sell their labour to an employer? Nothing else in life is worth doing? Wow...

I am me, and no-one else

I've always been very different from everyone else. I've tried to fit in -- to be like everyone else. But I have irrevocably finally given up. I'll always be different. And I suppose . .in a sense . .I like that. I'll never be at one with a crowd, or even with a few individuals. But at least I'll be me -- not some false facade.

Scared of the dark?

When I was child, I used to be really frightened of the dark.  As I grew older and older, I grew less and less frightened. Nevertheless, even when in my late teens and early 20's, and 'specially after watching a horror film, there was this very slight residual fear of . .say . .walking at night where there wasn't anyone else around and it was really dark.

But now?? It's weird, but I simply have no fear at all. No fear of "ghosts" or spooks or the supernatural . . . but . . umm . .yeah . .certainly fear of my fellow human beings.

Realistically colourized historical photos

From Here

Abraham Lincoln, 1865

Japanese Archers, circa 1860

Charles Darwin, 1874

 

 

Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway, 1880

 

 

Charlie Chaplin, 1916

 

 

Washington D. C., 1921

 

 

Baltimore Slums, 1938

 

 

London, 1945

 

 

Unemployed Lumber Worker and His Wife, circa 1939

 

 

Country store, 1939

 

 

British Troops Board Their Train for the Front, 1939

 

 

Albert Einstein in Long Island, 1939

 

If everyone in the world disappeared apart from me.

I'm wondering what I would do if I woke up one morning, and apparently every single other person in the world had simply vanished. Presumably that first morning I'd still have electricity, but perhaps no internet. So I would be wondering why I'm not getting the Internet. I'd ring up BT (my ISP) and not get any answer. After ringing around a few places with no responses, it'll suddenly impinge upon me that I cannot hear any traffic. I go outside, and I cannot see or hear anyone at all! I walk into the town centre and the place is wholly deserted, and all the shops are closed! So what would I do then?

I note that cars are on the road and crashed into each other and buildings. So it's as if everyone just simply suddenly vanished -- except me. But I also note that birds are still alive and insects. So the first thing I would do is try and find someone else, start shouting etc. At some point I hear a dog barking. It's behind someone's door in someone's house. Do I break in at this point to rescue it? I think maybe.

As the day wears on, and maybe electricity gets cut off?? (no idea how long I would have electricity), I'm going to have to think about rescuing as many animals as possible as they'll all soon die of dehydration. Dogs and cats from peoples' homes, pet shops and zoos.


Over the long term I'd keep a lot of the dogs and cats for pets, they'd make great company. And move to a huge mansion in lovely countryside overlooking the sea. Trouble is I have no practical skills so would have no idea how to obtain electricity. Need electricity for PC too . .hmmm . . maybe I could find some mansion that runs off solar power? Thankfully my watch uses solar power. I can just raid the supermarkets for tins of food. Grow fruit and stuff too. Tins of dog and cat food also from the supermarkets for all my pets.


Of course I could never know I was the only person left alive in the world. Perhaps 1 in 10 million, or 1 in 100 million survived. That would give me a goal in life, to locate any other survivors. And when I do, she would look at me in stunned disbelief, then run toward me crying and sobbing into my arms saying she thought she was the only one. Then we could procreate and restart the human race.

But, if I were really the only one, and I somehow managed to obtain electricity, then I think my life might be bearable. Sitting outside drinking ice cold bottles of becks with a couple of dogs at my feet, watching the sea crash against the cliffs, and if at night, looking at the stars in the night sky brilliant in their intensity since there wouldn't be any light pollution.


Edited to add. Now this looks as if it could be an ideal place to live in.

They live!

I'll have to get some of these sunglasses. I want to know who the aliens are. Hopefully not everyone apart from me!



via GIPHY

There are 2 possibilities

There's 2 possibilities:

a) This is the only life there is. When we die we simply cease to exist. Our lives and the Universe are, in a sense, ultimately absurd. In that case nothing we do ultimately matters. How much money we accumulate and our social status are transitory and ultimately unfulfilling, and in the end are to no avail since we all end up in the same boat -- namely eternal non-existence. I suggest instead we just live our lives, have a laugh, have a few drinks, be kind to others, but most importantly of all not to take life too seriously.

b) Or there is a "life after death", and perhaps an ultimate purpose to our existence and to all things. But if we continue to exist after death, why do we think what we achieve in this life is so terribly important? If there is some ultimate purpose to life, we don't know what it is, but presumably it will have nothing to do with how much money we accumulate and our social status. I suggest instead we just live our lives, have a laugh, have a few drinks, be kind to others, but most importantly of all not to take life too seriously.

Was the Universe caused?

Suppose we observe a chain of toppling dominoes. Which would be the best explanation for why they are all falling over?

a) The very first domino just fell over all by itself without any cause whatsoever.

b) The chain of dominoes is infinitely long so no first falling domino is required.

c) An external agent pushed the very first one over.

"a" is to give up on a rational explanations. If the first domino falls all by itself, then why can't all the other dominoes just fall by themselves?


"b" simply leaves unanswered as to why an infinite chain of dominoes exist. It either exists without a cause -- in which case again we have to give up on a rational explanation -- or they were caused by an external agent.

Opting for "a" or "b" is to give up on providing an explanation. Only "c" is viable.

The same goes for the entire physical Universe (and no, what caused God is not a valid refutation).