Stand back and look at the universe as a
whole. What do you see? On the best
scientific hypothesis now available, the universe is made up of matter and
energy, and is, on the micro level, quite chaotic. Chance rules. There is no intention behind the universe, no
mind that has willed things for the best.
The laws of nature are contingent upon the universe being what it is, and
it might, metaphysically speaking, have been quite different. In vain do we look for Providence in the
workings of nature. Earthquakes, mud
slides, microbes, carnivores, floods and accidents make things worse for human
beings pure and simple. They deliver
undeniable blows to our plans, families and lives. What good is there in these things? None, to my reckoning.
Equally, we might ask what evil there is in
these things. The natural disasters that
strike us down are not always our responsibility. The tree that falls on a
pedestrian intends no harm. It simply
obeys the law of gravity. The SARS virus
is just trying to make a living and will spread where it can for its own
survival. The tornado gives no thought
to the destruction it causes, for it is we who see destruction in the clouds.
In geological time, there has been a parade
of species marching through the pages of Natural History. They come into being and go out of being with
alarming rapidity, though some life forms find a shape so stable that they
remain essentially unchanged for millions of year. The Trilobites are a good
example, but they, too, eventually went the way of the Giant Sloth, whose term
on earth was much shorter. Nature does not care about itself, needs to take no
care for itself, and is supremely indifferent to all that happens within it.
Nature wishes us no harm, nor any benefit,
either. The vaunted "dominant species on earth" is just another species in the
parade, and will have its run. Only time
tells whether human beings, as an animal species, continues as long as the
Trilobites did, or the Giant Sloth. As
long as we are able, we will strive to endure, to exist, and to propagate our
species. I am sure we will go down
fighting. Yet it is our fight, and we
fight it for ourselves and our species.
Nature, being indifferent to us, will not deign to fight. It is no good complaining about this. There simply are no hidden silver linings in
disasters. We, too, are part of nature and will run the course, just as we
shall all continue to live until our bodies give out on us. This is not good, not bad, but simply the way
it is for mortals, no matter how long their lives may be. Our job is to make things better for
ourselves and for others while we live. Nature will take care of the rest,
without a care of its own.
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