Is there any one who loves a guy asking questions? too many questions? Am I asking too many questions already? No worries, I'll just get down to the two question that are asked most often, but never heard explicitly.
The two basic questions that the top level that underpins all knowledge are: (1) How did universe come from nothingness and (2) How did life come from non-life? We are yet to find the answers and progress to reach those answers needs to be underway. For now we have to live with an answer that forms the premise of life and belief in world's oldest civilization. The answer is that the cause of both is possibly same, and for lack of a better word, we name the cause/source/power as "God". By causing these, (s)he implicitly controls linear time as we understand it through law of causality/Karma.
Look at what we have done in the process of exploring answers to our questions. We created the written language (including maths and music and all) without which we are not fundamentally different from a wild monkey (other than the tail for sure!). With it we have cured the incurable, we have seen the invisible, we can hear beyond our ears, we can talk across millions of kilometers and what the heck, we have even come to know how to slow the passage of time!
It is in the process of further answering these two questions, that we came to know laws of nature and mathematics and are still exploring. Laws of physics and evolution are milestones in our understand of that concept/premise of "God". We experiment and we medidate for these answers and wish we could talk to this omnipotent/omnipresent/omniscient concept. This concept has to knowledgeable and authoritatively talk to the male and female in us. (S)He needs to do what both genders can do. Hence if we try to put a human form to this concept, it will be a being that is half male and half female. Hindus call this imaginary form - "Ardhnaareshwar" (Half man Half woman God) in Sanskrit.
This is where my talk seems to take on the cloak of a bias. Let's perhaps put this aside for a moment and think. What we needed from "God" is a really good conversation. What we got were respected Prophets, Saints, Sadhus, incarnations and more. What we got was more fundamental, we got belief. Belief through very useful stories told to us in order to lead a fulfilling life. We want to continue this conversation further, maybe over dinner close to a fire.
The basic answer that we are looking for is why were we created as beings with imagination. What is the purpose do we serve? Left to nature we would end up evolving, albeit very slowly. As a group of intelligent minds, we choose to evolve faster than nature. The rapid growth of science, technology and arts is proof of that. Our purpose then ends up being evolving individually to a higher plane of existence.
This is much easier said than done. The process of survival has become intricately complex since we as a species chose to violate the law of the jungle and allowed the weakest to survive and thrive. It is an unending cycle of manifestation of creativity to make things, then make rules, explore more and then destroy what was created to create again. Our curiosity has led to the improvement of not only standard of life, it has also brought us to the threshold of being able to create artificial life and intelligence. What will this uninterrupted increase in standard of life through discoveries and inventions lead to? Very simply, it is again to expedite our evolution compared to nature.
We have invented machines that are controlled through our mind. Technology to operate appliances in your house with your mind are already available. Let alone anti-aging, by breaking into parts, we have "almost" recreated the most complex machine ever created, the human being.
So what does this mean for us, you and me? That's difficult to put into words in any language. The world was perfect before humans inherited the planet. Are we simply here to create a "more perfect" world than we inherited? These would be reasons that exist only because we are a being that can think and imagine. We seek meaning when the world was already perfect without it. Perhaps its about meaninglessness of our lives that subconsciously pains us. Is there any bullet that is going to kill me or am I going to live in irrational fear of the inevitable certain death? So again, what do we, you and I choose to do?
You really care a damn about I choose to do, as long as you are able to choose to do what you want. That mutual respect here that already exists between me and you and it will help if we are able to add compassion for each other. Because our questions still remain the same in our minds.
Why am I here now? What should I do? How do I know what is good/right/best/appropriate? Perhaps there is someone, "Ardhnaareshwar/God" watching us to judge us and our actions. Perhaps its our imagination to search for meaning in our lives. In either case, we can live a worthwhile life by being worthy, by a standard you, I and we choose. As a species with the ability, we will evolve by our will that is given to us by the concept/premise of "God". We always had this same purpose, and you and I can respectfully choose to follow our respective method we deem fit.
Phew, lots of questions in what I said. I hope perhaps I am leaving you with more answers than questions.
