Cultural Shorelines

I exist. We are the only object in this Universe who can utter ‘I exist’ sound. The rest of our vastness is incompetent to pronounce its existence. Other entities exist amongst us, but totally incapacitated to make self-declaration. Speck of dust to vast stars, and galaxies possess a muted existence. Bewildering, confounding, perplexing, baffling, flummoxing, and other adjectives we may choose to deploy are not sufficient to comprehend a Universe with countless named objects around us, yet humanity is the only race that can declaratively attest ‘I exist.’  Who chose to isolate us absurdly, like an imprisonment in isolation? Are we an imprisoned race? The rest of the objects in the cosmos roam freely, but we are imprisoned in ‘I exist.’  Our existence should have been non-declarative, too, to make us equal with our surroundings, for what do we gain from declaring ‘I?’ Perchance, it would solve all our problems. We would not have a name, other than our identifying marker of humans. Human equality is what we champion in recent times. Had we been all humans, without a declarative ‘I,’ equality of human race would have been possible just as equality exists in every object. We do not find distinctions in all the objects we use. It is what it is.  Humans, too, could exist in such a state. Undeclared. The agony of ‘I’ is immense on humanity.

‘I’ exists for us. And it should exist for us. For without ‘I,’ immense power of intelligence will lead an imprisoned existence. Intelligence does not exist in vacuum. It is acting on every object incessantly, and powers the entire Universe. When the Sun rises, it is an activity of intelligence. Earth’s orbit around the Sun, intelligence. Day and night, intelligence. Planetary orbits, intelligence. Lion’s roar, intelligence. Speck of dust, intelligence. Everything visible, and invisible is intelligence. Many things around us are fulfilling functional duties with intelligence every second. And all these manifold things do not possess the ability to discover intelligence. There must exist an entity that can discover, harness, and release intelligence from the imprisoned vastness of existential objects. Thus, all the vastness is imprisoned; ‘I,’ is liberated. Unliberated ‘I’ cannot discover intelligence. Intelligence undiscovered is wasted, and renders the vastness of our Universe as non-purposeful will be a logical, and philosophical enigma. Our existence will be undeterminable, and our problems unresolvable. Uttering ‘I exist’ is a beautiful declaration of an intelligent entity.

Like the waves in an ocean reaching the shores, waves of intelligence reach the human shoreline. We are the only object with an ability to discover intelligence in this Universe. Humanity, universally, must discover intelligence. Intelligence cannot be an exclusive domain for a select few. Like radioactive material must be handled with precautions, and extreme care, intelligence is radioactive material for humanity. Deft handling of intelligence is mandatory. Consequences of intelligence gone astray have been revealed to the reader. Modern history has witnessed dramatic consequences when intelligence is used against humanity in Japan. Intelligence in yesteryears, today, and tomorrow remains identical. Should intelligence change with time, then ancestral heritage will not prove useful in the current times. Radioactive material decays, intelligence does not decay. We are fond of innovation in modern times, but it is a non-performing asset for humanity to discover intelligence. Innovation is useful if the target is elusive. Intelligence is not elusive. The same process repeats timelessly. Intelligence is naked. It has already reached our shoreline. Thus, there must be only one method to discover intelligence.

‘I’ exist’ is derived from our culture. Just as we do not display our body in nude, the identity of the individual is displayed clothed in culture. Culture, thus, is a conduit for discovering, and unleashing intelligence in our lives. Radioactive materials are held firmly within the confines of a nuclear reactor for the benefit of humanity and environment; our culture holds the enormous power of intelligence, firmly, to protect the individual from self, and broader societal harm when the strength of ‘I’ breaches human shorelines. When we observe the variances, in human conditions across the vastness of our world, that we lead a debilitated life becomes glaringly obvious. Who, why, and how the success of humanity is, insanely, random. Randomness in a Universe with order, and intelligence for a superior human race is absurd and abnormal. 

Why should culture exist in multivariate forms? One humanity, one culture should suffice would flash across our minds, immediately. However, we should remind ourselves that intelligence is power. Does an electrician touch a live wire unprotected? Even though he is trained to handle power lines with ease. Did an electrician commence the job without training and certification? We see in life that we either receive orientation, or training from elementary school forward to handle powerless, and lifeless pursuits. Even these mundane pursuits leave an imprint. Increased reliance on lifeless systems to power our lives has turned our feelings superficial, lives robotic, existence mechanized, and nature distant are all on unrestrained display in society. We lament the loss of values in society. We witness extreme behavior, fear, anxiety, restless minds, and degradation of human condition. Outcome of distancing our existence from nature, culture, and embracing artificial pursuits, and living with machines round the clock. Few who are old enough recognize the rapid decline of the human condition when we reminisce about our childhood. If modern problems in society did not exist half a century, or more back, the cause for the degradation can be directly attributed to increased usage of insentient modern systems. There cannot exist another culpable entity. Culture, which reveals the ‘I’ to us, is a vehicle for life’s journey on a higher and higher path. 

All vehicles are not the same. A tricycle can take us around a block. A bicycle takes us further, but the rider gets exhausted. A motorcyclist can go further, but it runs out of fuel. A car takes us even further, that, too, runs out of fuel. A flight can take us far further. A rocket can launch us into a higher orbit. Various vehicles for different purposes. Culture determines our journey in life. Just as it is inappropriate for a kindergartener learning alphabets, and simple words to master Shakespearean dramas, our ability to hold intellectual power is dependent on whether our birth is that of a kindergartener, or of wise scholar. Objects exist in various states. Humanity exists in various states, too, from just born to centenarian ability to absorb the power of ‘I,’ varies also. 

We are on a life journey, and intelligence is the fuel for our journey. We exist for a duration, and we journey onward. The onward journey after we depart is determined by our culture. When we observe our nature that everything exists in a transformative state. We are enjoying the fruits of punishment, or reward in this life. Where do we want to take our life from this birth has cultural roots. Discovering ‘I’ is the discovery of the truth of our Universe. The truth of our existence is the truth of the Universe. An object other than a human is incapable of discovering truth. Physical truth is momentary, we exist today, tomorrow we will depart. Eternal truth is a distinct entity. Intelligence is eternal truth. We are bestowed with an ability to discover eternal truth. Culture is a beautiful vehicle for humanity to discover eternity. In a transformative world of our existence, some are veterans, some are just born into humanity. One culture will not be apt for the broadness of the human condition. Multi-polar humanity, multi-polar cultures. Our culture transforms our transcendental journey to ascend higher and higher to ultimately discover eternal truth. Eternal truth ends the birth and death cycle for all objects. Society was perched on Eternity just a few centuries back. A return to those tranquil times is near the horizon with Post-Modern era waiting to descend onto humanity because physical truth is not sustainable for humanity and our Universe.