Pretty much the same here. See my sig? 
I believe that we are one outcome, but most certainly not the aim, of a staggeringly vast chain of events that has led to our species evolving, and being able to develop to the brain capacity to unravel that chain of events and realise exactly that process. The factors that have led to our existence are many, and the fact that that they all hard to work in perfect harmony together is an incredibly rare thing, to be sure. But I also know that of all the planets in the universe, those factors aligned in such a way on at least one that it gave rise to a species that could muse upon them. They are natural and random, with no intelligence driving them and no aim in mind.
Many theists think this is a soulless way of looking at the world. I heartily disagree. I think the fact we are here essentially by accident is more humbling than the most awesome god, more inspiring than the grandest claims of salvation and eternal life, and more satisfying than the deepest prayer. Belief in an intelligence guiding the workings of the universe makes no sense, because there is always the question of where such intelligence came from, which is something no theist has ever come close to answering. Beyond that, the idea of a creator cheapens the entire miracle of life. That it came about by an incredibly long and perfect circumstances is an infinitely more sensible and satisfying concept.
On humanity itself...we have so much potential. We have experienced a greater shift in our paradigm in the last century than at any point in our existence. We have tentatively begun our first steps towards exploring the solar system and perhaps the universe beyond, and created machines capable of answering questions unasked and unanswered since the beginning of the universe. We have saved ourselves again and again, from stepping away from the brink of nuclear annihilation to leading countless efforts to simply make the world a better place.
We have, and still do, committed despicable acts of evil. The acrid smoke that hung over the concentration camps of the Nazi Empire. The slave trade and its modern equivalent. Greed, corruption, murder, chaos. But there are always those who stand up to those things, because most people have an intrinsic sense of morality that is hardwired into us from our origins as social animals.
Overall, I think we're making the world a better place, though the process has always been slow, and with many stops and starts. We are not the most important generation to have lived, but we are one of the most dynamic. It may be foolish to be grateful to nature, as it has no intelligence and cannot be receptive of such emotion, but I am honoured to be living in a time when we are becoming more and more aware of our place, atop this Pale Blue Dot.
I believe that we are one outcome, but most certainly not the aim, of a staggeringly vast chain of events that has led to our species evolving, and being able to develop to the brain capacity to unravel that chain of events and realise exactly that process. The factors that have led to our existence are many, and the fact that that they all hard to work in perfect harmony together is an incredibly rare thing, to be sure. But I also know that of all the planets in the universe, those factors aligned in such a way on at least one that it gave rise to a species that could muse upon them. They are natural and random, with no intelligence driving them and no aim in mind.
Many theists think this is a soulless way of looking at the world. I heartily disagree. I think the fact we are here essentially by accident is more humbling than the most awesome god, more inspiring than the grandest claims of salvation and eternal life, and more satisfying than the deepest prayer. Belief in an intelligence guiding the workings of the universe makes no sense, because there is always the question of where such intelligence came from, which is something no theist has ever come close to answering. Beyond that, the idea of a creator cheapens the entire miracle of life. That it came about by an incredibly long and perfect circumstances is an infinitely more sensible and satisfying concept.
On humanity itself...we have so much potential. We have experienced a greater shift in our paradigm in the last century than at any point in our existence. We have tentatively begun our first steps towards exploring the solar system and perhaps the universe beyond, and created machines capable of answering questions unasked and unanswered since the beginning of the universe. We have saved ourselves again and again, from stepping away from the brink of nuclear annihilation to leading countless efforts to simply make the world a better place.
We have, and still do, committed despicable acts of evil. The acrid smoke that hung over the concentration camps of the Nazi Empire. The slave trade and its modern equivalent. Greed, corruption, murder, chaos. But there are always those who stand up to those things, because most people have an intrinsic sense of morality that is hardwired into us from our origins as social animals.
Overall, I think we're making the world a better place, though the process has always been slow, and with many stops and starts. We are not the most important generation to have lived, but we are one of the most dynamic. It may be foolish to be grateful to nature, as it has no intelligence and cannot be receptive of such emotion, but I am honoured to be living in a time when we are becoming more and more aware of our place, atop this Pale Blue Dot.
