Let us pause for a while and think about ourselves. We, the human beings on this planet, are unique indeed. We are the only species on this planet that uses symbols and words to solve problems, convey ideas, thoughts and emotions.
We draw, paint, make music, choreograph dance, create beautiful buildings and build new marvels of technology. We are driven by the desire to know the secrets of life, to create beauty, to explore the universe. We classify, formalize, codify all we learn, be it music or biology.
We are the only species that seek to transmit all this knowledge from one generation to another. This knowledge is not mere survival skills transferred by other species. This vast body of knowledge is far beyond that. This process of transfer and accumulation of knowledge has helped us progress gradually and build a complex civilization.
In our quest for knowledge, we find that technology has grown at a rapid pace. Research in Genetics, Robotics, Computers, Information technology, media and Communication is promising new worlds. Artificial intelligence, cloning, genetic modifications, creation of new species are just round the corner. It is an intrepid new world that we are moving into.
At this point in time, we also roam the earth. We regard ourselves as the masters. We strive to control everything around us; the plants, the animals, the non living. We seek to conquer space, age, disease and death.
However even as life spans are getting longer, life is getting more anxious. Tension, maladjustment, drugs take the young and old for their own. Heart diseases, mental ailments, cancer and aids take all. We are swamped with the images of hate, aggression, racism, communalism, war, nuclear weapons, global warming, nature’s fury, terrorism, imperialism and genocide.
If the theory of evolution is true then the human species may or may not survive through eons. Our fascination for dinosaurs is not just by chance. Like us, they were the most abundant species on this planet and then they vanished. It’s only a few species that have survived through ages, bacteria, virus, cockroaches and ants to name a few.
So what is the future of the human species? Will we survive? If so how? Like the bacteria and virus that are able to create their own copies and mutate enough to survive any onslaught or like the insects with their group survival techniques and adaptations? We strive desperately to gain insights through genetic studies and studies of societies.
While we talk of evolution and study other species to get an understanding of our own behavior, deep down we realize that we are different. Are there any other species like our own, somewhere in this universe? If only we could communicate with them and study how they solve their problems, we may be able to get some insights into our problems. So we scan the skies with our SETI telescopes looking for intelligences, civilizations like our own.
Will we be the survivors or will we vanish soon?
