The real human experience

By Riley Schott
schottr@mytjnow.com

We believe that just because we exist we must have a greater purpose.  What if that isn’t the case?  

Every day, we as humans struggle with this basic, yet complex question.  What is the purpose of human existence and why are we here? 

Many turn to religion to find answers, aiming to tackle the question with faith. However, the truth is, no matter what religious doctrine or faith you believe explains the existence of human life. You haven’t the slightest clue.

What I find fascinating is not the particular answers that people come up with, (although many can get pretty entertaining) but the nature and perspective of these answers. 

Whether you be Christian, and believe in Christ and the search for heaven, or believe we exist to serve another higher function; your explanation is a product of the same egocentric perspective.   

It has been nearly 470 years since Copernicus published the heliocentric model, theorizing that the sun, and not the Earth, is at the center of the solar system.  

However, geo and egocentrism is still alive in most minds in contemplating human life and being. Even though science tells us otherwise, we just can’t let go of our ego and think of our existence objectively.

Recently, I watched a clip that preceded the stand up special “Joe Rogan Live.” The video is a taping of Joe Rogan riding around in the back of his limousine, describing his theory of life and people. 

Before, all I knew of Joe Rogan was his color commentary of The Ultimate Fighting Championship and the stomach turning show, “Fear Factor.” But what he said in this short video stuck in my mind and has forever changed my view of our existence.

He states he believes human beings are just a very sophisticated form of bacteria. If you look at the Earth as a host for life, then we become just another organism on a larger organism that is our host. This is a little easier to contemplate when considering us as a host to many smaller organisms. 

Just as these small organisms feed off of our bodies, we live and feed off the body of our host until we inevitably destroy it. It doesn’t matter how much information we have access too or how technologically advanced we become.  Our purpose is to exist and feed from our host, Earth.

When you look at human existence from this perspective, all the religion and philosophy in the world is meaningless in defining human purpose. 

Sure, they can be great sources of information on how to treat other humans and what should be acceptable in our societies.  But don’t think for one second they can be the key to unlocking the greater purpose of human existence, because they can’t. 

We, as humans, are here because we have evolved from smaller, more basic organisms that did just as we do, feed off their hosts. It doesn’t matter what or whom you believe in; this is the simple, objective truth. And the sooner you can detach your ego from the question of human purpose, the sooner you will arrive at this realization. 

When we’re gone, we’re gone, and all of these hopes of a higher purpose will remain as a silly bunch of thoughts, by a group of organisms on a tiny planet, in a vast existence that our puny brains can’t even begin to fathom. 

  This isn’t meant to be sad, depressing, or the like. Nor is meant to make you feel like your life is meaningless, and of no real importance. It is simply an effort to bring realization to how small humans are in the grand scheme of reality. 

When we realize this and let go of our egocentric mindset, we can understand things for what they really are. By allowing ourselves to understand the nature of our world objectively, we can see the true causes of problems, begin to fix them, and realize when we can’t.

Look at hurricanes objectively, and they are natural phenomena that take place on Earth.  Look at them egocentrically, and they are natural disasters.  

Examine Hurricane Katrina objectively, and there is nothing humans could have possibly done to cause or prevent it. Add religion and all of a sudden it becomes a punishment for the gays.

As human beings, it is hard to eliminate our egos from the equation.  

However, if we can manage to do so, our judgment becomes clearer and we can examine the problems of our world with a rational mind. Then we stop blaming false causes to problems, stop trying to fix things we can’t control, and start channeling our energy toward more productive and progressive efforts.