HUMANITY: WHISTLING IN THE WIND WITHOUT A MAKER . . .

I found this short article recently. I left it as all CAPS as it was originally written. I believe I had been reading some of Richard Dawkins work (which I find deeply flawed by a huge amount of tell-tale bias and wild conjectures). This article was written 4 years before he released his Blind Watchmaker book.

 

FEB. 23,1982

 

AROUND MYSELF I WITNESS THE EFFECTS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT PURPOSE, MEN WITHOUT GOALS AND A GENERATION THAT'S FORGOTTEN HOW TO DREAM. AS A BIASED OBSERVER, INFLUENCED BY CULTURE, RELIGIOUS INPUT SINCE CHILDHOOD, AND A NATURAL DESIRE TO ANALYZE, I MUST LET THE READER REALIZE I DEFINITELY TRY TO CHANGE HIS VIEWS OR CHANNEL THEM MY WAY.

 

IT'S CLEAR TO ME THAT NO MATTER WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL IS BORN, GROWS INTO BIOLOGICAL MATURITY AND FINALLY BREATHES HIS LAST, THAT PERSON WILL QUESTION HIS WORLD AND HIS VERY EXISTENCE. THIS QUESTIONING ABILITY SEPARATES US BY LIGHT YEARS FROM ALL OTHER LIVING CREATURES ON THIS PLANET.

 

INITIALLY I STATED THAT MANY PEOPLE NO LONGER WANT THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. EITHER FEAR, APATHY, OR INFLICTED IGNORANCE HAS CAUSED MANY TO DISMISS THE QUESTION BY GROUPING THEMSELVES WITH THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. THE QUESTION IS TO THEM, THE RESULT OF HIGHLY EVOLVED INTELLIGENCE, THE OFFSHOOT OF SOME SELF-PRESERVATION URGE, JUST SPARKS FLYING FROM THE EDGE OF OUR MIND HONING ITSELF. REGARDLESS, WE QUESTION. WHY?

 

OUR WORLD, OUR UNIVERSE, OUR BODIES AND OUR MINDS -- FUNCTION ON A LEVEL FAR ABOVE ANY OF PRESENT TECHNOLOGY'S CREATIONS. FOR THE SAKE OF DIRECTIVE COMPARISON, IMAGINE OUR WORLD AND ITS UNIVERSE WITHIN AND WITHOUT AS A FINELY TUNED AND BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED ELECTRONIC WATCH. THIS WATCH BEEPS ON THE HOUR AND PLAYS DIXIE AT MIDNIGHT AND EVEN SHINES IN THE DARK!

 

WE TAKE THIS WATCH, DROP IT FROM THE SKY WITH ITS OWN LITTLE PARACHUTE. IT GRACEFULLY LANDS UPON THE THATCHED ROOF OF A HUT IN A VILLAGE LOCATED UNCHARTED, UNEXPLORED, IN A JUNGLE ON ANY JUNGLED CONTINENT OR ISLAND OF YOUR CHOICE, THE WATCH IS DISCOVERED, OBSERVED, STUDIED AND ITS HOURLY BEHAVIOR IS COMPARED TO THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SUN,MOON AND STARS OVER THE JUNGLE CANOPY. VILLAGE PEOPLE HUM DIXIE DURING THE DAY AND MANY CONGREGATE AROUND THE WATCH AND WAIT TO AGAIN HEAR THE MAGIC SONG FROM THE LITTLE MIRACLE BOX.

 

CONTROVERSY ARISES AMONG THE ELDERS CONCERNING THE WATCH, "HOW DOES THIS OBJECT FIGURE IN THEIR WORLD?” SOME WONDER OF ITS ORIGIN. OTHERS TRY TO IGNORE IT AND ITS UNSETTLING PRESENCE. QUESTIONS UPON QUESTIONS FILL THE MINDS OF THE VILLAGERS.

 

YOUNG MEN OF THE VILLAGE ARGUE THAT THE MAKER MUST BE FOUND, ANOTHER REALITY, SOMETHING BEYOND THEIR OWN WORLD MUST EXIST BEYOND THE RIVER, ACROSS THE DESERT AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GREAT LINE AT THE EDGE OF THE SKY WHERE THE SUN DISAPPEARS. EVEN THE WATCH SEEMS TO KEEP RECORD OF WHEN THE LIGHT IS GONE AND WHEN IT RETURNS ON THE MORROW. SOMEONE SOMEWHERE SEES THE SAME SUN, MOON AND STARS BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE SKY.

 

SUCH CONFUSION IS GENERATED IN THIS ONCE PEACEFUL VILLAGE THAT THE ELDERS BAN SUCH TALK AND SUCH DREAMS OF OTHER LANDS. EXPLANATION IS CONSTRUCTED BY THE ELDERS TO QUALM THE UNSETTLED HEARTS OF THE VILLAGERS.

"THE OBJECT SOMEHOW JUST HAPPENED, NO PERSON MADE IT. IT IS SHINY LIKE THE STONES IN THE RIVER, SO IT IS A SPECIAL STONE. THE LITTLE HOLES IN THE STONE CATCH THE WIND AND THE STONE WHISTLES. IT IS ONLY A STONE, A WHISTLING STONE AND NOTHING ELSE. TO PLACE SPECIAL MEANING TO ITS APPEARANCE AND BEHAVIOR IS LIKE PICKING UP A ROCK AND BELIEVING IT WAS PLACED THERE, IN THAT SPOT BY SOME STRANGER, HOPING SOMEONE WOULD RETURN IT TO HIM. 

IT IS FOOLISH AND A WASTE OF TIME TO THINK THIS STONE'S CURIOUS BEHAVIOR AND COMPLEXITIES DEMAND OUR ATTENTION AND STUDY, SO AS MUCH TO EVEN ALTER OUR WAY OF LIFE AND ESTABLISHED BELIEFS. WE ARE LOGICAL PEOPLE, WISE IN THE WAYS OF OUR LAND AND CAN ACCEPT ALL ITS MYSTERIES WITHOUT SUCH FOOLISH QUESTIONS AS, 'WHO MADE THIS OR WHO FORMED THAT?'

THIS SPECIAL STONE WAS DROPPED BY SOME BIRD OR BLOWN IN BY THE GREAT WINDS OF A DISTANT STORM, NO MORE IGNORANT TALK OF THE MEETING THE MAKER WHO WE HAVE NEVER SEEN WILL BE TOLERATED. THESE THOUGHTS DISTURB US AND OUR VILLAGE'S PEACE OF MIND. PREVIOUS WAYS MUST ENDURE AND NO FURTHER DISCUSSION IS PERMITTED -- LEST THAT PERSON WISHES TO LEAVE THE SAFETY OF OUR VILLAGE FOREVER. THERE IS NO MAKER. THIS SHINY STONE HAS JUST HAPPENED JUST LIKE THE RAIN JUST HAPPENS." 

SO SPOKE THE ELDERS.

SO THE VILLAGERS WANDERED THEIR LAND WITHOUT WONDERING, LIVING AND DYING WITHOUT DREAMS, WITHOUT DIRECTION, WITHOUT ANSWERS, WITHOUT PEACE LIKE SO MANY OF US WHO CHOOSE TO BELIEVE OUR WORLD, OUR UNIVERSE, OUR LIVES -- ARE JUST SHINY STONES THAT JUST HAPPENED, WHISTLING IN THE WIND WITHOUT A MAKER.

 

I wrote this story before my ever hearing of the Watchmaker Analogy. But this idea of recognizing intelligent design in the Creation is centuries old. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmaker_analogy Richard Dawkins of course borrows the concept, twists and perverts it to fit his atheistic view of the world for his Blind Watchmaker book.