What is this ‘thing’ called life
which carries us forwards
into oblivion?
Was it there at the beginning
when the universe was new
and unfinished?
Was the stardust reborn
– imbrued
with fresh possibilities
– now animated
with needs and purposes
and conscious
of being
both a part of
yet apart from
the cosmic dawn?
Mike Laidler
A child can see that the universe plus life is more than the universe without, and the fact that we are all star dust doesn’t help us to make sense of the difference. Also, our children, by their presence, help us to see that the universe with new and sentient life is now very different to that caused by a big bang, and all our elaborate theories can’t place that difference in a common origin, reduced to the elements.
Perhaps we need to look again at what there is to see and rethink the origin of seeing and thinking as it arises amongst the generalised oblivion of the vast expanse of stars and planets.
© Mike Laidler 2014
Philosophy Alive 