[extropy-chat] Human dignity, life and death

[The Avantguardian]

> --- Giu1i0 Pri5c0 <gpmap at runbox.com> wrote:
> 
> "They will talk of Human Nature and Human Dignity.
> But the most distinctive feature of human nature is
> our trying to overcome limitations and achieve
> previously unattainable goals. This is the source of
> our civilization.
> 
* I would posit since we are each, to greater or
lesser extent, capable of striving to overcome
limitations by ourselves, civilization can be more
precisely attributed to our love for one another and
our fear of being alone. Moreover all that lives
strives against limitations, otherwise zoos would not
need metal bars. It is not unique to the human
condition but perhaps it is noble in whatever species
it occurs.
      My thoughts on what truly distinguishes humanity
from the rest of creation is that we too can create.
In this we are each the universe in a microcosm. We
are the universe looking at itself in a telescope,
microscope, or mirror asking what is this all about
and the question we should be asking is what am I all
about? For if we don't answer this question then all
other questions are irrelevant.
   
> --- Jeff Davis <jrd1415 at yahoo.com> wrote

> We are creatures--patterns of awareness,
> actually--who
> strive to forge our own destiny.

Yes, this is closer to what we are. We are stardust
and rain kindled into fiery dance of love and fear by
sunlight: cosmic beings. We each have approximately 5
X 10^9 km of DNA in us and this is greater than the
radius of Neptune's orbit. If the DNA of every human
on earth were stretched end to end, the thread of
humanity would extend 3.1 million light years. In
order to forge our destiny, we must decide that we
have one and that only we can prevent ourselves from
fufilling it.

Fear not.
Love is.

 

=====
The Avantguardian 


"He stands like some sort of pagan god or deposed tyrant. Staring out over the city he's sworn to . . .to stare out over and it's evident just by looking at him that he's got some pretty heavy things on his mind."

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Search - Find what you’re looking for faster
http://search.yahoo.com