Darkover
Archangel
- Jul 29, 2021
- 5,040
The machines we inherit from our parents—our bodies and minds—are remarkably poor quality, despite the countless generations of evolution that have led to our existence. From the very beginning, we start with a blank slate, completely unprepared for the challenges that life will inevitably throw our way. Our bodies are fragile, vulnerable to injury, disease, and aging, and our minds are left to make sense of a world full of uncertainty and suffering. These flaws, combined with the lack of meaningful guidance and education from our environment, make the human experience feel like an ongoing struggle with no clear manual for success or survival.
Our bodies are not equipped for safety. We are born into a world where injury, illness, and suffering are constants. From the moment we enter life, we are at risk. Accidents happen, diseases strike, and the very nature of our biology is susceptible to decline and degeneration. Our immune systems, though incredible in their ability to defend us, are imperfect and often overwhelmed. The design of our bodies is filled with flaws that leave us exposed to pain and death. Unlike other species that might be more resilient or have better protection mechanisms, we are left to fend for ourselves in a dangerous and unpredictable world. There's no guarantee of safety, and no matter how much we try to protect ourselves, harm can always come, often without warning or understanding.
Our minds, too, are ill-prepared for the realities of life. We are born knowing nothing and must learn everything through experience. But what we learn from the environment around us—whether it be our parents, culture, or schools—is often inadequate and sometimes harmful. Our parents, despite their best intentions, can only pass down limited knowledge, shaped by their own experiences, flaws, and the constraints of their upbringing. They are often unaware of the deeper truths about life or the psychological and emotional tools needed to navigate its complexities. The wisdom they impart is, more often than not, incomplete or outdated.
Culture offers us a set of shared beliefs and values, but these can be narrow, rigid, and even damaging. Cultural norms often encourage us to prioritize success, productivity, and materialism—things that, while useful in some contexts, do not provide us with the inner tools to cope with suffering or understand the true meaning of existence. Rather than fostering deep, introspective thinking, culture can lead us to chase after fleeting distractions, leaving us disconnected from ourselves and the world around us.
Similarly, schools, meant to be institutions of learning, often fail to provide the knowledge and wisdom necessary for navigating the complexities of human life. We are taught facts, figures, and abstract concepts, but rarely are we taught how to deal with emotional pain, how to understand the human condition, or how to live meaningfully. The education system prioritizes conformity over critical thinking, preparing us for a life of labor and productivity rather than one of personal growth, reflection, and understanding. It often leaves us feeling disconnected from the deeper questions of life, like why we suffer or what our purpose really is.
In the end, what we inherit—both physically and intellectually—feels like a broken machine with little guidance on how to fix it. We are left to survive in a world where safety, knowledge, and understanding are not guaranteed, and the lessons we receive from our environment do little to prepare us for the harshness of existence. The body we inherit is prone to decay, injury, and sickness, and the mind we inherit is largely unprepared for the challenges we face. The knowledge passed down to us is limited and often inadequate, leaving us with a sense of profound vulnerability and a lack of clarity about how to truly live.
Our bodies are not equipped for safety. We are born into a world where injury, illness, and suffering are constants. From the moment we enter life, we are at risk. Accidents happen, diseases strike, and the very nature of our biology is susceptible to decline and degeneration. Our immune systems, though incredible in their ability to defend us, are imperfect and often overwhelmed. The design of our bodies is filled with flaws that leave us exposed to pain and death. Unlike other species that might be more resilient or have better protection mechanisms, we are left to fend for ourselves in a dangerous and unpredictable world. There's no guarantee of safety, and no matter how much we try to protect ourselves, harm can always come, often without warning or understanding.
Our minds, too, are ill-prepared for the realities of life. We are born knowing nothing and must learn everything through experience. But what we learn from the environment around us—whether it be our parents, culture, or schools—is often inadequate and sometimes harmful. Our parents, despite their best intentions, can only pass down limited knowledge, shaped by their own experiences, flaws, and the constraints of their upbringing. They are often unaware of the deeper truths about life or the psychological and emotional tools needed to navigate its complexities. The wisdom they impart is, more often than not, incomplete or outdated.
Culture offers us a set of shared beliefs and values, but these can be narrow, rigid, and even damaging. Cultural norms often encourage us to prioritize success, productivity, and materialism—things that, while useful in some contexts, do not provide us with the inner tools to cope with suffering or understand the true meaning of existence. Rather than fostering deep, introspective thinking, culture can lead us to chase after fleeting distractions, leaving us disconnected from ourselves and the world around us.
Similarly, schools, meant to be institutions of learning, often fail to provide the knowledge and wisdom necessary for navigating the complexities of human life. We are taught facts, figures, and abstract concepts, but rarely are we taught how to deal with emotional pain, how to understand the human condition, or how to live meaningfully. The education system prioritizes conformity over critical thinking, preparing us for a life of labor and productivity rather than one of personal growth, reflection, and understanding. It often leaves us feeling disconnected from the deeper questions of life, like why we suffer or what our purpose really is.
In the end, what we inherit—both physically and intellectually—feels like a broken machine with little guidance on how to fix it. We are left to survive in a world where safety, knowledge, and understanding are not guaranteed, and the lessons we receive from our environment do little to prepare us for the harshness of existence. The body we inherit is prone to decay, injury, and sickness, and the mind we inherit is largely unprepared for the challenges we face. The knowledge passed down to us is limited and often inadequate, leaving us with a sense of profound vulnerability and a lack of clarity about how to truly live.
