In a NY Times article entitled "The Earth is Just as Alive as You Are," published on 4/20/19, Ferris Jabr writes about Gaia, the Earth, being a living thing. He makes an excellent argument that Earth is alive because of all the life and life supporting things blooming and churning upon it. In the course of his piece, Jabr says “We [humans] are Earth made aware of itself.” I’ve been saying for years that we are the universe aware of itself, but too often when I say that I’m met with dead eyes in response. It is so obvious.

No other creature seems able to know the universe as we do. I can’t imagine smart elephants, or orcas, or Border Collies telling each other about Black Holes. We are unique as the Earth made aware of itself, and that tells me we have a responsibility to take care of our Mother Earth, as well as our DNA cousins, all other life.

This immense caring role we have been given as children of Earth and Universe reminds me of our concept of God that Michelangelo painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It is a fine image of a robust old man, of us, actually. And we, of the Patriarchal traditions, apply to that image an assumption that the Great Universe Spirit also thinks like us; decides this, makes that, and wants something else. We and Michelangelo imagine that God’s like us.

There’s another way. Imagine the Great Spirit of the Universe (GSU) clicked "Start" to get the universe started, and then let its incredible tool, evolution, takeover the process of turning energy into matter and matter into babies, orca babies, or Border Collie babies, or human babies, or oak seeds, and all other life. There’s nothing more amazing.

See the universe as a singular work of art given us by the GSU. See it evolve to becoming self-aware in a critter that emerged from its own rocks! Us! Ongelooflijk!

And now that critter -us- is working to create software that after we click “Start” evolves into making ever better and stronger and more mysterious results without our governing the process. Like the GSU!

Isn’t that an attempt to make software evolve from scratch the way GSU coded the universe? From this point of view, we are trying to be like GSU instead of imagining it to be like us. Hopefully, the Great Software will evolve ways to make sure we take care of Earth and its children.

I’m afraid though, that we’ll be happy with software that acts like us, like a Michelangelo character.