Earthling
Daily I am challenged spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally to consider the possibility of being more expansive. While listening to the May 20, 2021 rebroadcast of the February 27, 2020 conversation between Krista Tippett host of the podcast On Being and the astronomer Jill Tarter, I considered Dr. Tatter’s challenge to identify as an earthling and not as a male, Caucasian, United States citizen, counselor, or single person. As soon as I considered expanding my identity to that of Earthling all the ways that us earthlings use to attempt to separate us from each other disappear. It also opens a new level of appreciation for the strong possibility that we are just one group of intelligent life forms in the Universe or Universes. Once one erases the separating it is not only easier to envision being a member of a group with has shared concerns and responsibilities, but it also forces on to think how our behavior here on this planet affect and is affected by the rest of the universe(s).
I have never been able to convince myself that we earthlings are the only possible intelligence life forms; that we earthlings are worthy of the inflated importance which we seem to need to believe to give this life journey meaning. At some level we know that we are part of a much larger whole; that our brief sojourn requires a recognition that the tiniest life form is just as important to our existence as we are to it; that when we disturb or kill one part of this living planet it affects the entire planet. It seems axiomatic that this would be true of the entire universe(s). We are both very significant and insignificant. If indeed this is true, how does it make sense that we are the only intelligent life form? Dr, Tarter and her colleagues are charged with the responsibility and the opportunity to explore these and related questions. For example, she suggests that one needs to think of the possibility that water is not the only possible solvent. She says: “Definitely, but we need to distinguish between what we know and what we think is but have not yet verified and found evidence for. We still are welded to the idea of liquid water because all biology that we know, here on this plant, uses that as a solvent. But at least some of the community has begun to think out of the box or more broadly about what Iife is, and could there be life using some solvent other than water or some anchoring element other than carbon?”
I have always loved what I think of the scientific approach which requires one begin each inquiry with the null hypothesis. The reader will recall that a null hypothesis is a hypothesis that says there is no statistical significance between the two variables in the hypothesis. That is, if one thinks that x ingredient creates a more efficient Y then the null hypothesis would be “X ingredient does not create a more efficient Y.” In other words, if one wants to learn or be creative one applies the null hypothesis to what one has learned or believed.
If I already know what I know then there is nothing to learn. If I do not know what I do not know then there is much to learn. If I believe that being a white, human male is all that I am then there is no reason to consider the concept of humans. If I believe that human is all that I am then there is no reason to think of earthling. If there are multiples planets I must allow for the fact of multiple intelligent beings. If there are multiples universes than I must allow for the possibility that there are multiple forms of what we call intelligence.
Today I will open to being identified as an earthling and all that might imply.
Written May 21, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Daily I am challenged spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally to consider the possibility of being more expansive. While listening to the May 20, 2021 rebroadcast of the February 27, 2020 conversation between Krista Tippett host of the podcast On Being and the astronomer Jill Tarter, I considered Dr. Tatter’s challenge to identify as an earthling and not as a male, Caucasian, United States citizen, counselor, or single person. As soon as I considered expanding my identity to that of Earthling all the ways that us earthlings use to attempt to separate us from each other disappear. It also opens a new level of appreciation for the strong possibility that we are just one group of intelligent life forms in the Universe or Universes. Once one erases the separating it is not only easier to envision being a member of a group with has shared concerns and responsibilities, but it also forces on to think how our behavior here on this planet affect and is affected by the rest of the universe(s).
I have never been able to convince myself that we earthlings are the only possible intelligence life forms; that we earthlings are worthy of the inflated importance which we seem to need to believe to give this life journey meaning. At some level we know that we are part of a much larger whole; that our brief sojourn requires a recognition that the tiniest life form is just as important to our existence as we are to it; that when we disturb or kill one part of this living planet it affects the entire planet. It seems axiomatic that this would be true of the entire universe(s). We are both very significant and insignificant. If indeed this is true, how does it make sense that we are the only intelligent life form? Dr, Tarter and her colleagues are charged with the responsibility and the opportunity to explore these and related questions. For example, she suggests that one needs to think of the possibility that water is not the only possible solvent. She says: “Definitely, but we need to distinguish between what we know and what we think is but have not yet verified and found evidence for. We still are welded to the idea of liquid water because all biology that we know, here on this plant, uses that as a solvent. But at least some of the community has begun to think out of the box or more broadly about what Iife is, and could there be life using some solvent other than water or some anchoring element other than carbon?”
I have always loved what I think of the scientific approach which requires one begin each inquiry with the null hypothesis. The reader will recall that a null hypothesis is a hypothesis that says there is no statistical significance between the two variables in the hypothesis. That is, if one thinks that x ingredient creates a more efficient Y then the null hypothesis would be “X ingredient does not create a more efficient Y.” In other words, if one wants to learn or be creative one applies the null hypothesis to what one has learned or believed.
If I already know what I know then there is nothing to learn. If I do not know what I do not know then there is much to learn. If I believe that being a white, human male is all that I am then there is no reason to consider the concept of humans. If I believe that human is all that I am then there is no reason to think of earthling. If there are multiples planets I must allow for the fact of multiple intelligent beings. If there are multiples universes than I must allow for the possibility that there are multiple forms of what we call intelligence.
Today I will open to being identified as an earthling and all that might imply.
Written May 21, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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