I write this to you in bitter grief. Pause for a moment and take a look back at everything you have done, good and bad, try asking yourself “Why?,” “Where does this put me?” Are our lives significant? All these years of wars, humiliations, genocides, insults, terrorism may have made some of us stronger or given us some dominant status over others, living a life on the clouds while others are suppressed to death; for, their hopes and faith a momentary speak of relief ahead, rains ashes in their way. The world we live in, even though we didn’t ask for, is a world of competition, a competition in which the fittest survive using all it takes for self satisfaction.

No single person is to blame, for we are in this together. Human actions and its effects take shape only when it is viewed as a whole. A single person rarely makes some significant change but sometimes it is necessary for one to take the initiative that will trigger a chain of events which will eventually pave the path for the rest.

You see, humans (specifically Homo sapiens) have only been existing for a short period of time. According to the cosmic calendar in which the universe began on the 1st of January, and the present continues after December 31st midnight, it wasn’t until approximately 11:48pm on the cosmic calendar, or about 300,000 years ago in actual time, that the anatomically modern humans rose. Following, after 11:58:43pm, modern human civilization started to emerge, 22 seconds before midnight, the first walled cities arose with populations exceeding just 1000 humans, 12 seconds before midnight, the wheel, numbers and writing were invented and 9 seconds to midnight, metal working arrived. Even the moon landing occurred barely 0.1 seconds ago, from a cosmic perspective.

We, not even making a visible smear, even on the eve of new year and yet here we are, our problems and the ones we cause lasting an eternity.

Our lives may not be as significant or special as it may seem. Our sense of specialty is an evolutionary advantage for survival, for transmission of genes and at the same time, our brains are not equipped for the cold hard truth.

Life and its existence is something that has been puzzling us since time immemorial. We may call it ‘creation’, ‘panspermia’, ‘primordial soup’, ‘simulation’ or whatever we want. We consider ourselves so important and authoritarian that we think we have control over other beings. I would say that we are special, special as in advanced and, mastered the cultural and technological game. But aren’t we becoming a bit arrogant? Now, for the time being let us drift away from anthropocentric thoughts.

“The universe is a pretty big space. If it’s just us, it seems like an awful waste of space” once said Carl Sagan. It’s possible that life is only a cosmic mistake or a result of some predetermined order. A universe having a higher affinity to move into disorder than order (second law of thermodynamics), take any time period of the present. You may see the universe with full force to expand (expansion) and struggling not to collapse (big crunch), one increasing or fading with time. In this constant tug of war – one side of rage, supernovas, extreme temperatures, gamma ray bursts and on the other love, grace, beauty, elegance, even considerate to accommodate us. You may say that the universe is neither hostile or benign. To quote Sabrina Carpenter, “that’s just the way of the world”. Ever wondered how our universe is even finely tuned to accommodate us? I did, but so did the British Cosmologist, Martin Rees, and he answered it in his book ‘The Six Numbers’, those numbers are,

1. Ω (omega) = 1, the amount of matter in the universe. If Ω>1, it would have collapsed a long time ago. If Ω<1, no galaxies would have formed.

2. ε (epsilon) = .007, how firmly atomic nuclei bind together. If ε were .006 or .008, matter as we know could not exist as it does.

3. D=3, the number of dimensions in which we live. If d= 2 or 4, life could not exist.

4. N=1039, the ratio of the strength of electromagnetism to that of gravity. If it had just a few zeroes less, the universe would be too young and small to live.

5. Q=1/100,000, the fabric of the universe. If Q was smaller, the universe would be featureless and if Q was larger, the universe would be dominated by giant black holes.

6. Λ (lambda) =0.7, the cosmological constant or ‘anti-gravity’ force that is causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate. If λ were larger, it would have prevented stars and galaxies from forming.

All these came together at the right place, at the right time to create the first single celled, and eventually us.

Life isn’t something easy. We are the result of billions of years of evolution, coincidences and trial and error. Life is limited to earth only. Extra-terrestrial life is only a ‘may’ for now. Our existence is a once in a lifetime chance to showcase our significance in a clearly insignificant planet, which will never happen twice as the same you.

“(Earth)… That’s here, that’s home. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. ……Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.”

                                                                   THE PALE BLUE DOT, CARL SAGAN

These lines speak to us in a way no one has ever spoken to us. We live on Earth for a sole purpose. Like it or not, it’s up to us. A life is left to us for all we can do, to be counted, to monitor, to be monitored and be valued.

We belong to the Earth; the Earth doesn’t belong to us. We live in a society whose roads and beds are paved with feathers of false beliefs and lies in which comfort comes forth than anything rational. From the Ptolemaic Model of Geocentrism4, it is the natural tendency to view everything anthropocentric. We might be the smartest in all life and may have conquered limitless lands and achieved what no other has ever done, but to quote Shakespeare, “I could be bound by a nutshell and call myself king of infinite space”. We are not the strongest or the most dominant. The tusks of an elephant to the speed of a cheetah, from the mane of a lion gleaming with pride in the hot African Savannah to the ferocious looks and teeth of the Great White ruling the oceans, nature has always ruled over us, yet, it’s up to us to take care of the earth through which we better our social-ecological condition. We live in a truly alone universe as a higher yet depressed and animated mammal with certain traits to aid it’s survival. It is not about competition. It’s about surviving and existing together. Then why, let me ask you, all these murders, mass genocides, racism, suicides all resulting in trauma, deaths and fear invoked in the minds of the masses. Wars and terrorism fought for power or under a belief system, is nothing more than an inflated balloon on the brink of collapse. It never lasts. Despite technological advancements, this has been the net result of all that has been happening; one way or the other. If this continues, where are we heading to? What will be the fate of human beings who reside in the crown of creation?

History has always shown us that non-zero sum relations5 or tolerance is the only way for us to get through. The reason we exist is to contribute our skills to the advancement of human civilization, and for that we are supposed to work together. Unity should lie in the core of our struggle. As I said before, we are in this together and it is up to us to make a change. A change in which human beings live their lives in prosperity and harmony with each other. Believe; Believe in humanity, love and brotherhood. Be kind. A smile that you create in others matters much more than any economic spike. As a social being, he thrives best in an interdependent society and he grows, with him the others too. Our virtues should be based on understanding, non-zero sum relations and love which are the basic ideas that drove us from day 1 to the present. These virtues are constant to human nature, then and now.

We are one. We all have a single ancestor. Then, why something like the color of one’s skin or the race one is born into matters? It’s depressing even in the 21st century, living at the pinnacle of cultural and technological advancement, there still exists racial discrimination and deprivation of rights to many. It is up to us to make a change as showing signs of racial superiority is not something we’ve got to accommodate in a race against time. What we want is equality and understanding. We need the public to have a non biased understanding of human culture and to rethink their views on certain social issues. To cite a few, addressing certain nations who did not incorporate western approach into their livelihood, as backward or third world countries, or say invoking theological determinism at times of real emergencies like the pandemic that we’re facing today, is not really appreciated. On a larger scale, let’s focus on international foreign policies. None of us wants any more world wars. We have suffered enough through 2 major and several minor ones with devastating consequences and still here we are. It should not be about gaining dominion status and a nation should never focus on arms buildup and expansion of the army but should try to earn recognition by ensuring the well-being of citizens, reducing corruption and creating better healthcare facilities. That’s what each of us hope to see in the upcoming years. We shall live out our lives in an egalitarian society; co-dependent and happily reach for our goals.

We are born explorers. We leave our comfort zones, explore different worlds and mark our territory. History is full of it. That is, chronologically The Great African Migration, expansion of human settlements on different terrains and as Pacific seafarers, we have established our mark in almost every region of Earth. Through that, we introduced boundaries, cultures, traditions each rich on its own and now, we have entered into a new era of spacefaring. We have made our mark on the Moon, Mars, Saturn and even beyond the solar system. Space colonization is our next target. For that, our differences won’t do much help. We should stay together and have our brilliant minds work so that our existence is fairly recognized. And let’s say, in a few decades Moon and Mars could be a pit stop for an interstellar journey proudly initiated by an earthling. So I guess its right to say…

To infinity and beyond!

Amidst the never ending social dilemma, let us not forget the environment, the only mother who nurtures us throughout our lives. These days we can see the Earth deteriorating in front of our eyes. Climate change, global warming, cooling, deforestation, the dying of the Great Barrier Reef due to ocean acidification, ozone layer depletion… the list continues. With all of this, what are we trying to conclude? Is it that humans and nature never get along? Or is it that we have established control? For both the answer is no. It is just a matter of time before we adapt to the changing climate and develop new technologies to combat it (In fact, we’re almost there! Renewable energy sources, solar cities and electric cars are just a few of our latest innovative solutions), but for the time being it’s up to us to make small changes to create an environment friendly lifestyle.

Yes, there are other major problems such as Polar ice caps melting and sea level rising which is not under our control. Well, to contradict myself here, (but you get the idea) let me ask, we have conquered the surface of Moon and Mars in search of life sustaining possibilities over there and spent millions if not billions to revamp our army but, will it take much time, effort and money to protect our already existing planet?

“I don’t belong here, nor my friends. This is not our home. It wasn’t like this when I was introduced to it. I never wanted to live in solitude, but be among my brothers and sisters but now all that remains are the coldness of the still hearts with no concern even for itself. A minuscule Prochlorococcus and a giant Sequoia now live in the mercy of an average biped”

A virus, so small and whose bioticity is still under debate6, made the whole world genuinely concerned about health and stay indoors is ironic, but as Mr. Spock would say “fascinating”. Who would have thought that a worldwide pandemic which lurked in the shadows of 2020 would change the course of life thereafter. The Covid-19 pandemic that we’re going through, once again made us realise our incompetency and how we got subjugated by a lifeless thing. But we shall never give up nor be blinded by our own success. We have survived deadly pandemics before and I’m sure that we WILL get over this and soon! For the time being let’s set our hopes high, believe with the right mindset and stay together by keeping our distance. Let us not be the reason for our own demise. I hereby would like to pay my respects to all the people who had lost their lives to the pandemic. From this pandemic, let a new respect for human life be born and a lesson hereafter. We shall move forward united and let no pandemic stop us. The obstacles we face on our way are our checkpoints to adapt and criticize our actions so that we may continue and cherish in time.

This letter is written by me in response to the humanitarian and ecological crisis building up in the last few years. This is a message to each of you, every world citizen who wishes to make a change, to call off what is imminent, to serve and to be served.