Survival of the Survivors

Survival of the Survivors

There's a lot of talk on the internet lately about the ancient Mayans and their calendars. This is due to the fact that their calendars are so incredibly precise that they accurately predict celestial events even today. It's also due to the fact that their calendars end in the year 2012, and this signifies the end of their idea of the 16 billion year cycle of the evolution of human consciousness. Yes, that's right: they knew way back then what our scientists have only just learned, that the known universe is about 16 billion years old. They also believed that by the end of 2012, we will have evolved our consciousness enough that we have a “universal” understanding where all knowledge comes to us instantly simply because we want to know it. The greatest portion of this evolution is supposed to happen within the last year, within 2012 itself, because it is an exponential system of evolution. It's a wonderful thought, but I'm not going to debate its merit at this point. The point here is that they possessed knowledge and skills that we've only recently attained, and this was thousands of years ago!

It is possible that, in many ways, the Mayans were far more advanced than we are now. But we lost those advancements due to greed and bigotry. Not only did the Conquistadors wipe them out, but the Spanish friars ordered that all Mayan books be burned and that any evidence of their culture be buried. Only four books survived. This brought up something I've thought before: it's extremely likely that our culture is not the best of what humanity has achieved. We don't know how many great cultures were wiped out by less-advanced cultures who were simply more violent. We don't know how many cultures developed spiritually or technologically to the point that they could simply leave this planet. How many advanced beings, whether in mind, spirit, or both, have we lost to being burned at the stake, nailed to crosses, imprisoned or killed for being different? We know that it is very likely that these things have happened. We know that there have been many violent nomadic groups and continent-spanning wars in the past that wiped out thousands of local cultures and left behind little more than the violent culture. How many great advancements have we lost? How many pieces of the puzzle?

Perhaps the phrase, “survival of the fittest” should be replaced with the phrase, “survival of the survivors.” Survival of the fittest implies that what we see in our world is what is most fit for it. Out of the billions upon billions of lives on this planet throughout its history, did no greater life form ever lose out to a lesser one simply due to a twist of fate, a falling rock, a volcano, a turn in the weather? Of course this happened. Whether you're talking about animals, cultures, ideas, or anything else, if you think about the fact that many superior ones have been lost over time, leaving behind only the inferior ones, you must realize that what is left in this world is simply what has survived, not what is the fittest for this planet, not the best, brightest, fastest, or wisest. Just what has survived.

Why is it important to know this? Because knowing that we are not the pinnacle of what is possible helps us realize that we should reach for more. It helps us realize that perhaps we should look within more, read more, pray more, try listening to people we might not normally listen too, try different churches, different news sources, even different types of entertainment. For all we know, humans or even other beings of earth have achieved oneness with god many times in the past, whether in small groups or large ones, and simply disappeared from the earth. Our planet could have produced countless life forms who were capable of simply willing themselves anywhere they wanted to go, never to be seen again by the lesser beings left behind. Of course, using terms like superior and inferior, lesser and greater, may not even be correct at all. Perhaps we're all simply unique, each with our own special gifts. The point is to realize that we're not the best of what is possible. In any one moment, any one of us might realize a truth, receive an epiphany, or make a discovery that transforms humanity and the world! Don't ever assume that you know what is possible and what isn't. Keep reaching, growing, and striving to expand your boundaries and limitations, or even to let go of them altogether.

--Jay Miller