Casting a curious gaze down on planet Earth, extra-terrestrial beings could well be forgiven for assuming that we humans are programmed in every move we make, by a palm-sized, oblong, slab of glass. More perplexing than that, who on earth could convince them otherwise ?
humor despair humanity intelligence human-nature humour intellect universe life-quotes worrying life-philosophy mankind life-lesson curiosity humans slavery evolution earth forgive machine perception brain manipulation fake-friends extraterrestrials assumption satire assumptions human-condition satirical curious prediction robots humanity-and-society universal-truths galaxy futuristic fake-people brainwashing dumb-people programming persuasion slave watching movements glass planet big-brother perceptions humourous skills reversal reverse universe-quotes artificial-intelligence homo-sapiens society-denial convincing quote-of-the-day brainwashed assume otherworld convince move humourous-quote quotable quotable-quotes quotes-about-life skill-sets skills-quote society-quotes future-prediction intelligent-design automaton watchers extraterrestrial-life manipulate robot satire-quotes quotes-on-life intellectual-capacity brainwashed-society conviction-quotes humor-quotes intelligence-quote universal-truth despair-quotes forgiveness-quotes skill-quotes future-quotes assumptions-quote universe-quotations move-forward glass-half-full earth-quotes worry-quotes galaxies artificiality contrary losing-it lost-souls perplexity globalization persuade convinced cellphones mobile-phone mobile-phones cell-phone quotology earthly-possessions perception-of-life palm perception-of-reality human-revolution perception-and-reality predictions subservience society-problem curiosity-quotes lost-generation persuasiveness regression dumbing-down dumbness cell-phones worrying-about-the-future life-on-earth planet-earth device devices planetary virtual-reality evolutionary-process palms robotic planetary-shift programming-quotes programming-your-mind backwards perplexed mobile mobile-device moves manipulation-quotes slavery-quotes earth-citizen monitoring artificial-life assumed backward-step brain-drain brainwashed-generation convinced-that-we-re-living convincing-ability convincing-others deskilled device-set-up device-sync earthlings earthly-task earthly-things galactic glass-slab global-warning globalisation governed homogeneity homogenous human-regression human-weakness humanoid impersonal impersonal-world laugh-at-yourself life-beyond life-on-other-planets losing-yourself machine-autonomy machine-man manipulation-of-others manipulation-of-the-masses manipulative manipulative-people mobile-app-development mobiles move-backward neanderthal neanderthal-marries-human oblong obsessive-compulsions obsessive-compulsive-disorder obsessive-interests other-world other-worldly other-worlds overrun perception-of-others perplexing persuasive planetary-exploration powers-of-persuasion programmed-to-receive programmers quotation-collections reverse-worlds robot-world robotic-humans robotic-machinery satirical-humor satirical-quotes slab slate slave-to-the-machine subservient telcos telecommunications telecoms to-the-contrary tongue-in-cheek virtual-cubicle virtual-world watcher
I’m strangely comforted when I hear from scientists that human beings are the most complex creatures we know of in the universe, still, by far. Black holes are in their way explicable; the simplest living being is not. I lean a bit more confidently into the experience that life is so endlessly perplexing. I love that word. Spiritual life is a way of dwelling with perplexity—taking it seriously, searching for its purpose as well as its perils, its beauty as well as its ravages.