A Contemplation of Humanity, the Natural World, and the Transient Nature of Life
Ali K. Lashari
As humans, we’ve always felt a bit out of place on this planet, even though we’ve lived here for a long time.
Comfort is something that people strive for throughout their lives. Home, city, technology, institution, and civilization are all things that we construct. Affluence, connections, admiration, safety, and happiness are what we chase. Still, it’s not uncommon for people to feel unfulfilled even after accomplishing a great deal.
A thought-provoking philosophical inquiry is prompted by this:
Is it possible that humans were never meant to settle down somewhere?
Strangers in a more profound spiritual meaning—beings whose ultimate goal is beyond the material world they temporarily inhabit—rather than “aliens” in the biological science-fiction sense.
There are a number of aspects of being human that could provoke such contemplation.
The Earth’s Mass and the Human Frame
Think about gravity.
We are always being pulled downward by the force of Earth’s gravity. Our skeleton, muscles, joints, and spines constantly fight this pressure as we become older. Musculoskeletal issues, including back discomfort, are universal.
In a scientific sense, this does not establish extraterrestrial human origins. Humans’ backbones, according to evolutionary biologists, are the result of a gradual shift toward walking on all fours, which brought about certain biomechanical benefits and drawbacks.
Still, it paints a fascinating picture from a philosophical perspective.
As long as the physical environment keeps pulling them downward, humans will always be fighting an uphill battle.
Maybe that fight is a metaphor for human life: we have a physical form that is bound to the planet, but our souls are eternally searching for more.
Why Is the Sun So Harmful to People?
Our comparatively exposed skin is another intriguing characteristic.
Unlike many other mammals, humans no longer have thick coats of hair. A person’s susceptibility to sunburn and UV damage varies with factors such as skin pigmentation, amount of exposure, latitude, and climate.
Once again, scientific explanations for human traits like hair loss, skin pigmentation, perspiration, thermoregulation, and adaption to various habitats are based on evolution. Since UV radiation may also harm animals, it is not possible to use sunburn as evidence of alien origin in science.
However, the more fundamental inquiry is still intriguing.
For whatever reason, people appear to need a lot of safeguards.
We take measures to avoid becoming too hot.
We take precautions against the cold.
When it rains, we construct shelters.
Clothes are what we make.
Food is cultivated by us.
We alleviate illness.
Almost everywhere we dwell, we alter some aspect of it.
Maybe what matters most isn’t that Earth is inherently “wrong” for humans, but rather that we are incredibly self-aware.
We are aware of the fact that our presence is transitory.
Human Origins: A Mysterious Enigma
Birthing a human being is yet another extraordinary example.
Giving birth is incredibly taxing for humans as compared to many other species. One major factor is the combination of our newborns’ huge brains and the physical demands of walking upright. Babies in general are extremely reliant on their caretakers at birth and need a long period of maturation before they can manage on their own.
Anatomy, brain development, pelvic morphology, social cooperation, and life-history evolution are some of the areas that evolutionary biologists investigate in relation to these traits.
The spiritual significance of the newborn’s powerlessness, however, is different.
Upon entering this planet, the being that might one day discover new worlds, create civilizations, compose poetry, study galaxies, and ponder the nature of God is unable to even endure on its own.
Being totally reliant is where greatness in humans starts.
And in the end, no matter how much wealth or power a person has, they will still be physically unable to help themselves.
Life exists in the space between these two points.
Satan, Adam, and the Concept of Decline
A new, more profound level is added to the story in the Qur’an.
The account of Hazrat Adam‘s (peace be upon him) existence starts before the common human experience on Earth, not just with civilization as we know it today. The Qur’an discusses hubūt, which means “to descend to the Earth,” after the events surrounding Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him) and portrays earthly existence as fleeting.
The Qur’an says:
“On earth you will have a place to stay and provision for an appointed time.”
— Qur’an 7:24
It is important to note that this should not be taken as proof that Adam actually came from another world. Different from one another, classical and modern readings of these verses take a broader view of the Garden and its characteristics and location.
However, the message of spirituality is strong:
Every life on Earth has a beginning, a middle ground, and a final destination.
This depicts human life as transient.
Earth as a Testing Ground
The examination is probably the best analogy to use.
Picture yourself entering a testing room.
You are aware that this room is only temporary.
This workstation is just for the time being.
The chair won’t be here forever.
This very piece of paper is only here for a little while.
You probably didn’t go into that test thinking you’d spend the rest of your life making a mess of your desk.
A mission compels you to come here.
Upon completion of the test, you are free to depart.
Life in this world is depicted in the Qur’an as a series of tests:
“He created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds.”
— Qur’an 67:2
From this vantage point, it could be one of humanity’s biggest blunders to equate the exam room with the end goal.
We start to adorn the desk.
We brawl about who has the best chair.
All of us look at each other’s papers and compare them.
We jostle for position within the examination room.
Eventually, we lose track of our original motivation for entering the room because we are too preoccupied with it.
Perpetual Solace: A Delusion
A simple promise lies at the center of most of contemporary life:
I shall be content at last when I get this.
A larger dwelling.
More cash.
An improved role.
Recognition.
Influence.
Real estate.
Getting along with others.
We get what we want, and then we want something else.
Possessing material possessions is not always the issue. A life well-lived might include material prosperity, ease, technological advancement, loved ones, attractiveness, and success.
The risk arises when short-term solutions are expected to bring about long-term satisfaction.
They might not be able to.
If there is a spiritual side to every human being, then material success can never fully fulfill them.
There is no way to guarantee everlasting safety in this fleeting planet.
The Reasons Why Being Outside Changes Our Mood
People also go through another interesting thing.
Gather around a mountain.
Take a stroll in the woods.
Observe the water.
Relax under the starry sky.
Get away from the city lights and look at the stars.
We undergo an inward transformation.
There is a brief respite from the constant din of everyday life.
Astonishment fills us.
Researchers in the fields of neurology and psychology can delve into certain facets of this reaction to nature. Nature, however, has long been seen by spiritual traditions in a different light: as arrows pointing beyond themselves.
Creation includes āyāt, or signs, according to Islamic viewpoints.
Maybe this explains why some people respond more strongly to natural beauty than to manufactured opulence.
There is no need for a mountain to promote itself.
Nothing is required of us by a sunset.
No amount of formal recognition from the stars will impress them.
The water has no idea how important we are.
When we go outside, we are briefly confronted with something far bigger than ourselves, and our constructed identities are swept away.
Maybe what we sometimes refer to as peace is really just remembering.
Perhaps This Place Is Strange to Us
This idea is eloquently expressed in a well-known prophecy:
“Embrace this world with the curiosity of a traveler or a stranger.”
The traveler finds the journey to be really pleasant.
He might be impressed.
Under its shade, he can find some peace.
Maybe he’ll meet some lovely folks and fall head over heels for them.
He may make a difference through his relationships and the work he does.
Still, he never confuses the path with the final goal.
This difference alters the whole situation.
Embracing the transient nature of this world does not necessitate giving up on living. In fact, it has the potential to enrich one’s existence.
Being polite is more important when time is scarce.
When material goods are transient, what really important is one’s character.
When prestige fades, honesty becomes paramount.
If life is a test, then decisions are more important.
The essential question shifts if death is not a simple annihilation but a transition.
Rather than enquiring:
“What kind of exam room amenities would you recommend?”
we start by enquiring:
“How am I doing on this test?”
What “Humans Are Aliens” Actually Means
So, maybe we shouldn’t take the phrase “Humans are aliens” at face value.
Presently, scientific data does not support the idea that people evolved on a different planet and were subsequently transferred to Earth. We have deep biological ties to all forms of life on Earth.
On a more philosophical and spiritual level, though, the expression conveys something profound:
We might have a physical connection to Earth without actually residing here forever.
Our physical forms originate in the tangible realm.
All of our lives are shaped by it.
In it, we find our duties.
However, our most profound enquiries always extend beyond it:
Can you tell me why I’m here?
How does consciousness work?
When did I start looking for significance?
Beauty moves me for what reason?
For what reasons does success never truly satisfy?
Why am I aware that my life is finite?
What follows then, if anything at all?
Maybe the fact that people live on Earth isn’t the error.
Maybe it’s a bad idea that we’ve started treating Earth as if it were the only reality.
Remembering that this life on Earth is fleeting, has a purpose, and has moral weight is an important reminder from the Qur’anic perspective.
We are nomads.
Someone is testing us.
Time is of the essence.
And we will all exit the exam room at some point.
As a result, the issue is more complex than that:
“Did God create us to live in this planet?”
That which is more crucial is:
“If this world is fleeting, then how are we going to spend the time we have?”
Read: The aura and the power it emanates
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Ali K. Lashari is an Assistant Director (Excavation & Exploration) & Cultural Heritage Advocate, Directorate of Archaeology & Antiquities Wing, Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department, Government of Sindh.
