It Is Written

It is written that no living things lives forever and their common destiny is death. Reproduction gives birth to new life and keeps the cycle of and death unbroken. It is written that when a person takes the life of another out of greed, hate, or jealousy, the person can be punished with incarceration or death. Such crime will continue no matter what the punishment is. It is written that the physical world can only function based on a set of invisible laws. By understanding and uncover those laws, we are able to make use of Nature’s resources to build a man-made world where we can live in comfort, security, and luxury. It is written that the good will triumph the evil. Our life has been a showcase of the incessant battle between the good and evil from within the society to among the nations. Who is going to win the war has yet to be decided after 3000 years of conflicts.

Life and Death

The cycle of life and death is written in the DNAs of the cells of all living things. The life span within a given species is more or less the same while it varies greatly among different species. We have yet to understand why there is a limitation. But, we do understand the journey of life and the cycle of life and death is a complicated process:

1) Growth whence a helpless body gradually transforms into a self sufficient, independent adult,

2) Learning how to survive in the new world,

3) Interaction with the surrounding and other living things,

4) Reproduction whence opposite sex of the same species meet, mate, and giving birth to a new life,

5) Parenthood whence the new born is being nourished,

6) Declining health and physical strength.

During this relatively short life span, we are able to understand, appreciate, and enjoy the wonders of life and pass along our knowledge and experiences to the next generation.

Thou Shall Not Kill

It is written in the commandments passed down to us from the Almighty over 2 thousand years ago. It serves as a warning to our basic killing instinct. Just like any other animals, we will not hesitate to kill when our life is threatened. Unlike any other animals, we will also kill when events do not turn out the ways we anticipate. Our 7000 years of recorded history offers ample testimonials:

1) 2 world wars that resulted in hundreds of millions of people killed,

2) Domestic violence resulted in family members getting killed,

3) Conflicts due to ideology and religion resulted in countless numbers of people killed,

4) Homicide in society due to hate, greed, jealousy, robbery, etc. has become a norm, etc.

We have implemented various measures to discourage the urge to kill:

1) Laws to punish the offenders with life imprisonment or death penalty,

2) Marriage consultation to help bring a peaceful end to the irreconcilable differences,

3) Third party diplomacy and negotiation to stamp down the warring countries, etc.

Natural Laws

It has taken us several thousand years to figure out that everything in Nature occurs for a reason following a set of laws. Only by clearing our mind of emotion and irrational thoughts and by applying logic and scientific methods, we are able to unravel how and why everything works the way it does:

1) The universal constants that hold the atom together,

2) The gravitational force that keeps the celestial objects in place,

3) The chemical reactions that determine the shape, size, and function of every object on Earth,

4) The ecosystem that keeps the living things’ growth in check, recycle the wastes, and the environment healthy, etc.

The how and the why are written in hard, cold, and invariant numbers and mathematical equations. We have learned to use these numbers and equations to create new materials (plastics, steel, cement, gasoline) and develop technologies (engineering, assembly line, chemical process, medical instrument), to build highway/runway/railway, car/train/airplane, high-rise/theater/museum, school/government/hospital. Nature’s laws are not obvious to the untrained eyes. But, we know that if those laws become invalid one day, our man-made world will crumble in the blink of eye.

Laws of the Land

What (sex, size, appearance) and who (generalist, specialist, average Joe) we-are are written in the DNAs. How our life will unfold is written in Nature’s invisible laws:

1) At the dawn of our civilization, we can only be hunter and later farmer,

2) After the Industrial Revolution, we can be scientist, banker, engineer, physician, chemist, architect, etc.,

3) In the computer age, we can be software programmer, astronaut, professional athletics, physical therapist, etc.

How we live our social life is written in the laws of the land:

1) We cannot vote, drive, and drink alcohol before we reach 18,

2) If we are dishonest, break our promise, and or slacking on the job, we will soon be without friend, work, and or associating with people who only care about their own welfare,

3) When we drive intoxicated, spread harmful false rumor, or take things from the others without permission, we can be punished with incarceration, etc.

Human Stories

Our life from birth to death is written, however, only in general – a rough scratch. We are still left with the freedom to do our own things – enjoy, discover, and explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of life in our own unique ways:

1) For those who are born into an improvised family and did not receive the proper education, they can only find lower paying, labor intensive work while living paycheck to paycheck,

2) For those who never have to worry about helping the family to meet ends need and can go the best college, they can pursue a fulfilling career while realizing their dreams,

3) For those who are born with special talent to be a surgeon, musician, writer, scientist, etc., they are facing a challenging and demanding livelihood,

4) For those who are only good at deception, fraud, and trickery, they have to learn to subsist in the shady world of the society.

As a result, countless human stories have been written since the dawn of civilization 7000 years ago. Those stories celebrate/complain, inform/inspire, and whine/warn about how they play the game of life with the cards that are dealt in the best ways they know how.