Jeff Buckley | MySpace | Twitter
I would surmise that a conscious being capable of creating the living world would possess an intellect far greater than our own. If someone that omnipotent spoke, would we really be able to clearly understand?
The analogy I like to use is the ant on the computer (Mac or PC, for once it doesn’t matter). The ant knows that it’s on the computer – it can feel the hard surface and warmth from the glow. It knows the computer exists, and the existence of the computer directly affects the life of the ant, if only in that the ant has to crawl over it.
The ant, however, can never conceive the full potential of the computer. While it may see the light, it doesn’t comprehend text, spreadsheet cells, wacky fonts or viral videos. The reality of the computer and the ant are both intertwined but with wholly separate purpose.
So when people talk about the “word of God,” I find it a little ridiculous. How can you understand something that big when you’re just an ant on a computer?
But then I guess if something created Heaven and the earth, it could learn to speak human too…
I love the ant vs. computer comparison to humans vs. god. Put in that context it makes a lot more sense.
But this is a LONG discussion had over many many many drinks.
Totally. I think it’ll be a question we’ll be asking ourselves for a long, long time. I forgot to mention in the post that maybe it’s not in our purpose to understand but to keep looking.
Very well written. I like both your post, Keane, and Dustin’s comment. Agree that the analogy is helpful, and it is a LONG discussion.
Keane – I struggle with finding the purpose in life, but how can we ever be sure? Maybe you’re right that it’s not our purpose to understand. I’m very confused at present on this whole “religion”/God question in my life, so this post really struck a chord with me.
Thanks for sharing.
I was reading a report in US News & World Report on Christianity and they compared knowing the true Jesus, the person, to dividing a number in half over and over again. You get real close to zero but you can never actually achieve it. But then closer is still better than farther, I guess.
Thank you both for your comments!
do all ants speak the same language…i wonder
That’s a good point too. Ants communicate with pheromones that they perceive with their antennae. Even if an ant tried to speak with us, it never really could. But to each other, they can say where and how far away food is. In that sense, maybe they are more efficient than, like, us man. Totally. LOLOLOLOL.
God builds our anthills but can it hear us speak?