The Philosophy of: Lucy [pt.2] – If the first living organism passed on genetic information to its offspring, and that passed down information to its, then that passed it down to its and… ###FAST FORWARD x AMOUNT OF GENERATIONS TILL YOU GET TO US### …then you never really die.

‘We Never Really Die’

*(go to 1:35)

When the first single cell organism, the prokaryote, began to exist, it learned about its environment. It survived, and that information on how to survive and withstand possible dangers was passed on to its next generation. Then if the next organism because even more evolved and better adapted to its environment, it was because of the information passed on from its previous generation… okay, evolution into organisms with the first nervous system, then to ones with eyes also, then to ones with arms and legs, then to ones with complex brains, then to one with more complex brains, then lalalalalalalalala yada yada yada eventually you arrive at us.

Okay so here’s the sequence (yay sequences, am I right)

Now, if your genetic information was passed on from the previous generation, and its generation’s was passed from its previous one, are you not connected to the one 2 generations ago. Expand upon that, using the same sequencing, are you not connected to the generation 8 times ago? 15 generations ago? 112,000 generations ago?

Each step of the process did some learning and (hopefully) improved upon itself so the next generation could be better suited to life in its environment, and strengthen its chances for survival. So if you’re connected to the generation 8 steps ago, you are connected to the one (who knows how many?) ago. Your genetic information is even a tiny fraction that of the one of the first ever living cell. So if even a small part of you is made up of that first original single cell organism, and you are not dead (also hopefully), then that cell, and you in turn, will never die.

But wait, what if you don’t ever have any offspring? Doesn’t that mean you do actually really die?

Unless you were born, abandoned into some remote wastelands seconds after birth and never, ever, ever encountered and interacted with another human, you will live on forever just be being (around other humans that is). Just by existing, people learn from you, and that in turn is encoded in their brains, knowledge of which is passed on. And knowledge is eternal (at least until the end of time) because all learning leads to improvement, and that improvement (as a result of any interaction or just by being) will live on forever.

And anyway, even if you were abandoned seconds after your birth and you’re reading this now, and you never interact with any human in any way, ever (Yo. Shoot me an email. Happy to chat, dude), and you never have kids either, you still will live on forever. Because there was at least one human you did interact with –your mother at birth. And it’s irrefutable that there is something she learned when she abandoned you.

Dave Martin