I had a dream last night, and when I woke up, it stuck around, vivid and lively, like a movie playing in my mind. I could even remember every detail, like characters chatting away. It felt thrilling at first, then it felt funny. So, as I sipped my morning coffee, I decided to share this thrilling and funny scene. As I chuckled and recited the dialogues, I laughed so hard that I spilled coffee over myself. Oops! But it was a good kind of silly, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I wish to share this this little piece of enlightenment from my dream world, I hope it can inspire your mind and engine up your day.
Once upon a time, on another beautiful day, two alien kids and their mother visited a newly opened museum called The Museum of the Lives on Earth. The alien kids were amazed and slightly bewildered by the peculiar creatures called humans. One exclaimed, “Oh my God, Mommy, these creatures…are called Humans? They are so ugly! Funny and creepy! Hahaha!”
The second alien kid chimed in with equal enthusiasm, “I agree. They all have a four-limb body, like an octopus with 4 legs, two on the ground and two in the air, the head pops up the body! It’s so funny…and creepy!”
Their mother, could not help bursting into laughter, trying to suppress her laugh, chimed in, “Be nice, children. These lives on another planet are still in the early stages of evolution. They have not evolved to our standard. But they probably will eventually! And, according to the scientific discoveries, we might have gone through the same process long ago.”
The alien kids, wide-eyed, responded in unison, “Oh…no way! We have never been that 4-leg thing!”
The vivid images of this alien family’s museum adventure lingered in my mind, bringing a sprinkle of magic and a reflection of sarcasm to my ordinary morning.
The ancient prophets of God proclaimed that the greatest sin is pride. Pondering upon this dream, I understand this ancient proclamation better. Don’t take ourselves too seriously, seriously. In the grand ocean of the cosmos, what we value as beauty, power, and fortune appear as mere trifles or even ugliness in the eyes of higher life beings; our displays of success, achievements, and advancement are nothing more than fleeting echoes that can be barely noticed. Most of the time, our earthly concerns and agenda, which we often hold with such gravity, are but minuscule ripples in the universal stream. In the presence of the infinite, our material and worldly pursuits, regardless of how grandeur they sound, will fade into the silent expanse.
In the realms of the imagination, I envisioned a scenario where humans and other beings of higher intelligence reside in the same space, the claims of success people achieved, the fantastic lifestyle people have, the high positions people have possessed, the resources people acquired, and powers people accumulated are reduced to mere jests and mocking materials on a dining table of an ordinary alien family. As humanity sets its sights on Mars and beyond, these fantastical musings may no longer be mere imaginings.
This wild imagination based on facts and fantasy might humble us to the realization that the true essence of our being transcends worldly values and standards. True beauty and value, I firmly believe, reside within our minds, mentalities, characters, and souls – the invisible engines (not visible to our physical eyes at least) producing the symphony of meaningful existence. These are the treasures the Universe truly cherishes and appreciates. I even wonder if they are the ultimate reasons the Universe orchestrated our creation and sustained our survival and thriving.
What will happen when humanity aggressively flows towards worldly standards? What if we prioritize invaluable things and ignore real valuable things? What if we excessively replace true values with worldly values in us? What if the hunger for power and resources kills the true beauty and value of humanity? Will we lose touch with the true essence of humanity and will we forget who really are? A more thrilling question is, could there come a time when we are no longer of worth to the magnificent plan of the Universe?
If the answer is yes, in that case, maybe we will lose our premium membership, maybe we will lose our “protegee” identity, and then we will be completely exposed to dangerous and hostile beings, then we will be completely vulnerable to the natural selection of the Universe. Even though we believe we are very advanced and powerful on Earth, nobody can imagine how weak and how elementary we are in the infinite realm of the cosmos. At that time, the story of Three-Body Problem wouldn’t be sheer sci-fi but a prophetic art.
At the end of our days, all we hold – beauty, success, achievement, resources – is just a tiny fragment of the earthly journey and a minuscule part of the book of life to be present to God. The ultimate evaluation and judgment lies between each individual and God.
