Nothing… Nada … Zip…Zilch… At least that is the song some would sing when referring to the scale of one’s existence on planet Earth, inhabited by nearly seven billion other Human Beings. At first this may seem quite an astonishing number; however, the fact is when we take into consideration the number of vastly different life forms that also indwell our world (an estimated 1.5-2 million species), along with the inconceivable multitude of undiscovered others, the true scope of our negligibility becomes evident. Nevertheless, ignoring for now the possibility of beings inhabiting other planets, we can come to the realization that we have evolved into a species capable of self-awareness, technological progression and, almost inevitably, making globally intertwining consequential decisions. So can we really sum ourselves up to nothingness? Is it enough to say that the culmination of each of our lives means nothing? Maybe, but what most fail to envisage—and this is due to a considerable number of different reasons, such as modern social preoccupations, among others—is: each of us seems to exist innately unimpeded to observe, theorize and experiment to become knowledgeable and sometimes muse the wonders of our so-called reality. In other words, we are born to think critically—to analyze and learn through logical reasoning from the passage of, what we understand to be, time. And, although our brains are considerably misunderstood, we can certainly entertain the idea that critical thinking has been a major factor in the development of our species. For it is this particular attribute that sets us apart from all other species we have encountered on Earth.
From the earliest forms of communication to modern linguistics, the journey to understanding has been guided by critical thinking. Advancements were rather stagnant in the first few hundred thousand years of the Human species’ evolution. Survival was at the forefront of all thinking while technology remained crude at best. Only in the last few millennia—when civilizations began to flourish around the world and philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato tried to explain the foundational workings of reality, and more recently within the past four centuries, through the work of some of the greatest minds in history (Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Hubble, Heisenberg and many, many more)—has the potential of thinking “outside the box” been realized and technology skyrocketed—literally. Every theory, invention and innovation finds its roots firmly planted in this notion of thinking critically. The computer that I used to type this essay; the recycled paper that it was printed on; the mode of transportation I used to get to school and turn it in; the school itself; all of these things are resultants of someone that was determined to examine better ways of achieving respectively pertaining goals. And it is this ever-expanding curiosity that will surely propel Humankind into a future of advancement both technologically and intellectually; that is if we can manage to not extinguish ourselves during the transition to global unification. Critical thinking is a foundation on which we as a civilization should build upon to peer beyond the walls of oppression, tyranny, and greed. It has become my understanding that the particular period of time in which we live is perhaps the most important, if not the most pivotal, period of time in Humankind's history. There may be two ways which our civilization can go: up or down. It could now be either the beginning of the end, or the epoch in global unity. The best part of it all is that the fate of Humankind rests in our hands. We decide. So what will it be?
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