Imagine that you're an intelligent extraterrestrial, concerned only with verifiable truths. You discover a species that has divided itself into thousands ~ no, by now millions ~ of tribal groups holding an incredible variety of beliefs about the origin of the universe and the way to behave in it. Although many of them have ideas in common, even when there's 99% overlap, the remaining one percent's enough to set them killing and torturing each other, over trivial points of doctrine, utterly meaningless to outsiders. 'How to account for such irrational behavior? (...) religion was the by~product of fear ~ a reaction to a mysterious and often hostile universe. For much of human prehistory, it may have been a necessary evil ~ but why was it so much more evil than necessary ~ and why did it survive when it was no longer necessary?
For the last century, almost all top political appointments [on the planet Earth] had been made by random computer selection from the pool of individuals who had the necessary qualifications. It had taken the human race several thousand years to realize that there were some jobs that should never be given to the people who volunteered for them, especially if they showed too much enthusiasm. As one shrewed political commentator had remarked: 'We want a President who has to be carried screaming and kicking into the White House ~ but will then do the best job he possibly can, so that he’ll get time off for good behavior.'
A wise man once said that all human activity is a form of play. And the highest form of play is the search for Truth, Beauty and Love. What more is needed? Should there be a ‘meaning’ as well, that will be a bonus? If we waste time looking for life’s meaning, we may have no time to live ~ or to play.
♡ Arthur C. Clarke ♡