Earlier this year, I visited a place called Puerto del Hambre, meaning Port of Famine, in the southern-most tip of Chile, facing the Antarctic Ocean. As we walked on the rugged ridge above its deserted cove, I was gripped by a strong feeling of sadness and loss. I learned later that Puerto del Hambre was the landing point of the early Spanish settlers, who cruelly colonized the local area, but subsequently died in the famine that ensued a period of very harsh weather. I also learned that these settlers were terrified when they encountered the Patagones, who are recorded as being giant human beings, between ten to fifteen feet tall, friendly and harmless. Through aggression and fear, the Spaniards and their subsequent successors, proceeded to exterminate the Patagones to extinction. Wouldn’t it be nice if these unique beings had been allowed to live, and contribute to the diversity of our fascinating human mosaic today? What a sad loss…
When we look at the charred remains of the precious Amazon forest – a product of ego, greed and neglect of its custodians, we can undoubtedly expect further extinction of the indigenous forest people together with the Amazonian flora and fauna. Similarly, so many beautiful wildlife species in Africa have been annihilated through greed and poaching, fueled by reckless and insensitive global markets. Lamentably, this damage is all permanent and irreversible…like the elimination of the Patagones.
I recently read an article on robotic brains created from artificial intelligence (A.I.), and was not surprised to learn that these highly intelligent brains, all concluded at the end of their learning algorithms, that human beings were the greatest threat to life on this planet and thus needed to be eliminated! What a terrifying conclusion derived from pure, emotion-free logic…. Safety of humanity is actually a significant problem for A.I. scientists to resolve, before their robotic brains are put into the marketplace.
My dear friends, I can now finally fathom why so many enlightened beings, prophets, and teachers have come to this world over the eras, all with the same purpose and message – to help humanity live with ethics and compassion, and shift its consciousness from darkness to Light. Sadly, their wisdom is practiced today in dwindling numbers. I, for one, strongly believe it is time for us all to embrace the spiritual essence of our faiths and uphold the torch of Light, dispelling darkness with every step, as we venture through life…
©Amyn Dahya
