March 1, 2013
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Guest Blog: ‘Down, Down, Down Down’
http://www.mpaths.com/2013/02/down-down-down-down.html
by Reb Gutman Locks
From a recent news article:
According to a growing number of researchers, the human race is slowly becoming dumber, and dumber. Despite our advancements over the last tens or even hundreds of years, some ‘experts’ believe that humans are losing cognitive capabilities and becoming more emotionally unstable.
“I would wager that if an average citizen from Athens of 1000 BC were to appear suddenly among us, he or she would be among the brightest and most intellectually alive of our colleagues and companions, with a good memory, a broad range of ideas, and a clear-sighted view of important issues. Furthermore, I would guess that he or she would be among the most emotionally stable of our friends and colleagues.”[i]
Gutman adds:
Although this is a new idea for science, the Torah has always taught that each generation, from the first man Adam on, becomes lower and lower. It is likened to a stone that is thrown. The further it gets from your hand, the more time gravity has to pull on it, so it goes lower and lower.
Our righteous ancestors are our role models. They were great and holy people whom we try to emulate. Whereas the scientists believe that their ancestors were monkeys, we believe that we come from the most special people who ever lived.
So does this predict a gloomy future? No, not at all. Even though our holy books tell us that we go lower and lower in each generation, they also tell us that with each generation we come closer and closer to the glorious, final redemption. This means that even though we are lower than our ancestors, we have an even greater opportunity to reveal the holiness in our lives then they did.
Now is the most wonderful time of all. We are living in the age when Redemption is happening. With the least effort we can accomplish the most. All we have to do is really try.
[i] The scientific journal Trends in Genetics
Comments (7)
http://youtu.be/OxoUUbMii7Q On the other hand, there’s nowhere but up from here, right? I just think a lot of people lack the motivation to move.
There’s no up, dearest. Time and gravity, in both it’s forms, work thus mightily against us. :p
@agnophilo - I have no idea how your comment applies to me. I only linked a youtube that you obviously didn’t watch, and I said there was nowhere to go from here but up… hence, I agree we don’t have to keep going in the direction of ‘down’.
But in regards to your comment, having better and faster tech in no way implies we are smarter. Just look at how texting has gnarled the written word. And the average person cannot even tell you who landed on the moon, or in what year, so it might as well have been a sheep herder who landed there first. For all the technology we have, people sure don’t use it to enlighten themselves. :wry:
I really enjoy reading these posts and comments.
Yo. I don’t know you. You’ve never posted a comment here, before. First comments are not allowed to be antagonistic or asshole-ish. Read the damn rules. Kthxbye.
Sorry Idolatrieartist. Like ‘em or not, I don’t bend rules for belligerents. :madd:
@Anna - Hee hee! I forgot about the rules there for a second, and was ready to take him on this morning. Guess I should go expound about his/her comment to me over on his/her blog. He/she is quite the wordy person, and I’ve seen them around on others blogs. College kid more than likely.
Its good to see what people think and say-
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Much more interesting than a lot of other things I read on line. That’s why I think I keep coming back-for years now