Well I don’t think of myself as an animal
It’s only depressing if you’ve convinced yourself that you’re something more than an intelligent ape.
If you think about it from the perspective of an animal that had no concept of time, space, ethics, or philosophy just a few hundred thousand years ago, then we’re actually pretty impressive.
We probably won’t have any significant effect on the galaxy, but we sure have an effect on Earth.
Outtatime@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
AA5B@lemmy.world 8 months ago
An intelligent ape leaves no mark beyond their life. Their peers don’t do record keeping, nor have any sense of history or larger events than their own life
Humans affect other humans, and leave a mark for that person’s life. We compile records and histories that last long past our lives, and many of us have children where we leave a mark for their lives, or grandchildren.
Even beyond human memories and record keeping, societal development is incremental and we can take comfort in knowing that we helped increment that toward a greater society, even if our mark were not significant to be recorded as such. For example, I’ve worked with web apps since they were first created in the 1990s. I cant take credit for any significant milestones but I did work for many companies over that period in remembering the state of corporate web apps. You’ll never see me on Wikipedia but I have been part of that information revolution and I did leave a few faint marks that have touched many, though they won’t realize it
CountZero@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Like I said, humans have had a big impact on Earth. No argument there.
There were also thousands of homo erectus and homo habilis individuals that were clever enough to use tools and adapt to new environments. They’re a part of the process of coevolution between people and technology that we are still experiencing. That’s why we’re special, that process. The process will end at some point, and that’s ok.
There are people in this thread that think their lives are meaningless if they don’t leave some irreversible mark on the fabric of reality. I don’t think that’s a reasonable perspective. I prefer the perspective of an intelligent ape. Intelligent ape is excited about smartphones and antibiotics, even if the Earth is doomed to be swallowed by the sun.