The Lightbulb

We made the lightbulb, but our body doesn't know.

Our technology is advanced, but our bodies are ancient. And still, all our mighty machines and computers cannot match the power of that which is of nature.

We are the product of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of years of life becoming and becoming and becoming.

And yes, the machines are mighty. The ability of a computer to process mountains of information, detect patterns, and summarize results is remarkable. But what would these machines be without us, without human life? All that they do, that they are capable of, is a product of what we have done. Without us, they are nothing. Without the machine, we are still storytellers, builders, chefs, artists, teachers, engineers, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors. We are creators. We are life givers.

I do not intend, nor do I expect others, to eschew all the technologies. I am fascinated by our modern capabilities, just as I am fascinated with the looms that inspired the luddites to smash them (the problem was, of course, not the loom, but the choice to put profit over people). There is so much that our technology has brought us. So many lives saved or improved by advancements in medicine. So many things that we can do and enjoy with the help of minerals mined from the earth and zeros and ones.

And yet, our bodies don't know. As the axis of the world tilts and we move farther from the sun, our days are shorter and colder. This is what our bodies understand.

These technologies always come with a cost. Over and over we repeat the same story. We sacrifice life, those who create it, and the things that support it, for industry, business, advancement. But what are we advancing to?

Our bodies weren't made for the industrial revolution. Our bodies were made to pick berries and lay in the sun.

Creation signals that winter is coming and our bodies understand. Our energy levels go down. We are tired. We are drawn to activities that make the most of the pleasant weather that we are graced with, and seek comfort of warmth and security of the indoors as the cold and damp sets in. Our bodies know this. Our bodies have always known this. They don't know about the lightbulb.