UNDERSTANDING THE SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION Exploration is first and foremost the engrained human right of everyone born on the planet earth, as far as the Bible is concerned. In anthropology for one to understand a people, one must first and foremost understand the way they view the universe, and as far as the ancient Israelites were concerned God created the world and put human beings in it. He then instructed them to fill the whole earth, the same command is repeated one more time all in the book of Genesis which means (the beginning). For the Israelites the world is an inheritance for humanity who must dominate it and govern it. Human beings cannot govern the world without first exploring it and that is why the people according to the bible were scattered over the face of the earth so that they would explore it and thus dominate it with all the creatures therein. In this biblical narrative I have often found hidden the reason why the dinosaurs went extinct. If they were still in existence there would have been no way human beings could have dominated the earth. Infact one can often look within the pages of this same book to find scattered allusions to this, claims of so called mythical creatures such as the leviathan, and the behemoth which bear little resemblance to the crocodile and hippopotamus as claimed by some biblical scholars. Biblical history it seems serves the ironical purpose in the 21st century of corroborating scientific discovery no matter how much its detractors do not want it to. Vis-à-vis these background comments, I would like to crack the core of my engagement with the spirit of exploration, which being another plus to the Bible, resides in every human being. The spirit of exploration itself begins from the mere ability to appreciate the natural aesthetics of the outdoors. Nature offers a great reservoir of wonder and beauty enough to not only keep the human mind gainfully occupied but serves as a therapeutic medicine for the soul. Exploration begins from the mere desire and ability to appreciate this beauty and then to understand and subsequently harness it for everyday uses; Building, Food, Medicine and Entertainment. From the earliest of human history, human beings have been known to explore the expands of the earth in search of these things…as it stands now there is hardly anywhere on the planet earth that human beings do not inhabit. Although there are some that are only recently explored. It is indeed pertinent to note that humanity has been so successful that we have actually gone a step further to not only explore the earth but have also explored the moon, mars, titan and a few other starry bodies. This we have done if not ourselves, with the use of machines. Though these events are very recent in nature, compared to the thousands of years humanity has been aware of itself historically on the planet earth. If you are one who is interested in what may be termed according to Herbert W. Armstrong as “The Incredible Human Potential”; you would be interested in understanding why human beings have been able to do this and what lays ahead for us as a dominant species on the earth – it is noteworthy to say that not every human being cares about this. Herbert Armstrong’s view of the Incredible Human Potential is from the Bible which we have noted is of Jewish/Israeli origin . It suffices to say that the Jews are not the only cultures who have theorized on this yet they are among the few we are able to read and among the most successful. Even though the Bible has very little direct reference to Astronomy, it has many that are worthy of note but the most significant is the foundation in the book of Genesis which mandates humanity to explore. Human culture is generally skeptical about anything it cannot peruse at close quarters and that is why most human societies have ignored extraterrestrial phenomena and relegated them to the realm of the spirit. In that light, the Bible itself has hardly been credited with any of the modern advancements in exploration but has much to offer in this light allegorically. Herbert Armstrong believed this and so do I. My journey into the spirit of exploration while now rooted in anthropology began with an interest in discovering the hidden treasures of the land and mountains which my biological father instilled in me at a young age. Having grown up in the rural African setting at the unset of British colonialism he preferred the open spaces as opposed to the city. But it was modern day television that first introduced me to the scientific implications of the spirit of exploration. Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” caught my interest very early. It was love at first sight, that while I enjoyed Sesame street, Terahox, space 1999, and local shows like tales by moon light, cockcrow at down and karkuzu, I found Carl Sagan’s Cosmos so interesting that I took note of the time every Saturday by 9am to sit and watch it while I would have been doing something else. Carl Sagan’s method of presentation much like David Attenborough gave the show an added attraction which kept me glued to the TV set even when he talked about many boring topics and even topics like the attempt of scientists to create life. Being from a very religious background, we were taught that such attempts where blasphemous at best. Worse of, when Carl Sagan talked about God and the big bang this was a total disaster theologically for me and I condemned his views immediately. The stage was set for the future struggles I would encounter between the two points of view in which I would find myself in the middle and would find as hindrance to my theological position (which I had naively taken for granted). The issue was simple, even though I disagreed with Sagan immediately, I also valued his scientific knowledge and remained a more than committed viewer of his show aired by the local TV Station in Jos Nigeria. I was often attracted to written and televised material on the ancient earth and on space exploration. At six years of age I read my first children’s book on paleontology which I found in the library of a primary school I attended owned by the Catholic Church. It was later on I came to discover that the big bang theory itself was propounded by a priest. It is interesting that Galileo was a Christian and a friend of the pope, and Isaac Newton a committed Christian. The renaissance itself was birthed in a deeply Christian setting and it was grown through the disagreement between Christians. This historical division has in my view created what I view as an ethical dilemma which has affected the educational system and has doomed modern day children to a view of life they would most likely be better off without. But like many things in this world humanity seems to learn better through conflict than through consensus. It is thus an irony that though tyranny may be conceptually wrong it makes governance easier, Democracy is slow, time consuming and mostly experiential. photo curtesy of NASA My love for anthropology has fueled my love for nature and for exploration, these days, this can only be achieved through science (which apparently is a natural consequence). If you read that sentence you have found the solution to the human phenomenological debate. Someone like myself without an IQ of Galileo or Steven Hawking, in order to avoid being a jack of all trades and master of none has to choose one field to help him pursue his ambitions. Thus I have chosen Christian missions which I find more than enough given the circumstances even though I started out pursuing engineering. Most recently I discovered Elon Musk and found out that I made the right choice, having discovered that as a successful engineer and billionaire there is that side of him that desires to truly solve human problems but cannot in the way some who have never understood a word of science have done. The problem with people who end up becoming billionaires is that they are not compelled to remain within any given boundary, they can essentially do what they want, and that may often prove to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. It is hard to keep focused when one is in that position. I had encountered this among successful people in the sciences all my life; too many successful Christian professionals felt at the end of their careers (or even within it) that they were called to Christian missions, this was an irony since many of the successful Christian missionaries had dedicated their professional degrees to the cause early in life and not at the end – thus giving God and indeed humanity their all and best. It was a source of frustration for me as many of those I felt were conflicted had very poor foundation in theology and anthropology itself and many times also, in my view; a faulty motivation. Having capped this experience with the recent one, I was hugely distraught since I truly believed that among the many I have encountered which included my own biological father, Elon Musk has the greatest potential to be the most effective in human history. He not only possesses all the right tools, but seems to have been inspired from a very genuine source. Nevertheless I discovered he lacked one thing which many I have met also lacked, the appropriate motivation to do what it takes at the right time. Though I must say I do not know Elon Musk much and don’t know why exactly he is struggling but for the others, their undoing was that unlike many 19th and 20th century missionaries, they were unable to give themselves early to the missionary endeavor having preferred to make money first. This may have been because some were not called early or because they actually chose not to answer the call at the time. Elon Musk is the only one who seems to have all the factors in his favor. In everything he says and does he seems to be answering the call (except of course his coarse jokes), and he often does so at important events which are often taken seriously by those who care to follow – thus some actually begin to call him a would be savior. Yet it is yet to be seen if he will end up being that missionary humanity will celebrate. I must say that being at the right place at the right time with the right resources (humongous as it were) has its perks… which may often be far more disadvantageous than not. Many leaders in the world choose to usurp power just because it is available but history has taught us that this is not always what is right. In concluding this article I would want to note that the hard working people who had blazed the trail in the Russian space agencies and in NASA have mostly not engaged this because they felt called to any special place in human history but many just responded to the gut feeling inside them that this is what they wanted to do all their lives. Many of them are not known nor celebrated but have the opportunity to put not only themselves but the entire humanity on the pages of history and not just the countries they represent (ironically). Any extra-ordinary feat achieved by human beings often raises questions in the minds of other human beings as to the purpose and meaning of life – good or bad. This is what the success of science which has been for the most part a recent thing vis-a-vis the thousands of years of human history has engendered. That is why for the most part religious and political leaders have tried to influence the social effect of such discoveries often earning themselves a negative part in history. photo curtesy of NASA < Like the inquisition against Galileo, the tragic end of Nicolai Tesla’s work among many others of which history has not even told us. Thus it is true that many human beings have began to question their hitherto held beliefs and this is affecting many world events, even creating world changing ones. Many religious people are softening their religious stance in a century of phenomenal scientific advancement, many have given up such beliefs altogether. But, I for one had always held the belief that science and the bible hold many congruencies rather than not, for me, common sense stipulates that the early observers could not have hurriedly reached such astounding scientific conclusions as we have today (though the Bible gives examples of a few like Noah and his Ark and the obvious Genesis 1:1-31 issue – how we miss obvious things because we think we are so smart). Galileo himself believed this and though he was a huge critic of Aristotle, understood that Aristotle only believed what he believed because of the time he lived and the limited scientific data he possessed. The men and women of the space exploration community have endured many frustrating years and even lives, just to achieve what they are known for. But like most of what entails human civilization, those who have blazed the trail in advancement only do what they do for reasons that many others can hardly understand. But they are moved from within, many only just because. Even though some of us have come to live and do the things we do for reasons we consider more than ourselves and thus other worldly; I am moved today to quote a scripture found in the bible not many want to hear -1st Corinthians 14:32- “The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet”: the early Christian apologists believed that whatever new vision is birthed must be guided by ethical considerations not just the gift. The renaissance scientists were much like the early disciples of Jesus who believed the Jewish leaders were too rigid on the legalistic rules that often in practice lacked ethical basis. While living in a century that has outlived the negative results of bad science we must imbibe a balance and refuse to do the natural thing by taking sides vis-à-vis our biased backgrounds; we must acknowledge the need for a definite turning point in human history when both science and religion will achieve what both have claimed to give humanity – the greater good based on truth. Finally we must refuse to use power for power sake which unfortunately is rearing its ugly head in this most beautiful century which promises so much for humanity but may turn out very bad for many. " DAVID DUNGJI CHINKE WHAT DOES THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY OFFER IN TERMS OF WORLD PEACE I have recently been made aware that the conflicts that plague humanity are far more complex than can be immediately perused with the natural senses. The visible conflicts are just symptoms of the deeper more complex problems that make up what is called humanity. Of course in modern discourse humanity would be the word to use, being that there are no scientific facts available for us to describe other phenomena that influence humanity. In much of scientific dogma, there are no aliens, no spirits and no God as it were. Albeit, the human nature is solely blamed for creating and sustaining human weakness, and conflicts and ultimately trying to destroy the very earth that it is bestowed with as a home. It is an enigma how the human nature can be so powerful. Science has an explanation for this also; it is the way of things, nature itself has deemed it so, that for organisms to survive, they would have to adapt and in adaptation, some may remain peaceful while others may become violent. The carnivores shed blood in order to have their everyday meal, they are made so only by nature itself and there is no changing it, on the positive note, they help keep the ever growing numbers of herbivores at a manageable level thereby keeping the balance of the ecosystem. Has nature thus legitimized conflict? It would seem to be so, without the influence of the Jewish and Christian faiths. There may be other religions that also have a foundational theology against conflict, but I am only truly conversant of the Christian and thus Jewish dogma. These are based on a foundation that the world was created perfect without any form of conflict until humanity fell by accepting and receiving a diplomatic envoy from the spirit realm who disputed with the claims of the creator God. This diplomatic envoy used the body of a serpent being of less intelligence than humanity but said to be smartest among the animals. This fall caused an ecological shift which set spirits against humans and humans against animals. This, to many ardent scientists sounds more like a fable and untrue and can only be categorized as myth rather than fact. One thing science may concede though is that a detailed and reliable history of humanity which covers facts from the very beginning of human intelligence is not available to us. That is; one that is written by the very first humans and passed down from generation to generation. Evidence on the side of evolutionary science (to be specific) is the very fact of the absence of details authored by the first humans. If humanity actually slowly evolved into intelligent consciousness, they would not have understood the importance of making any records. Yet it is also believed through careful analysis of the Bible in the book of Genesis that the linguistic syntax does show signs of a deep awareness of the nature of the world. By studying the language of tribal groups one can discover their theology as well as gain insight into their understanding of the world. What makes the Genesis narrative and other Biblical parallels superior? In my view apart from the very scientific evidence provided by Genesis 1:1-31 in the creation narrative (ignored through misinterpretation) the desire to globalize and to bring humanity under one banner, and the desire for global peace would clearly set the Jewish and Biblical cannons ahead of others. Like any other tribal narrative, the Jewish writings do try to elevate the Jews above any other tribe or racial culture but my concern is the foundation and the pinnacle. The foundation speaks of oneness and cosmic harmony and the pinnacle speaks of a return to such in the future. One notable scripture in this light is Isaiah 2:1-4. Herbert W. Armstrong was a great advocate of this passage which much of modern Christianity does not frequently consider as in step with the New Testament. This scripture speaks of a future for humanity of peace and harmony between spirits, humans and animals. Again it says that the Jews will be facilitators of this world civilization, but of great concern to me is the part where it says; “ The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation nor train for war anymore”. The apparent problem for many people would be the idea of a God being at the helm and secondly the fact that it would be the Jews who will facilitate it according to Isaiah 2:1-2. Eliminating the issues in contention this would rather be a laudable conclusion to human affairs don’t you think? If a politician were to emerge today with such a promise and possessing the qualities that show he can achieve such laudable goals many I believe will follow him and vote for him. Many Christians and religious people are drawn rather to the excitement of prophetic unction and to the conflicts rather than being focused on the aim. The book of Isaiah brings a wonderful unity to the theology of the old and new testaments of the Christian cannon by linking this resolution of world crises to the historical Jesus Christ or Messiah. All these are lost in the world of science and to the minds of evolutionary scientists who do not want to entertain any ideas espoused by religion which they consider as purely mythological. Whether you are an evolutionary scientist or are a faith person, one thing we all have in common is that we have to find solutions to conflicts. At least those conflicts that would hinder us from living or enjoying the qualities of the good life - if not all of them. It is very obvious though that many human beings today have come to accept conflict as a part of life and may even depend on conflict for many things necessary for living. In truth, the fallen world depends much on a certain level of conflict to subsist as mentioned in the introductory paragraphs. But it is my view that just as nature tries to balance its system, humanity must understand that intelligence would mean learning from this and thus balancing the violence it takes to survive with the necessary peace it takes to sustain this same survival. In other words, a knife is a very useful tool, used for harvesting and preparing food, yet its user must try not to poke or cut himself with that same knife. Wikipedia says that the SIPRI has estimated that military expenditures as of 2018 have reached about $ 1, 822 billion and arms trade for the top 100 arms producing companies are at about $ 420 billion. What was astounding to me was that this figure is just a little less than 4% of the global GDP. It is unimaginable to visualize what will happen if this figure were to increase. More often than not, I have come across rhetoric which accuses Christianity of weakening the human race. It is this same Christianity that is being accused of sponsoring bloody crusades in the middle east, colonization and economic enslavement of many nations and people. It is clear that in search of a balance point what truly subsists is the fact that conflict is what drives those who make the analysis than not. The desire for conflict may be inspired from the desire of colonized nations to be free from the colonizer, or just a fundamental disagreement based on subjective experience. In the light of post-modernity it would suffice to avoid making blanket assertions in the absence of valid statistics on who the aggressor is or not. I am forced to rely purely on subjective experience also. In this I have discovered that traditional religions outside Christianity and hiding within it tend to be the most violent and more prone to reject any theology of peace. It is fundamentally unclear why this is the case visavis the very complex nature of humanity, yet what is clear to me is that never before have there existed resources available in human history as they do now to accomplish such peace and human prosperity. Yet it is in this century that the greatest oppositions to such peace and prosperity have arisen. Again from my subjective observation, there exists a force beyond just economic that insists that conflict must subsist through the generations. This force is embedded in our families, communal structures and political structures… this to my mind is where science fails to bring valid explanations to life not withstanding ecological balance which I believe with some effort can easily be demystified. That is the reason I have come to believe that Isaiah 2:1-4 bares its teeth most glaringly in this century where the amount of real-estate available to humanity has potentially doubled, with the availability of Venus, the Moon, Mars, and Titan as potential farmlands. A commensurate quantity of machinery (plough shares) will thus be diverted to such use providing jobs and adequate distraction for many human beings who may have found belonging to local and international militia groups a fall back against unemployment and conceptual idleness. Just as the space race opened the door for the computer revolution, it is presently opening the door in a multiplicity of fields such as micro biology, food production, building and architecture, health care, industrial chemistry and engineering. There is virtually no field that is not being affected. As usual immediately the world’s attention was drawn to this reality, forces began to rise up to stall it. Yet as much as we need to find urgently the solution to spiritual and moral phenomena that try to stall human progress, the development of space infrastructure and interplanetary exploration remain the only viable sector for the progress of the human race in the next one hundred years or more. " DAVID DUNGJI CHINKE <<   >>