(c) John, Rekesh 2004-2008. No part of this work may be copied or reproduced without the author's permission
11. Tree of Knowledge
Aliyah finds hints of deep connections between Darwinian and spiritual evolution.
The terrain was gray and foreboding with undulating hills that rose up to reflect the light, with their valleys shrouded in darkness. There were no grass, shrubs, winds, insects or anything of that sort, except some trees that sparsely dotted the landscape. The sky was an azure blue, with no clouds in sight. Observed from high above, the land looked arid and dry, inhospitable to life. But on closer inspection, one could distinguish some movement on the ground, as though something were alive. There were indeed many little creatures scurrying hither and thither on this terrain. They were crablike in appearance, moved about on all fours and had antennae that sensed their surroundings. Some of these little creatures were moving about excitedly and in a hurry. They seemed to have sensed that time was running short, and that something ominous was about to come, that their world was about to end in a catastrophic destruction.
On the horizon ahead was a great light, a hope of salvation for many of the creatures that existed in this strange landscape. The light was far away, farther than they could hope to reach by their own efforts. Yet it seemed a worthy goal, something to strive for, something that might offer protection from the disaster soon to strike their world.
Life in this world was not easy, for there were strange things afoot. The creatures had to be very careful where they went, for huge snakes would often rise up from the ground in a flash and swallow many. There were many kinds of snakes, some yellow, some green, some with rings and some with spots. They nestled, hidden under the ground at unsuspected locations, waiting for an unfortunate creature that would stumble into their lair. Those that were not sensitive to the subtle scent given off by a snake were caught and swallowed quickly. Curiously, the snakes did not kill, but instead dragged the victim through their insides to the tail end and defecated it far away from the light on the horizon. Their intent was to make sure that the creatures never came to the light.
The creatures were not without help. There were also in the land many friendly birds that lived on the trees that dotted the landscape. These birds offered help by carrying many of the creatures some distance towards the light, to the edge of their own individual territories. Some of the birds were red of plumage, some blue, some yellow and some black. And they strove to pick up these creatures, fly past the lairs of the snakes, and carry their burden onward, closer to the light on the horizon. But like most birds, they were limited to their own territories and could only take the creatures so far. From there the creatures had to make it on foot, dreading the snakes and hoping to find another friendly bird in the new territory. So there was hope.
But there was trickery afoot. The forces of light and those of darkness had made a strange pact. The dark ones had demanded a representative species among the birds as their own, and they offered a snake species in return. The bargain was accepted, and the result was deadly. The red birds, which also appeared to be saviors of their world, were instead agents of destruction, as they delivered their burden not to safe ground but very close to the lairs of a red snake. And the green snakes, though appearing fiery like dragons, swallowed up and deposited their prey away from the light, but close to a tree where fast-moving blue birds nested.
Such was the strange agreement that existed, unknown to these creatures, between the forces of darkness and those of the light. For it was a crucial test of discernment. Would the creatures learn to recognize the snakes as foes and the birds as friends? For the creatures were very primitive, not knowing what a snake or a bird was and what they represented. When these creatures first began their existence in this world, they had not tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge, of knowing good and evil. Would they learn to distinguish those now? By projecting complex manifestations of good and evil, the world seemed to test them continuously. Could they discern the truth about the red birds and the green snakes, or would they fall victim to the forces of darkness?
Indeed, many could make the distinction, Aliyah noted, as she watched the creatures move quickly toward the light on the horizon, avoiding snakes and helped onward by birds. Some even looked for green snakes to hitch a ride through their bellies, for they knew that they offered an easy way to get to the fast-moving blue birds. And they knew the red birds by their calls. But there were also many that failed to make the grade. While they did recognize birds as friends, they failed to see the treachery of those red in plumage and were doomed to destruction.
“This is how instinct evolves,” smiled Robert, as he clicked on a mouse button and froze the display. She was looking at a computer screen, where a simulation had been in progress. The landscape, creatures, snakes and birds, all existed as concepts within his computer. Robert had created an artificial world, populated it with creatures, and created his own laws that governed the habitats of the snakes and birds. He had also set up the strange interrelationship between some of the snakes and birds.
“The behavior of each creature is driven by a genetic code embedded in them,” Robert explained. “When I started, all the creatures in my world were endowed with random genetic information, which means they were practically useless and could not function in their world. They were like Adam and Eve thrust out of Eden, freshly minted, having no clue as to what to do in a harsh world. But after evolution through many generations, they came to learn about their environment, its temptations and pitfalls, as well as its good things. And they used that knowledge to their advantage.”
“So how come I didn’t see any evolution happen?” asked Aliyah.
It was Theo who answered. “What you just saw were creatures born after about ten thousand generations of evolution, and according to the principles of mutation and natural selection.”
Theo had brought Aliyah to this alife lab with a specific intent: to convince her how powerful and accurate the scientific principles of evolution were. Even though he found many of her spiritual notions interesting, the arguments were not strong enough to dissuade him from his established views, especially given his academic background. This disparity between them led to a fair amount of disagreement on matters of evolution and consciousness, which sometimes flared up in hot discussions. Theo now hoped to settle the matter once and for all. He wanted her to be fully compatible with him; after all, the couple were soon to be married.
And to this end, he had made some progress, for she was greatly impressed by what she saw. Before her was a stark demonstration of the creative power of evolution through mutation and selection, even if it were a simulation running on a computer.
Robert picked up her question and added, “You see, the original ancestors were practically useless and most could not even move, let alone distinguish a snake from a bird. But there were a few among them that fared slightly better than the others and managed at least to move about, even if it were a single step. Now this artificial world is visited by periodic catastrophes that wipe out everything, and their only safe haven is at the horizon where the light is.”
“What has the light got to do with it?” she asked.
“The light is just a prop for the visuals,” laughed Robert. “I like it, and it kind of makes the whole thing melodramatic. Reaching the horizon is their ultimate goal, whether there is light or not. Now after a world has ended, I pick up the survivors and the best among them are joined together in marriage.”
Aliyah was confused, “Marriage? You mean these creatures are male and female?”