The Self-Organizing Abomination
Life on this planet has simply come about through self-organization.
It is tempting to ask why the universe is as it is and why sentient life gets such a raw deal. Creatures must eat each other to survive, and the struggle to exist can involve much suffering. In reality, the question “why” is without substance; a very simple “algorithm” shapes the nature of sentient life, and it goes something like this:
Those creatures that are stronger or more deceitful and possess an intense survival drive are the ones that flourish.
This applies to both species and individuals. A species with a poorly developed survival drive will become extinct because it will make little effort to continue. It will be physically compromised or outwitted if it is not well equipped with strength or cunning. It’s all self-organizing, which is why the most aggressive, cunning species has become dominant—human beings. We also have a very strong survival drive and the knowledge that we will die. This creates anxiety, and we strive even harder to persist. The icing on the cake is the notion that we have a self and are someone. Again, this amplifies our striving because the survival drive is no longer just instinctive; we also feel we have to preserve our person.