”That’s evolution for you; one stupid linked mutation and the whole natural order falls apart, intelligence and self-awareness stuck in counterproductive lock-step for half a million years.”
– Page 362 –
As I finished the book, this line struck me not only because I think it sums up much of the books implications, but also because it describes how I feel about society on a regular basis; we have all the faculties of intelligence and consciousness, yet we haven’t found a way to maintain their coexistence peacefully. In a sense, one of them has to go, or at least evolve. Much of the book focuses on the relationship between the two, and it asks whether or not one implies the other, and also whether one can exist with the other. Granted, the narrator is describing the Vampires in this scene, but I think it also makes a statement about our own humanity.
I was reminded of a song by the band Tool, called “Forty Six & 2.” The song deals with the evolution of human consciousness with regards to the chromosome levels in the human body. Here is a short synopsis of the chromosomal theory as stated by Drunvalo Melchizedek, a knowledgeable ancient meditation/spiritual leader in some circles:
There are three totally different kinds of humans on the Earth, meaning that they perceive the One reality in three different ways, interpreted differently. The first kind of human has a chromosome composition of 42+2. They comprise a unity consciousness that does not see anything outside themselves as being separate from themselves. To them, there is only one energy – one life, one beingness that moves everywhere. Anything happening anywhere is within them, as well. They are like cells in the body. They are all connected to a single consciousness that moves through all of them. These are the aboriginals in Australia. There might be a few African tribes left like this. Then, there is our level, comprising 44+2 chromosomes. We are a disharmonic level of consciousness that is used as a steppingstone from the 42+2 level to the next level, 46+2. We are dangerous to both ourselves and nature, but we are necessary[… ]
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/drunledg.html
The song is essentially Maynard Keenan’s yearning for a change in human consciousness, as he feels that humanity is currently in a state of temporary chaos and conflict, and that an evolution to a higher chromosome level would be rather welcomed at this point. In the song, he says, “I choose to live, and to lie, kill, and give, and to die, learn, and love, and to do what it takes to step through” [to the next stage of human evolution]. This reminds me of narrator at the end of the story, who is seemingly understanding of what he thinks is happening back on earth. He understands that the human condition is flawed by an evolutionary conflict of interests within ourselves, and that this temporary form of consciousness will eventually evolve into something else, but only once our failures have run their course. This implies that the human race’s experience of humanity is dynamic, and that what we consider to be human nature is but a fleeting case of self-awareness.
These issues, thoughts, realities, etc. are something we all deal with, and Blindsight echoes the sentiments of many memorable persons throughout history, from George Carlin: “Narrow, unenlightened self-interest doesn’t impress me”; to perhaps the most notable:
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason,
how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!
the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals–
and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
Man delights not me–nor woman neither,
though by your smiling you seem to say so.
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (Act II, Scene ii, 294-300),
The feeling of discontentment with humanity is irony at its finest; in order to know there is a conflict within the human experience requires intelligence, and being discontent with this represents the very conflict inherent in our current humanity. However, what is irony if not the comedic relief for what might otherwise be a depressing idea? It is our intelligence that recognizes the need for change, and our emotions are that which helps us through the slow process of evolution. We might be experiencing “intelligence and self-awareness stuck in counterproductive lock-step,” but that means we are playing an important role in our species future. On the surface, this might seem rather depressing, but in a way, the fleeting nature of this stage — of conflicted humanity — justifies all of our flaws, and it gives [me] a sense of ease and peace to know that humanity, despite all of its flaws, will be just fine. Evolution will progress, and nature will correct. The “half-a-million year” lock-step will eventually come to an end, be it in our destruction, or in our deliverance.
