subj
Thank You David Attenborough!
"My name is David.
I’ve spent most of my life telling the stories of others—of birds, forests, oceans, and dying species.
And today... I sat in silence.
No camera. No crew. Just me.
And for a moment, I wondered if anyone truly understood how heavy these stories have become.
Today, I spoke of a rainforest that no longer exists.
I watched footage of a glacier I once stood upon... now vanished.
I read another report of species gone forever—creatures I once met, face to face.
I've witnessed the most breathtaking wonders of our world.
But I've also seen its slow unraveling.
And sometimes, it hurts more than words can hold.
Sometimes... I simply sit, and grieve.
I don’t ask for awards.
I don’t ask for praise.
But if it’s not too much to ask—maybe someone, somewhere, might whisper:
'Thank you, David.'
And maybe, just maybe, I’d feel a little less like I’m mourning this planet alone."
I’ve spent most of my life telling the stories of others—of birds, forests, oceans, and dying species.
And today... I sat in silence.
No camera. No crew. Just me.
And for a moment, I wondered if anyone truly understood how heavy these stories have become.
Today, I spoke of a rainforest that no longer exists.
I watched footage of a glacier I once stood upon... now vanished.
I read another report of species gone forever—creatures I once met, face to face.
I've witnessed the most breathtaking wonders of our world.
But I've also seen its slow unraveling.
And sometimes, it hurts more than words can hold.
Sometimes... I simply sit, and grieve.
I don’t ask for awards.
I don’t ask for praise.
But if it’s not too much to ask—maybe someone, somewhere, might whisper:
'Thank you, David.'
And maybe, just maybe, I’d feel a little less like I’m mourning this planet alone."
subj
the universe is actually in just it's micro-infancy!
"The observable universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old. Yet astrophysical models suggest it has access to hydrogen fuel for star formation for up to 100 trillion years. That means the universe has only lived through about 0.0138% of its star-forming potential; a mere embryonic phase in cosmic terms.
This staggering realization reframes our place in the cosmos. Far from being latecomers, humanity may be among the first intelligent civilizations to emerge.
The vast majority of stars; and potentially trillions of habitable planets; have yet to be born. As long as hydrogen remains abundant, new stellar systems will continue to form, each with the possibility of nurturing life.
The implications are profound. If intelligent life arises even rarely, the future could host trillions of civilizations, each with its own culture, science, and story. Our existence may be a preview of what’s to come; a whisper before the cosmic symphony begins.
This perspective challenges human intuition. We often view the universe as ancient and ourselves as late arrivals. In truth, we are pioneers in a universe that is just beginning to awaken. The age of stars is young. The age of minds has barely begun."
source: Michio Kaku
This staggering realization reframes our place in the cosmos. Far from being latecomers, humanity may be among the first intelligent civilizations to emerge.
The vast majority of stars; and potentially trillions of habitable planets; have yet to be born. As long as hydrogen remains abundant, new stellar systems will continue to form, each with the possibility of nurturing life.
The implications are profound. If intelligent life arises even rarely, the future could host trillions of civilizations, each with its own culture, science, and story. Our existence may be a preview of what’s to come; a whisper before the cosmic symphony begins.
This perspective challenges human intuition. We often view the universe as ancient and ourselves as late arrivals. In truth, we are pioneers in a universe that is just beginning to awaken. The age of stars is young. The age of minds has barely begun."
source: Michio Kaku
subj
What would happen if we began building our groups like wild forests again?
We’ve been telling ourselves the wrong story. Modern society has fed us a myth of the individual - independent, rational, competitive. We are raised to see ourselves as autonomous units, responsible for our own success, our own happiness, our own burnout.
But biologically, evolutionarily, existentially - we are not built to stand alone. We are group beings. Flock beings.
"Neurodivergence” today - ADHD, autism, dyslexia - may not be disorders in a functioning system, but functions in a system that has forgotten what it is for. Now I wanted to explore the group itself.
In original communities, there were no diagnoses. There were roles. Someone needed to see what was hidden. Someone needed to sense what was coming. Someone needed to break patterns. Evolutionary processes shaped flocks with different nervous systems - a sensory ecosystem where survival depended on difference, not sameness.
Many of us carry a feeling that cannot be reasoned away: something is missing. Perhaps it’s the flock. In the forest, mycorrhizal fungi form underground networks connecting trees. Without central control, without a “chief fungus.” Just collective intelligence, where the whole optimizes for survival.
What would happen if we began building our groups like wild forests again?
Read the full essay on the group that disappeared:
https://thestartingpoints.substack.com/p/we-were-never-individuals-on-the
But biologically, evolutionarily, existentially - we are not built to stand alone. We are group beings. Flock beings.
"Neurodivergence” today - ADHD, autism, dyslexia - may not be disorders in a functioning system, but functions in a system that has forgotten what it is for. Now I wanted to explore the group itself.
In original communities, there were no diagnoses. There were roles. Someone needed to see what was hidden. Someone needed to sense what was coming. Someone needed to break patterns. Evolutionary processes shaped flocks with different nervous systems - a sensory ecosystem where survival depended on difference, not sameness.
Many of us carry a feeling that cannot be reasoned away: something is missing. Perhaps it’s the flock. In the forest, mycorrhizal fungi form underground networks connecting trees. Without central control, without a “chief fungus.” Just collective intelligence, where the whole optimizes for survival.
What would happen if we began building our groups like wild forests again?
Read the full essay on the group that disappeared:
https://thestartingpoints.substack.com/p/we-were-never-individuals-on-the
subj
We are standing at the edge of the GPT Boundary.
Think about the KT Boundary. A razor-thin layer of iridium in the rock. Before it, dinosaurs. After it, mammals. One world ended. Another began.
GPT is that kind of line. Before it, words were human artifacts. Messy, brilliant, flawed, full of lived experience. After it, an endless flood of machine text.
Useful, sure. But also suspect. The origin of language collapses. Trust is broken. Smart people will learn to treat everything written after the line as contaminated unless proven otherwise.
What survives is what was written before the line. Voices carved in clay, pressed on paper, carried through centuries. My anchor is The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first story we ever told. When Gilgamesh fails to win immortality, he is given this command:
“Fill your belly with good things
day and night, dance and be merry
feast and rejoice
let your clothes be fresh
wash your head and bathe in water
look on the little one who holds your hand
let your wife delight in your embrace
these are the gifts of life to mankind”
Four thousand years ago humans already knew the truth. Immortality is not in code or algorithms. It is in the child’s hand you hold, the meal you share, the joy you make while you are here.
Cross the GPT Boundary if you must. But remember where trust really lives.
GPT is that kind of line. Before it, words were human artifacts. Messy, brilliant, flawed, full of lived experience. After it, an endless flood of machine text.
Useful, sure. But also suspect. The origin of language collapses. Trust is broken. Smart people will learn to treat everything written after the line as contaminated unless proven otherwise.
What survives is what was written before the line. Voices carved in clay, pressed on paper, carried through centuries. My anchor is The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first story we ever told. When Gilgamesh fails to win immortality, he is given this command:
“Fill your belly with good things
day and night, dance and be merry
feast and rejoice
let your clothes be fresh
wash your head and bathe in water
look on the little one who holds your hand
let your wife delight in your embrace
these are the gifts of life to mankind”
Four thousand years ago humans already knew the truth. Immortality is not in code or algorithms. It is in the child’s hand you hold, the meal you share, the joy you make while you are here.
Cross the GPT Boundary if you must. But remember where trust really lives.
express, not stress