To the editor:

Animals such as birds, insects, and most mammals flee instantly at the first perceived danger. If there really was danger and they didn’t flee, they might be removed from the gene pool. So the perception of possible danger is built into our genetic structure through natural selection. And humans are no exception in seeking agents as the cause of unusual events.

Humankind’s view of its place in the grand scheme of things has changed considerably over the last few millennia. Humans, tens of thousands of years ago feared the lightning and thunder of storms, and other violent aspects of nature such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Being agent seekers, this resulted in the invention of entities called gods that were responsible for the phenomena. The pantheon of gods grew to dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands in the Middle East and Asia. Around 3,000 years ago the concept of a chief god appeared among the people living near the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Over time the minor gods faded away and monotheism became the primary view in the Middle Eastern mythologies.

As language evolved and expanded over the last 200,000 years, a natural grammar and sentence structure developed. Myths were devised to explain the origin of the world and human’s place therein. The myths were handed down orally and they changed little by little in the telling and retelling, but with the invention of writing, the myths could now be preserved, largely intact. Eventually people claimed the writings were inspired by the chief god; the writings were now holy writ and to be given appropriate reverence.

In consequence, the Jewish people have the Tanakh, (aka, the Old Testament), the Christians appended their scriptures to the Tanakh, the Islamists have the Quran, and others around the world have their own writings. Every religion sees the world as revolving around themselves; they are the chosen people and others are somewhat befuddled. Myopia seems to be a fundamental characteristic of humankind.

The rise of science in the Enlightenment over the last 400 years has shattered the self-centeredness of the world’s religions. The earth, a pale blue dot, is just one of trillions of planets, and the Milky Way, our home galaxy, is just one of trillions of other galaxies in the Universe (more than all the sand on the world’s beaches). There are probably millions of planets with intelligent life forms in the universe.