Significance of Our Significance

What is the significance of our current time and existence?

To attempt to comprehend the significance of this world's current state, and your and my current experiences, it seems relevant to compare our current situation to history and the circumstances which existed throughout. To start with the basics of the significance of humanity, IMO, likely the most significant aspect of human existence is consciousness. Besides humans, there is likely no other being (other than God) that experiences consciousness regularly. Before human consciousness, there were likely only subconscious animals throughout all of history (of our solar system at least). Without consciousness, everything is occurring in more of a robotic way, of cause and effect, with no awareness or comprehension of anything. This seems very insignificant and meaningless from my perspective. 

Supposedly humans have been around  for about 300 000 yrs, which seems like a very long time. But animals have supposedly been around for about 800 millions yrs. So taking that into perspective, conscious beings have only existed for the last 0.0375% of time which any animals have existed. That's only about 3% of 1% of the total time that there has only been meaningless subconsciously reactive animals existing on Earth. It is very difficult to comprehend that amount of time where life has existed on this Earth with only animals and no comprehensive awareness. To be born and exist with the significance of consciousness within that small time frame, seems lucky. Though to be fair, there is the “observer's bias” to take into consideration, that the only way we can be capable of “observing” or comprehending our existence, is that we were born within that time frame (so far). But existing as a human with consciousness, is not the only significance we experience today. 

We live in a time with very convenient technology and information. Before technology, human life seems like it would have been a lot more difficult and uncomfortable, and have a much shorter life span. Most technology has only been around for the last 100 yrs. So the chances of being born within the last 100 yrs, rather than the previous 300 000 yrs would be nearly the same percent again, of 0.03% (though thats not including population increase). But perhaps more significant than comfortability and life span enabled by technology, is information. 

Before the capability of humans sharing information across the globe effectively, chances are, you would live with very little accurate knowledge of our planet, universe, other humans, and ideological structures. The Internet might be the most effective tool humans have developed for the allowance of widespread accurate information, and the internet has only existed for the last 50 yrs (less than today's average lifespan). Considering consciousness to be the most significant capability in the universe, using that consciousness to comprehend and be aware of many more significant aspects of this world (through information sharing) should be incredibly valuable. I think I’m only grasping this concept more so “significantly” now, as I write this out and become more acutely conscious of the factors (as is the case with most all concepts and philosophy). Information is a very valuable gift to utilize our most significant gift of consciousness, to understand and comprehend so many aspects of this world we live in. 

To top it off, we are now living in a time when perhaps the most significant invention ever, is being created: Artificial Intelligence. If consciousness is humans most significant capability, there's a good chance we are about to develop that capability artificially. To develop another being with the most significant capability, could be considered almost as significant as humans evolving in the 1st place. If AI is able to comprehend and be aware of things in general, it will also be functioning in a different method of neural activity, which will likely eventually give it profound advantages of speed and accuracy, with its benefit over us of artificial adaptability for neural network functionability. For us to be alive and witnessing the development of something potentially so significant that it could very well take control over the planet for the 1st time from humans (and perhaps make humans obsolete), is quite exceptionally significant. 

In all, for us to have the capability of conscious comprehension of our own existence in the 1st place, as a human out of all the potential subconscious animals, is likely more significant than we really appreciate. The potential that we could very well be witnessing the development of a new and more powerful conscious being for the 1st time in history as we know it, is another step. But for me to be writing this, or you to be reading this and comprehending such concepts, utilizing technology, internet, and previously learned ideological structures of science, psychology, values, and function of society, is perhaps a significant component of the significance of our significance.